VirtualBox

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1<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
2<!--
3 user_VBoxManage.xml:
4 VBoxManage documentation for the user manual.
5
6 This XML document is also be used for generating the help text
7 built into VBoxManage as well as manpages (hacking in progress).
8
9 Copyright (C) 2006-2017 Oracle Corporation
10
11 This file is part of VirtualBox Open Source Edition (OSE), as
12 available from http://www.virtualbox.org. This file is free software;
13 you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU
14 General Public License (GPL) as published by the Free Software
15 Foundation, in version 2 as it comes in the "COPYING" file of the
16 VirtualBox OSE distribution. VirtualBox OSE is distributed in the
17 hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY of any kind.
18 -->
19<!DOCTYPE chapter PUBLIC "-//OASIS//DTD DocBook XML V4.4//EN"
20"http://www.oasis-open.org/docbook/xml/4.4/docbookx.dtd">
21<chapter id="vboxmanage">
22 <title>VBoxManage</title>
23
24 <sect1>
25 <title>Introduction</title>
26
27 <para>As briefly mentioned in <xref linkend="frontends" />, VBoxManage is
28 the command-line interface to VirtualBox. With it, you can completely
29 control VirtualBox from the command line of your host operating system.
30 VBoxManage supports all the features that the graphical user interface
31 gives you access to, but it supports a lot more than that. It exposes
32 really all the features of the virtualization engine, even those that
33 cannot (yet) be accessed from the GUI.</para>
34
35 <para>You will need to use the command line if you want to</para>
36
37 <para><itemizedlist>
38 <listitem>
39 <para>use a different user interface than the main GUI (for example,
40 VBoxSDL or the VBoxHeadless server);</para>
41 </listitem>
42
43 <listitem>
44 <para>control some of the more advanced and experimental
45 configuration settings for a VM.</para>
46 </listitem>
47 </itemizedlist></para>
48
49 <para>There are two main things to keep in mind when using
50 <computeroutput>VBoxManage</computeroutput>: First,
51 <computeroutput>VBoxManage</computeroutput> must always be used with a
52 specific "subcommand", such as "list" or "createvm" or "startvm". All the
53 subcommands that <computeroutput>VBoxManage</computeroutput> supports are
54 described in detail in <xref linkend="vboxmanage" />.</para>
55
56 <para>Second, most of these subcommands require that you specify a
57 particular virtual machine after the subcommand. There are two ways you
58 can do this:</para>
59
60 <itemizedlist>
61 <listitem>
62 <para>You can specify the VM name, as it is shown in the VirtualBox
63 GUI. Note that if that name contains spaces, then you must enclose the
64 entire name in double quotes (as it is always required with command
65 line arguments that contain spaces).</para>
66
67 <para>For example:<screen>VBoxManage startvm "Windows XP"</screen></para>
68 </listitem>
69
70 <listitem>
71 <para>You can specify the UUID, which is the internal unique
72 identifier that VirtualBox uses to refer to the virtual machine.
73 Assuming that the aforementioned VM called "Windows XP" has the UUID
74 shown below, the following command has the same effect as the
75 previous:<screen>VBoxManage startvm 670e746d-abea-4ba6-ad02-2a3b043810a5</screen></para>
76 </listitem>
77 </itemizedlist>
78
79 <para>You can type <computeroutput>VBoxManage list vms</computeroutput> to
80 have all currently registered VMs listed with all their settings,
81 including their respective names and UUIDs.</para>
82
83 <para>Some typical examples of how to control VirtualBox from the command
84 line are listed below:</para>
85
86 <itemizedlist>
87 <listitem>
88 <para>To create a new virtual machine from the command line and
89 immediately register it with VirtualBox, use
90 <computeroutput>VBoxManage createvm</computeroutput> with the
91 <computeroutput>--register</computeroutput> option,<footnote>
92 <para>For details, see <xref
93 linkend="vboxmanage-createvm" />.</para>
94 </footnote> like this:</para>
95
96 <screen>$ VBoxManage createvm --name "SUSE 10.2" --register
97VirtualBox Command Line Management Interface Version @VBOX_VERSION_MAJOR@.@VBOX_VERSION_MINOR@.@VBOX_VERSION_BUILD@
98(C) 2005-@VBOX_C_YEAR@ @VBOX_VENDOR@
99All rights reserved.
100
101Virtual machine 'SUSE 10.2' is created.
102UUID: c89fc351-8ec6-4f02-a048-57f4d25288e5
103Settings file: '/home/username/.config/VirtualBox/Machines/SUSE 10.2/SUSE 10.2.xml'</screen>
104
105 <para>As can be seen from the above output, a new virtual machine has
106 been created with a new UUID and a new XML settings file.</para>
107 </listitem>
108
109 <listitem>
110 <para>To show the configuration of a particular VM, use
111 <computeroutput>VBoxManage showvminfo</computeroutput>; see <xref
112 linkend="vboxmanage-showvminfo" /> for details and an example.</para>
113 </listitem>
114
115 <listitem>
116 <para>To change settings while a VM is powered off, use
117 <computeroutput>VBoxManage modifyvm</computeroutput>, e.g. as
118 follows:<screen>VBoxManage modifyvm "Windows XP" --memory 512</screen></para>
119
120 <para>For details, see <xref linkend="vboxmanage-modifyvm" />.</para>
121 </listitem>
122
123 <listitem>
124 <para>To change the storage configuration (e.g. to add a storage
125 controller and then a virtual disk), use <computeroutput>VBoxManage
126 storagectl</computeroutput> and <computeroutput>VBoxManage
127 storageattach</computeroutput>; see <xref
128 linkend="vboxmanage-storagectl" /> and <xref
129 linkend="vboxmanage-storageattach" /> for details.</para>
130 </listitem>
131
132 <listitem>
133 <para>To control VM operation, use one of the following:<itemizedlist>
134 <listitem>
135 <para>To start a VM that is currently powered off, use
136 <computeroutput>VBoxManage startvm</computeroutput>; see <xref
137 linkend="vboxmanage-startvm" /> for details.</para>
138 </listitem>
139
140 <listitem>
141 <para>To pause or save a VM that is currently running or change
142 some of its settings, use <computeroutput>VBoxManage
143 controlvm</computeroutput>; see <xref
144 linkend="vboxmanage-controlvm" /> for details.</para>
145 </listitem>
146 </itemizedlist></para>
147 </listitem>
148 </itemizedlist>
149 </sect1>
150
151 <sect1>
152 <title>Commands overview</title>
153
154 <para>When running VBoxManage without parameters or when supplying an
155 invalid command line, the below syntax diagram will be shown. Note that
156 the output will be slightly different depending on the host platform; when
157 in doubt, check the output of <computeroutput>VBoxManage</computeroutput>
158 for the commands available on your particular host.</para>
159
160 <xi:include href="../user_VBoxManage_CommandsOverview.xml" xpointer="xpointer(/sect1/*)"
161 xmlns:xi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XInclude" />
162
163 <para>Each time VBoxManage is invoked, only one command can be executed.
164 However, a command might support several subcommands which then can be
165 invoked in one single call. The following sections provide detailed
166 reference information on the different commands.</para>
167 </sect1>
168
169 <sect1 id="vboxmanage-general">
170 <title>General options</title>
171 <para>
172 <itemizedlist>
173 <listitem>
174 <para><computeroutput>-v|--version</computeroutput>: show the version of
175 this tool and exit.</para>
176 </listitem>
177 <listitem>
178 <para><computeroutput>--nologo</computeroutput>: suppress the output
179 of the logo information (useful for scripts)</para>
180 </listitem>
181 <listitem>
182 <para><computeroutput>--settingspw</computeroutput>: specifiy a settings
183 password</para>
184 </listitem>
185 <listitem>
186 <para><computeroutput>--settingspwfile</computeroutput>: specify a file
187 containing the settings password.</para>
188 </listitem>
189 </itemizedlist>
190 The settings password is used for certain settings which need to be
191 stored encrypted for security reasons. At the moment, the only encrypted
192 setting is the iSCSI initiator secret (see
193 <xref linkend="vboxmanage-storageattach" /> for details). As long as no
194 settings password is specified, this information is stored in
195 <emphasis role="bold">plain text</emphasis>. After using the
196 <computeroutput>--settingspw|--settingspwfile</computeroutput> option
197 once, it must be always used, otherwise the encrypted setting cannot
198 be unencrypted.
199 </para>
200 </sect1>
201
202 <sect1 id="vboxmanage-list">
203 <title>VBoxManage list</title>
204
205 <para>The <computeroutput>list</computeroutput> command gives relevant
206 information about your system and information about VirtualBox's current
207 settings.</para>
208
209 <para>The following subcommands are available with
210 <computeroutput>VBoxManage list</computeroutput>: <itemizedlist>
211 <listitem>
212 <para><computeroutput>vms</computeroutput> lists all virtual
213 machines currently registered with VirtualBox. By default this
214 displays a compact list with each VM's name and UUID; if you also
215 specify <computeroutput>--long</computeroutput> or
216 <computeroutput>-l</computeroutput>, this will be a detailed list as
217 with the <computeroutput>showvminfo</computeroutput> command (see
218 below).</para>
219 </listitem>
220
221 <listitem>
222 <para><computeroutput>runningvms</computeroutput> lists all
223 currently running virtual machines by their unique identifiers
224 (UUIDs) in the same format as with
225 <computeroutput>vms</computeroutput>.</para>
226 </listitem>
227
228 <listitem>
229 <para><computeroutput>ostypes</computeroutput> lists all guest
230 operating systems presently known to VirtualBox, along with the
231 identifiers used to refer to them with the
232 <computeroutput>modifyvm</computeroutput> command.</para>
233 </listitem>
234
235 <listitem>
236 <para><computeroutput>hostdvds</computeroutput>,
237 <computeroutput>hostfloppies</computeroutput>, respectively, list
238 DVD, floppy, bridged networking and host-only networking interfaces
239 on the host, along with the name used to access them from within
240 VirtualBox.</para>
241 </listitem>
242
243 <listitem>
244 <para><computeroutput>intnets</computeroutput> displays information
245 about the internal networks.</para>
246 </listitem>
247
248 <listitem>
249 <para><computeroutput>bridgedifs</computeroutput>,
250 <computeroutput>hostonlyifs</computeroutput>,
251 <computeroutput>natnets</computeroutput> and
252 <computeroutput>dhcpservers</computeroutput>, respectively, list
253 bridged network interfaces, host-only network interfaces,
254 NAT network interfaces and DHCP servers currently available on the
255 host. Please see <xref
256 linkend="networkingdetails" /> for details on these.</para>
257 </listitem>
258
259 <listitem>
260 <para><computeroutput>hostinfo</computeroutput> displays information
261 about the host system, such as CPUs, memory size and operating
262 system version.</para>
263 </listitem>
264
265 <listitem>
266 <para><computeroutput>hostcpuids</computeroutput> dumps the CPUID
267 parameters for the host CPUs. This can be used for a more fine
268 grained analyis of the host's virtualization capabilities.</para>
269 </listitem>
270
271 <listitem>
272 <para><computeroutput>hddbackends</computeroutput> lists all known
273 virtual disk back-ends of VirtualBox. For each such format (such as
274 VDI, VMDK or RAW), this lists the back-end's capabilities and
275 configuration.</para>
276 </listitem>
277
278 <listitem>
279 <para><computeroutput>hdds</computeroutput>,
280 <computeroutput>dvds</computeroutput> and
281 <computeroutput>floppies</computeroutput> all give you information
282 about virtual disk images currently in use by VirtualBox, including
283 all their settings, the unique identifiers (UUIDs) associated with
284 them by VirtualBox and all files associated with them. This is the
285 command-line equivalent of the Virtual Media Manager; see <xref
286 linkend="vdis" />.</para>
287 </listitem>
288
289 <listitem>
290 <para><computeroutput>usbhost</computeroutput> supplies information
291 about USB devices attached to the host, notably information useful
292 for constructing USB filters and whether they are currently in use
293 by the host.</para>
294 </listitem>
295
296 <listitem>
297 <para><computeroutput>usbfilters</computeroutput> lists all global
298 USB filters registered with VirtualBox -- that is, filters for
299 devices which are accessible to all virtual machines -- and displays
300 the filter parameters.</para>
301 </listitem>
302
303 <listitem>
304 <para><computeroutput>systemproperties</computeroutput> displays
305 some global VirtualBox settings, such as minimum and maximum guest
306 RAM and virtual hard disk size, folder settings and the current
307 authentication library in use.</para>
308 </listitem>
309
310 <listitem>
311 <para><computeroutput>extpacks</computeroutput> displays all
312 VirtualBox extension packs currently installed; see <xref
313 linkend="intro-installing" /> and <xref
314 linkend="vboxmanage-extpack" /> for more information.</para>
315 </listitem>
316
317 <listitem>
318 <para><computeroutput>groups</computeroutput> displays
319 details of the VM Groups; see <xref linkend="gui-vmgroups" />
320 for more information.</para>
321 </listitem>
322
323 <listitem>
324 <para><computeroutput>webcams</computeroutput> displays a list of
325 webcams attached to the running VM. The output format is a list of
326 absolute paths or aliases that were used for attaching the webcams
327 to the VM using the 'webcam attach' command.</para>
328 </listitem>
329
330 <listitem>
331 <para><computeroutput>screenshotformats</computeroutput> displays a
332 list of available screenshot formats.</para>
333 </listitem>
334
335 </itemizedlist></para>
336 </sect1>
337
338 <sect1 id="vboxmanage-showvminfo">
339 <title>VBoxManage showvminfo</title>
340
341 <para>The <computeroutput>showvminfo</computeroutput> command shows
342 information about a particular virtual machine. This is the same
343 information as <computeroutput>VBoxManage list vms --long</computeroutput>
344 would show for all virtual machines.</para>
345
346 <para>You will get information that resembles the following example.</para>
347
348 <para><screen>$ VBoxManage showvminfo "Windows XP"
349VirtualBox Command Line Management Interface Version @VBOX_VERSION_MAJOR@.@VBOX_VERSION_MINOR@.@VBOX_VERSION_BUILD@
350(C) 2005-@VBOX_C_YEAR@ @VBOX_VENDOR@
351All rights reserved.
352
353Name: Windows XP
354Guest OS: Other/Unknown
355UUID: 1bf3464d-57c6-4d49-92a9-a5cc3816b7e7
356Config file: /home/username/.config/VirtualBox/Machines/Windows XP/Windows XP.xml
357Memory size: 512MB
358VRAM size: 12MB
359Number of CPUs: 2
360Boot menu mode: message and menu
361Boot Device (1): DVD
362Boot Device (2): HardDisk
363Boot Device (3): Not Assigned
364Boot Device (4): Not Assigned
365ACPI: on
366IOAPIC: on
367...
368 </screen></para>
369 <para>Use the <computeroutput>--machinereadable</computeroutput> option
370 to produce the same output, but in machine readable format: property="value" on a
371 line by line basis, e.g.:</para>
372 <para><screen>
373name="VBoxSDL --startvm OL7.2"
374groups="/"
375ostype="Oracle (64-bit)"
376UUID="457af700-bc0a-4258-aa3c-13b03da171f2"
377...
378 </screen></para>
379 </sect1>
380
381 <sect1 id="vboxmanage-registervm">
382 <title>VBoxManage registervm / unregistervm</title>
383
384 <para>The <computeroutput>registervm</computeroutput> command allows you
385 to import a virtual machine definition in an XML file into VirtualBox. The
386 machine must not conflict with one already registered in VirtualBox and it
387 may not have any hard or removable disks attached. It is advisable to
388 place the definition file in the machines folder before registering
389 it.<note>
390 <para>When creating a new virtual machine with
391 <computeroutput>VBoxManage createvm</computeroutput> (see below), you
392 can directly specify the <computeroutput>--register</computeroutput>
393 option to avoid having to register it separately.</para>
394 </note></para>
395
396 <para>The <computeroutput>unregistervm</computeroutput> command
397 unregisters a virtual machine. If
398 <computeroutput>--delete</computeroutput> is also specified, the following
399 files will automatically be deleted as well:<orderedlist>
400 <listitem>
401 <para>all hard disk image files, including differencing files, which
402 are used by the machine and not shared with other machines;</para>
403 </listitem>
404
405 <listitem>
406 <para>saved state files that the machine created, if any (one if the
407 machine was in "saved" state and one for each online
408 snapshot);</para>
409 </listitem>
410
411 <listitem>
412 <para>the machine XML file and its backups;</para>
413 </listitem>
414
415 <listitem>
416 <para>the machine log files, if any;</para>
417 </listitem>
418
419 <listitem>
420 <para>the machine directory, if it is empty after having deleted all
421 the above.</para>
422 </listitem>
423 </orderedlist></para>
424 </sect1>
425
426 <sect1 id="vboxmanage-createvm">
427 <title>VBoxManage createvm</title>
428
429 <para>This command creates a new XML virtual machine definition
430 file.</para>
431
432 <para>The <computeroutput>--name &lt;name&gt;</computeroutput> parameter
433 is required and must specify the name of the machine. Since this name is
434 used by default as the file name of the settings file (with the extension
435 <computeroutput>.xml</computeroutput>) and the machine folder (a subfolder
436 of the <computeroutput>.config/VirtualBox/Machines</computeroutput> folder
437 - this folder name may vary depending on the operating system and the
438 version of VirtualBox which you are using), it must conform to your host
439 operating system's requirements for file name specifications. If the VM
440 is later renamed, the file and folder names will change automatically.</para>
441
442 <para>However, if the <computeroutput>--basefolder
443 &lt;path&gt;</computeroutput> option is used, the machine folder will be
444 named <computeroutput>&lt;path&gt;</computeroutput>. In this case, the
445 names of the file and the folder will not change if the virtual machine is
446 renamed.</para>
447
448 <para>If the <computeroutput>--group &lt;group&gt;, ...</computeroutput>
449 option is used, the machine will be assigned membership of the specified
450 VM groups in the list. Note that group ids always start with a
451 <computeroutput>/</computeroutput> and can be nested. By default,
452 VMs are always assigned membership of the group
453 <computeroutput>/</computeroutput>.</para>
454
455 <para>If the <computeroutput>--ostype &lt;ostype&gt;</computeroutput>:
456 option is used, &lt;ostype&gt; specifies the guest operating system
457 to run in the VM. To learn about the available OS options,
458 run <computeroutput>VBoxManage list ostypes</computeroutput> .</para>
459
460 <para>If the <computeroutput>--uuid &lt;uuid&gt;</computeroutput>:
461 option is used, &lt;uuid&gt; specifies the VM uuid. This must be
462 unique within the namespace of the host, or that of the VM Group if
463 it is assigned to a VM group membership. By default, a unique uuid
464 within the appropriate namespace is automatically generated.
465 </para>
466
467 <para>By default, this command only creates the XML file without
468 automatically registering the VM with your VirtualBox installation. To
469 register the VM instantly, use the optional
470 <computeroutput>--register</computeroutput> option, or run
471 <computeroutput>VBoxManage registervm</computeroutput> separately
472 afterwards.</para>
473
474 </sect1>
475
476 <sect1 id="vboxmanage-modifyvm">
477 <title>VBoxManage modifyvm</title>
478
479 <para>This command changes the properties of a registered virtual machine
480 which is not running. Most of the properties that this command makes
481 available correspond to the VM settings that VirtualBox graphical user
482 interface displays in each VM's "Settings" dialog; these were described in
483 <xref linkend="BasicConcepts" />. Some of the more advanced settings,
484 however, are only available through the
485 <computeroutput>VBoxManage</computeroutput> interface.</para>
486
487 <para>These commands require that the machine is powered off (neither
488 running nor in "saved" state). Some machine settings can also be changed
489 while a machine is running; those settings will then have a corresponding
490 subcommand with the <computeroutput>VBoxManage controlvm</computeroutput>
491 subcommand (see <xref linkend="vboxmanage-controlvm" />).</para>
492
493 <sect2>
494 <title>General settings</title>
495
496 <para>The following general settings are available through
497 <computeroutput>VBoxManage modifyvm</computeroutput>:<itemizedlist>
498 <listitem>
499 <para><computeroutput>--name &lt;name&gt;</computeroutput>: This
500 changes the VM's name and possibly renames the internal virtual
501 machine files, as described with <computeroutput>VBoxManage
502 createvm</computeroutput> above.</para>
503 </listitem>
504
505 <listitem>
506 <para><computeroutput>--groups &lt;group&gt;, ...</computeroutput>:
507 This changes the group membership of a VM. Groups always start with
508 a <computeroutput>/</computeroutput> and can be nested. By default
509 VMs are in group <computeroutput>/</computeroutput>.</para>
510 </listitem>
511
512 <listitem>
513 <para><computeroutput>--description &lt;desc&gt;</computeroutput>:
514 This changes the VM's description, which is a way to record details
515 about the VM in a way which is meaningful for the user. The GUI
516 interprets HTML formatting, the command line allows arbitrary
517 strings potentially containing multiple lines.</para>
518 </listitem>
519
520 <listitem>
521 <para><computeroutput>--ostype &lt;ostype&gt;</computeroutput>:
522 This specifies what guest operating system is supposed to run in
523 the VM. To learn about the various identifiers that can be used
524 here, use <computeroutput>VBoxManage list
525 ostypes</computeroutput>.</para>
526 </listitem>
527
528 <listitem>
529 <para><computeroutput>--iconfile &lt;filename&gt;</computeroutput>:
530 This specifies the absolute path on the host file system for the VirtualBox
531 icon to be displayed in the VM.</para>
532 </listitem>
533
534 <listitem>
535 <para><computeroutput>--memory &lt;memorysize&gt;</computeroutput>: This sets the amount of RAM,
536 in MB, that the virtual machine should allocate for itself from
537 the host. See the remarks in <xref linkend="gui-createvm" /> for
538 more information.</para>
539 </listitem>
540
541 <listitem>
542 <para><computeroutput>--pagefusion on|off</computeroutput>:
543 Enables/disables (default) the Page Fusion feature.
544 The Page Fusion feature minimises memory duplication between VMs with similar
545 configurations running on the same host.
546 See <xref linkend="guestadd-pagefusion" /> for details.</para>
547 </listitem>
548
549 <listitem>
550 <para><computeroutput>--vram &lt;vramsize&gt;</computeroutput>:
551 This sets the amount of RAM that the virtual graphics card should
552 have. See <xref linkend="settings-display" /> for details.</para>
553 </listitem>
554
555 <listitem>
556 <para><computeroutput>--acpi on|off</computeroutput>;
557 <computeroutput>--ioapic on|off</computeroutput>: These two
558 determine whether the VM should have ACPI and I/O APIC support,
559 respectively; see <xref linkend="settings-motherboard" /> for
560 details.</para>
561 </listitem>
562
563 <listitem>
564 <para><computeroutput>--pciattach &lt;host PCI address [@ guest
565 PCI bus address]&gt;</computeroutput>: Attaches a specified PCI network
566 controller on the host to a PCI bus (can specify) on the guest.
567 See <xref linkend="pcipassthrough" /> for details. </para>
568 </listitem>
569
570 <listitem>
571 <para><computeroutput>--pcidetach &lt;host PCI address&gt;</computeroutput>:
572 Detaches a specified PCI network controller on the host from the attached
573 PCI bus on the guest. See <xref linkend="pcipassthrough" />
574 for details. </para>
575 </listitem>
576
577 <listitem>
578 <para><computeroutput>--hardwareuuid
579 &lt;uuid&gt;</computeroutput>: The UUID presented to the guest via
580 memory tables (DMI/SMBIOS), hardware and guest properties. By
581 default this is the same as the VM uuid. Useful when cloning a VM.
