Virtualbox Shared Folders

[mkking]

I'm running Puppy Linux 4.3 (Sept 2009 release) inside Virtualbox 3.0.8 r53138, on a Windows Vista x64 host. I'm trying to share a folder between the host machine and the Puppy; unfortunately I'm very new to both Virtualbox and to Puppy Linux.

I read the comments at http://puppylinux.org/news/puplets/pupp ... l-machine/ about using the shared folders.

I've created a permanent shared folder in the Virtualbox settings, if I click on the blue folder in the Virtualbox window it tells me it's monitoring the activity of the shared folder and gives its name and path. But I can't figure out how to access it from within the Puppy guest. I've tried creating a folder, but there's no option to tell it to point to the location of the shared folder. I've tried using the "Mount" tool, but there's no option that I can find to mount the shared folder.

Sorry if this is a totally dumb question - I could use any help available!

[mkking]

I did some more sleuthing, and on the VirtualBox website I learned that the "VirtualBox Guest Additions" needed to be set up prior to the Shared Folder working. I tried installing the VirtualBox 3.0.8 Guest Additions for Linux (x86), and got the following errors:

Please install GNU make.
Please install the build and header files for your current Linux kernel.
The current kernel version is 2.6.30.5
Please install the GNU compiler.
Problems were found which would prevent the Guest Additions from installing.
Please correct these problems and try again.
Press Return to close this window...

Is there an easy way to install "GNU make", the build and header files for the Linux kernel, and the "GNU compiler" to Puppy Linux? Or are they already installed and I need to start something up before they can be accessed?

[gray]

you need to run a terminal command like:

mount -t vboxsf sharename mountpoint

where sharename is what you have called the share in the vbox gui as Folder Name

for example mount -t vboxsf vbshare /mnt/share

the mount point must already exist so create the folder first

I put the mount command in the /etc/rc.d/rc.local file so that it is mounted automatically on boot up. Note it needs to be after the lines:

/etc/rc.d/rc.vboxadd start
/etc/rc.d/rc.vboxadd-service start

If you are running NOP 431 or Boxpup 431 you will also have to change the line:

. /etc/rc.d/rc.messagebus

to remove the leading dot as this is a bug that prevents anything running after this line.

[mkking]

When I try mounting the shared folder to the mountpoint, it tells me "mount: unknown filesystem type 'vboxsf'". I am guessing that has to do with the fact that I couldn't get the VirtualBox Guest Additions to install?

(Also, my rc.d file did not have the lines you mention in your reply - should I add them? What do they accomplish?)

Thanks!

[John Lewis]

I have puppy running in virtualbox on a Mepis Linux machine. You will need to install guest additions. Without them it won't work. Once you have that set up then create a shared folder in the host machine and a folder of the same name in the guest. I put a link to it it on the desktop.

Here's what I did.

1. In host ~/ directory, create a new folder 'vboxshare'
(/home/John/vboxshare).

2. Set up VM folder from the settings box in VB before starting machine. The
share for me is therefore called vboxshare.

3. Start the VM and log in. From top of VM menu, check everything is working by
selecting Devices> Shared Folders ... and making sure the host folder was selected.

4. Create (as root) a new folder under /mnt (this is in the vm ) called vbshared

5. Open konsole in vm, then as root:
mount -t vboxsf vboxshare /mnt/vbshared

6. Navigate to /mnt/vbshared and refresh the directory. The files should be there.

Now to the important question of getting Guest Additions running. The first thing you will need is to install the devx sfs for your version of puppy. Its a while since I did this so I can't recall if I needed anything else but I think that was all.
Once you have devx in puppy you should be able to follow the instructions from the VirtualBox manual pdf and have it up and running.

Edit: Looking back I see I had in fact used the puppy from the post below. Too many experiments and a bad memory. DOH.

I just remembered on this forum someone made a puppy 4.3.1 just for VirtualBox and it had the Guest Additions in it. Have a look in the derivatives section.

Ah, yes. Here it is. It is very easy to install just by importing it.

http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic.php?t=45028

Hope this helps ,

John Lewis