VirtualBox on Slackware: How?

gargamel · 01-21-2007, 12:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by H_TeXMeX_H

[..]

As for your current problem:

Did you install the kernel sources for your kernel ? You must, because it is now trying to build a kernel module.
[...]

Thanks again, I really appreciate your help. Yes, I do have the kernel sources installed:

Code:

$ ls /var/adm/packages/kernel-*
/var/adm/packages/kernel-headers-2.6.17.13-i386-1  /var/adm/packages/kernel-modules-2.6.17.13-i486-1
/var/adm/packages/kernel-ide-2.4.33.3-i486-1       /var/adm/packages/kernel-source-2.6.17.13-noarch-1

Missing kernel sources/headers was my first idea, too, but this is not the problem. Any other ideas?

gargamel

H_TeXMeX_H · 01-21-2007, 12:28 PM

Well, it seems not to be finding some headers:

Code:

./include/linux/kernel.h:10:20: stdarg.h: No such file or directory

I would reinstall the following packages:

Code:

kernel-headers-2.4.33.3-i386-1
kernel-source-2.6.17.13-noarch-1

And read the warning about the 2.6.x kernel headers:

Quote:

This package of 2.6.x based /usr/include/linux and /usr/include/asm headers
is being provided by request for some people who need it in order to compile
ASDL modem drivers for 2.6.x. As a general rule, installing kernel headers
that are newer than the kernel glibc was compiled with *may* cause problems,
so unless you need these for a particular reason it's best to stick with the
2.4.x kernel-headers package for now.

gargamel · 01-21-2007, 02:30 PM

Ok, I've reinstalled the 2.6.17 kernel sources and the 2.4.33.3 kernel headers, but with limited success. Therefore I then tried it with the 2.6.17 headers, despite the warning you quote. Before each attempt I cd'ed into the vbox root installation directory and issued:

Code:

make clean

Then I went through ./configure and kmk all, each time. But:

Code:

[...]
(vboxdrv)" -c -o /home/alex/Apps/vbox/out/linux.x86/release/bin/src/linux/SUPDrv-linux.o /home/alex/Apps/vbox/out/linux.x86/release/bin/src/linux/SUPDrv-linux.c
In file included from /home/alex/Apps/vbox/out/linux.x86/release/bin/src/include/VBox/types.h:25,
                 from /home/alex/Apps/vbox/out/linux.x86/release/bin/src/SUPDRV.h:31,
                 from /home/alex/Apps/vbox/out/linux.x86/release/bin/src/linux/SUPDrv-linux.c:26:
/home/alex/Apps/vbox/out/linux.x86/release/bin/src/include/iprt/types.h:33:22: stddef.h: No such file or directory
In file included from ./include/asm/system.h:5,
                 from ./include/asm/processor.h:18,
                 from ./include/asm/thread_info.h:17,
                 from ./include/linux/thread_info.h:21,
                 from ./include/linux/preempt.h:10,
                 from ./include/linux/spinlock.h:50,
                 from /home/alex/Apps/vbox/out/linux.x86/release/bin/src/SUPDRV.h:82,
                 from /home/alex/Apps/vbox/out/linux.x86/release/bin/src/linux/SUPDrv-linux.c:26:
./include/linux/kernel.h:10:20: stdarg.h: No such file or directory
In file included from ./include/asm/system.h:5,
                 from ./include/asm/processor.h:18,
                 from ./include/asm/thread_info.h:17,
                 from ./include/linux/thread_info.h:21,
                 from ./include/linux/preempt.h:10,
                 from ./include/linux/spinlock.h:50,
                 from /home/alex/Apps/vbox/out/linux.x86/release/bin/src/SUPDRV.h:82,
                 from /home/alex/Apps/vbox/out/linux.x86/release/bin/src/linux/SUPDrv-linux.c:26:
./include/linux/kernel.h:107: error: syntax error before "va_list"
[...]

Here are the settings of some environment variables:

PATH=/home/alex/Apps/vbox/tools/linux.x86/bin:/home/alex/Apps/vbox/kBuild/bin/linux.x86:/usr/local/bin:/usr/bin:/bin:/usr/X11R6/bin:/usr/games:/opt/www/htdig/bin:/usr/lib/java/bin:/usr/lib/java/jre/bin:/usr/lib/java/bin:/usr/lib/java/jre/bin:/opt/kde/bin:/usr/lib/qt/bin:/usr/share/texmf/bin:.
LD_LIBRARY_PATH=/usr/X11R6/lib

I really don't know what's wrong. Apart from creating a softlink for Qt and setting the environment variables shown I haven't modified anything.

gargamel

gargamel · 01-21-2007, 02:35 PM

BTW, what's the best place to put this, so that is effective permanently?