582 Teleporting takes care of this automatically.</para>
583 </listitem>
584
585 <listitem>
586 <para><computeroutput>--cpus &lt;cpucount&gt;</computeroutput>:
587 This sets the number of virtual CPUs for the virtual machine (see
588 <xref linkend="settings-processor" />). If CPU hot-plugging is
589 enabled (see below), this then sets the
590 <emphasis>maximum</emphasis> number of virtual CPUs that can be
591 plugged into the virtual machines.</para>
592 </listitem>
593
594 <listitem>
595 <para><computeroutput>--cpuhotplug on|off</computeroutput>: This
596 enables CPU hot-plugging. When enabled, virtual CPUs can be added
597 to and removed from a virtual machine while it is running. See
598 <xref linkend="cpuhotplug" /> for more information.</para>
599 </listitem>
600
601 <listitem>
602 <para><computeroutput>--plugcpu|unplugcpu
603 &lt;id&gt;</computeroutput>: If CPU hot-plugging is enabled (see
604 above), this adds a virtual CPU to the virtual machines (or
605 removes one). <computeroutput>&lt;id&gt;</computeroutput>
606 specifies the index of the virtual CPU to be added or removed and
607 must be a number from 0 to the maximum no. of CPUs configured with
608 the <computeroutput>--cpus</computeroutput> option. CPU 0 can
609 never be removed.</para>
610 </listitem>
611
612 <listitem>
613 <para><computeroutput>--cpuexecutioncap
614 &lt;1-100&gt;</computeroutput>: This setting controls how much cpu
615 time a virtual CPU can use. A value of 50 implies a single virtual
616 CPU can use up to 50% of a single host CPU.</para>
617 </listitem>
618
619 <listitem>
620 <para><computeroutput>--pae on|off</computeroutput>: This
621 enables/disables PAE. See <xref linkend="settings-processor" />.</para>
622 </listitem>
623
624 <listitem>
625 <para><computeroutput>--longmode on|off</computeroutput>: This
626 enables/disables long mode. See <xref linkend="settings-processor" />.</para>
627 </listitem>
628
629 <listitem>
630 <para><computeroutput>--cpu-profile &lt;host|intel 80[86|286|386]&gt;</computeroutput>:
631 This enables specification of a profile for guest cpu emulation.
632 Specify either one based on the host system CPU (host), or one from
633 a number of older Intel Micro-architectures - 8086, 80286, 80386.</para>
634 </listitem>
635
636 <listitem>
637 <para><computeroutput>--hpet on|off</computeroutput>: This
638 enables/disables a High Precision Event Timer (HPET) which can
639 replace the legacy system timers. This is turned off by default.
640 Note that Windows supports a HPET only from Vista onwards.</para>
641 </listitem>
642
643 <listitem>
644 <para><computeroutput>--hwvirtex on|off</computeroutput>: This
645 enables or disables the use of hardware virtualization extensions
646 (Intel VT-x or AMD-V) in the processor of your host system;
647 see <xref linkend="hwvirt" />.</para>
648 </listitem>
649
650 <listitem>
651 <para><computeroutput>--triplefaultreset on|off</computeroutput>:
652 This setting enables resetting of the guest instead of triggering a
653 Guru Meditation. Some guests raise a triple fault to reset the
654 CPU so sometimes this is desired behavior. Works only for non-SMP
655 guests.</para>
656 </listitem>
657
658 <listitem>
659 <para><computeroutput>--apic on|off</computeroutput>:
660 This setting enables(default)/disables IO APIC. With
661 I/O APIC, operating systems can use more than 16 interrupt
662 requests (IRQs) thus avoiding IRQ sharing for improved
663 reliability. See <xref linkend="settings-motherboard" />.</para>
664 </listitem>
665
666 <listitem>
667 <para><computeroutput>--x2apic on|off</computeroutput>:
668 This setting enables(default)/disables CPU x2APIC support.
669 CPU x2APIC support helps operating systems run more efficiently on high
670 core count configurations, and optimizes interrupt
671 distribution in virtualized environments. Disable when using host/guest
672 operating systems incompatible with x2APIC support.</para>
673 </listitem>
674
675 <listitem>
676 <para><computeroutput>--paravirtprovider
677 none|default|legacy|minimal|hyperv|kvm</computeroutput>: This
678 setting specifies which paravirtualization interface to provide to
679 the guest operating system. Specifying
680 <computeroutput>none</computeroutput> explicitly turns off exposing
681 any paravirtualization interface. The option
682 <computeroutput>default</computeroutput>, will pick an appropriate
683 interface depending on the guest OS type while starting the VM.
684 This is the default option chosen while creating new VMs. The
685 <computeroutput>legacy</computeroutput> option is chosen for VMs
686 which were created with older VirtualBox versions and will pick a
687 paravirtualization interface while starting the VM with VirtualBox
688 5.0 and newer. The <computeroutput>minimal</computeroutput> provider
689 is mandatory for Mac OS X guests, while
690 <computeroutput>kvm</computeroutput> and
691 <computeroutput>hyperv</computeroutput> are recommended for Linux
692 and Windows guests respectively. These options are explained in
693 detail under <xref linkend="gimproviders" />.</para>
694 </listitem>
695
696 <listitem>
697 <para><computeroutput>--paravirtdebug &lt;key=value&gt;
698 [,&lt;key=value&gt; ...]</computeroutput>: This setting specifies debugging
699 options specific to the paravirtualization provider
700 configured for this VM. Please refer to the provider specific
701 options under <xref linkend="gimdebug" /> for a list of supported
702 key-value pairs for each provider.</para>
703 </listitem>
704
705 <listitem>
706 <para><computeroutput>--nestedpaging on|off</computeroutput>: If
707 hardware virtualization is enabled, this additional setting
708 enables or disables the use of the nested paging feature in the
709 processor of your host system; see <xref
710 linkend="hwvirt" />.</para>
711 </listitem>
712
713 <listitem>
714 <para><computeroutput>--largepages on|off</computeroutput>: If
715 hardware virtualization <emphasis>and</emphasis> nested paging are
716 enabled, for Intel VT-x only, an additional performance
717 improvement of up to 5% can be obtained by enabling this setting.
718 This causes the hypervisor to use large pages to reduce TLB use
719 and overhead.</para>
720 </listitem>
721
722 <listitem>
723 <para><computeroutput>--vtxvpid on|off</computeroutput>: If
724 hardware virtualization is enabled, for Intel VT-x only, this
725 additional setting enables or disables the use of the tagged TLB
726 (VPID) feature in the processor of your host system; see <xref
727 linkend="hwvirt" />.</para>
728 </listitem>
729
730 <listitem>
731 <para><computeroutput>--vtxux on|off</computeroutput>: If
732 hardware virtualization is enabled, for Intel VT-x only, this
733 setting enables or disables the use of the unrestricted guest mode
734 feature for executing your guest.</para>
735 </listitem>
736
737 <listitem>
738 <para><computeroutput>--accelerate3d on|off</computeroutput>:
739 If the Guest Additions are installed, this setting enables or
740 disables hardware 3D acceleration; see <xref
741 linkend="guestadd-3d" />.</para>
742 </listitem>
743
744 <listitem>
745 <para><computeroutput>--accelerate2dvideo on|off</computeroutput>:
746 If the Guest Additions are installed, this setting enables or
747 disables 2D video acceleration; see <xref
748 linkend="guestadd-2d" />.</para>
749 </listitem>
750
751 <listitem>
752 <para><computeroutput>--chipset piix3|ich9</computeroutput>:
753 By default VirtualBox emulates an Intel PIIX3 chipset. Usually there
754 is no reason to change the default setting unless this is required to
755 relax some of its constraints; see <xref
756 linkend="settings-motherboard" />.</para>
757 </listitem>
758
759 <listitem>
760 <para>You can influence the BIOS logo that is displayed when a
761 virtual machine starts up with a number of settings. By default,
762 a VirtualBox logo is displayed.</para>
763
764 <para>With <computeroutput>--bioslogofadein
765 on|off</computeroutput> and <computeroutput>--bioslogofadeout
766 on|off</computeroutput>, you can determine whether the logo should
767 fade in and out, respectively.</para>
768
769 <para>With <computeroutput>--bioslogodisplaytime
770 &lt;msec&gt;</computeroutput> you can set how long the logo should
771 be visible, in milliseconds.</para>
772
773 <para>With <computeroutput>--bioslogoimagepath
774 &lt;imagepath&gt;</computeroutput> you can, if you are so
775 inclined, replace the image that is shown, with your own logo. The
776 image must be an uncompressed 256 color BMP file without color
777 space information (Windows 3.0 format). The image must not be
778 bigger than 640 x 480.</para>
779 </listitem>
780
781 <listitem>
782 <para><computeroutput>--biosbootmenu
783 disabled|menuonly|messageandmenu</computeroutput>: This specifies
784 whether the BIOS allows the user to select a temporary boot
785 device. <computeroutput>menuonly</computeroutput> suppresses the
786 message, but the user can still press F12 to select a temporary
787 boot device.</para>
788 </listitem>
789
790 <listitem>
791 <para><computeroutput>--biosapic
792 x2apic|apic|disabled</computeroutput>: This specifies
793 the firmware APIC level to be used. Options are: x2apic, apic or
794 disabled (no apic or x2apic) respectively.</para>
795
796 <para>Note that if x2apic is specified and x2apic is unsupported by the
797 VCPU, biosapic downgrades to apic, if supported - otherwise down to 'disabled'.
798 Similarly, if apic is specified, and apic is unsupported a
799 downgrade to 'disabled' results.</para>
800 </listitem>
801
802 <listitem>
803 <para><computeroutput>--biossystemtimeoffset &lt;ms&gt;</computeroutput>:
804 This specifies a fixed time offset (milliseconds) of the guest relative to
805 the host time. If the offset is positive, the guest time runs ahead of the
806 host time.</para>
807 </listitem>
808
809 <listitem>
810 <para><computeroutput>--biospxedebug on|off</computeroutput>:
811 This option enables additional debugging output when using the
812 Intel PXE boot ROM. The output will be written to the release log
813 file (<xref linkend="collect-debug-info" />.</para>
814 </listitem>
815
816 <listitem>
817 <para><computeroutput>--boot&lt;1-4&gt;
818 none|floppy|dvd|disk|net</computeroutput>: This specifies the boot
819 order for the virtual machine. There are four "slots", which the
820 VM will try to access from 1 to 4, and for each of which you can
821 set a device that the VM should attempt to boot from.</para>
822 </listitem>
823
824 <listitem>
825 <para><computeroutput>--rtcuseutc on|off</computeroutput>: This
826 option lets the real-time clock (RTC) operate in UTC time. See
827 <xref linkend="settings-motherboard" />.</para>
828 </listitem>
829
830 <listitem>
831 <para><computeroutput>--graphicscontroller none|vboxvga|vmsvga</computeroutput>: This
832 option specifies use of a graphics controller, and type chosen from vboxvga or vmsvga.
833 <xref linkend="settings-motherboard" />).</para>
834 </listitem>
835
836 <listitem>
837 <para><computeroutput>--snapshotfolder
838 default|&lt;path&gt;</computeroutput>: This option specifies the folder in which
839 snapshots will be kept for a virtual machine.</para>
840 </listitem>
841
842 <listitem>
843 <para><computeroutput>--firmware bios|efi|efi32|efi64</computeroutput>:
844 This option specifies which firmware to be used to boot the VM:
845 Available options are: BIOS, or one of the EFI options: efi, efi32 or efi64.
846 Use EFI options with care.</para>
847 </listitem>
848
849 <listitem>
850 <para><computeroutput>--guestmemoryballoon
851 &lt;size&gt;</computeroutput> This option sets the default size of the guest
852 memory balloon, that is, memory allocated by the VirtualBox Guest
853 Additions from the guest operating system and returned to the
854 hypervisor for re-use by other virtual machines.
855 <computeroutput>&lt;size&gt;</computeroutput> must be specified in
856 megabytes. The default size is 0 megabytes. For details,
857 see <xref linkend="guestadd-balloon" />.</para>
858 </listitem>
859
860 <listitem>
861 <para><computeroutput>--defaultfrontend
862 default|&lt;name&gt;</computeroutput>: This option specifies
863 the default frontend to be used when starting this VM;
864 see <xref linkend="vboxmanage-startvm" /> for details.</para>
865 </listitem>
866 </itemizedlist></para>
867 </sect2>
868
869 <sect2>
870 <title>Networking settings</title>
871
872 <para>The following networking settings are available through
873 <computeroutput>VBoxManage modifyvm</computeroutput>. With all these
874 settings, the decimal number directly following the option name ("1-N"
875 in the list below) specifies the virtual network adapter whose settings
876 should be changed.<itemizedlist>
877 <listitem>
878 <para><computeroutput>--nic&lt;1-N&gt;
879 none|null|nat|natnetwork|bridged|intnet|hostonly|generic</computeroutput>:
880 With this, you can set, for each of the VM's virtual network cards,
881 what type of networking should be available. They can be not
882 present (<computeroutput>none</computeroutput>), not connected to
883 the host (<computeroutput>null</computeroutput>), use network
884 address translation (<computeroutput>nat</computeroutput>),
885 use the new network address translation engine
886 (<computeroutput>natnetwork</computeroutput>),
887 bridged networking (<computeroutput>bridged</computeroutput>) or
888 communicate with other virtual machines using internal networking
889 (<computeroutput>intnet</computeroutput>), host-only networking
890 (<computeroutput>hostonly</computeroutput>), or access rarely used
891 sub-modes (<computeroutput>generic</computeroutput>).
892 These options correspond
893 to the modes which are described in detail in <xref
894 linkend="networkingmodes" />.</para>
895 </listitem>
896
897 <listitem>
898 <para><computeroutput>--nictype&lt;1-N&gt;
899 Am79C970A|Am79C973|82540EM|82543GC|82545EM|virtio</computeroutput>:
900 This enables you to specify which networking hardware VirtualBox presents
901 to the guest for a specified VM virtual network card;
902 see <xref linkend="nichardware" />.</para>
903 </listitem>
904
905 <listitem>
906 <para><computeroutput>--cableconnected&lt;1-N&gt;
907 on|off</computeroutput>: This enables you to temporarily disconnect
908 a virtual network interface, as if a network cable had been pulled
909 from a real network card. This might be useful e.g. for resetting
910 certain software components in the VM.</para>
911 </listitem>
912
913 <listitem>
914 <para>With the "nictrace" options, you can optionally trace
915 network traffic by dumping it to a file, for debugging
916 purposes.</para>
917
918 <para>With <computeroutput>--nictrace&lt;1-N&gt;
919 on|off</computeroutput>, you can enable network tracing for a
920 particular virtual network card.</para>
921
922 <para>If enabled, you must specify with
923 <computeroutput>--nictracefile&lt;1-N&gt;
924 &lt;filename&gt;</computeroutput> the absolute path of the file the trace should be
925 logged to.</para>
926 </listitem>
927
928 <listitem>
929 <para><computeroutput>--nicproperty&lt;1-N&gt;
930 &lt;paramname&gt;="paramvalue"</computeroutput>:
931 This option, in combination with "nicgenericdrv" allows you to
932 pass parameters to rarely-used network backends.</para>
933
934 <para>These parameters are backend engine-specific, and are different
935 between UDP Tunnel and the VDE backend drivers. For examples,
936 please see <xref linkend="network_udp_tunnel" />.
937 </para>
938 </listitem>
939
940 <listitem>
941 <para><computeroutput>--nicspeed&lt;1-N&gt; &lt;kbps&gt;</computeroutput>:
942 If generic networking has been enabled for a particular virtual network
943 card (see the <computeroutput>--nic</computeroutput> option above - otherwise
944 this setting has no effect), this mode enables access to rarely used networking
945 sub-modes, such as VDE network or UDP Tunnel. This option specifies the
946 throughput rate in KBytes/sec.
947 </para>
948 </listitem>
949
950 <listitem>
951 <para><computeroutput>--nicbootprio&lt;1-N&gt;
952 &lt;priority&gt;</computeroutput>: This specifies the order in which
953 NICs are tried for booting over the network (using PXE). The
954 priority is an integer in the 0 to 4 range. Priority 1 is the
955 highest, priority 4 is low. Priority 0, which is the default unless
956 otherwise specified, is the lowest.</para>
957
958 <para>Note that this option only has effect when the Intel PXE boot
959 ROM is used.</para>
960 </listitem>
961
962 <listitem>
963 <para><computeroutput>--nicpromisc&lt;1-N&gt;
964 deny|allow-vms|allow-all</computeroutput>:
965 This ernables you to specify how the promiscuous mode is handled for
966 the specified VM virtual network card.
967 This setting is only relevant for bridged networking.
968 <computeroutput>deny</computeroutput> (default setting) hides
969 any traffic not intended for this VM.
970 <computeroutput>allow-vms</computeroutput> hides all host
971 traffic from this VM but allows the VM to see traffic from/to other
972 VMs.
973 <computeroutput>allow-all</computeroutput> removes this
974 restriction completely.</para>
975 </listitem>
976
977 <listitem>
978 <para><computeroutput>--nicbandwidthgroup&lt;1-N&gt;
979 none|&lt;name&gt;</computeroutput>: This removes/adds an assignment
980 of a bandwidth group from/to the specified virtual network interface.
981 Specifying <computeroutput>none</computeroutput> removes any current
982 bandwidth group assignment from the specified virtual network interface.
983 Specifying <computeroutput>&lt;name&gt;</computeroutput> adds an
984 assignment of a bandwidth group to the specified virtual network
985 interface.</para>
986 <para>For details, please see <xref linkend="network_bandwidth_limit" />.</para>
987 </listitem>
988
989 <listitem>
990 <para><computeroutput>--bridgeadapter&lt;1-N&gt;
991 none|&lt;devicename&gt;</computeroutput>: If bridged networking
992 has been enabled for a virtual network card (see the
993 <computeroutput>--nic</computeroutput> option above; otherwise
994 this setting has no effect), use this option to specify which host
995 interface the given virtual network interface will use. For
996 details, please see <xref linkend="network_bridged" />.</para>
997 </listitem>
998
999 <listitem>
1000 <para><computeroutput>--hostonlyadapter&lt;1-N&gt;
1001 none|&lt;devicename&gt;</computeroutput>: If host-only networking
1002 has been enabled for a virtual network card (see the
1003 <computeroutput>--nic</computeroutput> option
1004 above; otherwise this setting has no effect), use this option to
1005 specify which host-only networking interface the given virtual
1006 network interface will use. For details, please see <xref
1007 linkend="network_hostonly" />.</para>
1008 </listitem>
1009
1010 <listitem>
1011 <para><computeroutput>--intnet&lt;1-N&gt;
1012 network</computeroutput>: If internal networking has been enabled
1013 for a virtual network card (see the
1014 <computeroutput>--nic</computeroutput> option above; otherwise
1015 this setting has no effect), use this option to specify the name
1016 of the internal network (see <xref
1017 linkend="network_internal" />).</para>
1018 </listitem>
1019
1020
1021 <listitem>
1022 <para><computeroutput>--nat-network&lt;1-N&gt; &lt;network
1023 name&gt;</computeroutput>: If the networking type is set to
1024 <computeroutput>natnetwork</computeroutput> (not
1025 <computeroutput>nat</computeroutput>) then this setting specifies
1026 the name of the NAT network this adapter is connected to. Optional.</para>
1027 </listitem>
1028
1029 <listitem>
1030 <para><computeroutput>--nicgenericdrv&lt;1-N&gt;
1031 &lt;backend driver&gt;</computeroutput>: If generic networking has been
1032 enabled for a virtual network card (see the
1033 <computeroutput>--nic</computeroutput> option above; otherwise
1034 this setting has no effect), this mode allows you to access
1035 rarely used networking sub-modes, such as VDE network or UDP Tunnel.
1036 </para>
1037 </listitem>
1038
1039 <listitem>
1040 <para><computeroutput>--macaddress&lt;1-N&gt;
1041 auto|&lt;mac&gt;</computeroutput>: With this option you can set
1042 the MAC address of a particular network adapter on the VM. Normally, each
1043 network adapter is assigned a random address by VirtualBox at
1044 VM creation.</para>
1045 </listitem>
1046 </itemizedlist></para>
1047
1048 <sect3>
1049 <title>NAT Networking settings.</title>
1050
1051 <para>The following NAT networking settings are available through
1052 <computeroutput>VBoxManage modifyvm</computeroutput>. With all these
1053 settings, the decimal number directly following the option name ("1-N"
1054 in the list below) specifies the virtual network adapter whose
1055 settings should be changed.<itemizedlist>
1056
1057 <listitem>
1058 <para><computeroutput>--natnet&lt;1-N&gt;
1059 &lt;network&gt;|default</computeroutput>:
1060 If the networking type is set to <computeroutput>nat</computeroutput>
1061 (not <computeroutput>natnetwork</computeroutput>) then this
1062 setting specifies the IP address range to be used for
1063 this network. See <xref linkend="changenat" /> for an
1064 example.</para>
1065 </listitem>
1066
1067 <listitem>
1068 <para><computeroutput>--natpf&lt;1-N&gt;
1069 [&lt;name&gt;],tcp|udp,[&lt;hostip&gt;],&lt;hostport&gt;,[&lt;guestip&gt;],
1070 &lt;guestport&gt;</computeroutput>: This setting defines a NAT
1071 port-forwarding rule. See <xref linkend="natforward" />
1072 for details.</para>
1073 </listitem>
1074
1075 <listitem>
1076 <para><computeroutput>--natpf&lt;1-N&gt; delete
1077 &lt;name&gt;</computeroutput>: This setting deletes a NAT
1078 port-forwarding rule. See <xref linkend="natforward" />
1079 for details.</para>
1080 </listitem>
1081
1082 <listitem>
1083 <para><computeroutput>--nattftpprefix&lt;1-N&gt;
1084 &lt;prefix&gt;</computeroutput>: This setting defines a prefix
1085 for the built-in TFTP server, i.e. where the boot file is
1086 located. See <xref linkend="nat-tftp" /> and <xref
1087 linkend="nat-adv-tftp" /> for details.</para>
1088 </listitem>
1089
1090 <listitem>
1091 <para><computeroutput>--nattftpfile&lt;1-N&gt;
1092 &lt;bootfile&gt;</computeroutput>: This setting defines the TFT
1093 boot file. See <xref linkend="nat-adv-tftp" /> for
1094 details.</para>
1095 </listitem>
1096
1097 <listitem>
1098 <para><computeroutput>--nattftpserver&lt;1-N&gt;
1099 &lt;tftpserver&gt;</computeroutput>: This setting defines the
1100 TFTP server address to boot from. Please see <xref
1101 linkend="nat-adv-tftp" /> for details.</para>
1102 </listitem>
1103
1104 <listitem>
1105 <para><computeroutput>--nattbindip&lt;1-N&gt;
1106 &lt;ip;&gt;</computeroutput>: VirtualBox's NAT engine normally routes
1107 TCP/IP packets through the default interface assigned by the host's
1108 TCP/IP stack. Use this setting to instruct the NAT engine to bind
1109 to a specified IP address instead. Please see <xref
1110 linkend="nat-adv-settings" /> for details.</para>
1111 </listitem>
1112
1113 <listitem>
1114 <para><computeroutput>--natdnspassdomain&lt;1-N&gt;
1115 on|off</computeroutput>: This setting specifies whether the
1116 built-in DHCP server passes the domain name for network name
1117 resolution.</para>
1118 </listitem>
1119
1120 <listitem>
1121 <para><computeroutput>--natdnsproxy&lt;1-N&gt;
1122 on|off</computeroutput>: This setting makes the NAT engine proxy
1123 all guest DNS requests to the host's DNS servers. Please see
1124 <xref linkend="nat-adv-dns" /> for details.</para>
1125 </listitem>
1126
1127 <listitem>
1128 <para><computeroutput>--natdnshostresolver&lt;1-N&gt;
1129 on|off</computeroutput>: This setting makes the NAT engine use
1130 the host's resolver mechanisms to handle DNS requests. Please
1131 see <xref linkend="nat-adv-dns" /> for detailsx).</para>
1132 </listitem>
1133
1134 <listitem>
1135 <para><computeroutput>--natsettings&lt;1-N&gt;
1136 [&lt;mtu&gt;],[&lt;socksnd&gt;],[&lt;sockrcv&gt;],[&lt;tcpsnd&gt;],
1137 [&lt;tcprcv&gt;]</computeroutput>: This setting controls several
1138 NAT settings. Please see <xref linkend="nat-adv-settings" /> for
1139 details.</para>
1140 </listitem>
1141
1142 <listitem>
1143 <para><computeroutput>--nataliasmode&lt;1-N&gt;
1144 default|[log],[proxyonly],[sameports]</computeroutput>: This
1145 setting defines behaviour of NAT engine core: log - enables
1146 logging, proxyonly - switches of aliasing mode makes NAT
1147 transparent, sameports enforces NAT engine to send packets via
1148 the same port as they originated on, default - disable all
1149 mentioned modes above. Please see <xref
1150 linkend="nat-adv-alias" /> for details.</para>
1151 </listitem>
1152 </itemizedlist></para>
1153 </sect3>
1154 </sect2>
1155
1156 <sect2 id="vboxmanage-modifyvm-other">
1157 <title>Miscellaneous settings</title>
1158
1159 <para>The following other hardware settings, such as serial port, audio,
1160 clipboard, drag and drop, monitor and USB settings are available through
1161 <computeroutput>VBoxManage modifyvm</computeroutput>:<itemizedlist>
1162 <listitem>
1163 <para><computeroutput>--mouse &lt;ps2|usb|usbtablet|usbmultitouch&gt;</computeroutput>:
1164 Specifies the mode of the mouse to be used in the VM. Available options are: ps2, usb,
1165 usbtablet, usbmultitouch.
