How To Install Virtualbox Guest Additions in Fedora Guest

by Re Alvarez — last modified Mar 12, 2008 02:30 PM

— filed under: Server Solutions

VirtualBox is an open source virtualization application that lets you run another operating system within your existing operating system. Your original system is called Host and then secondary system is called Guest. VirtualBox guest additions provide features such as mouse integration.

Applicable to Fedora Versions

Tutorial is based on Fedora 8, but should work on other releases as well.

Requirements

You must have Fedora installed as a guest in VirtualBox.
kernel-headers package
kernel-devel package (kernel source)
gcc

Doing the Work

Start your Fedora guest in VirtualBox and open terminal. After opening terminal, login as root and run the following commands in the terminal.
```
yum install kernel-headers kernel-devel gcc
```
Now, in the VirtualBox file menu, goto
```
Devices -> Install Guest Additions
```
This would mount VirtualBox Guest Additions installer in the guest OS's CDROM
Now navigate to VirtualBox virtual CDROM, in the terminal type
```
cd /media/VB
```
and hit TAB key (as it will autocomplete the folder name for you) and then hit ENTER.
Now that you are in VirtualBox folder, run the installer
```
./VBoxLinuxAdditions.run
```
Once completed, reboot your Fedora guest and you would be using VirtualBox Additions.

Troubleshooting

To verify that you are using Guest Additions, try clicking somewhere in your guest and then move your mouse out of the guest's window. If it moves seemlessly, then VirtualBox Guest Additions has been successfully installed.

Also, try running command lsmod | grep vbox

[root@localhost VBOXADDITIONS_1.5.6_28241]# lsmod | grep vbox
vboxvfs                38464  0 
vboxadd                22824  11 vboxvfs

Your output should be similar, if the command doesn't return anything then the installation has failed.

More Information

Disclaimer

We test this stuff on our own machines, really we do. But you may run into problems, if you do, come to #fedora on irc.freenode.net

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