Code:

LIBRARY_PATH=/usr/X11R6/lib

And why does this take effect, while putting X11R6 into /etc/ld.so.conf doesn't?

gargamel

H_TeXMeX_H · 01-21-2007, 02:56 PM

Run this command and post the output:

Code:

cd /
find 2> /dev/null | grep stdarg.h
find 2> /dev/null | grep stddef.h

These seem to be the two files it can't find.

(I have build the kernel module, so if the building does not work by any means I could just give you that and you run make install ... just a thought. It would be better if we got it to compile tho.)

gargamel · 01-21-2007, 03:43 PM

Thanks for your kind offer to provide your binaries. In case nothing else help I'd like to come back to it.

However, I agree with you that it is preferrable to get it all properly compile here. But it doesn't, and the
files not found are really missing. No idea, why, as I have re-installed the kernel headers.
stdarg.h is found, but obviously it's not the right file, just one with the same name.

Code:

# find 2> /dev/null | grep stdarg.h
./opt/VirtualBox-1.3.2/src/include/iprt/stdarg.h
./usr/lib/bcc/include/stdarg.h
./usr/lib/gcc/i486-slackware-linux/3.4.6/install-tools/include/stdarg.h
./usr/lib/gcc/i486-slackware-linux/3.4.6/include/stdarg.h
[...]/vbox/out/linux.x86/release/bin/src/include/iprt/stdarg.h
[...]/vbox/out/linux.x86/release/bin/additions/src/vboxadd/include/iprt/stdarg.h
[...]/vbox/include/iprt/.svn/text-base/stdarg.h.svn-base
[...]/vbox/include/iprt/.svn/prop-base/stdarg.h.svn-base
[...]/vbox/include/iprt/stdarg.h
[...]/dev86-0.16.17/libc/include/stdarg.h
[...]/dev86-0.16.17/unproto/stdarg.h

stddev.h is not found, at all.

Code:

find 2> /dev/null | grep stddev.h

Now, I've checked with the Slackware package database, if and where these files belong to.
Result:

stdarg.h is the one found on my system, coming with gcc-3.4.6-i486-1.
stddev.h is not part of any official Slackware package, not even of the kernel headers.

So where is it on your system? Is it part of any 3rd party package? Did I miss to resolve some dependency?

gargamel

H_TeXMeX_H · 01-21-2007, 04:14 PM

On my system:

stdarg.h

Code:

./home/drax/Stuff/testing/Dev86src-0.16.17/libc/include/stdarg.h
./home/drax/Stuff/testing/Dev86src-0.16.17/unproto/stdarg.h
./home/drax/Stuff/testing/vbtest/vbox/include/iprt/.svn/prop-base/stdarg.h.svn-base
./home/drax/Stuff/testing/vbtest/vbox/include/iprt/.svn/text-base/stdarg.h.svn-base
./home/drax/Stuff/testing/vbtest/vbox/include/iprt/stdarg.h
./home/drax/Stuff/testing/vbtest/vbox/out/linux.x86/release/bin/additions/src/vboxadd/include/iprt/stdarg.h
./home/drax/Stuff/testing/vbtest/vbox/out/linux.x86/release/bin/src/include/iprt/stdarg.h
./usr/lib/bcc/include/stdarg.h
./usr/lib/gcc/i486-slackware-linux/3.4.6/include/stdarg.h
./usr/lib/gcc/i486-slackware-linux/3.4.6/install-tools/include/stdarg.h

stddef.h

Code:

./home/drax/Stuff/testing/Dev86src-0.16.17/libc/include/stddef.h
./home/drax/Stuff/testing/Dev86src-0.16.17/unproto/stddef.h
./usr/include/linux/stddef.h
./usr/include/seamonkey-1.0.5/js/jsstddef.h
./usr/lib/bcc/include/stddef.h
./usr/lib/gcc/i486-slackware-linux/3.4.6/include/stddef.h
./usr/lib/gcc/i486-slackware-linux/3.4.6/install-tools/include/stddef.h
./usr/src/linux-2.4.33.3/include/linux/stddef.h
./usr/src/linux-2.6.17.13/include/linux/stddef.h

Did you install bcc ... it should at least be there, really I think it might be looking for the ones in the kernel source and gcc.

gargamel · 01-21-2007, 04:44 PM

Yes, bcc is installed.

