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Virtualbox package confusion

Posted: 8. Mar 2016, 14:36
by rsal
I have recently installed Salix (KDE beta iso, no major changes, original kernel) on a system and I have to install virtualbox on it. I do not want to compile it from source in Slackbuilds. I see that following packages are available in slackonly repository:

Code: Select all

virtualbox-4.3.24-i486-2_slack.txz                        62420 K
virtualbox-extension-pack-4.3.24-i486-1_slack.txz         752 K

virtualbox-addons-4.3.24-i486-3_slack.txz                 1448 K
virtualbox-kernel-addons-4.3.24_3.10.17_smp-i486-1_slack.txz  100 K
virtualbox-kernel-4.3.24_3.10.17_smp-i486-1_slack.txz     124 K
The first one is obviously the main and others are small packages. Do I need to install other ones also? When are other packages needed? Is there any harm if I install all of them?

I tried to read the information on Slackbuilds and I think I need to install only virtualbox and virtualbox-extension-pack only. Am I right? Thanks for your help.

Re: Virtualbox package confusion

Posted: 8. Mar 2016, 15:50
by mimosa
If I remember correctly, you've posted about this before, and it was recommended you install the prebuilt binary from Vbox. That is likely to be far easier.

Re: Virtualbox package confusion

Posted: 8. Mar 2016, 16:33
by rsal
I had once installed from Slackbuilds (viewtopic.php?f=16&t=6844) which took a long time and once from the binaries (virtualbox and extension-pack) provided at the website which was much less difficult. But in this question I want to know what exactly are virtualbox-addons, virtualbox-kernel and virtualbox-kernel-addons for? I could not understand about these from Slackbuilds information. Do I need them only if I compile virtualbox for a kernel different from running kernel? Apparently, virtualbox-addons is to be used with virtualbox-kernel-addons. I think for running/testing a linux iso file or for installing windows in virtualbox, I need only virtualbox and virtualbox-extension pack (only these are downloadable from the website: https://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/Downloads). Please correct me if I am wrong.

Re: Virtualbox package confusion

Posted: 8. Mar 2016, 17:12
by mimosa
I can't remember what those are all for, but some are needed to make certain features work more smoothly, or at all. I suggest you get all you can from their website (have a look around) and only then, and if you find something doesn't work, explore SBo for these.

(EDIT It is probably important that all of them are the same version as the main Vbox you install)

If you find yourself in a tangle, it was probably avoidable. I appreciate that may not sound very helpful, but it's hard for someone else to envisage every possible wrong turning in advance.

Please check the wiki and forum. My memory of doing this is that it should be pretty straightforward, starting from the premise that you use what's on their site. You should already have the necessary group and so on set up - though maybe the Vbox installer even does that for you.

Re: Virtualbox package confusion

Posted: 9. Mar 2016, 00:30
by ChuangTzu
You need to sudo slapt-get kernel-source

then install the binary from Virtualbox, if you want you can install the extension pack into Virtualbox: download the extension load Virtualbox and at the top "file, preferences, extensions".

Remember to check Virtualbox site from time to time for upgrades if available.