1166 </para>
1167 </listitem>
1168
1169 <listitem>
1170 <para><computeroutput>--keyboard &lt;ps2|usb&gt;</computeroutput>:
1171 Specifies the mode of the keyboard to be used in the VM. Available options are: ps2, usb.
1172 </para>
1173 </listitem>
1174 <listitem>
1175 <para><computeroutput>--uart&lt;1-N&gt; off|&lt;I/O base&gt;
1176 &lt;IRQ&gt;</computeroutput>: With this setting you can configure
1177 virtual serial ports for the VM. See <xref
1178 linkend="serialports" /> for an introduction.</para>
1179 </listitem>
1180
1181 <listitem>
1182 <para><computeroutput>--uartmode&lt;1-N&gt;
1183 &lt;arg&gt;</computeroutput>: This setting controls how VirtualBox
1184 connects a given virtual serial port (previously configured with
1185 the <computeroutput>--uartX</computeroutput> setting, see above)
1186 to the host on which the virtual machine is running. As
1187 described in detail in <xref linkend="serialports" />, for each
1188 such port, you can specify <computeroutput>&lt;arg&gt;</computeroutput>
1189 as one of the following options:<itemizedlist>
1190 <listitem>
1191 <para><computeroutput>disconnected</computeroutput>: Even
1192 though the serial port is shown to the guest, it has no
1193 "other end" -- like a real COM port without a cable.</para>
1194 </listitem>
1195
1196 <listitem>
1197 <para><computeroutput>server
1198 &lt;pipename&gt;</computeroutput>: On a Windows host, this
1199 tells VirtualBox to create a named pipe on the host named
1200 <computeroutput>&lt;pipename&gt;</computeroutput> and
1201 connect the virtual serial device to it. Note that Windows
1202 requires that the name of a named pipe begin with
1203 <computeroutput>\\.\pipe\</computeroutput>.</para>
1204
1205 <para>On a Linux host, instead of a named pipe, a local
1206 domain socket is used.</para>
1207 </listitem>
1208
1209 <listitem>
1210 <para><computeroutput>client
1211 &lt;pipename&gt;</computeroutput>: This operates just like
1212 <computeroutput>server ...</computeroutput>, except that the
1213 pipe (or local domain socket) is not created by VirtualBox,
1214 but assumed to exist already.</para>
1215 </listitem>
1216
1217 <listitem>
1218 <para><computeroutput>tcpserver
1219 &lt;port&gt;</computeroutput>: This
1220 tells VirtualBox to create a TCP socket on the host with TCP
1221 <computeroutput>&lt;port&gt;</computeroutput> and
1222 connect the virtual serial device to it. Note that UNIX-like
1223 systems require ports over 1024 for normal users.</para>
1224 </listitem>
1225
1226 <listitem>
1227 <para><computeroutput>tcpclient
1228 &lt;hostname:port&gt;</computeroutput>: This operates just like
1229 <computeroutput>tcpserver ...</computeroutput>, except that the
1230 TCP socket is not created by VirtualBox,
1231 but assumed to exist already.</para>
1232 </listitem>
1233
1234 <listitem>
1235 <para><computeroutput>file &lt;file&gt;</computeroutput>:
1236 This redirects the serial port output to a raw file &lt;file&gt;
1237 specified by its absolute path on the host file system.</para>
1238 </listitem>
1239
1240 <listitem>
1241 <para><computeroutput>&lt;devicename&gt;</computeroutput>:
1242 If, instead of the above, the device name of a physical
1243 hardware serial port of the host is specified, the virtual
1244 serial port is connected to that hardware port. On a Windows
1245 host, the device name will be a COM port such as
1246 <computeroutput>COM1</computeroutput>; on a Linux host, the
1247 device name will look like
1248 <computeroutput>/dev/ttyS0</computeroutput>. This allows you
1249 to "wire" a real serial port to a virtual machine.</para>
1250 </listitem>
1251 </itemizedlist></para>
1252 </listitem>
1253
1254 <listitem>
1255 <para><computeroutput>--lptmode&lt;1-N&gt;
1256 &lt;Device&gt;</computeroutput>:
1257 Specifies the Device Name of the parallel port that
1258 the Parallel Port feature will be using. Use this
1259 <emphasis>before</emphasis> <computeroutput>--lpt</computeroutput>.
1260 This feature is host operating system specific. For Windows hosts, use
1261 a device name like <emphasis>lpt1</emphasis> while on Linux
1262 hosts you have to use a device name like <emphasis>/dev/lp0</emphasis></para>
1263 </listitem>
1264
1265 <listitem>
1266 <para><computeroutput>--lpt&lt;1-N&gt;
1267 &lt;I/O base&gt; &lt;IRQ&gt;</computeroutput>:
1268 Specifies the I/O address of the parallel port and the IRQ
1269 number that the Parallel Port feature will be using. Optional. Use this
1270 <emphasis>after</emphasis> <computeroutput>--lptmod</computeroutput>.
1271 I/O base address and IRQ are the values that guest sees i.e. the values
1272 avalable under guest Device Manager.</para>
1273 </listitem>
1274
1275 <listitem>
1276 <para><computeroutput>--audio none|null|dsound|oss|alsa|pulse|coreaudio</computeroutput>:
1277 With this setting, you can specify whether the VM should have audio support, and
1278 &ndash; if so &ndash; which type. The list of supported audio types depends on the
1279 host and can be determined with <computeroutput>VBoxManage modifyvm</computeroutput>.
1280 </para>
1281 </listitem>
1282
1283 <listitem>
1284 <para><computeroutput>--audiocontroller ac97|hda|sb16</computeroutput>: With
1285 this setting, you can specify the audio controller to be used with this
1286 VM.
1287 </para>
1288 </listitem>
1289
1290 <listitem>
1291 <para><computeroutput>--audiocodec stac9700|ad1980|stac9221|sb16</computeroutput>: With
1292 this setting, you can specify the audio codec to be used with this VM.
1293 </para>
1294 </listitem>
1295
1296 <listitem>
1297 <para><computeroutput>--audioin on</computeroutput>: With
1298 this setting, you can specify whether capturing audio from the
1299 host is enabled or disabled.</para>
1300 </listitem>
1301
1302 <listitem>
1303 <para><computeroutput>--audioout on</computeroutput>: With
1304 this setting, you can specify whether audio playback from the guest
1305 is enabled or disabled.</para>
1306 </listitem>
1307
1308 <listitem>
1309 <para><computeroutput>--clipboard
1310 disabled|hosttoguest|guesttohost|bidirectional</computeroutput>:
1311 With this setting, you can select if and how the guest or host
1312 operating system's clipboard should be shared with the host or guest.
1313 See <xref linkend="generalsettings" />. This requires that the Guest
1314 Additions be installed in the virtual machine.</para>
1315 </listitem>
1316
1317 <listitem>
1318 <para><computeroutput>--draganddrop
1319 disabled|hosttoguest|guesttohost|bidirectional</computeroutput>:
1320 With this setting, you can specify the current drag and drop mode
1321 being used between the host and the virtual machine.
1322 See <xref linkend="guestadd-dnd" />. This requires that the Guest
1323 Additions be installed in the virtual machine.</para>
1324 </listitem>
1325
1326 <listitem>
1327 <para><computeroutput>--monitorcount
1328 &lt;count&gt;</computeroutput>: This enables multi-monitor
1329 support. See <xref linkend="settings-display" />.</para>
1330 </listitem>
1331
1332 <listitem>
1333 <para><computeroutput>--usb on|off</computeroutput>: This setting
1334 enables or disables the VM's virtual USB controller. See <xref
1335 linkend="settings-usb" /> for details.</para>
1336 </listitem>
1337
1338 <listitem>
1339 <para><computeroutput>--usbehci on|off</computeroutput>: This
1340 setting enables or disables the VM's virtual USB 2.0 controller.
1341 See <xref linkend="settings-usb" /> for details.</para>
1342 </listitem>
1343
1344 <listitem>
1345 <para><computeroutput>--usbxhci on|off</computeroutput>: This
1346 setting enables or disables the VM's virtual USB 3.0 controller.
1347 See <xref linkend="settings-usb" /> for details.</para>
1348 </listitem>
1349
1350 <listitem>
1351 <para><computeroutput>--usbrename
1352 &lt;oldname&gt; &lt;newname&gt;</computeroutput>: This
1353 setting enables renaming of the VM's virtual USB controller from &lt;oldname&gt;
1354 to &lt;newname&gt;.</para>
1355 </listitem>
1356 </itemizedlist></para>
1357
1358 </sect2>
1359
1360 <sect2 id="vboxmanage-modifyvm-videocap">
1361 <title>Video Capture settings</title>
1362
1363 <para>The following settings for changing video recording parameters are
1364 available through <computeroutput>VBoxManage modifyvm</computeroutput>.
1365 <itemizedlist>
1366 <listitem>
1367 <para><computeroutput>--videocap on|off</computeroutput>:
1368 This option enables or disables recording a VM session into a WebM/VP8
1369 file. If this option is enabled, recording will start when the VM
1370 session is started.</para>
1371 </listitem>
1372 <listitem>
1373 <para><computeroutput>--videocapscreens all|&lt;screen ID&gt;
1374 [&lt;screen ID&gt; ...]</computeroutput>: This option allows to specify which screens of
1375 the VM are being recorded. Each screen is recorded into a separate file.</para>
1376 </listitem>
1377 <listitem>
1378 <para><computeroutput>--videocapfile &lt;filename&gt;</computeroutput>:
1379 This option sets the filename VirtualBox uses to save the recorded content.
1380 </para>
1381 </listitem>
1382 <listitem>
1383 <para><computeroutput>--videocapres &lt;width&gt;x&lt;height&gt;</computeroutput>:
1384 This option sets the resolution (in pixels) of the recorded video.</para>
1385 </listitem>
1386 <listitem>
1387 <para><computeroutput>--videocaprate &lt;rate&gt;</computeroutput>:
1388 This option sets the bitrate in kilobits (kb) per second. Increasing this
1389 value makes the video look better for the cost of an increased file size.</para>
1390 </listitem>
1391 <listitem>
1392 <para><computeroutput>--videocapfps &lt;fps&gt;</computeroutput>:
1393 This option sets the maximum number of frames per second (FPS) to be
1394 recorded. Frames with a higher frequency will be skipped. Reducing this
1395 value increases the number of skipped frames and reduces the file size.</para>
1396 </listitem>
1397 <listitem>
1398 <para><computeroutput>--videocapmaxtime &lt;ms&gt;</computeroutput>:
1399 This option sets the maximum time in milliseconds the video capturing
1400 will be enabled since activation. The capturing stops when the defined
1401 time interval has elapsed. If this value is zero the capturing is not
1402 limited by time.</para>
1403 </listitem>
1404 <listitem>
1405 <para><computeroutput>--videocapmaxsize &lt;MB&gt;</computeroutput>:
1406 This option limits the maximum size of the captured video file (in MB).
1407 The capturing stops when the file size has reached the specified size. If
1408 this value is zero the capturing will not be limited by file size.</para>
1409 </listitem>
1410 <listitem>
1411 <para><computeroutput>--videocapopts &lt;key=value&gt;
1412 [,&lt;key=value&gt; ...]</computeroutput>:
1413 This format can be used to specify additional video capturing options.
1414 These options only are for advanced users and must be specified in a
1415 comma-separated key=value format, e.g.
1416 <computeroutput>foo=bar,a=b</computeroutput>.
1417 </para>
1418
1419 <para>The following keys and their corresponding values are available:
1420 <itemizedlist>
1421 <listitem>
1422 <para><computeroutput>ac_enabled</computeroutput>:
1423 Enables audio recording when set to <computeroutput>true</computeroutput>,
1424 otherwise set to <computeroutput>false</computeroutput> to disable.
1425 This feature is considered being experimental.</para>
1426 </listitem>
1427 </itemizedlist>
1428 </para>
1429
1430 </listitem>
1431 </itemizedlist></para>
1432
1433 </sect2>
1434
1435 <sect2 id="vboxmanage-modifyvm-vrde">
1436 <title>Remote machine settings</title>
1437
1438 <para>The following settings that affect remote machine behavior are
1439 available through <computeroutput>VBoxManage
1440 modifyvm</computeroutput>:<itemizedlist>
1441 <listitem>
1442 <para><computeroutput>--vrde on|off</computeroutput>:
1443 This enables or disables the VirtualBox remote desktop extension
1444 (VRDE) server.</para>
1445 </listitem>
1446
1447 <listitem>
1448 <para><computeroutput>--vrdeproperty "TCP/Ports|Address=&lt;value&gt;"</computeroutput>
1449 sets the port number(s) and IP address on the VM that the VRDE server can bind to.</para>
1450
1451 <itemizedlist>
1452 <listitem>
1453 <para>For TCP/Ports, &lt;value&gt; should be a port or a range of ports that the VRDE
1454 server can bind to; "default" or "0" means port 3389, the standard port for RDP.
1455 For details, see the description for the
1456 <computeroutput>--vrdeport</computeroutput> option in <xref
1457 linkend="vboxmanage-modifyvm-vrde" />.</para>
1458 </listitem>
1459
1460 <listitem>
1461 <para>For TCP/Address, &lt;value&gt; should be the IP address of the host network
1462 interface that the VRDE server will bind to. If specified, the server
1463 will accept connections only on the specified host network interface.
1464 For details, see the description for the
1465 <computeroutput>--vrdeaddress</computeroutput> option in <xref
1466 linkend="vboxmanage-modifyvm-vrde" />.</para>
1467 </listitem>
1468 </itemizedlist>
1469 </listitem>
1470
1471 <listitem>
1472 <para><computeroutput>--vrdeproperty "VideoChannel/Enabled|Quality|DownscaleProtection=&lt;value&gt;"</computeroutput>
1473 sets the VRDP video redirection properties.</para>
1474 <itemizedlist>
1475 <listitem>
1476 <para>For VideoChannel/Enabled, &lt;value&gt; can be set to "1" switching the VRDP video channel on.
1477 For details, see <xref linkend="vrde-videochannel" />.</para>
1478 </listitem>
1479
1480 <listitem>
1481 <para>For VideoChannel/Quality, &lt;value&gt; should be set between 10 and 100% inclusive,
1482 representing a JPEG compression level on the VRDE server video channel. Lower values mean lower
1483 quality but higher compression. For details, see <xref linkend="vrde-videochannel" />.</para>
1484 </listitem>
1485
1486 <listitem>
1487 <para>For VideoChannel/DownscaleProtection, &lt;value&gt; can be set to "1" to
1488 enable the videochannel downscale protection feature. When enabled, if a video's size equals the shadow buffer
1489 size, then it is regarded as a full screen video, and is displayed; but if its size is between fullscreen and the downscale
1490 threshold - it is NOT displayed, as it could be an application window, which would be unreadable when downscaled.
1491 When the downscale protection feature is disabled, an attempt is always made to display videos.</para>
1492 </listitem>
1493 </itemizedlist>
1494 </listitem>
1495
1496 <listitem>
1497 <para><computeroutput>--vrdeproperty "Client/DisableDisplay|DisableInput|DisableAudio|DisableUSB=1"</computeroutput></para>
1498 <para>disables one of the VRDE server features: Display, Input, Audio or USB respectively.
1499 To re-enable a feature, use e.g. "Client/DisableDisplay=".
1500 For details, see <xref linkend="vrde-customization" />.</para>
1501 </listitem>
1502
1503 <listitem>
1504 <para><computeroutput>--vrdeproperty "Client/DisableClipboard|DisableUpstreamAudio=1"</computeroutput></para>
1505 <para>disables one of the VRDE server features: Clipboard or UpstreamAudio respectively.
1506 To re-enable a feature, use e.g. "Client/DisableClipboard=".
1507 For details, see <xref linkend="vrde-customization" />.</para>
1508 </listitem>
1509
1510 <listitem>
1511 <para><computeroutput>--vrdeproperty "Client/DisableRDPDR=1"</computeroutput></para>
1512 <para>disables the VRDE server feature: RDP device redirection for smart cards.
1513 To re-enable this feature, use "Client/DisableRDPR=".</para>
1514 </listitem>
1515
1516 <listitem>
1517 <para><computeroutput>--vrdeproperty "H3DRedirect/Enabled=1"</computeroutput></para>
1518 <para>enables the VRDE server feature: 3D redirection.
1519 To re-disable this feature, use "H3DRedirect/Enabled=".</para>
1520 </listitem>
1521
1522 <listitem>
1523 <para><computeroutput>--vrdeproperty "Security/Method|ServerCertificate|ServerPrivateKey|CACertificate=&lt;value&gt;"</computeroutput>
1524 sets the desired security method/Path of server certificate, path of server private key, path of CA certificate, used for a connection.
1525
1526 <itemizedlist>
1527 <listitem>
1528 <para><computeroutput>--vrdeproperty "Security/Method=&lt;value&gt;"</computeroutput>
1529 sets the desired security method, which is used for a connection. Valid values are:
1530 <itemizedlist>
1531 <listitem>
1532 <para> <computeroutput>Negotiate</computeroutput> - both Enhanced (TLS)
1533 and Standard RDP Security connections are allowed. The security
1534 method is negotiated with the client. This is the default setting.</para>
1535 </listitem>
1536 <listitem>
1537 <para> <computeroutput>RDP</computeroutput> - only Standard RDP Security is accepted.</para>
1538 </listitem>
1539 <listitem>
1540 <para> <computeroutput>TLS</computeroutput> - only Enhanced RDP Security is accepted.
1541 The client must support TLS.</para>
1542 </listitem>
1543 </itemizedlist>
1544 For details, see <xref linkend="vrde-crypt" />.</para>
1545 </listitem>
1546
1547 <listitem>
1548 <para><computeroutput>--vrdeproperty "Security/ServerCertificate=&lt;value&gt;"</computeroutput>
1549 where &lt;value&gt; is the absolute path of the server certificate.
1550 For details, see <xref linkend="vrde-crypt" />.</para>
1551 </listitem>
1552
1553 <listitem>
1554 <para><computeroutput>--vrdeproperty "Security/ServerPrivateKey=&lt;value&gt;"</computeroutput>
1555 where &lt;value&gt; is the absolute path of the server private key.
1556 For details, see <xref linkend="vrde-crypt" />.</para>
1557 </listitem>
1558
1559 <listitem>
1560 <para><computeroutput>--vrdeproperty "Security/CACertificate=&lt;value&gt;"</computeroutput>
1561 where &lt;value&gt; is the absolute path of the CA self signed certificate.
1562 For details, see <xref linkend="vrde-crypt" />.</para>
1563 </listitem>
1564 </itemizedlist></para>
1565 </listitem>
1566
1567 <listitem>
1568 <para><computeroutput>--vrdeproperty "Audio/RateCorrectionMode|LogPath=&lt;value&gt;"</computeroutput>
1569 sets the Audio connection mode, or Path of the audio logfile.
1570
1571 <itemizedlist>
1572 <listitem>
1573 <para><computeroutput>--vrdeproperty "Audio/RateCorrectionMode=&lt;value&gt;"</computeroutput>
1574 where &lt;value&gt; is the desired rate correction mode, allowed values are:
1575 <itemizedlist>
1576 <listitem>
1577 <para> <computeroutput>VRDP_AUDIO_MODE_VOID</computeroutput> - no mode specified, use to unset any Audio mode already set.</para>
1578 </listitem>
1579 <listitem>
1580 <para> <computeroutput>VRDP_AUDIO_MODE_RC</computeroutput> - rate correction mode.</para>
1581 </listitem>
1582 <listitem>
1583 <para> <computeroutput>VRDP_AUDIO_MODE_LPF</computeroutput> - low pass filter mode.</para>
1584 </listitem>
1585 <listitem>
1586 <para> <computeroutput>VRDP_AUDIO_MODE_CS</computeroutput> - client sync mode to prevent under/overflow of the client queue.</para>
1587 </listitem>
1588 </itemizedlist></para>
1589 </listitem>
1590 <listitem>
1591 <para><computeroutput>--vrdeproperty "Audio/LogPath=&lt;value&gt;"</computeroutput>
1592 where &lt;value&gt; is the absolute path of the Audio log file.</para>
1593 </listitem>
1594 </itemizedlist></para>
1595 </listitem>
1596
1597 <listitem>
1598 <para><computeroutput>--vrdeextpack default|&lt;name&gt;</computeroutput>:
1599 Enables specification of the library for accessing the VM
1600 remotely. The default is to use the RDP code which is part of the
1601 Oracle VM VirtualBox Extension Pack.</para>
1602 </listitem>
1603
1604 <listitem>
1605 <para><computeroutput>--vrdeport
1606 default|&lt;ports&gt;</computeroutput>: A port or a range of ports
1607 the VRDE server can bind to; "default" or "0" means port 3389, the
1608 standard port for RDP. You can specify a comma-separated list of
1609 ports or ranges of ports. Use a dash between two port numbers to
1610 specify a range. The VRDE server will bind to <emphasis
1611 role="bold">one</emphasis> of the available ports from the specified
1612 list. Only one machine can use a given port at a time. For
1613 example, the option <computeroutput> --vrdeport
1614 5000,5010-5012</computeroutput> will tell the server to bind to
1615 one of following ports: 5000, 5010, 5011 or 5012.</para>
1616 </listitem>
1617
1618 <listitem>
1619 <para><computeroutput>--vrdeaddress &lt;IP
1620 address&gt;</computeroutput>: The IP address of the host network
1621 interface the VRDE server will bind to. If specified, the server
1622 will accept connections only on the specified host network
1623 interface.</para>
1624 <para>The setting can be used to specify whether the VRDP server
1625 should accept either IPv4, IPv6 or both connections:
1626 <itemizedlist>
1627 <listitem>
1628 <para>only IPv4: <computeroutput>--vrdeaddress "0.0.0.0"
1629 </computeroutput></para>
1630 </listitem>
1631 <listitem>
1632 <para>only IPv6: <computeroutput>--vrdeaddress "::"
1633 </computeroutput></para>
1634 </listitem>
1635 <listitem>
1636 <para>both IPv6 and IPv4 (default): <computeroutput>--vrdeaddress ""
1637 </computeroutput></para>
1638 </listitem>
1639 </itemizedlist></para>
1640 </listitem>
1641
1642 <listitem>
1643 <para><computeroutput>--vrdeauthtype
1644 null|external|guest</computeroutput>: This enables you to indicate
1645 use of authorization, and specify how authorization will be performed;
1646 see <xref linkend="vbox-auth" /> for details.</para>
1647 </listitem>
1648
1649 <listitem>
1650 <para><computeroutput>--vrdeauthlibrary
1651 default|&lt;name&gt;</computeroutput>: This specifies the
1652 library used for RDP authentication, see <xref lang=""
1653 linkend="vbox-auth" /> for details.</para>
1654 </listitem>
1655
1656 <listitem>
1657 <para><computeroutput>--vrdemulticon on|off</computeroutput>: This
1658 enables multiple connections to be made to the same VRDE server, if the
1659 server supports this feature; see <xref lang=""
1660 linkend="vrde-multiconnection" />.</para>
1661 </listitem>
1662
1663 <listitem>
1664 <para><computeroutput>--vrdereusecon on|off</computeroutput>: This
1665 specifies the VRDE server behavior when multiple connections are
1666 disabled. When this option is enabled, the server will allow a new
1667 client to connect and will drop the existing connection. When this
1668 option is disabled (this is the default setting), a new connection
1669 will not be accepted if there is already a client connected to the
1670 server.</para>
1671 </listitem>
1672
1673 <listitem>
1674 <para><computeroutput>--vrdevideochannel on|off</computeroutput>:
1675 This enables video redirection, if it is supported by the VRDE
1676 server; see <xref lang="" linkend="vrde-videochannel" />.</para>
1677 </listitem>
1678
1679 <listitem>
1680 <para><computeroutput>--vrdevideochannelquality
1681 &lt;percent&gt;</computeroutput>: Specifies the image quality for video
1682 redirection; see <xref lang=""
1683 linkend="vrde-videochannel" />.</para>
1684 </listitem>
1685 </itemizedlist></para>
1686 </sect2>
1687
1688 <sect2 id="vboxmanage-modifyvm-teleport">
1689 <title>Teleporting settings</title>
1690
1691 <para>With the following commands for <computeroutput>VBoxManage
1692 modifyvm</computeroutput> you can configure a machine to be a target for
1693 teleporting. See <xref linkend="teleporting" /> for an
1694 introduction.<itemizedlist>
1695 <listitem>
1696 <para><computeroutput>--teleporter on|off</computeroutput>:
1697 This setting enables/disables the teleporter feature whereby when the
1698 machine is started, it waits to receieve a teleporting request from the
1699 network instead of booting normally; teleporting requests are received on the
1700 port and address specified using the following two parameters.</para>
1701 </listitem>
1702
1703 <listitem>
1704 <para><computeroutput>--teleporterport
1705 &lt;port&gt;</computeroutput>, <computeroutput>--teleporteraddress
1706 &lt;address&gt;</computeroutput>: these settings must be used with
1707 --teleporter and they specify the port and address the virtual machine should
1708 listen to to receive a teleporting request sent from another virtual machine.