But I had a typo in my find command, searching for stddev.h instead of stddef.h.
With the correct spelling I get similar output as you:

Code:

find 2> /dev/null | grep stddef.h
./usr/lib/bcc/include/stddef.h
./usr/lib/gcc/i486-slackware-linux/3.4.6/install-tools/include/stddef.h
./usr/lib/gcc/i486-slackware-linux/3.4.6/include/stddef.h
./usr/src/linux-2.6.17.13/include/linux/stddef.h
./usr/include/wine/msvcrt/stddef.h
./usr/include/linux/stddef.h
./usr/include/seamonkey-1.0.7/js/jsstddef.h
[...]/dev86-0.16.17/libc/include/stddef.h
[...]/dev86-0.16.17/unproto/stddef.h

One difference, however, is that I don't have /lib/modules/2.4.33.3/include.
I only have these directories for kernel 2.4.33.3:

Code:

/lib/modules/2.4.33.3/kernel and /lib/modules/2.4.33.3/linux-wlan-ng

Therefore I reinstalled the 2.4.33.3 kernel headers from the d series,
and as that didn't change anything obvious the kernel source for 2.4.33.
Unfortunately this didn't help either.

For 2.6.17 the include directory is there. Weird!

gargamel

H_TeXMeX_H · 01-21-2007, 05:07 PM

I don't really know then. Everything seems to be where it should be, but somehow it is not found. Maybe you should ask on the other forum, the one which gave you the answer on how to include the X11R6 lib directory. Maybe they know.

gargamel · 01-21-2007, 05:34 PM

So thanks a lot, again, for your patience.
I am really grateful for your help.
In fact without you I wouldn't have come so far, but now I am optimistic that somehow it can be sorted out.

I'll report back when I now what the problem is caused by.

In the meantime I am interested to hear about your further experiences with VirtualBox.

Which guests do you install?
Do they work well with Vbox?
What about performance?

Maybe you find the time to publish a short note on the product at LQ.
I am pretty sure that we two are only the first ones who want to know...

Thanks again, take care

gargamel

gnashley · 01-22-2007, 12:48 AM

Make sure you have at least configured your kernel sources. Don't try to make LD_LIBRARY_PATH permanent. It's supposed to be used case-by-case as when compiling(your case) or for helping programs to find libraries at run-time, usually in a wrapper script.

gargamel · 01-22-2007, 01:19 AM

SUCCESS! 8-)

I started over again, and this time everything went through smooth. I see the Vbox GUI now. Now, I'll have to explore this interesting piece of software and learn how I can use it for a couple of things that so far forced me to reboot to another operating system.

Quote:

Originally Posted by gnashley

Make sure you have at least configured your kernel sources. Don't try to make LD_LIBRARY_PATH permanent. It's supposed to be used case-by-case as when compiling(your case) or for helping programs to find libraries at run-time, usually in a wrapper script.

Hi gnashley,

thanks for your advice, but what does "configuring kernel sources" mean...?

Regarding path variables, I remember that a long time ago I read something that LD_LIBRARY_PATH and /etc/ld.so.conf are different from a security point of view, but unfortunately I don't remember the whys and hows.

No problem here, for the moment, as with my successful last attempt I found that LD_LIBRARY_PATH isn't needed, at all. What's needed is LIBRARY_PATH. Nevertheless I'd be interested to learn/recall the ld.so.conf vs. LD_LIBRARY_PATH thing.

Thank you guys, H_TeXMeX_H, Chris Wolfe and gnashley for your being so helpful, once again!

gargamel

rangalo · 01-22-2007, 07:48 AM

Hi guys,

Indeed a very helpful thread !

I am also interested in trying out VBox on my slackware pc. The problem is it is the machine, I use for development at work.
So, I cannot afford the risk of screwing up things.

Gargamel, can you be so kind and list the steps you did to compile and install ? Kind of a "How to"
I also tried once, but left after seeing dependency errors.

thanks and regards,
Hardik

gargamel · 01-22-2007, 08:42 AM

1. Resolve all the dependencies listed here:
http://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/Linux...20instructions
H_TeXMeX_H has done all the research where to find the relevant stuff and posted a list at the beginning of this thread, see there.
XALAN-C almost drove me nuts, rule here is that you should first build and install XERCES-C before you turn to XALAN-C.

2. Prepare symlinks and environment variables so that the Vbox configure scripts finds what it needs
LIBRARY_PATH=/usr/X11R6/lib
and create the Qt link as described, again, by H_TeXMeX_H

3. Follow the Vbox build instructions on the page mentioned above

(Not much time, so forgive me being so short; maybe we can extend this later together, once we know a reliable way to do it)

gargamel

rangalo · 01-22-2007, 09:04 AM

Hi,

thanks, gargamel for the "how to". I will surely give it a try and if I succeed, I will contribute to writing an extensive one.

regards,
Hardik