[Pkg-virtualbox-devel] Bug#488455: virtualbox-ose-guest-utils: VBoxClient fails to start

[Stefan Lippers-Hollmann]

Package: virtualbox-ose-guest-utils
Version: 1.6.2-dfsg-1
Severity: minor
Tags: patch

/etc/X11/Xsession.d/98vboxadd-xclient (which is executed as the user 
starting the X session) fails to start VBoxClient, because it cannot access
vboxadd, as its device node is created as:
	crw-rw---- 1 root root 10, 59 29. Jun 2008  /dev/vboxadd

Furthermore it fails to find VBoxRandR, which is required for dynamic 
resolution changes.

The attached patch (against pkg-virtualbox trunk)
"virtualbox-ose-guest-utils_fix-VBoxClient_vboxusers.diff" installs 
VBoxRandR to /usr/bin/ and adds an udev rules to create /dev/vboxadd as:
	crw-rw---- 1 root vboxusers 10, 59 29. Jun 2008  /dev/vboxadd
to allow members of the vboxusers group to start VBoxClient and make use 
os its abilities to do dynamic resolution changes etc. While reusing the 
vboxusers group seems to be straight forward, it has the disadvantage that
the group cannot be removed easily on purge (virtualbox-ose.postrm has been
removed).

The other alternative would be introducing yet another group, like 
"vboxguests", to allow access to vboxadd, the also attached alternative 
patch "virtualbox-ose-guest-utils_fix-VBoxClient_vboxguests.diff" takes 
that route, the advantage being that "vboxguests" and "vboxusers" can be
(easily) removed on purge, with the drawback of introducing yet another 
system group doing pretty much the same as "vboxusers".

Both patches, and virtualbox-ose-guest-utils_fix-VBoxClient_vboxusers.diff
in particular, have been tested successfully with i386 guests on amd64/ 
i386 hosts; VBoxClient gets started properly as user through 
98vboxadd-xclient and reacts dynamically on window changes (like 
<host-key>-f).

Regards
	Stefan Lippers-Hollmann

Post scriptum:	This might be related to #477554

-- System Information:
Debian Release: lenny/sid
  APT prefers unstable
  APT policy: (500, 'unstable')
Architecture: i386 (i686)

Kernel: Linux 2.6.25-9.slh.1-sidux-686 (SMP w/1 CPU core; PREEMPT)
Locale: LANG=de_DE.UTF-8, LC_CTYPE=de_DE.UTF-8 (charmap=UTF-8)
Shell: /bin/sh linked to /bin/dash

Versions of packages virtualbox-ose-guest-utils depends on:
ii  libc6                         2.7-12     GNU C Library: Shared libraries
ii  libgcc1                       1:4.3.1-3  GCC support library
ii  libx11-6                      2:1.1.4-2  X11 client-side library
ii  libxext6                      2:1.0.4-1  X11 miscellaneous extension librar
ii  libxmu6                       2:1.0.4-1  X11 miscellaneous utility library
ii  libxt6                        1:1.0.5-3  X11 toolkit intrinsics library
ii  pciutils                      1:3.0.0-4  Linux PCI Utilities

Versions of packages virtualbox-ose-guest-utils recommends:
ii  virtualbox-ose 2.6.25.rev36+1.6.2-dfsg-1 PC virtualization solution modules
ii  xserver-xorg-c 2:1.4.2-1                 Xorg X server - core server

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