1709 <computeroutput>&lt;port&gt;</computeroutput> can
1710 be any free TCP/IP port number (e.g. 6000);
1711 <computeroutput>&lt;address&gt;</computeroutput> can be any IP
1712 address or hostname and specifies the TCP/IP socket to bind to.
1713 The default is "0.0.0.0", which means any address.</para>
1714 </listitem>
1715
1716 <listitem>
1717 <para><computeroutput>--teleporterpassword
1718 &lt;password&gt;</computeroutput>: if this optional setting is
1719 given, then the teleporting request will only succeed if the
1720 source machine specifies the same password as the one given with
1721 this command.</para>
1722 </listitem>
1723
1724 <listitem>
1725 <para><computeroutput>--teleporterpasswordfile
1726 &lt;password&gt;</computeroutput>: if this optional setting is
1727 given, then the teleporting request will only succeed if the
1728 source machine specifies the same password as the one specified
1729 in the file give with this command. Use <computeroutput>stdin</computeroutput>
1730 to read the password from stdin.</para>
1731 </listitem>
1732
1733 <listitem>
1734 <para><computeroutput>--cpuid &lt;leaf&gt; &lt;eax&gt; &lt;ebx&gt;
1735 &lt;ecx&gt; &lt;edx&gt;</computeroutput>: Advanced users can use
1736 this setting before a teleporting operation to restrict the
1737 virtual CPU capabilities that VirtualBox presents to the guest
1738 operating system. This must be run on both the source and the
1739 target machines involved in the teleporting and will then modify
1740 what the guest sees when it executes the
1741 <computeroutput>CPUID</computeroutput> machine instruction. This
1742 might help with misbehaving applications that wrongly assume that
1743 certain CPU capabilities are present. The meaning of the
1744 parameters is hardware dependent; please refer to the AMD or Intel
1745 processor manuals.</para>
1746 </listitem>
1747 </itemizedlist></para>
1748 </sect2>
1749
1750 <sect2 id="vboxmanage-modifyvm-debugging">
1751 <title>Debugging settings</title>
1752
1753 <para>The following settings are only relevant for low-level VM
1754 debugging. Regular users will never need these settings.<itemizedlist>
1755 <listitem>
1756 <para><computeroutput>--tracing-enabled on|off</computeroutput>:
1757 Enable the tracebuffer. This consumes some memory for the tracebuffer
1758 and adds extra overhead.</para>
1759 </listitem>
1760 <listitem>
1761 <para><computeroutput>--tracing-config &lt;config-string&gt;</computeroutput>:
1762 Enables tracing configuration. In particular, this defines which group of
1763 tracepoints are enabled.</para>
1764 </listitem>
1765 <listitem>
1766 <para><computeroutput>--tracing-allow-vm-access on|off</computeroutput>:
1767 Enables/disables(default) VM access to the tracebuffer.</para>
1768 </listitem>
1769 </itemizedlist>
1770 </para>
1771 </sect2>
1772
1773 <sect2 id="vboxmanage-usbcardreader">
1774 <title>USB card reader settings</title>
1775
1776 <para>The following setting defines access to a USB Card Reader by the guest environment.
1777 USB card readers are typically used for accessing data on memory cards such as
1778 CompactFlash (CF), Secure Digital (SD) or MultiMediaCard (MMC).</para>
1779 <itemizedlist>
1780 <listitem>
1781 <para><computeroutput>--usbcardreader on|off</computeroutput>:
1782 Enables/disables the USB card reader interface.</para>
1783 </listitem>
1784 </itemizedlist>
1785 </sect2>
1786
1787 <sect2 id="vboxmanage-autostart">
1788 <title>Auto starting VMs during host system boot</title>
1789
1790 <para>These settings configure the VM autostart feature,
1791 which automatically starts the VM at host system boot-up.
1792 Note that there are pre-requisites that need to be addressed before using this feature.
1793 See <xref lang="" linkend="autostart" /> for more details.</para>
1794 <itemizedlist>
1795 <listitem>
1796 <para><computeroutput>--autostart on|off</computeroutput>:
1797 Enables/disables VM autostart at host system boot-up, using specified user name.</para>
1798 </listitem>
1799 <listitem>
1800 <para><computeroutput>--autostart-delay &lt;seconds&gt;</computeroutput>:
1801 Specifies a delay (seconds) following host system boot-up, before VM autostarts.</para>
1802 </listitem>
1803 </itemizedlist>
1804 </sect2>
1805 </sect1>
1806
1807 <sect1 id="vboxmanage-clonevm">
1808 <title>VBoxManage clonevm</title>
1809
1810 <para>This command creates a full or linked copy of an existing virtual
1811 machine.</para>
1812
1813 <para>The <computeroutput>clonevm</computeroutput> subcommand takes at
1814 least the name of the virtual machine which should be cloned. The following
1815 additional settings can be used to further configure the clone VM
1816 operation:</para>
1817
1818 <itemizedlist>
1819 <listitem>
1820 <para><computeroutput>--snapshot &lt;uuid&gt;|&lt;name&gt;</computeroutput>:
1821 Select a specific snapshot where the clone operation should refer
1822 to. Default is referring to the current state.</para>
1823 </listitem>
1824 <listitem>
1825 <para><computeroutput>--mode machine|machineandchildren|all</computeroutput>:
1826 Selects the cloning mode of the operation. If
1827 <computeroutput>machine</computeroutput> is selected (the default),
1828 the current state of the VM without any snapshots is cloned. In the
1829 <computeroutput>machineandchildren</computeroutput> mode the snapshot
1830 provided by <computeroutput>--snapshot</computeroutput> and all
1831 child snapshots are cloned. If <computeroutput>all</computeroutput>
1832 is the selected mode all snapshots and the current state are cloned.
1833 </para>
1834 </listitem>
1835 <listitem>
1836 <para><computeroutput>--options link|keepallmacs|keepnatmacs|keepdisknames</computeroutput>:
1837 Allows additional fine tuning of the clone operation. The first
1838 option defines that a linked clone should be created, which is
1839 only possible for a machine cloned from a snapshot. The next two
1840 options enable specification of the handling of MAC addresses of
1841 every virtual network card. They can either be reinitialized
1842 (the default), left unchanged
1843 (<computeroutput>keepallmacs</computeroutput>) or left unchanged
1844 when the network type is NAT
1845 (<computeroutput>keepnatmacs</computeroutput>). If you add
1846 <computeroutput>keepdisknames</computeroutput> all new disk images
1847 are called like the original ones, otherwise they are
1848 renamed.</para>
1849 </listitem>
1850 <listitem>
1851 <para><computeroutput>--name &lt;name&gt;</computeroutput>: Select a
1852 new name for the new virtual machine. Default is "Original Name
1853 Clone".</para>
1854 </listitem>
1855 <listitem>
1856 <para><computeroutput>--groups &lt;group&gt;, ...</computeroutput>
1857 Enables the clone to be assigned membership of the specified
1858 VM groups in the list. Note that group ids always start with a
1859 <computeroutput>/</computeroutput> and can be nested. By default,
1860 clones are always assigned membership of the group
1861 <computeroutput>/</computeroutput>.</para>
1862 </listitem>
1863 <listitem>
1864 <para><computeroutput>--basefolder &lt;basefolder&gt;</computeroutput>:
1865 Select the folder where the new virtual machine configuration should
1866 be saved in.</para>
1867 </listitem>
1868 <listitem>
1869 <para><computeroutput>--uuid &lt;uuid&gt;</computeroutput>:
1870 Select the UUID the new VM should have. This id has to be unique in
1871 the VirtualBox instance this clone should be registered. Default is
1872 creating a new UUID.</para>
1873 </listitem>
1874 <listitem>
1875 <para><computeroutput>--register</computeroutput>:
1876 Automatically register the new clone in this VirtualBox
1877 installation. If you manually want to register the new VM later, see
1878 <xref linkend="vboxmanage-registervm" /> for instructions how to do
1879 so.</para>
1880 </listitem>
1881 </itemizedlist>
1882 </sect1>
1883
1884 <sect1 id="vboxmanage-import">
1885 <title>VBoxManage import</title>
1886
1887 <para>This command imports a virtual appliance in OVF format by copying
1888 the virtual disk images and creating virtual machines in VirtualBox. See
1889 <xref linkend="ovf" /> for an introduction to appliances.</para>
1890
1891 <para>The <computeroutput>import</computeroutput> subcommand takes at
1892 least the path name of an OVF file as input and expects the disk images,
1893 if needed, in the same directory as the OVF file. A lot of additional
1894 command-line options are supported to control in detail what is being
1895 imported and modify the import parameters, but the details depend on the
1896 content of the OVF file.</para>
1897
1898 <para>It is therefore recommended to first run the import subcommand with
1899 the <computeroutput>--dry-run</computeroutput> or
1900 <computeroutput>-n</computeroutput> option. This will then print a
1901 description of the appliance's contents to the screen how it would be
1902 imported into VirtualBox, together with the optional command-line options
1903 to influence the import behavior.</para>
1904
1905 <para>Use of the <computeroutput>--options link|keepallmacs|keepnatmacs|keepdisknames</computeroutput>:
1906 option enables additional fine tuning of the clone operation. The first
1907 option defines that a linked clone should be created, which is
1908 only possible for a machine clone from a snapshot. The next two
1909 options enable specification of how the MAC addresses of every virtual
1910 network card should be handled. They can either be reinitialized
1911 (the default), left unchanged
1912 (<computeroutput>keepallmacs</computeroutput>) or left unchanged
1913 when the network type is NAT
1914 (<computeroutput>keepnatmacs</computeroutput>). If you add
1915 <computeroutput>keepdisknames</computeroutput> all new disk images
1916 are assigned the same names as the originals, otherwise they are
1917 renamed.</para>
1918
1919 <para>As an example, here is the screen output with a sample appliance
1920 containing a Windows XP guest:<screen>VBoxManage import WindowsXp.ovf --dry-run
1921Interpreting WindowsXp.ovf...
1922OK.
1923Virtual system 0:
1924 0: Suggested OS type: "WindowsXP"
1925 (change with "--vsys 0 --ostype &lt;type&gt;"; use "list ostypes" to list all)
1926 1: Suggested VM name "Windows XP Professional_1"
1927 (change with "--vsys 0 --vmname &lt;name&gt;")
1928 3: Number of CPUs: 1
1929 (change with "--vsys 0 --cpus &lt;n&gt;")
1930 4: Guest memory: 956 MB (change with "--vsys 0 --memory &lt;MB&gt;")
1931 5: Sound card (appliance expects "ensoniq1371", can change on import)
1932 (disable with "--vsys 0 --unit 5 --ignore")
1933 6: USB controller
1934 (disable with "--vsys 0 --unit 6 --ignore")
1935 7: Network adapter: orig bridged, config 2, extra type=bridged
1936 8: Floppy
1937 (disable with "--vsys 0 --unit 8 --ignore")
1938 9: SCSI controller, type BusLogic
1939 (change with "--vsys 0 --unit 9 --scsitype {BusLogic|LsiLogic}";
1940 disable with "--vsys 0 --unit 9 --ignore")
194110: IDE controller, type PIIX4
1942 (disable with "--vsys 0 --unit 10 --ignore")
194311: Hard disk image: source image=WindowsXp.vmdk,
1944 target path=/home/user/disks/WindowsXp.vmdk, controller=9;channel=0
1945 (change controller with "--vsys 0 --unit 11 --controller &lt;id&gt;";
1946 disable with "--vsys 0 --unit 11 --ignore")</screen></para>
1947
1948 <para>As you can see, the individual configuration items are numbered, and
1949 depending on their type support different command-line options. The import
1950 subcommand can be directed to ignore many such items with a
1951 <computeroutput>--vsys X --unit Y --ignore</computeroutput> option, where
1952 X is the number of the virtual system (zero unless there are several
1953 virtual system descriptions in the appliance) and Y the item number, as
1954 printed on the screen.</para>
1955
1956 <para>In the above example, Item #1 specifies the name of the target
1957 machine in VirtualBox. Items #9 and #10 specify hard disk controllers,
1958 respectively. Item #11 describes a hard disk image; in this case, the
1959 additional <computeroutput>--controller</computeroutput> option indicates
1960 which item the disk image should be connected to, with the default coming
1961 from the OVF file.</para>
1962
1963 <para>You can combine several items for the same virtual system behind the
1964 same <computeroutput>--vsys</computeroutput> option. For example, to
1965 import a machine as described in the OVF, but without the sound card and
1966 without the USB controller, and with the disk image connected to the IDE
1967 controller instead of the SCSI controller, use this:<screen>VBoxManage import WindowsXp.ovf
1968 --vsys 0 --unit 5 --ignore --unit 6 --ignore --unit 11 --controller 10</screen></para>
1969 </sect1>
1970
1971 <sect1 id="vboxmanage-export">
1972 <title>VBoxManage export</title>
1973
1974 <para>This command exports one or more virtual machines from VirtualBox
1975 into a virtual appliance in OVF format, including copying their virtual
1976 disk images to compressed VMDK. See <xref linkend="ovf" /> for an
1977 introduction to appliances.</para>
1978
1979 <para>The <computeroutput>export</computeroutput> command is simple to
1980 use: list the machine (or the machines) that you would like to export to
1981 the same OVF file and specify the target OVF file after an additional
1982 <computeroutput>--output</computeroutput> or
1983 <computeroutput>-o</computeroutput> option. Note that the directory of the
1984 target OVF file will also receive the exported disk images in the
1985 compressed VMDK format (regardless of the original format) and should have
1986 enough disk space left for them.</para>
1987
1988 <para>Beside a simple export of a given virtual machine, you can append
1989 several product information to the appliance file. Use
1990 <computeroutput>--product</computeroutput>,
1991 <computeroutput>--producturl</computeroutput>,
1992 <computeroutput>--vendor</computeroutput>,
1993 <computeroutput>--vendorurl</computeroutput>,
1994 <computeroutput>--version</computeroutput> and
1995 <computeroutput>--description</computeroutput> to specify this additional
1996 information. For legal reasons you may add a license text or the content
1997 of a license file by using the <computeroutput>--eula</computeroutput> and
1998 <computeroutput>--eulafile</computeroutput> option respectively. As with
1999 OVF import, you must use the <computeroutput>--vsys X</computeroutput>
2000 option to direct the previously mentioned options to the correct virtual
2001 machine.</para>
2002
2003 <para>For virtualization products which aren't fully compatible with the
2004 OVF standard 1.0 you can enable a OVF 0.9 legacy mode with the
2005 <computeroutput>--legacy09</computeroutput> option. Other options are
2006 --ovf09, --ovf10, --ovf20.</para>
2007
2008 <para>To specify options controlling the exact content of the appliance
2009 file, you can use <computeroutput>--options</computeroutput> to request the
2010 creation of a manifest file (encouraged, allows detection of corrupted
2011 appliances on import), the additional export of DVD images, and the
2012 exclusion of MAC addresses. You can specify a list of options, e.g.
2013 <computeroutput>--options manifest,nomacs</computeroutput>. For details,
2014 check the help output of <computeroutput>VBoxManage export</computeroutput>.</para>
2015 </sect1>
2016
2017 <sect1 id="vboxmanage-startvm">
2018 <title>VBoxManage startvm</title>
2019
2020 <para>This command starts a virtual machine that is currently in the
2021 "Powered off" or "Saved" states.</para>
2022
2023 <para>The optional <computeroutput>--type</computeroutput> specifier
2024 determines whether the machine will be started in a window or whether the
2025 output should go through <computeroutput>VBoxHeadless</computeroutput>,
2026 with VRDE enabled or not; see <xref linkend="vboxheadless" /> for more
2027 information. The list of types is subject to change, and it's not
2028 guaranteed that all types are accepted by any product variant.</para>
2029
2030 <para>The global or per-VM default value for the VM frontend type will be
2031 taken if the type is not explicitly specified. If none of these are set,
2032 the GUI variant will be started.</para>
2033
2034 <para>The following values are allowed:</para>
2035
2036 <glosslist>
2037 <glossentry>
2038 <glossterm><computeroutput>gui</computeroutput></glossterm>
2039
2040 <glossdef>
2041 <para>Starts a VM showing a GUI window. This is the default.</para>
2042 </glossdef>
2043 </glossentry>
2044
2045 <glossentry>
2046 <glossterm><computeroutput>headless</computeroutput></glossterm>
2047
2048 <glossdef>
2049 <para>Starts a VM without a window for remote display only.</para>
2050 </glossdef>
2051 </glossentry>
2052
2053 <glossentry>
2054 <glossterm><computeroutput>sdl</computeroutput></glossterm>
2055
2056 <glossdef>
2057 <para>Starts a VM with a minimal GUI and limited features.</para>
2058 </glossdef>
2059 </glossentry>
2060
2061 <glossentry>
2062 <glossterm><computeroutput>separate</computeroutput></glossterm>
2063
2064 <glossdef>
2065 <para>Starts a VM with detachable UI (technically it is a headless VM
2066 with user interface in a separate process). This is an experimental
2067 feature as it lacks certain functionality at the moment (e.g. 3D
2068 acceleration will not work).</para>
2069 </glossdef>
2070 </glossentry>
2071 </glosslist>
2072
2073 <note>
2074 <para>If you experience problems with starting virtual machines with
2075 particular frontends and there is no conclusive error information,
2076 consider starting virtual machines directly by running the respective
2077 front-end, as this can give additional error information.</para>
2078 </note>
2079 </sect1>
2080
2081 <sect1 id="vboxmanage-controlvm">
2082 <title>VBoxManage controlvm</title>
2083
2084 <para>The <computeroutput>controlvm</computeroutput> subcommand allows you
2085 to change the state of a virtual machine that is currently running. The
2086 following can be specified:</para>
2087
2088 <para><itemizedlist>
2089 <listitem>
2090 <para><computeroutput>VBoxManage controlvm &lt;vm&gt;
2091 pause</computeroutput> temporarily puts a virtual machine on hold,
2092 without changing its state for good. The VM window will be painted
2093 in gray to indicate that the VM is currently paused. (This is
2094 equivalent to selecting the "Pause" item in the "Machine" menu of
2095 the GUI).</para>
2096 </listitem>
2097
2098 <listitem>
2099 <para>Use <computeroutput>VBoxManage controlvm &lt;vm&gt;
2100 resume</computeroutput> to undo a previous
2101 <computeroutput>pause</computeroutput> command. (This is equivalent
2102 to selecting the "Resume" item in the "Machine" menu of the
2103 GUI.)</para>
2104 </listitem>
2105
2106 <listitem>
2107 <para><computeroutput>VBoxManage controlvm &lt;vm&gt;
2108 reset</computeroutput> has the same effect on a virtual machine as
2109 pressing the "Reset" button on a real computer: a cold reboot of the
2110 virtual machine, which will restart and boot the guest operating
2111 system again immediately. The state of the VM is not saved
2112 beforehand, and data may be lost. (This is equivalent to selecting
2113 the "Reset" item in the "Machine" menu of the GUI).</para>
2114 </listitem>
2115
2116 <listitem>
2117 <para><computeroutput>VBoxManage controlvm &lt;vm&gt;
2118 poweroff</computeroutput> has the same effect on a virtual machine
2119 as pulling the power cable on a real computer. Again, the state of
2120 the VM is not saved beforehand, and data may be lost. (This is
2121 equivalent to selecting the "Close" item in the "Machine" menu of
2122 the GUI or pressing the window's close button, and then selecting
2123 "Power off the machine" in the dialog).</para>
2124
2125 <para>After this, the VM's state will be "Powered off". From there,
2126 it can be started again; see <xref
2127 linkend="vboxmanage-startvm" />.</para>
2128 </listitem>
2129
2130 <listitem>
2131 <para><computeroutput>VBoxManage controlvm &lt;vm&gt;
2132 savestate</computeroutput> will save the current state of the VM to
2133 disk and then stop the VM. (This is equivalent to selecting the
2134 "Close" item in the "Machine" menu of the GUI or pressing the
2135 window's close button, and then selecting "Save the machine state"
2136 in the dialog.)</para>
2137
2138 <para>After this, the VM's state will be "Saved". From there, it can
2139 be started again; see <xref linkend="vboxmanage-startvm" />.</para>
2140 </listitem>
2141
2142 <listitem>
2143 <para><computeroutput>VBoxManage controlvm &lt;vm&gt;
2144 acpipowerbutton</computeroutput> will send an ACPI shutdown signal to
2145 the VM, as if the power button on a real computer had been pressed.
2146 So long as the VM is running a fairly modern guest operating system
2147 providing ACPI support, this should trigger a proper shutdown mechanism
2148 from within the VM.</para>
2149 </listitem>
2150
2151 <listitem>
2152 <para><computeroutput>VBoxManage controlvm &lt;vm&gt;
2153 keyboardputscancode &lt;hex&gt; [&lt;hex&gt;...]</computeroutput>
2154 Sends commands using keycodes to the VM. Keycodes are documented in the
2155 public domain, e.g. http://www.win.tue.nl/~aeb/linux/kbd/scancodes-1.html.</para>
2156 </listitem>
2157
2158 <listitem>
2159 <para><computeroutput>VBoxManage controlvm "VM name" teleport
2160 --hostname &lt;name&gt; --port &lt;port&gt; [--passwordfile
2161 &lt;file&gt; | --password &lt;password&gt;]</computeroutput> makes
2162 the machine the source of a teleporting operation and initiates a
2163 teleport to the given target. See <xref linkend="teleporting" /> for
2164 an introduction. If the optional password is specified, it must match
2165 the password that was given to the
2166 <computeroutput>modifyvm</computeroutput> command for the target
2167 machine; see <xref linkend="vboxmanage-modifyvm-teleport" /> for
2168 details.</para>
2169 </listitem>
2170 </itemizedlist></para>
2171
2172 <para>A few extra options are available with
2173 <computeroutput>controlvm</computeroutput> that do not directly affect the
2174 VM's running state:</para>
2175
2176 <itemizedlist>
2177 <listitem>
2178 <para>The <computeroutput>setlinkstate&lt;1-N&gt;</computeroutput>
2179 operation connects or disconnects virtual network cables from their
2180 network interfaces.</para>
2181 </listitem>
2182
2183 <listitem>
2184 <para><computeroutput>nic&lt;1-N&gt;
2185 null|nat|bridged|intnet|hostonly|generic|natnetwork[&lt;devicename&gt;]</computeroutput>:
2186 specifies the type of networking that should be made available on the specified VM
2187 virtual network card.
2188 They can be: not connected to the host
2189 (<computeroutput>null</computeroutput>), use network address
2190 translation (<computeroutput>nat</computeroutput>), bridged networking
2191 (<computeroutput>bridged</computeroutput>) or communicate with other
2192 virtual machines using internal networking
2193 (<computeroutput>intnet</computeroutput>) or host-only networking
2194 (<computeroutput>hostonly</computeroutput>) or natnetwork networking
2195 (<computeroutput>natnetwork</computeroutput>) or access to rarely used
2196 sub-modes
2197 (<computeroutput>generic</computeroutput>).
2198 These options correspond to the modes which are described in detail in <xref
2199 linkend="networkingmodes" />.</para>
2200 </listitem>
2201
2202 <listitem>
2203 <para>With the "nictrace" options, you can optionally trace network traffic by dumping
2204 it to a file, for debugging purposes.</para>
2205
2206 <para>With <computeroutput>nictrace&lt;1-N&gt;
2207 on|off</computeroutput>, you can enable network tracing for a particular virtual
2208 network card.</para>
2209
2210 <para>If enabled, you must specify with
2211 <computeroutput>--nictracefile&lt;1-N&gt;
2212 &lt;filename&gt;</computeroutput> the pathname of the file to which the trace should be
2213 logged.</para>
2214 </listitem>
2215
2216 <listitem>
2217 <para><computeroutput>nicpromisc&lt;1-N&gt;
2218 deny|allow-vms|allow-all</computeroutput>:
2219 This specifies how the promiscious mode is handled for the specified VM
2220 virtual network card. This setting is only relevant for bridged networking.
2221 <computeroutput>deny</computeroutput> (default setting) hides
2222 any traffic not intended for this VM.
2223 <computeroutput>allow-vms</computeroutput> hides all host
2224 traffic from this VM but allows the VM to see traffic from/to other
2225 VMs.
2226 <computeroutput>allow-all</computeroutput> removes this
2227 restriction completely.</para>
2228 </listitem>
2229
2230 <listitem>
2231 <para><computeroutput>nicproperty&lt;1-N&gt;
2232 &lt;paramname&gt;="paramvalue"</computeroutput>:
2233 This option, in combination with "nicgenericdrv" enables you to
2234 pass parameters to rarely-used network backends.</para><para>
2235 Those parameters are backend engine-specific, and are different
2236 between UDP Tunnel and the VDE backend drivers. For example,
2237 please see <xref linkend="network_udp_tunnel" />.
2238 </para>
2239 </listitem>
2240
2241 <listitem>
2242 <para><computeroutput>natpf&lt;1-N&gt;
2243 [&lt;name&gt;],tcp|udp,[&lt;hostip&gt;],&lt;hostport&gt;,[&lt;guestip&gt;],
2244 &lt;guestport&gt;</computeroutput>: This option specifies a NAT
2245 port-forwarding rule (please see <xref linkend="natforward"/>
2246 for details).
2247 </para>
2248 </listitem>
2249
2250 <listitem>
2251 <para><computeroutput>natpf&lt;1-N&gt; delete
2252 &lt;name&gt;</computeroutput>: This option deletes a NAT
2253 port-forwarding rule (please see <xref linkend="natforward"/>
2254 for details).</para>
2255 </listitem>
2256
2257 <listitem>
2258 <para>The <computeroutput>guestmemoryballoon&lt;balloon size in MB&gt;</computeroutput>
2259 operation changes the size of the guest memory balloon, that is,
2260 memory allocated by the VirtualBox Guest Additions from the guest
2261 operating system and returned to the hypervisor for re-use by other
2262 virtual machines. This must be specified in megabytes. For details,
2263 see <xref linkend="guestadd-balloon" />.</para>
2264 </listitem>
2265
2266 <listitem>
2267 <para><computeroutput>usbattach&lt;uuid|address&gt; [--capturefile &lt;filename&gt;]</computeroutput></para>
2268 <para>and <computeroutput>usbdetach &lt;uuid|address&gt; [--capturefile &lt;filename&gt;]</computeroutput>
2269 make host USB devices visible/invisible to the virtual machine on the fly, without the need for
2270 creating filters first. The USB devices can be specified by UUID
2271 (unique identifier) or by address on the host system. Use the --capturefile
2272 option to specify the absolute path of a file for writing activity logging data.</para>
2273
2274 <para>You can use <computeroutput>VBoxManage list
2275 usbhost</computeroutput> to locate this information.</para>
2276 </listitem>
2277
2278 <listitem>
2279 <para><computeroutput>audioin on</computeroutput>: With
2280 this setting, you can select whether capturing audio from the
2281 host is enabled or disabled.</para>
2282 </listitem>
2283
2284 <listitem>
2285 <para><computeroutput>audioout on</computeroutput>: With
2286 this setting, you can select whether audio playback from the guest
2287 is enabled or disabled.</para>
2288 </listitem>
2289
2290 <listitem>
2291 <para><computeroutput>clipboard
2292 disabled|hosttoguest|guesttohost|bidirectional</computeroutput>:
2293 With this setting, you can select if and how the guest or host
2294 operating system's clipboard should be shared with the host or guest;
2295 see <xref linkend="generalsettings" />. This requires that the Guest
2296 Additions be installed in the virtual machine.</para>
2297 </listitem>
2298
2299 <listitem>
2300 <para><computeroutput>draganddrop
2301 disabled|hosttoguest|guesttohost|bidirectional</computeroutput>:
2302 With this setting, you can select the current drag and drop mode
2303 being used between the host and the virtual machine;
2304 see <xref linkend="guestadd-dnd" />. This requires that the Guest
2305 Additions be installed in the virtual machine.</para>
2306 </listitem>
2307
2308 <listitem>
2309 <para><computeroutput>vrde on|off</computeroutput> lets you enable or
2310 disable the VRDE server, if it is installed.</para>
2311 </listitem>
2312
2313 <listitem>
2314 <para><computeroutput>vrdeport default|&lt;ports&gt;</computeroutput>
2315 changes the port or a range of ports that the VRDE server can bind to;
2316 "default" or "0" means port 3389, the standard port for RDP. For
2317 details, see the description for the
2318 <computeroutput>--vrdeport</computeroutput> option in <xref
2319 linkend="vboxmanage-modifyvm-vrde" />.</para>
2320 </listitem>
2321
2322 <listitem>
2323 <para><computeroutput>vrdeproperty "TCP/Ports|Address=&lt;value&gt;"</computeroutput>
2324 sets the port number(s) and IP address on the VM to which the VRDE server can bind.</para>
2325
2326 <itemizedlist>
2327 <listitem>
2328 <para>For TCP/Ports, &lt;value&gt; should be a port or a range of ports to which
2329 the VRDE server can bind; "default" or "0" means port 3389, the standard port for RDP.
2330 For details, see the description for the
2331 <computeroutput>--vrdeport</computeroutput> option in <xref
2332 linkend="vboxmanage-modifyvm-vrde" />.</para>
2333 </listitem>
2334
2335 <listitem>
2336 <para>For TCP/Address, &lt;value&gt; should be the IP address of the host network
2337 interface that the VRDE server will bind to. If specified, the server
2338 will accept connections only on the specified host network interface.
2339 For details, see the description for the
2340 <computeroutput>--vrdeaddress</computeroutput> option in <xref
2341 linkend="vboxmanage-modifyvm-vrde" />.</para>
2342 </listitem>
2343 </itemizedlist>
2344 </listitem>
2345
2346 <listitem>
2347 <para><computeroutput>vrdeproperty "VideoChannel/Enabled|Quality|DownscaleProtection=&lt;value&gt;"</computeroutput>
2348 sets the VRDP video redirection properties.</para>
2349 <itemizedlist>
2350 <listitem>
2351 <para>For VideoChannel/Enabled, &lt;value&gt; can be set to "1" switching the VRDP video channel on.
2352 For details, see <xref linkend="vrde-videochannel" />.</para>
2353 </listitem>
2354
2355 <listitem>
2356 <para>For VideoChannel/Quality, &lt;value&gt; should be set between 10 and 100% inclusive,
2357 representing a JPEG compression level on the VRDE server video channel. Lower values mean lower
2358 quality but higher compression. For details, see <xref linkend="vrde-videochannel" />.</para>
2359 </listitem>
2360
2361 <listitem>
2362 <para>For VideoChannel/DownscaleProtection, &lt;value&gt; can be set to "1" to enable the
2363 videochannel downscale protection feature. When enabled, if a video's size equals the shadow
2364 buffer size, then it is regarded as a full screen video, and is displayed; but if its size
2365 is between fullscreen and the downscale threshold - it is NOT displayed, as it could be an
2366 application window, which would be unreadable when downscaled.
2367 When the downscale protection feature is disabled, an attempt is always made to display videos.</para>
2368 </listitem>
2369 </itemizedlist>
2370 </listitem>
2371
2372 <listitem>
2373 <para><computeroutput>vrdeproperty "Client/DisableDisplay|DisableInput|DisableAudio|DisableUSB=1"</computeroutput></para>
2374 <para>disables one of the VRDE server features: Display, Input, Audio or USB respectively.
2375 To re-enable a feature, use e.g. "Client/DisableDisplay=".
2376 For details, see <xref linkend="vrde-customization" />.</para>
2377 </listitem>
2378
2379 <listitem>
2380 <para><computeroutput>vrdeproperty "Client/DisableClipboard|DisableUpstreamAudio=1"</computeroutput></para>
2381 <para>disables one of the VRDE server features: Clipboard or UpstreamAudio respectively.
2382 To re-enable a feature, use e.g. "Client/DisableClipboard=".
2383 For details, see <xref linkend="vrde-customization" />.</para>
2384 </listitem>
2385
2386 <listitem>
2387 <para><computeroutput>vrdeproperty "Client/DisableRDPDR=1"</computeroutput></para>
2388 <para>disables the VRDE server feature: RDP device redirection for smart cards.
2389 To re-enable this feature, use "Client/DisableRDPR=".</para>
2390 </listitem>
2391
2392 <listitem>
2393 <para><computeroutput>vrdeproperty "H3DRedirect/Enabled=1"</computeroutput></para>
2394 <para>enables the VRDE server feature: 3D redirection.
2395 To re-disable this feature, use "H3DRedirect/Enabled=".</para>
2396 </listitem>
2397
2398 <listitem>
2399 <para><computeroutput>vrdeproperty "Security/Method|ServerCertificate|ServerPrivateKey|CACertificate=&lt;value&gt;"</computeroutput>
2400 sets the desired security method/Path of server certificate, path of server private key, path of CA certificate, used for a connection.
2401
2402 <itemizedlist>
2403 <listitem>
2404 <para><computeroutput>vrdeproperty "Security/Method=&lt;value&gt;"</computeroutput>
2405 sets the desired security method, which is used for a connection. Valid values are:
2406 <itemizedlist>
2407 <listitem>
2408 <para> <computeroutput>Negotiate</computeroutput> - both Enhanced (TLS)
2409 and Standard RDP Security connections are allowed. The security
2410 method is negotiated with the client. This is the default setting.</para>
2411 </listitem>
2412 <listitem>
2413 <para> <computeroutput>RDP</computeroutput> - only Standard RDP Security is accepted.</para>
2414 </listitem>
2415 <listitem>
2416 <para> <computeroutput>TLS</computeroutput> - only Enhanced RDP Security is accepted.
2417 The client must support TLS.</para>
2418 </listitem>
2419 </itemizedlist>
2420 For details, see <xref linkend="vrde-crypt" />.</para>
2421 </listitem>
2422
2423 <listitem>
2424 <para><computeroutput>vrdeproperty "Security/ServerCertificate=&lt;value&gt;"</computeroutput>
2425 where &lt;value&gt; is the absolute path of the server certificate.
2426 For details, see <xref linkend="vrde-crypt" />.</para>
2427 </listitem>
2428
2429 <listitem>
2430 <para><computeroutput>vrdeproperty "Security/ServerPrivateKey=&lt;value&gt;"</computeroutput>
2431 where &lt;value&gt; is the absolute path of the server private key.
2432 For details, see <xref linkend="vrde-crypt" />.</para>
2433 </listitem>
2434
2435 <listitem>
2436 <para><computeroutput>vrdeproperty "Security/CACertificate=&lt;value&gt;"</computeroutput>
2437 where &lt;value&gt; is the absolute path of the CA self signed certificate.
2438 For details, see <xref linkend="vrde-crypt" />.</para>
2439 </listitem>
2440 </itemizedlist></para>
2441 </listitem>
2442
2443 <listitem>
2444 <para><computeroutput>vrdeproperty "Audio/RateCorrectionMode|LogPath=&lt;value&gt;"</computeroutput>
2445 sets the Audio connection mode, or Path of the audio logfile.
2446
2447 <itemizedlist>
2448 <listitem>
2449 <para><computeroutput>vrdeproperty "Audio/RateCorrectionMode=&lt;value&gt;"</computeroutput>
2450 where &lt;value&gt; is the desired rate correction mode, allowed values are:
2451 <itemizedlist>
2452 <listitem>
2453 <para> <computeroutput>VRDP_AUDIO_MODE_VOID</computeroutput> - no mode specified, use to
2454 unset any Audio mode already set.</para>
2455 </listitem>
2456 <listitem>
2457 <para> <computeroutput>VRDP_AUDIO_MODE_RC</computeroutput> - rate correction mode.</para>
2458 </listitem>
2459 <listitem>
2460 <para> <computeroutput>VRDP_AUDIO_MODE_LPF</computeroutput> - low pass filter mode.</para>
2461 </listitem>
2462 <listitem>
2463 <para> <computeroutput>VRDP_AUDIO_MODE_CS</computeroutput> - client sync mode to prevent
2464 under/overflow of the client queue.</para>
2465 </listitem>
2466 </itemizedlist></para>
2467 </listitem>
2468 <listitem>
2469 <para><computeroutput>vrdeproperty "Audio/LogPath=&lt;value&gt;"</computeroutput>
2470 where &lt;value&gt; is the absolute path of the Audio log file.</para>
2471 </listitem>
2472 </itemizedlist></para>
2473 </listitem>
2474
2475 <listitem>
2476 <para><computeroutput>vrdevideochannelquality
2477 &lt;percent&gt;</computeroutput>: Sets the image quality for video
2478 redirection; see <xref lang=""
2479 linkend="vrde-videochannel" />.</para>
2480 </listitem>
2481
2482 <listitem>
2483 <para><computeroutput>setvideomodehint</computeroutput> requests that
2484 the guest system change to a particular video mode. This requires that
2485 the Guest Additions be installed, and will not work for all guest
2486 systems.</para>
2487 </listitem>
2488
2489 <listitem>
2490 <para><computeroutput>screenshotpng</computeroutput> takes a screenshot
2491 of the guest display and saves it in PNG format.</para>
2492 </listitem>
2493
2494 <listitem>
2495 <para><computeroutput>videocap on|off</computeroutput> enables or disables
2496 recording a VM session into a WebM/VP8 file.</para>
2497 </listitem>
2498
2499 <listitem>
2500 <para><computeroutput>videocapscreens all|&lt;screen ID&gt;
2501 [&lt;screen ID&gt; ...]]</computeroutput> allows to specify which screens of
2502 the VM are being recorded. This setting
2503 cannot be changed while video capturing is enabled. Each screen is recorded
2504 into a separate file.</para>
2505 </listitem>
2506
2507 <listitem>
2508 <para><computeroutput>videocapfile &lt;file&gt;</computeroutput> sets the filename
2509 VirtualBox uses to save the recorded content. This setting cannot be changed
2510 while video capturing is enabled.</para>
2511 </listitem>
2512
2513 <listitem>
2514 <para><computeroutput>videocapres &lt;width&gt; &lt;height&gt;</computeroutput>
2515 sets the resolution (in pixels) of the recorded video. This setting cannot be
2516 changed while video capturing is enabled.</para>
2517 </listitem>
2518
2519 <listitem> <!-- @todo r=andy Clarify rate. -->
2520 <para><computeroutput>videocaprate &lt;rate&gt;</computeroutput> sets the
2521 bitrate in kilobits (kb) per second. Increasing this value makes the video
2522 look better for the cost of an increased file size. This setting cannot be
2523 changed while video capturing is enabled.</para>
2524 </listitem>
2525
2526 <listitem>
2527 <para><computeroutput>videocapfps &lt;fps&gt;</computeroutput> sets the
2528 maximum number of frames per second (FPS) to be recorded. Frames with a
2529 higher frequency will be skipped. Reducing this value increases the number
2530 of skipped frames and reduces the file size. This setting cannot be changed
2531 while video capturing is enabled.</para>
2532 </listitem>
2533
2534 <listitem> <!-- @todo r=andy Clarify time format. -->
2535 <para><computeroutput>videocapmaxtime &lt;ms&gt;</computeroutput> sets
2536 the maximum time in milliseconds the video capturing will be enabled
2537 since activation.
2538 The capturing stops when the defined time interval has elapsed. If this
2539 value is zero the capturing is not limited by time. This setting cannot
2540 be changed while video capturing is enabled.</para>
2541 </listitem>
2542
2543 <listitem>
2544 <para><computeroutput>videocapmaxsize &lt;MB&gt;</computeroutput> limits
2545 the maximum size of the captured video file (in MB). The capturing stops
2546 when the file size has reached the specified size. If this value is zero
2547 the capturing will not be limited by file size. This setting cannot be
2548 changed while video capturing is enabled.</para>
2549 </listitem>
2550
2551 <listitem>
2552 <para><computeroutput>videocapopts &lt;key=value&gt;[,&lt;key=value&gt; ...]</computeroutput>
2553 can be used to specify additional video capturing options. These options
2554 only are for advanced users and must be specified in a comma-separated
2555 key=value format, e.g. <computeroutput>foo=bar,a=b</computeroutput>.
2556 This setting cannot be changed while video capturing is enabled.</para>
2557 </listitem>
2558
2559 <listitem>
2560 <para>The <computeroutput>setcredentials</computeroutput> operation is
2561 used for remote logons in Windows guests. For details, please refer to
2562 <xref linkend="autologon" />.</para>
2563 </listitem>
2564
2565 <listitem>
2566 <para><computeroutput>teleport --host &lt;name&gt; --port &lt;port&gt;</computeroutput>
2567 can be used to configure a VM as a target for teleporting.
2568 &lt;name&gt; specifies the virtual machine name. &lt;port&gt; specifies the port on the
2569 virtual machine which should listen for teleporting requests from other
2570 virtual machines. It can be any free TCP/IP port number (e.g. 6000);
2571 See <xref linkend="teleporting" /> for an introduction.</para>
2572 <itemizedlist>
2573 <listitem>
2574 <para><computeroutput>--maxdowntime &lt;msec&gt;</computeroutput>:
2575 specifies the maximum downtime (milliseconds) for the
2576 teleporting target VM. Optional.</para>
2577 </listitem>
2578
2579 <listitem>
2580 <para><computeroutput>--password
2581 &lt;password&gt;</computeroutput>:
2582 indicates that the teleporting request will only succeed if the
2583 source machine specifies the same password as the one given with
2584 this command. Optional.</para>
2585 </listitem>
2586
2587 <listitem>
2588 <para><computeroutput>--passwordfile
2589 &lt;password file&gt;</computeroutput>:
2590 indicates that the teleporting request will only succeed if the
2591 source machine specifies the same password as the one specified
2592 in the password file with the path specified with this command.
2593 Use <computeroutput>stdin</computeroutput> to read the password
2594 from stdin. Optional.</para>
2595 </listitem>
2596 </itemizedlist>
2597 </listitem>
2598
2599 <listitem>
2600 <para><computeroutput>plugcpu|unplugcpu
2601 &lt;id&gt;</computeroutput>: If CPU hot-plugging is enabled, this adds
2602 a virtual CPU to the virtual machines (or removes one).
2603 <computeroutput>&lt;id&gt;</computeroutput> specifies the index of
2604 the virtual CPU to be added or removed and must be a number from 0
2605 to the maximum no. of CPUs configured. CPU 0 can never be removed.</para>
2606 </listitem>
2607
2608 <listitem>
2609 <para>The <computeroutput>cpuexecutioncap
2610 &lt;1-100&gt;</computeroutput>: This operation controls how much cpu
2611 time a virtual CPU can use. A value of 50 implies a single virtual CPU
2612 can use up to 50% of a single host CPU.</para>
2613 </listitem>
2614
2615 <listitem>
2616 <para><computeroutput>webcam
2617 attach &lt;path|alias&gt; [&lt;key=value&gt;[;&lt;key=value&gt;...]]</computeroutput>: This operation
2618 attaches a webcam to a running VM. Specify the absolute path of the
2619 webcam on the host operating system, or use its alias (obtained by using the command: VBoxManage
2620 list webcams).</para>
2621
2622 <para>Note that alias '.0' means default video input device on the host operating system, '.1', '.2',
2623 etc. mean first, second, etc. video input device. The device order is host-specific.</para>
2624
2625 <para>The optional settings parameter is a ';' delimited list of name/value pairs, enabling configuration
2626 of the emulated webcam device.</para>
2627
2628 <para>The following settings are supported:</para>
2629
2630 <para>MaxFramerate (default no maximum limit) - this specifies the highest rate (frames/sec) at which
2631 video frames are sent to the guest. Higher frame rates increase CPU load, so this setting can be useful
2632 when there is a need to reduce CPU load. Its default 'value' is 'no maximum limit', thus enabling the
2633 guest to use all frame rates supported by the host webcam.</para>
2634
2635 <para>MaxPayloadTransferSize (default 3060 bytes) - this specifies the maximum number of bytes the emulated
2636 webcam can send to the guest in one buffer. The default is used by some webcams. Higher values can
2637 slightly reduce CPU load, if the guest is able to use larger buffers.
2638 Note that higher MaxPayloadTransferSize values may be not supported by some guest operating systems.</para>
2639 </listitem>
2640
2641 <listitem>
2642 <para><computeroutput>webcam
2643 detach &lt;path|alias&gt;</computeroutput>: This operation
2644 detaches a webcam from a running VM. Specify the absolute path of the
2645 webcam on the host, or use its alias (obtained from webcam list below).</para>
2646 <para>Note the points below relating to specific Host Operating Systems:</para>
2647
2648 <para>Windows hosts</para>
2649
2650 <para>When the webcam device is detached from the host, the emulated webcam device
2651 is automatically detached from the guest.</para>
2652
2653 <para>Mac OS X hosts</para>
2654
2655 <para>OS X version 10.7 or newer is required.</para>
2656
2657 <para>When the webcam device is detached from the host, the emulated webcam device remains
2658 attached to the guest and must be manually detached using the
2659 VBoxManage controlvm "VM name" webcam detach command.</para>
2660
2661 <para>Linux hosts</para>
2662
2663 <para>When the webcam is detached from the host, the emulated webcam device is automatically detached
2664 from the guest only if the webcam is streaming video. If the emulated webcam is inactive, it
2665 should be manually detached using the VBoxManage controlvm "VM name" webcam detach command.</para>
2666 </listitem>
2667
2668 <listitem>
2669 <para><computeroutput>webcam list</computeroutput>: This operation
2670 lists webcams attached to the running VM.
2671 The output is a list of absolute paths or aliases that were used for attaching the webcams
2672 to the VM using the 'webcam attach' command above.
2673 </para>
2674 </listitem>
2675
2676 <listitem>
2677 <para><computeroutput>addencpassword
2678 &lt;id&gt; &lt;password file&gt;|- [--removeonsuspend &lt;yes|no&gt;]</computeroutput>: This operation
2679 supplies an encrypted VM specified by &lt;id&gt; with the encryption password to enable a headless start.
2680 Either specify the absolute path of a password file on the host file system: &lt;password file&gt;, or
2681 use a '-' to instruct VBoxManage to prompt the user for the encryption password. </para>
2682
2683 <para><computeroutput>--removeonsuspend &lt;yes|no&gt;</computeroutput> specifies whether to remove/keep
2684 the password from/in VM memory when the VM is suspended. If the VM has been suspended and the password has
2685 been removed, the user needs to resupply the password before the VM can be resumed. This feature is useful
2686 in cases where the user doesn't want the password to be stored in VM memory, and the VM is suspended by a
2687 host suspend event.</para>
2688
2689 <para>Note: On VirtualBox versions 5.0 and later, data stored on hard disk images can be transparently
2690 encrypted for the guest. VirtualBox uses the AES algorithm in XTS mode and supports 128 or 256
2691 bit data encryption keys (DEK). The DEK is stored encrypted in the medium properties, and is
2692 decrypted during VM startup by supplying the encryption password.</para>
2693
2694 <para>The "VBoxManage encryptmedium" operation is used to create a DEK encrypted medium.
2695 See <xref linkend="diskencryption-encryption" />" for details.
2696 When starting an encrypted VM from a VirtualBox GUI app, the user will be prompted for the
2697 encryption password.</para>
2698
2699 <para>For a headless encrypted VM start, use:</para>
2700
2701 <para>VBoxManage startvm "vmname" --type headless</para>
2702
2703 <para>followed by:</para>
2704
2705 <para>VBoxManage "vmname" controlvm "vmname" addencpassword ...</para>
2706
2707 <para>to supply the encryption password required.</para>
2708 </listitem>
2709
2710 <listitem>
2711 <para><computeroutput>removeencpassword &lt;id&gt;</computeroutput>: This operation
2712 removes encryption password authorization for password &lt;id&gt; for all encrypted media
2713 attached to the VM.</para>
2714 </listitem>
2715
2716 <listitem>
2717 <para><computeroutput>removeallencpasswords</computeroutput>: This operation
2718 removes encryption password authorization for all passwords for all
2719 encrypted media attached to the VM.</para>
2720 </listitem>
2721
2722 </itemizedlist>
2723 </sect1>
2724
2725 <sect1>
2726 <title>VBoxManage discardstate</title>
2727
2728 <para>This command discards the saved state of a virtual machine which is
2729 not currently running, which will cause its operating system to restart
2730 next time you start it. This is the equivalent of pulling out the power
2731 cable on a physical machine, and should be avoided if possible.</para>
2732 </sect1>
2733
2734 <sect1>
2735 <title>VBoxManage adoptstate</title>
2736
2737 <para>If you have a saved state file (<computeroutput>.sav</computeroutput>)
2738 that is separate from the VM configuration, you can use this command to
2739 "adopt" the file. This will change the VM to saved state and when you
2740 start it, VirtualBox will attempt to restore it from the saved state file
2741 you indicated. This command should only be used in special setups.</para>
2742 </sect1>
2743
2744 <sect1>
2745 <title>VBoxManage snapshot</title>
2746
2747 <para>This command is used to control snapshots from the command line. A
2748 snapshot consists of a complete copy of the virtual machine settings,
2749 copied at the time when the snapshot was taken, and optionally a virtual
2750 machine saved state file if the snapshot was taken while the machine was
2751 running. After a snapshot has been taken, VirtualBox creates differencing
2752 hard disk for each normal hard disk associated with the machine so that
2753 when a snapshot is restored, the contents of the virtual machine's virtual
2754 hard disks can be quickly reset by simply dropping the pre-existing
2755 differencing files.</para>
2756
2757 <screen>VBoxManage snapshot &lt;uuid|vmname&gt;
2758 take &lt;name&gt; [--description &lt;desc&gt;] [--live]
2759 [--uniquename Number,Timestamp,Space,Force] |
2760 delete &lt;uuid|snapname&gt; |
2761 restore &lt;uuid|snapname&gt; |
2762 restorecurrent |
2763 edit &lt;uuid|snapname&gt;|--current
2764 [--name &lt;name&gt;]
2765 [--description &lt;desc&gt;] |
2766 list [--details|--machinereadable]
2767 showvminfo &lt;uuid|snapname&gt;</screen>
2768
2769 <para>The <computeroutput>take</computeroutput> operation takes a snapshot
2770 of the current state of the virtual machine. You must supply a name for
2771 the snapshot and can optionally supply a description. The new snapshot is
2772 inserted into the snapshots tree as a child of the current snapshot and
2773 then becomes the new current snapshot. The
2774 <computeroutput>--description</computeroutput> parameter allows to
2775 describe the snapshot. If <computeroutput>--live</computeroutput>
2776 is specified, the VM will not be stopped during the snapshot creation
2777 (live snapshotting).</para>
2778
2779 <para>The <computeroutput>delete</computeroutput> operation deletes a
2780 snapshot (specified by name or by UUID). This can take a while to finish
2781 since the differencing images associated with the snapshot might need to
2782 be merged with their child differencing images.</para>
2783
2784 <para>The <computeroutput>restore</computeroutput> operation will restore
2785 the given snapshot (specified by name or by UUID) by resetting the virtual
2786 machine's settings and current state to that of the snapshot. The previous
2787 current state of the machine will be lost. After this, the given snapshot
2788 becomes the new "current" snapshot so that subsequent snapshots are
2789 inserted under the snapshot from which was restored.</para>
2790
2791 <para>The <computeroutput>restorecurrent</computeroutput> operation is a
2792 shortcut to restore the current snapshot (i.e. the snapshot from which the
2793 current state is derived). This subcommand is equivalent to using the
2794 "restore" subcommand with the name or UUID of the current snapshot, except
2795 that it avoids the extra step of determining that name or UUID.</para>
2796
2797 <para>With the <computeroutput>edit</computeroutput> operation, you can
2798 change the name or description of an existing snapshot.</para>
2799
2800 <para>The <computeroutput>list</computeroutput> operation shows all
2801 snapshots of a virtual machine.</para>
2802
2803 <para>With the <computeroutput>showvminfo</computeroutput> operation, you
2804 can view the virtual machine settings that were stored with an existing
2805 snapshot.</para>
2806 </sect1>
2807
2808 <sect1 id="vboxmanage-closemedium">
2809 <title>VBoxManage closemedium</title>
2810
2811 <para>This commands removes a hard disk, DVD or floppy image from a
2812 VirtualBox media registry.<footnote>
2813 <para>Before VirtualBox 4.0, it was necessary to call VBoxManage
2814 openmedium before a medium could be attached to a virtual machine;
2815 that call "registered" the medium with the global VirtualBox media
2816 registry. With VirtualBox 4.0 this is no longer necessary; media are
2817 added to media registries automatically. The "closemedium" call has
2818 been retained, however, to allow for explicitly removing a medium from
2819 a registry.</para>
2820 </footnote></para>
2821
2822 <screen>VBoxManage closemedium [disk|dvd|floppy] &lt;uuid|filename&gt;
2823 [--delete]</screen>
2824
2825 <para>Optionally, you can request that the image be deleted. You will get
2826 appropriate diagnostics that the deletion failed, however the image will
2827 become unregistered in any case.</para>
2828 </sect1>
2829
2830 <sect1 id="vboxmanage-storageattach">
2831 <title>VBoxManage storageattach</title>
2832
2833 <para>This command attaches/modifies/removes a storage medium connected to
2834 a storage controller that was previously added with the
2835 <computeroutput>storagectl</computeroutput> command (see the previous
2836 section). The syntax is as follows:</para>
2837
2838 <screen>VBoxManage storageattach &lt;uuid|vmname&gt;
2839 --storagectl &lt;name&gt;
2840 [--port &lt;number&gt;]
2841 [--device &lt;number&gt;]
2842 [--type dvddrive|hdd|fdd]
2843 [--medium none|emptydrive|additions|
2844 &lt;uuid&gt;|&lt;filename&gt;|host:&lt;drive&gt;|iscsi]
2845 [--mtype normal|writethrough|immutable|shareable
2846 readonly|multiattach]
2847 [--comment &lt;text&gt;]
2848 [--setuuid &lt;uuid&gt;]
2849 [--setparentuuid &lt;uuid&gt;]
2850 [--passthrough on|off]
2851 [--tempeject on|off]
2852 [--nonrotational on|off]
2853 [--discard on|off]
2854 [--hotpluggable on|off]
2855 [--bandwidthgroup name|none]
2856 [--forceunmount]
2857 [--server &lt;name&gt;|&lt;ip&gt;]
2858 [--target &lt;target&gt;]
2859 [--tport &lt;port&gt;]
2860 [--lun &lt;lun&gt;]
2861 [--encodedlun &lt;lun&gt;]
2862 [--username &lt;username&gt;]
2863 [--password &lt;password&gt;]
2864 [--initiator &lt;initiator&gt;]
2865 [--intnet]</screen>
2866
2867 <para>A number of parameters are commonly required; the ones at the end of
2868 the list are required only for iSCSI targets (see below).</para>
2869
2870 <para>The common parameters are:<glosslist>
2871 <glossentry>
2872 <glossterm><computeroutput>uuid|vmname</computeroutput></glossterm>
2873
2874 <glossdef>
2875 <para>The VM UUID or VM Name. Mandatory.</para>
2876 </glossdef>
2877 </glossentry>
2878
2879 <glossentry>
2880 <glossterm><computeroutput>--storagectl</computeroutput></glossterm>
2881
2882 <glossdef>
2883 <para>Name of the storage controller. Mandatory. The list of the
2884 storage controllers currently attached to a VM can be obtained
2885 with <computeroutput>VBoxManage showvminfo</computeroutput>; see
2886 <xref linkend="vboxmanage-showvminfo" />.</para>
2887 </glossdef>
2888 </glossentry>
2889
2890 <glossentry>
2891 <glossterm><computeroutput>--port</computeroutput></glossterm>
2892
2893 <glossdef>
2894 <para>The number of the storage controller's port which is to be
2895 modified. Mandatory, unless the storage controller has only a
2896 single port.</para>
2897 </glossdef>
2898 </glossentry>
2899
2900 <glossentry>
2901 <glossterm><computeroutput>--device</computeroutput></glossterm>
2902
2903 <glossdef>
2904 <para>The number of the port's device which is to be modified.
2905 Mandatory, unless the storage controller has only a single device
2906 per port.</para>
2907 </glossdef>
2908 </glossentry>
2909
2910 <glossentry>
2911 <glossterm><computeroutput>--type</computeroutput></glossterm>
2912
2913 <glossdef>
2914 <para>Define the type of the drive to which the medium is being
2915 attached/detached/modified. This argument can only be omitted if
2916 the type of medium can be determined from either the medium given
2917 with the <computeroutput>--medium</computeroutput> argument or
2918 from a previous medium attachment.</para>
2919 </glossdef>
2920 </glossentry>
2921
2922 <glossentry>
2923 <glossterm><computeroutput>--medium</computeroutput></glossterm>
2924
2925 <glossdef>
2926 <para>Specifies what is to be attached. The following values are
2927 supported:<itemizedlist>
2928 <listitem>
2929 <para>"none": Any existing device should be removed from the
2930 given slot.</para>
2931 </listitem>
2932
2933 <listitem>
2934 <para>"emptydrive": For a virtual DVD or floppy drive only,
2935 this makes the device slot behaves like a removeable drive
2936 into which no media has been inserted.</para>
2937 </listitem>
2938
2939 <listitem>
2940 <para>"additions": For a virtual DVD drive only, this
2941 attaches the <emphasis>VirtualBox Guest Additions</emphasis>
2942 image to the given device slot.</para>
2943 </listitem>
2944
2945 <listitem>
2946 <para>If a UUID is specified, it must be the UUID of a
2947 storage medium that is already known to VirtualBox (e.g.
2948 because it has been attached to another virtual machine).
2949 See <xref linkend="vboxmanage-list" /> for how to list known
2950 media. This medium is then attached to the given device
2951 slot.</para>
2952 </listitem>
2953
2954 <listitem>
2955 <para>If a filename is specified, it must be the full path
2956 of an existing disk image (ISO, RAW, VDI, VMDK or other),
2957 which is then attached to the given device slot.</para>
2958 </listitem>
2959
2960 <listitem>
2961 <para>"host:&lt;drive&gt;": For a virtual DVD or floppy
2962 drive only, this connects the given device slot to the
2963 specified DVD or floppy drive on the host computer.</para>
2964 </listitem>
2965
2966 <listitem>
2967 <para>"iscsi": For virtual hard disks only, this allows for
2968 specifying an iSCSI target. In this case, more parameters
2969 must be given; see below.</para>
2970 </listitem>
2971 </itemizedlist></para>
2972
2973 <para>Some of the above changes, in particular for removeable
2974 media (floppies and CDs/DVDs), can be effected while a VM is
2975 running. Others (device changes or changes in hard disk device
2976 slots) require the VM to be powered off.</para>
2977 </glossdef>
2978 </glossentry>
2979
2980 <glossentry>
2981 <glossterm><computeroutput>--mtype</computeroutput></glossterm>
2982
2983 <glossdef>
2984 <para>Defines how this medium behaves with respect to snapshots
2985 and write operations. See <xref linkend="hdimagewrites" /> for
2986 details.</para>
2987 </glossdef>
2988 </glossentry>
2989
2990 <glossentry>
2991 <glossterm><computeroutput>--comment</computeroutput></glossterm>
2992
2993 <glossdef>
2994 <para>Any description that you want to have stored with this
2995 medium (optional; for example, for an iSCSI target, "Big storage
2996 server downstairs"). This is purely descriptive and not needed for
2997 the medium to function correctly.</para>
2998 </glossdef>
2999 </glossentry>
3000
3001 <glossentry>
3002 <glossterm><computeroutput>--setuuid, --setparentuuid</computeroutput></glossterm>
3003
3004 <glossdef>
3005 <para>Modifies the UUID or parent UUID of a medium before
3006 attaching it to a VM. This is an expert option. Inappropriate use
3007 can make the medium unusable or lead to broken VM configurations
3008 if any other VM is referring to the same media already. The most
3009 frequently used variant is <code>--setuuid ""</code>, which assigns
3010 a new (random) UUID to an image. This is useful to resolve the
3011 duplicate UUID errors if one duplicated an image using file copy
3012 utilities.</para>
3013 </glossdef>
3014 </glossentry>
3015
3016 <glossentry>
3017 <glossterm><computeroutput>--passthrough</computeroutput></glossterm>
3018
3019 <glossdef>
3020 <para>For a virtual DVD drive only, you can enable DVD writing
3021 support (currently experimental; see <xref
3022 linkend="storage-cds" />).</para>
3023 </glossdef>
3024 </glossentry>
3025
3026 <glossentry>
3027 <glossterm><computeroutput>--tempeject</computeroutput></glossterm>
3028
3029 <glossdef>
3030 <para>For a virtual DVD drive only, you can configure the behavior
3031 for guest-triggered medium eject. If this is set to "on", the eject
3032 has only temporary effects. If the VM is powered off and restarted
3033 the originally configured medium will be still in the drive.</para>
3034 </glossdef>
3035 </glossentry>
3036
3037 <glossentry>
3038 <glossterm><computeroutput>--nonrotational</computeroutput></glossterm>
3039
3040 <glossdef>
3041 <para>This switch allows to enable the non-rotational flag for virtual
3042 hard disks. Some guests (i.e. Windows 7+) treat such disks like SSDs
3043 and don't perform disk fragmentation on such media.</para>
3044 </glossdef>
3045 </glossentry>
3046
3047 <glossentry>
3048 <glossterm><computeroutput>--discard</computeroutput></glossterm>
3049 <glossdef>
3050 <para>This switch enables the auto-discard feature for the virtual
3051 hard disks. This specifies that a VDI image will be shrunk in response
3052 to the trim command from the guest OS. The following requirements
3053 must be met:
3054
3055 <itemizedlist>
3056 <listitem>
3057 <para>The disk format must be VDI.</para>
3058 </listitem>
3059 <listitem>
3060 <para>The size of the cleared area must be at least 1MB.</para>
3061 </listitem>
3062 <listitem>
3063 <para>VirtualBox will only trim whole 1MB blocks. The VDIs themselves are organized
3064 into 1MB blocks, so this will only work if the space being TRIM-ed is at least
3065 a 1MB contiguous block at a 1MB boundary. On Windows, occasional defrag (with "defrag.exe /D"),
3066 or under Linux running "btrfs filesystem defrag" as a background cron job may be
3067 beneficial.</para>
3068 </listitem>
3069 </itemizedlist></para>
3070
3071 <para>Notes: the Guest OS must be configured to issue trim command, and typically this
3072 means that the guest OS is made to 'see' the disk as an SSD. Ext4 supports -o discard mount flag;
3073 OSX probably requires additional settings. Windows ought to automatically detect and
3074 support SSDs - at least in versions 7, 8 and 10. Linux exFAT driver (courtesy of Samsung)
3075 supports the trim command.</para>
3076 <para>It is unclear whether Microsoft's implementation of exFAT supports this feature, even
3077 though that file system was originally designed for flash.</para>
3078 <para>Alternatively, there are ad hoc methods to issue trim, e.g. Linux fstrim command,
3079 part of util-linux package. Earlier solutions required a user to zero out unused areas,
3080 e.g. using zerofree, and explicitly compact the disk - only possible when the VM is
3081 offline.</para>
3082 </glossdef>
3083 </glossentry>
3084
3085 <glossentry>
3086 <glossterm><computeroutput>--bandwidthgroup</computeroutput></glossterm>
3087
3088 <glossdef>
3089 <para>Sets the bandwidth group to use for the given device; see
3090 <xref linkend="storage-bandwidth-limit" />.</para>
3091 </glossdef>
3092 </glossentry>
3093
3094 <glossentry>
3095 <glossterm><computeroutput>--forceunmount</computeroutput></glossterm>
3096
3097 <glossdef>
3098 <para>For a virtual DVD or floppy drive only, this forcibly
3099 unmounts the DVD/CD/Floppy or mounts a new DVD/CD/Floppy even if
3100 the previous one is locked down by the guest for reading. Again,
3101 see <xref linkend="storage-cds" /> for details.</para>
3102 </glossdef>
3103 </glossentry>
3104 </glosslist></para>
3105
3106 <para>When "iscsi" is used with the
3107 <computeroutput>--medium</computeroutput> parameter for iSCSI support --
3108 see <xref linkend="storage-iscsi" /> --, additional parameters must or can
3109 be used:<glosslist>
3110 <glossentry>
3111 <glossterm><computeroutput>--server</computeroutput></glossterm>
3112
3113 <glossdef>
3114 <para>The host name or IP address of the iSCSI target;
3115 required.</para>
3116 </glossdef>
3117 </glossentry>
3118
3119 <glossentry>
3120 <glossterm><computeroutput>--target</computeroutput></glossterm>
3121
3122 <glossdef>
3123 <para>Target name string. This is determined by the iSCSI target
3124 and used to identify the storage resource; required.</para>
3125 </glossdef>
3126 </glossentry>
3127
3128 <glossentry>
3129 <glossterm><computeroutput>--tport</computeroutput></glossterm>
3130
3131 <glossdef>
3132 <para>TCP/IP port number of the iSCSI service on the target.
3133 Optional.</para>
3134 </glossdef>
3135 </glossentry>
3136
3137 <glossentry>
3138 <glossterm><computeroutput>--lun</computeroutput></glossterm>
3139
3140 <glossdef>
3141 <para>Logical Unit Number of the target resource. Optional.
3142 Often, this value is zero.</para>
3143 </glossdef>
3144 </glossentry>
3145
3146 <glossentry>
3147 <glossterm><computeroutput>--encodedlun</computeroutput></glossterm>
3148
3149 <glossdef>
3150 <para>Hex encoded Logical Unit Number of the target resource. Optional.
3151 Often, this value is zero.</para>
3152 </glossdef>
3153 </glossentry>
3154
3155 <glossentry>
3156 <glossterm><computeroutput>--username, --password</computeroutput></glossterm>
3157
3158 <glossdef>
3159 <para>Username and password (initiator secret) for target
3160 authentication, if required. Optional.<note>
3161 <para>Username and password are stored without
3162 encryption (i.e. in clear text) in the XML machine
3163 configuration file if no settings password is provided.
3164 When a settings password was specified the first time,
3165 the password is stored encrypted.</para>
3166 </note></para>
3167 </glossdef>
3168 </glossentry>
3169
3170 <glossentry>
3171 <glossterm><computeroutput>--initiator</computeroutput></glossterm>
3172
3173 <glossdef>
3174 <para>iSCSI Initiator (optional). Note:</para>
3175
3176 <para>Microsoft iSCSI Initiator is a system, such as a server that attaches to an IP network and initiates requests and receives responses
3177 from an iSCSI target. The SAN components in Microsoft iSCSI Initiator are largely analogous to Fibre Channel SAN components, and
3178 they include the following:/</para>
3179
3180 <para>To transport blocks of iSCSI commands over the IP network, an iSCSI driver must be installed on the iSCSI host.
3181 An iSCSI driver is included with Microsoft iSCSI Initiator.</para>
3182
3183 <para>A gigabit Ethernet adapter that transmits 1000 megabits per second (Mbps) is recommended for the connection to an iSCSI target. Like
3184 standard 10/100 adapters, most gigabit adapters use a pre-existing Category 5 or Category 6E cable. Each port on the adapter is
3185 identified by a unique IP address.</para>
3186
3187 <para>An iSCSI target is any device that receives iSCSI commands. The device can be an end node, such as a storage device, or it can be an
3188 intermediate device, such as a network bridge between IP and Fibre Channel devices. Each port on the storage array controller or network
3189 bridge is identified by one or more IP addresses</para>
3190 </glossdef>
3191 </glossentry>
3192
3193 <glossentry>
3194 <glossterm><computeroutput>--intnet</computeroutput></glossterm>
3195
3196 <glossdef>
3197 <para>If specified, connect to the iSCSI target via Internal
3198 Networking. This needs further configuration which is described in
3199 <xref linkend="iscsi-intnet" />.</para>
3200 </glossdef>
3201 </glossentry>
3202 </glosslist></para>
3203 </sect1>
3204
3205 <sect1 id="vboxmanage-storagectl">
3206 <title>VBoxManage storagectl</title>
3207
3208 <para>This command attaches/modifies/removes a storage controller. After
3209 this, virtual media can be attached to the controller with the
3210 <computeroutput>storageattach</computeroutput> command (see the next
3211 section).</para>
3212
3213 <para>The syntax is as follows:</para>
3214
3215 <screen>VBoxManage storagectl &lt;uuid|vmname&gt;
3216 --name &lt;name&gt;
3217 [--add ide|sata|scsi|floppy|sas|usb|pcie]
3218 [--controller LSILogic|LSILogicSAS|BusLogic|
3219 IntelAhci|PIIX3|PIIX4|ICH6|I82078|
3220 USB|NVMe]
3221 [--portcount &lt;1-30&gt;]
3222 [--hostiocache on|off]
3223 [--bootable on|off]
3224 [--rename &lt;name&gt;]
3225 [--remove]</screen>
3226
3227 <para>where the parameters mean: <glosslist>
3228 <glossentry>
3229 <glossterm><computeroutput>uuid|vmname</computeroutput></glossterm>
3230
3231 <glossdef>
3232 <para>The VM UUID or VM Name. Mandatory.</para>
3233 </glossdef>
3234 </glossentry>
3235
3236 <glossentry>
3237 <glossterm><computeroutput>--name</computeroutput></glossterm>
3238
3239 <glossdef>
3240 <para>Specifies the name of the storage controller. Mandatory.</para>
3241 </glossdef>
3242 </glossentry>
3243
3244 <glossentry>
3245 <glossterm><computeroutput>--add</computeroutput></glossterm>
3246
3247 <glossdef>
3248 <para>Specifies the type of the system bus to which the storage
3249 controller must be connected.</para>
3250 </glossdef>
3251 </glossentry>
3252
3253 <glossentry>
3254 <glossterm><computeroutput>--controller</computeroutput></glossterm>
3255
3256 <glossdef>
3257 <para>Enables a choice of chipset type being emulated for the
3258 given storage controller.</para>
3259 </glossdef>
3260 </glossentry>
3261
3262 <glossentry>
3263 <glossterm><computeroutput>--portcount</computeroutput></glossterm>
3264
3265 <glossdef>
3266 <para>This specifies the number of ports the storage controller should
3267 support.</para>
3268 </glossdef>
3269 </glossentry>
3270
3271 <glossentry>
3272 <glossterm><computeroutput>--hostiocache</computeroutput></glossterm>
3273
3274 <glossdef>
3275 <para>Configures the use of the host I/O cache for all disk images
3276 attached to this storage controller. For details, please see <xref
3277 linkend="iocaching" />.</para>
3278 </glossdef>
3279 </glossentry>
3280
3281 <glossentry>
3282 <glossterm><computeroutput>--bootable</computeroutput></glossterm>
3283
3284 <glossdef>
3285 <para>Specifies whether this controller is bootable.</para>
3286 </glossdef>
3287 </glossentry>
3288
3289 <glossentry>
3290 <glossterm><computeroutput>--rename</computeroutput></glossterm>
3291
3292 <glossdef>
3293 <para>Specifies a new name for the storage controller.</para>
3294 </glossdef>
3295 </glossentry>
3296
3297 <glossentry>
3298 <glossterm><computeroutput>--remove</computeroutput></glossterm>
3299
3300 <glossdef>
3301 <para>Removes the storage controller from the VM config.</para>
3302 </glossdef>
3303 </glossentry>
3304 </glosslist></para>
3305 </sect1>
3306
3307 <sect1>
3308 <title>VBoxManage bandwidthctl</title>
3309
3310 <para>This command creates/deletes/modifies/shows bandwidth groups of the given
3311 virtual machine:
3312 <screen>VBoxManage bandwidthctl &lt;uuid|vmname&gt;
3313 add &lt;name&gt; --type disk|network --limit &lt;megabytes per second&gt;[k|m|g|K|M|G] |
3314 set &lt;name&gt; --limit &lt;megabytes per second&gt;[k|m|g|K|M|G] |
3315 remove &lt;name&gt; |
3316 list [--machinereadable]</screen></para>
3317
3318 <para>The following subcommands are available:<itemizedlist>
3319 <listitem>
3320 <para><computeroutput>add</computeroutput>, creates a new bandwidth
3321 group of a given type.</para>
3322 </listitem>
3323 <listitem>
3324 <para><computeroutput>set</computeroutput>, modifies the limit for an
3325 existing bandwidth group.</para>
3326 </listitem>
3327 <listitem>
3328 <para><computeroutput>remove</computeroutput>, destroys a bandwidth
3329 group.</para>
3330 </listitem>
3331 <listitem>
3332 <para><computeroutput>list</computeroutput>, shows all bandwidth groups
3333 defined for the given VM. Use the <computeroutput>--machinereadable</computeroutput>
3334 option to produce the same output, but in machine readable format. This is of the
3335 form: name="value" on a line by line basis.</para>
3336 </listitem>
3337 </itemizedlist>
3338 </para>
3339 <para>The parameters mean:<glosslist>
3340 <glossentry>
3341 <glossterm><computeroutput>uuid|vmname</computeroutput></glossterm>
3342
3343 <glossdef>
3344 <para>The VM UUID or VM Name. Mandatory.</para>
3345 </glossdef>
3346 </glossentry>
3347
3348 <glossentry>
3349 <glossterm><computeroutput>--name</computeroutput></glossterm>
3350
3351 <glossdef>
3352 <para>Name of the bandwidth group. Mandatory.</para>
3353 </glossdef>
3354 </glossentry>
3355
3356 <glossentry>
3357 <glossterm><computeroutput>--type</computeroutput></glossterm>
3358
3359 <glossdef>
3360 <para>Type of the bandwidth group. Mandatory. Two types are
3361 supported: <computeroutput>disk</computeroutput> and
3362 <computeroutput>network</computeroutput>. See
3363 <xref linkend="storage-bandwidth-limit" /> or
3364 <xref linkend="network_bandwidth_limit" /> for the description of a
3365 particular type.</para>
3366 </glossdef>
3367 </glossentry>
3368
3369 <glossentry>
3370 <glossterm><computeroutput>--limit</computeroutput></glossterm>
3371
3372 <glossdef>
3373 <para>Specifies the limit for the given bandwidth group. This can be changed
3374 while the VM is running. The default unit is megabytes per
3375 second. The unit can be changed by specifying one of the
3376 following suffixes: <computeroutput>k</computeroutput> for kilobits/s,
3377 <computeroutput>m</computeroutput> for megabits/s,
3378 <computeroutput>g</computeroutput> for gigabits/s,
3379 <computeroutput>K</computeroutput> for kilobytes/s,
3380 <computeroutput>M</computeroutput> for megabytes/s,
3381 <computeroutput>G</computeroutput> for gigabytes/s.</para>
3382 </glossdef>
3383 </glossentry>
3384 </glosslist>
3385 <note>
3386 <para>The network bandwidth limits apply only to the traffic being sent by
3387 virtual machines. The traffic being received by VMs is unlimited.</para>
3388 </note>
3389 <note>
3390 <para>To remove a bandwidth group it must not be referenced by any disks
3391 or adapters in the running VM.</para>
3392 </note>
3393 </para>
3394 </sect1>
3395
3396 <sect1>
3397 <title>VBoxManage showmediuminfo</title>
3398
3399 <para>This command shows information about a medium,
3400 notably its size, its size on disk, its type and the virtual machines
3401 which use it.<note>
3402 <para>For compatibility with earlier versions of VirtualBox, the
3403 "showvdiinfo" command is also supported and mapped internally to the
3404 "showmediuminfo" command.</para>
3405 </note></para>
3406
3407 <screen>VBoxManage showmediuminfo [disk|dvd|floppy] &lt;uuid|filename&gt;</screen>
3408
3409 <para>The medium must be specified either by its UUID (if the medium
3410 is registered) or by its filename. Registered images can be listed by
3411 <computeroutput>VBoxManage list hdds</computeroutput>,
3412 <computeroutput>VBoxManage list dvds</computeroutput>,
3413 or <computeroutput>VBoxManage list floppies</computeroutput>, as appropriate.
3414 (see <xref linkend="vboxmanage-list" />
3415 for more information).</para>
3416 </sect1>
3417
3418 <sect1 id="vboxmanage-createmedium">
3419 <title>VBoxManage createmedium</title>
3420
3421 <para>This command creates a new medium. The syntax is as follows:</para>
3422
3423 <screen>VBoxManage createmedium [disk|dvd|floppy] --filename &lt;filename&gt;
3424 [--size &lt;megabytes&gt;|--sizebyte &lt;bytes&gt;]
3425 [--diffparent &lt;uuid&gt;|&lt;filename&gt;
3426 [--format VDI|VMDK|VHD] (default: VDI)
3427 [--variant Standard,Fixed,Split2G,Stream,ESX]</screen>
3428
3429 <para>where the parameters mean:<glosslist>
3430 <glossentry>
3431 <glossterm><computeroutput>--filename &lt;filename&gt;</computeroutput></glossterm>
3432
3433 <glossdef>
3434 <para>Specifies a file name &lt;filename&gt; as an absolute path on the host file
3435 system. Mandatory.</para>
3436 </glossdef>
3437 </glossentry>
3438
3439 <glossentry>
3440 <glossterm><computeroutput>--size &lt;megabytes&gt;</computeroutput></glossterm>
3441
3442 <glossdef>
3443 <para>&lt;megabytes&gt; Specifies the image capacity, in 1 MB units.
3444 Optional.</para>
3445 </glossdef>
3446 </glossentry>
3447
3448 <glossentry>
3449 <glossterm><computeroutput>--diffparent &lt;uuid&gt;|&lt;filename&gt;</computeroutput></glossterm>
3450
3451 <glossdef>
3452 <para>Specifies the differencing image parent, either as a UUID or
3453 by the absolute pathname of the file on the host file system.
3454 Useful for sharing a base box disk image among several VMs.</para>
3455 </glossdef>
3456 </glossentry>
3457
3458 <glossentry>
3459 <glossterm><computeroutput>--format VDI|VMDK|VHD</computeroutput></glossterm>
3460
3461 <glossdef>
3462 <para>Specifies the file format for the output file. Available
3463 options are VDI, VMDK, VHD. Default is VDI. Optional. </para>
3464 </glossdef>
3465 </glossentry>
3466
3467 <glossentry>
3468 <glossterm><computeroutput>--variant Standard,Fixed,Split2G,Stream,ESX</computeroutput></glossterm>
3469
3470 <glossdef>
3471 <para>Specifies any required file format variant(s) for the output file. It is a
3472 comma-separated list of variant flags. Not all combinations are supported, and specifying
3473 mutually incompatible flags results in an error message. Optional.</para>
3474 </glossdef>
3475 </glossentry>
3476 </glosslist> <note>
3477 <para>For compatibility with earlier versions of VirtualBox, the "createvdi" and "createhd" commands
3478 are also supported and mapped internally to the "createmedium" command.</para>
3479 </note></para>
3480 </sect1>
3481
3482 <sect1 id="vboxmanage-modifyvdi">
3483 <title>VBoxManage modifymedium</title>
3484
3485 <para>With the <computeroutput>modifymedium</computeroutput> command, you can
3486 change the characteristics of a disk image after it has been
3487 created:<screen>VBoxManage modifymedium [disk|dvd|floppy] &lt;uuid|filename&gt;
3488 [--type normal|writethrough|immutable|shareable|
3489 readonly|multiattach]
3490 [--autoreset on|off]
3491 [--property &lt;name=[value]&gt;]
3492 [--compact]
3493 [--resize &lt;megabytes&gt;|--resizebyte &lt;bytes&gt;]
3494 [--move &lt;path&gt;</screen><note>
3495 <para>For compatibility with earlier versions of VirtualBox, the "modifyvdi" and "modifyhd"
3496 commands are also supported and mapped internally to the "modifymedium" command.</para>
3497 </note></para>
3498
3499 <para>The disk image to modify must be specified either by its UUID
3500 (if the medium is registered) or by its filename. Registered images
3501 can be listed by <computeroutput>VBoxManage list hdds</computeroutput>
3502 (see <xref linkend="vboxmanage-list" /> for more information).
3503 A filename must be specified as valid path, either as an absolute path
3504 or as a relative path starting from the current directory.</para>
3505 <para>The following options are available:<itemizedlist>
3506 <listitem>
3507 <para>With the <computeroutput>--type</computeroutput> argument, you
3508 can change the type of an existing image between the normal,
3509 immutable, write-through and other modes; see <xref
3510 linkend="hdimagewrites" /> for details.</para>
3511 </listitem>
3512
3513 <listitem>
3514 <para>For immutable (differencing) hard disks only, the
3515 <computeroutput>--autoreset on|off</computeroutput> option
3516 determines whether the disk is automatically reset on every VM
3517 startup (again, see <xref linkend="hdimagewrites" />). The default
3518 is "on".</para>
3519 </listitem>
3520
3521 <listitem>
3522 <para>The <computeroutput>--compact</computeroutput> option
3523 can be used to compact disk images, i.e. remove blocks that only
3524 contains zeroes. This will shrink a dynamically allocated image
3525 again; it will reduce the <emphasis>physical</emphasis> size of the
3526 image without affecting the logical size of the virtual disk.
3527 Compaction works both for base images and for diff images created as
3528 part of a snapshot.</para>
3529
3530 <para>For this operation to be effective, it is required that free
3531 space in the guest system first be zeroed out using a suitable
3532 software tool. For Windows guests, you can use the
3533 <computeroutput>sdelete</computeroutput> tool provided by Microsoft.
3534 Execute <computeroutput>sdelete -z</computeroutput> in the guest to
3535 zero the free disk space before compressing the virtual disk
3536 image. For Linux, use the <code>zerofree</code> utility which
3537 supports ext2/ext3 filesystems. For Mac OS X guests, use the
3538 <code>diskutil secureErase freespace 0 /</code> command line
3539 from an elevated Terminal.</para>
3540
3541 <para>Please note that compacting is currently only available for
3542 VDI images. A similar effect can be achieved by zeroing out free
3543 blocks and then cloning the disk to any other dynamically allocated
3544 format. You can use this workaround until compacting is also
3545 supported for disk formats other than VDI.</para>
3546 </listitem>
3547
3548 <listitem>
3549 <para>The <computeroutput>--resize x</computeroutput> option (where x
3550 is the desired new total space in <emphasis role="bold">megabytes</emphasis>)
3551 allows you to change the capacity of an existing image; this adjusts the
3552 <emphasis>logical</emphasis> size of a virtual disk without affecting
3553 the physical size much.<footnote>
3554 <para>Image resizing was added with VirtualBox 4.0.</para>
3555 </footnote> This currently works only for VDI and VHD formats, and only
3556 for the dynamically allocated variants, and can only be used to expand
3557 (not shrink) the capacity.
3558 For example, if you originally created a 10G disk which is now full,
3559 you can use the <computeroutput>--resize 15360</computeroutput>
3560 command to change the capacity to 15G (15,360MB) without having to create a new
3561 image and copy all data from within a virtual machine. Note however that
3562 this only changes the drive capacity; you will typically next need to use
3563 a partition management tool inside the guest to adjust the main partition
3564 to fill the drive.</para><para>The <computeroutput>--resizebyte x</computeroutput>
3565 option does almost the same thing, except that x is expressed in bytes
3566 instead of megabytes.</para>
3567 </listitem>
3568
3569 <listitem>
3570 <para>The <computeroutput>--move &lt;path&gt;</computeroutput> option
3571 can be used to relocate a medium to a different location &lt;path&gt; on the
3572 host file system. The path can be either relative to the current directory or
3573 absolute.</para>
3574 </listitem>
3575 </itemizedlist></para>
3576 </sect1>
3577
3578 <sect1 id="vboxmanage-clonevdi">
3579 <title>VBoxManage clonemedium</title>
3580
3581 <para>This command duplicates a virtual disk/DVD/floppy medium to a
3582 new medium (usually an image file) with a new unique identifier (UUID).
3583 The new image can be transferred to another host system or imported into
3584 VirtualBox again using the Virtual Media Manager; see <xref linkend="vdis" />
3585 and <xref linkend="cloningvdis" />. The syntax is as follows:</para>
3586
3587 <screen>VBoxManage clonemedium [disk|dvd|floppy] &lt;uuid|inputfile&gt; &lt;uuid|outputfile&gt;
3588
3589 [--format VDI|VMDK|VHD|RAW|&lt;other&gt;]
3590 [--variant Standard,Fixed,Split2G,Stream,ESX]
3591 [--existing]</screen>
3592
3593
3594 <para>The medium to clone as well as the target image must be described
3595 either by its UUIDs (if the mediums are registered) or by its filename.
3596 Registered images can be listed by <computeroutput>VBoxManage list hdds</computeroutput>
3597 (see <xref linkend="vboxmanage-list" /> for more information).
3598 A filename must be specified as valid path, either as an absolute path or
3599 as a relative path starting from the current directory.</para>
3600 <para>The following options are available:<glosslist>
3601 <glossentry>
3602 <glossterm><computeroutput>--format</computeroutput></glossterm>
3603
3604 <glossdef>
3605 <para>Allow to choose a file format for the output file different
3606 from the file format of the input file.</para>
3607 </glossdef>
3608 </glossentry>
3609
3610 <glossentry>
3611 <glossterm><computeroutput>--variant</computeroutput></glossterm>
3612
3613 <glossdef>
3614 <para>Allow to choose a file format variant for the output file.
3615 It is a comma-separated list of variant flags. Not all
3616 combinations are supported, and specifying inconsistent flags will
3617 result in an error message.</para>
3618 </glossdef>
3619 </glossentry>
3620
3621 <glossentry>
3622 <glossterm><computeroutput>--existing</computeroutput></glossterm>
3623
3624 <glossdef>
3625 <para>Perform the clone operation to an already existing
3626 destination medium. Only the portion of the source medium which
3627 fits into the destination medium is copied. This means if the
3628 destination medium is smaller than the source only a part of it is
3629 copied, and if the destination medium is larger than the source
3630 the remaining part of the destination medium is unchanged.</para>
3631 </glossdef>
3632 </glossentry>
3633 </glosslist> <note>
3634 <para>For compatibility with earlier versions of VirtualBox, the
3635 "clonevdi" and "clonehd" commands are still supported and mapped
3636 internally to the "clonehd disk" command.</para>
3637 </note></para>
3638 </sect1>
3639
3640 <sect1 id="vboxmanage-mediumproperty">
3641 <title>VBoxManage mediumproperty</title>
3642
3643 <para>This command sets up, gets or deletes a medium property.
3644 The syntax is as follows:</para>
3645
3646 <screen>VBoxManage mediumproperty [disk|dvd|floppy] set &lt;uuid|filename&gt;
3647 &lt;property&gt; &lt;value&gt;</screen>
3648
3649
3650 <para><itemizedlist>
3651 <listitem>
3652 <para>Use <computeroutput>&lt;disk|dvd|floppy&gt;</computeroutput> to optionally specify
3653 the type of medium: disk (hard drive), dvd or floppy.</para>
3654 </listitem>
3655
3656 <listitem>
3657 <para>Use <computeroutput>&lt;uuid|filename&gt;</computeroutput> to supply either the uuid
3658 or absolute path of the medium/image to be encrypted.</para>
3659 </listitem>
3660
3661 <listitem>
3662 <para>Use <computeroutput>&lt;property&gt;</computeroutput> to supply the name of the
3663 property.</para>
3664 </listitem>
3665
3666 <listitem>
3667 <para>Use <computeroutput>&lt;value&gt;</computeroutput> to supply the property value.</para>
3668 </listitem>
3669 </itemizedlist></para>
3670
3671 <screen>VBoxManage mediumproperty [disk|dvd|floppy] get &lt;uuid|filename&gt;
3672 &lt;property&gt;</screen>
3673 <para><itemizedlist>
3674 <listitem>
3675 <para>Use <computeroutput>&lt;disk|dvd|floppy&gt;</computeroutput> to optionally specify
3676 the type of medium: disk (hard drive), dvd or floppy.</para>
3677 </listitem>
3678
3679 <listitem>
3680 <para>Use <computeroutput>&lt;uuid|filename&gt;</computeroutput> to supply either the uuid
3681 or absolute path of the medium/image to be encrypted.</para>
3682 </listitem>
3683
3684 <listitem>
3685 <para>Use <computeroutput>&lt;property&gt;</computeroutput> to supply the name of the
3686 property.</para>
3687 </listitem>
3688 </itemizedlist></para>
3689
3690 <screen>VBoxManage mediumproperty [disk|dvd|floppy] delete &lt;uuid|filename&gt;
3691 &lt;property&gt;</screen>
3692
3693
3694 <para><itemizedlist>
3695 <listitem>
3696 <para>Use <computeroutput>&lt;disk|dvd|floppy&gt;</computeroutput> to optionally specify
3697 the type of medium: disk (hard drive), dvd or floppy.</para>
3698 </listitem>
3699
3700 <listitem>
3701 <para>Use <computeroutput>&lt;uuid|filename&gt;</computeroutput> to supply either the uuid
3702 or absolute path of the medium/image.</para>
3703 </listitem>
3704
3705 <listitem>
3706 <para>Use <computeroutput>&lt;property&gt;</computeroutput> to supply the name of the
3707 property.</para>
3708 </listitem>
3709 </itemizedlist></para>
3710 </sect1>
3711
3712 <sect1 id="vboxmanage-encryptmedium">
3713 <title>VBoxManage encryptmedium</title>
3714
3715 <para>This command is used to create a DEK encrypted medium/image.
3716 See <xref linkend="diskencryption-encryption" />" for details.</para>
3717
3718 <para>The syntax is as follows:</para>
3719
3720 <screen>VBoxManage encryptmedium &lt;uuid|filename&gt;
3721 [--newpassword &lt;file|-&gt;]
3722 [--oldpassword &lt;file|-&gt;]
3723 [--cipher &lt;cipher id&gt;]
3724 [--newpasswordid &lt;password id&gt;]</screen>
3725
3726 <para><itemizedlist>
3727 <listitem>
3728 <para>use <computeroutput>&lt;uuid|filename&gt;</computeroutput> to supply the
3729 uuid or absolute path of the medium/image to be encrypted.</para>
3730 </listitem>
3731
3732 <listitem>
3733 <para>Use <computeroutput>--newpassword &lt;file|-&gt;</computeroutput> to supply a new
3734 encryption password; either specify the absolute pathname of a password file on the host operating system,
3735 or <computeroutput>-</computeroutput> to prompt you for the password on the command line.
3736 Always use the <computeroutput>--newpasswordid</computeroutput> option with this option.</para>
3737 </listitem>
3738
3739 <listitem>
3740 <para>use <computeroutput>--oldpassword &lt;file|-&gt;</computeroutput> to supply any old
3741 encryption password; either specify the absolute pathname of a password file on the host operating system,
3742 or <computeroutput>-</computeroutput> to prompt you for the old password on the command line.</para>
3743
3744 <para>Use this option to gain access to an encrypted medium/image to change its password using
3745 <computeroutput>--newpassword</computeroutput> and/or change its encryption using
3746 <computeroutput>--cipher</computeroutput>.</para>
3747 </listitem>
3748
3749 <listitem>
3750 <para>Use <computeroutput>--cipher &lt;cipher&gt;</computeroutput> to specify the cipher to use for
3751 encryption; this can be either <computeroutput>AES-XTS128-PLAIN64</computeroutput> or
3752 <computeroutput>AES-AXTS256-PLAIN64</computeroutput>.</para>
3753
3754 <para>Use this option to change any existing encryption on the medium/image, or setup new encryption on
3755 it for the 1st time.</para>
3756 </listitem>
3757
3758 <listitem>
3759 <para>Use <computeroutput>--newpasswordid &lt;password id&gt;</computeroutput> to supply the new password identifier.
3760 This can be freely chosen by the user, and is used for correct identification when supplying multiple
3761 passwords during VM startup.</para>
3762
3763 <para>If the user uses the same password when encrypting multiple images and also the same password identifier, the
3764 user needs to supply the password only once during VM startup.</para>
3765 </listitem>
3766 </itemizedlist></para>
3767
3768 </sect1>
3769
3770 <sect1 id="vboxmanage-checkmediumpwd">
3771
3772 <title>VBoxManage checkmediumpwd</title>
3773
3774 <para>This command is used to check the current encryption password on a DEK encrypted medium/image.
3775 See <xref linkend="diskencryption-encryption" />" for details.</para>
3776
3777 <para>The syntax is as follows:</para>
3778
3779 <screen>VBoxManage checkmediumpwd &lt;uuid|filename&gt;
3780 &lt;pwd file|-&gt;</screen>
3781 <para><itemizedlist>
3782 <listitem>
3783 <para>Use <computeroutput>&lt;uuid|filename&gt;</computeroutput> to supply the uuid or absolute path of the
3784 medium/image to be checked.</para>
3785 </listitem>
3786
3787 <listitem>
3788 <para>Use <computeroutput>&lt;pwd file|-&gt;</computeroutput> to supply the password identifier to be checked. Either
3789 specify the absolute pathname of a password file on the host operating system, or <computeroutput>-</computeroutput> to
3790 prompt you for the password on the command line.</para>
3791 </listitem>
3792 </itemizedlist></para>
3793
3794 </sect1>
3795
3796 <sect1>
3797 <title>VBoxManage convertfromraw</title>
3798
3799 <para>This command converts a raw disk image to a VirtualBox Disk Image
3800 (VDI) file. The syntax is as follows:</para>
3801
3802 <screen>VBoxManage convertfromraw &lt;filename&gt; &lt;outputfile&gt;
3803 [--format VDI|VMDK|VHD]
3804 [--variant Standard,Fixed,Split2G,Stream,ESX]
3805 [--uuid &lt;uuid&gt;]
3806VBoxManage convertfromraw stdin &lt;outputfile&gt; &lt;bytes&gt;
3807 [--format VDI|VMDK|VHD]
3808 [--variant Standard,Fixed,Split2G,Stream,ESX]
3809 [--uuid &lt;uuid&gt;]</screen>
3810
3811 <para>where the parameters mean:<glosslist>
3812 <glossentry>
3813 <glossterm><computeroutput>--bytes</computeroutput></glossterm>
3814
3815 <glossdef>
3816 <para>The size of the image file, in bytes, provided through
3817 stdin.</para>
3818 </glossdef>
3819 </glossentry>
3820
3821 <glossentry>
3822 <glossterm><computeroutput>--format</computeroutput></glossterm>
3823
3824 <glossdef>
3825 <para>Select the disk image format to create. Default is
3826 VDI. Other options are VMDK and VHD.</para>
3827 </glossdef>
3828 </glossentry>
3829
3830 <glossentry>
3831 <glossterm><computeroutput>--variant</computeroutput></glossterm>
3832
3833 <glossdef>
3834 <para>Allow to choose a file format variant for the output file.
3835 It is a comma-separated list of variant flags. Not all
3836 combinations are supported, and specifying inconsistent flags will
3837 result in an error message.</para>
3838 </glossdef>
3839 </glossentry>
3840
3841 <glossentry>
3842 <glossterm><computeroutput>--uuid</computeroutput></glossterm>
3843
3844 <glossdef>
3845 <para>Allow to specifiy the UUID of the output file.</para>
3846 </glossdef>
3847 </glossentry>
3848 </glosslist> The second form forces VBoxManage to read the content for
3849 the disk image from standard input (useful for using that command in a
3850 pipe).</para>
3851
3852 <para><note>
3853 <para>For compatibility with earlier versions of VirtualBox, the
3854 "convertdd" command is also supported and mapped internally to the
3855 "convertfromraw" command.</para>
3856 </note></para>
3857 </sect1>
3858
3859 <sect1>
3860 <title>VBoxManage getextradata/setextradata</title>
3861
3862 <para>These commands let you attach and retrieve string data to a virtual
3863 machine or to a VirtualBox configuration (by specifying
3864 <computeroutput>global</computeroutput> instead of a virtual machine
3865 name). You must specify a key (as a text string) to associate the data
3866 with, which you can later use to retrieve it. For example:</para>
3867
3868 <screen>VBoxManage setextradata Fedora5 installdate 2006.01.01
3869VBoxManage setextradata SUSE10 installdate 2006.02.02</screen>
3870
3871 <para>would associate the string "2006.01.01" with the key installdate for
3872 the virtual machine Fedora5, and "2006.02.02" on the machine SUSE10. You
3873 could retrieve the information as follows:</para>
3874
3875 <screen>VBoxManage getextradata Fedora5 installdate</screen>
3876
3877 <para>which would return</para>
3878
3879 <screen>VirtualBox Command Line Management Interface Version @VBOX_VERSION_MAJOR@.@VBOX_VERSION_MINOR@.@VBOX_VERSION_BUILD@
3880(C) 2005-@VBOX_C_YEAR@ @VBOX_VENDOR@
3881All rights reserved.
3882
3883Value: 2006.01.01</screen>
3884
3885 <para>You could retrieve the information for all keys as follows:</para>
3886
3887 <screen>VBoxManage getextradata Fedora5 enumerate</screen>
3888
3889 <para>To remove a key, the <computeroutput>setextradata</computeroutput>
3890 command must be run without specifying data (only the key), for example:
3891 </para>
3892
3893 <screen>VBoxManage setextradata Fedora5 installdate</screen>
3894
3895 </sect1>
3896
3897 <sect1 id="vboxmanage-setproperty">
3898 <title>VBoxManage setproperty</title>
3899
3900 <para>This command is used to change global settings which affect the
3901 entire VirtualBox installation. Some of these correspond to the settings
3902 in the "Global settings" dialog in the graphical user interface. The
3903 following properties are available:<glosslist>
3904 <glossentry>
3905 <glossterm><computeroutput>machinefolder</computeroutput></glossterm>
3906 <glossdef>
3907 <para>This specifies the default folder in which virtual machine
3908 definitions are kept; see <xref linkend="vboxconfigdata" /> for
3909 details.</para>
3910 </glossdef>
3911 </glossentry>
3912
3913 <glossentry>
3914 <glossterm><computeroutput>hwvirtexclusive</computeroutput></glossterm>
3915 <glossdef><para>This specifies whether VirtualBox will make exclusive use of
3916 the hardware virtualization extensions (Intel VT-x or AMD-V) of the
3917 host system's processor; see <xref linkend="hwvirt" />. If you wish to
3918 share these extensions with other hypervisors running at the same time,
3919 you must disable this setting. Doing so has negative performance implications.
3920 </para></glossdef>
3921 </glossentry>
3922
3923 <glossentry>
3924 <glossterm><computeroutput>vrdeauthlibrary</computeroutput></glossterm>
3925
3926 <glossdef>
3927 <para>This specifies which library to use when "external"
3928 authentication has been selected for a particular virtual machine;
3929 see <xref linkend="vbox-auth" /> for details.</para>
3930 </glossdef>
3931 </glossentry>
3932
3933 <glossentry>
3934 <glossterm><computeroutput>websrvauthlibrary</computeroutput></glossterm>
3935
3936 <glossdef>
3937 <para>This specifies which library the web service uses to
3938 authenticate users. For details about the VirtualBox web service,
3939 please refer to the separate VirtualBox SDK reference (see <xref
3940 linkend="VirtualBoxAPI" />).</para>
3941 </glossdef>
3942 </glossentry>
3943
3944 <glossentry>
3945 <glossterm><computeroutput>vrdeextpack</computeroutput></glossterm>
3946
3947 <glossdef>
3948 <para>This specifies which library implements the VirtualBox
3949 Remote Desktop Extension.</para>
3950 </glossdef>
3951 </glossentry>
3952
3953 <glossentry>
3954 <glossterm><computeroutput>loghistorycount</computeroutput></glossterm>
3955
3956 <glossdef>
3957 <para>This selects how many rotated (old) VM logs are kept.</para>
3958 </glossdef>
3959 </glossentry>
3960
3961 <glossentry>
3962 <glossterm><computeroutput>autostartdbpath</computeroutput></glossterm>
3963
3964 <glossdef>
3965 <para>This selects the path to the autostart database. See
3966 <xref linkend="autostart" />.</para>
3967 </glossdef>
3968 </glossentry>
3969
3970 <glossentry>
3971 <glossterm><computeroutput>defaultfrontend</computeroutput></glossterm>
3972
3973 <glossdef>
3974 <para>This selects the global default VM frontend setting. See
3975 <xref linkend="vboxmanage-startvm" />.</para>
3976 </glossdef>
3977 </glossentry>
3978
3979 <glossentry>
3980 <glossterm><computeroutput>logginglevel</computeroutput></glossterm>
3981
3982 <glossdef>
3983 <para>This configures the VBoxSVC release logging details.<footnote>
3984 <para><ulink url="http://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/VBoxLogging">http://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/VBoxLogging</ulink>.</para>
3985 </footnote>
3986 </para>
3987 </glossdef>
3988 </glossentry>
3989 </glosslist></para>
3990 </sect1>
3991
3992 <sect1>
3993 <title>VBoxManage usbfilter add/modify/remove</title>
3994
3995 <screen>VBoxManage usbfilter add &lt;index,0-N&gt;
3996 --target &lt;uuid|vmname&gt;global
3997 --name &lt;string&gt;
3998 --action ignore|hold (global filters only)
3999 [--active yes|no (yes)]
4000 [--vendorid &lt;XXXX&gt; (null)]
4001 [--productid &lt;XXXX&gt; (null)]
4002 [--revision &lt;IIFF&gt; (null)]
4003 [--manufacturer &lt;string&gt; (null)]
4004 [--product &lt;string&gt; (null)]
4005 [--remote yes|no (null, VM filters only)]
4006 [--serialnumber &lt;string&gt; (null)]
4007 [--maskedinterfaces &lt;XXXXXXXX&gt;]
4008 </screen>
4009
4010 <screen>VBoxManage usbfilter modify &lt;index,0-N&gt;
4011 --target &lt;uuid|vmname&gt;global
4012 [--name &lt;string&gt;]
4013 [--action ignore|hold (global filters only)]
4014 [--active yes|no]
4015 [--vendorid &lt;XXXX&gt;]
4016 [--productid &lt;XXXX&gt;]
4017 [--revision &lt;IIFF&gt;]
4018 [--manufacturer &lt;string&gt;]
4019 [--product &lt;string&gt;]
4020 [--remote yes|no (null, VM filters only)]
4021 [--serialnumber &lt;string&gt;]
4022 [--maskedinterfaces &lt;XXXXXXXX&gt;]
4023 </screen>
4024
4025 <screen>VBoxManage usbfilter remove &lt;index,0-N&gt;
4026 --target &lt;uuid|vmname&gt;global
4027 </screen>
4028
4029 <para>The <computeroutput>usbfilter</computeroutput> commands are used for
4030 working with USB filters in virtual machines, or global filters which
4031 affect the whole VirtualBox setup. Global filters are applied before
4032 machine-specific filters, and may be used to prevent devices from being
4033 captured by any virtual machine. Global filters are always applied in a
4034 particular order, and only the first filter which fits a device is
4035 applied. So for example, if the first global filter says to hold (make
4036 available) a particular Kingston memory stick device and the second to
4037 ignore all Kingston devices, that memory stick will be available to any
4038 machine with an appropriate filter, but no other Kingston device
4039 will.</para>
4040
4041 <para>When creating a USB filter using <computeroutput>usbfilter
4042 add</computeroutput>, you must supply three or four mandatory parameters.
4043 The index specifies the position in the list at which the filter should be
4044 placed. If there is already a filter at that position, then it and the
4045 following ones will be shifted back one place. Otherwise the new filter
4046 will be added onto the end of the list. The
4047 <computeroutput>target</computeroutput> parameter selects the virtual
4048 machine that the filter should be attached to or use "global" to apply it
4049 to all virtual machines. <computeroutput>name</computeroutput> is a name
4050 for the new filter and for global filters,
4051 <computeroutput>action</computeroutput> says whether to allow VMs
4052 access to devices that fit the filter description ("hold") or not to give
4053 them access ("ignore"). In addition, you should specify parameters to
4054 filter by. You can find the parameters for devices attached to your system
4055 using <computeroutput>VBoxManage list usbhost</computeroutput>. Finally,
4056 you can specify whether the filter should be active, and for local
4057 filters, whether they are for local devices, remote (over an RDP
4058 connection) or either.</para>
4059
4060 <para>When you modify a USB filter using <computeroutput>usbfilter
4061 modify</computeroutput>, you must specify the filter by index (see the
4062 output of <computeroutput>VBoxManage list usbfilters</computeroutput> to
4063 find global filter indexes and that of <computeroutput>VBoxManage
4064 showvminfo</computeroutput> to find indexes for individual machines) and
4065 by target, which is either a virtual machine or "global". The properties
4066 which can be changed are the same as for <computeroutput>usbfilter
4067 add</computeroutput>. To remove a filter, use <computeroutput>usbfilter
4068 remove</computeroutput> and specify the index and the target.</para>
4069
4070 <para>The following is a list of the additional
4071 <computeroutput>usbfilter add</computeroutput> and
4072 <computeroutput>usbfilter modify</computeroutput> options, with detailed
4073 explanations on how to use them.</para>
4074
4075 <para><itemizedlist>
4076 <listitem>
4077 <para><computeroutput>--action ignore|hold</computeroutput>Specifies
4078 whether devices that fit the filter description are allowed access by
4079 machines ("hold"), or have access denied ("ignore"). Applies to
4080 global filters only.</para>
4081 </listitem>
4082
4083 <listitem>
4084 <para><computeroutput>--active yes|no</computeroutput>Specifies whether
4085 the USB Filter is active or temporarily disabled. For
4086 <computeroutput>usbfilter create</computeroutput> the default is
4087 active.</para>
4088 </listitem>
4089
4090 <listitem>
4091 <para><computeroutput>--vendorid &lt;XXXX&gt;|""</computeroutput>Specifies
4092 a vendor ID filter - the string representation for the exact matching
4093 has the form XXXX, where X is the hex digit (including leading zeroes).</para>
4094 </listitem>
4095
4096 <listitem>
4097 <para><computeroutput>--productid &lt;XXXX&gt;|""</computeroutput>Specifies
4098 a product ID filter - The string representation for the exact matching has
4099 the form XXXX, where X is the hex digit (including leading zeroes).</para>
4100 </listitem>
4101
4102 <listitem>
4103 <para><computeroutput>--revision &lt;IIFF&gt;|""</computeroutput>Specifies
4104 a revision ID filter - the string representation for the exact matching has
4105 the form IIFF, where I is the decimal digit of the integer part of the revision,
4106 and F is the decimal digit of its fractional part (including leading and trailing zeros).
4107 Note that for interval filters, it's best to use the hex form, because the revision is
4108 stored as a 16 bit packed BCD value; so the expression int:0x0100-0x0199 will match
4109 any revision from 1.0 to 1.99 inclusive.</para>
4110 </listitem>
4111
4112 <listitem>
4113 <para><computeroutput>--manufacturer &lt;string&gt;|""</computeroutput>Specifies
4114 a manufacturer ID filter, as a string.</para>
4115 </listitem>
4116
4117 <listitem>
4118 <para><computeroutput>--product &lt;string&gt;|""</computeroutput>Specifies
4119 a product ID filter, as a string.</para>
4120 </listitem>
4121
4122 <listitem>
4123 <para><computeroutput>--remote yes|no""</computeroutput>Specifies
4124 a remote filter - indicating whether the device is physically connected to a
4125 remote VRDE client or to a local host machine. Applies to VM filters only.</para>
4126 </listitem>
4127
4128 <listitem>
4129 <para><computeroutput>--serialnumber &lt;string&gt;|""</computeroutput>Specifies
4130 a serial number filter, as a string.</para>
4131 </listitem>
4132
4133 <listitem>
4134 <para><computeroutput>--maskedinterfaces &lt;XXXXXXXX&gt;</computeroutput>Specifies
4135 a masked interface filter, for hiding one or more USB interfaces from the guest.
4136 The value is a bit mask where the set bits correspond to the USB interfaces that
4137 should be hidden, or masked off. This feature only works on Linux hosts.</para>
4138 </listitem>
4139 </itemizedlist></para>
4140 </sect1>
4141
4142 <sect1 id="vboxmanage-sharedfolder">
4143 <title>VBoxManage sharedfolder add/remove</title>
4144
4145<screen>
4146VBoxManage sharedfolder add &lt;uuid|vmname&gt;
4147 --name &lt;name&gt; --hostpath &lt;hostpath&gt;
4148 [--transient] [--readonly] [--automount]
4149</screen>
4150
4151 <para>This command allows you to share folders on the host computer with
4152 guest operating systems. For this, the guest systems must have a version
4153 of the VirtualBox Guest Additions installed which supports this
4154 functionality.</para>
4155
4156 <para>Parameters are:</para>
4157
4158 <para><itemizedlist>
4159 <listitem>
4160 <para><computeroutput>&lt;uuid|vmname&gt;</computeroutput>
4161 Specifies the UUID or name of the VM whose guest operating system will be
4162 sharing folders with the host computer. Mandatory.</para>
4163 </listitem>
4164
4165 <listitem>
4166 <para><computeroutput>--name &lt;name&gt;</computeroutput>
4167 Specifies the name of the share. Each share has a unique name within the
4168 namespace of the host operating system. Mandatory.</para>
4169 </listitem>
4170
4171 <listitem>
4172 <para><computeroutput>-hostpath &lt;hostpath&gt;</computeroutput>
4173 Specifies the absolute path on the host operating system of the
4174 folder/directory to be shared with the guest operating system.
4175 Mandatory.</para>
4176 </listitem>
4177
4178 <listitem>
4179 <para><computeroutput>-transient</computeroutput>
4180 Specifies that the share is 'transient', meaning that it can be added
4181 and removed at runtime and does not persist after the VM has stopped.
4182 Optional.</para>
4183 </listitem>
4184
4185 <listitem>
4186 <para><computeroutput>-readonly</computeroutput>
4187 Specifies that the share has only read-only access to files at the host path.</para>
4188
4189 <para>By default, shared folders have read/write access to the files at the host
4190 path. More specifically, on Linux distros - shared folders are mounted with
4191 770 io permissions with root user and vboxsf as the group, and using this option
4192 the io permissions change to 700. Optional.</para>
4193 </listitem>
4194
4195 <listitem>
4196 <para><computeroutput>-automount</computeroutput>
4197 Specifies that the share will be automatically mounted. On Linux distros, this will
4198 be to either /media/USER/sf_&lt;name&gt; or /media/sf_&lt;name&gt; - depending on
4199 your guest OS. Where &lt;name&gt; is the share name. Optional.</para>
4200 </listitem>
4201 </itemizedlist></para>
4202
4203<screen>
4204VBoxManage sharedfolder remove &lt;uuid|vmname&gt;
4205 --name &lt;name&gt; [--transient]
4206
4207</screen>
4208
4209 <para>This command allows you to delete shared folders on the host computer shares with
4210 the guest operating systems. For this, the guest systems must have a version
4211 of the VirtualBox Guest Additions installed which supports this
4212 functionality.</para>
4213
4214 <para>Parameters are:</para>
4215
4216 <para><itemizedlist>
4217 <listitem>
4218 <para><computeroutput>&lt;uuid|vmname&gt;</computeroutput>
4219 Specifies the UUID or name of the VM whose guest operating system is
4220 sharing folders with the host computer. Mandatory.</para>
4221 </listitem>
4222
4223 <listitem>
4224 <para><computeroutput>--name &lt;name&gt;</computeroutput>
4225 Specifies the name of the share to be removed. Each share has a unique name within the
4226 namespace of the host operating system. Mandatory.</para>
4227 </listitem>
4228
4229 <listitem>
4230 <para><computeroutput>-transient</computeroutput>
4231 Specifies that the share is 'transient', meaning that it can be added
4232 and removed at runtime and does not persist after the VM has stopped.
4233 Optional.</para>
4234 </listitem>
4235 </itemizedlist></para>
4236
4237
4238 <para>Shared folders are described in detail in <xref linkend="sharedfolders" />.</para>
4239 </sect1>
4240
4241 <sect1 id="vboxmanage-guestproperty">
4242 <title>VBoxManage guestproperty</title>
4243
4244 <para>The "guestproperty" commands allow you to get or set properties of a
4245 running virtual machine. Please see <xref linkend="guestadd-guestprops" />
4246 for an introduction. As explained there, guest properties are arbitrary
4247 key/value string pairs which can be written to and read from by either the
4248 guest or the host, so they can be used as a low-volume communication
4249 channel for strings, provided that a guest is running and has the Guest
4250 Additions installed. In addition, a number of values whose keys begin with
4251 "/VirtualBox/" are automatically set and maintained by the Guest
4252 Additions.</para>
4253
4254 <para>The following subcommands are available (where
4255 <computeroutput>&lt;vm&gt;</computeroutput>, in each case, can either be a
4256 VM name or a VM UUID, as with the other VBoxManage commands):<itemizedlist>
4257 <listitem>
4258 <para><computeroutput>enumerate &lt;vm&gt; [--patterns
4259 &lt;pattern&gt;]</computeroutput>: This lists all the guest
4260 properties that are available for the given VM, including the value.
4261 This list will be very limited if the guest's service process cannot
4262 be contacted, e.g. because the VM is not running or the Guest
4263 Additions are not installed.</para>
4264
4265 <para>If <computeroutput>--patterns &lt;pattern&gt;</computeroutput>
4266 is specified, it acts as a filter to only list properties that match
4267 the given pattern. The pattern can contain the following wildcard
4268 characters:<itemizedlist>
4269 <listitem>
4270 <para><computeroutput>*</computeroutput> (asterisk):
4271 represents any number of characters; for example,
4272 "<computeroutput>/VirtualBox*</computeroutput>" would match
4273 all properties beginning with "/VirtualBox".</para>
4274 </listitem>
4275
4276 <listitem>
4277 <para><computeroutput>?</computeroutput> (question mark):
4278 represents a single arbitrary character; for example,
4279 "<computeroutput>fo?</computeroutput>" would match both "foo"
4280 and "for".</para>
4281 </listitem>
4282
4283 <listitem>
4284 <para><computeroutput>|</computeroutput> (pipe symbol): can be
4285 used to specify multiple alternative patterns; for example,
4286 "<computeroutput>s*|t*</computeroutput>" would match anything
4287 starting with either "s" or "t".</para>
4288 </listitem>
4289 </itemizedlist></para>
4290 </listitem>
4291
4292 <listitem>
4293 <para><computeroutput>get &lt;vm&gt; &lt;property&gt;
4294 </computeroutput>: This
4295 retrieves the value of a single property only. If the property
4296 cannot be found (e.g. because the guest is not running), this will
4297 print <screen>No value set!</screen></para>
4298 </listitem>
4299
4300 <listitem>
4301 <para><computeroutput>set &lt;vm&gt; &lt;property&gt; [&lt;value&gt;
4302 [--flags &lt;flags&gt;]]</computeroutput>: This allows you to set a
4303 guest property by specifying the key and value. If
4304 <computeroutput>&lt;value&gt;</computeroutput> is omitted, the
4305 property is deleted. With <computeroutput>--flags</computeroutput>
4306 you can optionally specify additional behavior (you can combine
4307 several by separating them with commas):<itemizedlist>
4308 <listitem>
4309 <para><computeroutput>TRANSIENT</computeroutput>: the value
4310 will not be stored with the VM data when the VM exits;</para>
4311 </listitem>
4312
4313 <listitem>
4314 <para><computeroutput>TRANSRESET</computeroutput>: the value
4315 will be deleted as soon as the VM restarts and/or exits;</para>
4316 </listitem>
4317
4318 <listitem>
4319 <para><computeroutput>RDONLYGUEST</computeroutput>: the value
4320 can only be changed by the host, but the guest can only read
4321 it;</para>
4322 </listitem>
4323
4324 <listitem>
4325 <para><computeroutput>RDONLYHOST</computeroutput>: reversely,
4326 the value can only be changed by the guest, but the host can
4327 only read it;</para>
4328 </listitem>
4329
4330 <listitem>
4331 <para><computeroutput>READONLY</computeroutput>: a combination
4332 of the two, the value cannot be changed at all.</para>
4333 </listitem>
4334 </itemizedlist></para>
4335 </listitem>
4336
4337 <listitem>
4338 <para><computeroutput>wait &lt;vm&gt; &lt;pattern&gt; --timeout
4339 &lt;timeout&gt;</computeroutput>: This waits for a particular value
4340 described by "pattern" to change or to be deleted or created. The
4341 pattern rules are the same as for the "enumerate" subcommand
4342 above.</para>
4343 </listitem>
4344
4345 <listitem>
4346 <para><computeroutput>delete &lt;vm&gt; &lt;property&gt;
4347 </computeroutput>: Deletes a formerly set guest property.
4348 </para></listitem>
4349 </itemizedlist></para>
4350 </sect1>
4351
4352 <sect1 id="vboxmanage-guestcontrol">
4353 <title>VBoxManage guestcontrol</title>
4354
4355 <para>The <computeroutput>guestcontrol</computeroutput> commands enable
4356 control of the guest from the host. Please see <xref
4357 linkend="guestadd-guestcontrol" /> for an introduction.</para>
4358
4359 <para>guestcontrol has two sets of subcommands. The first set requires guest
4360 credentials to be specified, the second does not.</para>
4361
4362 <para>The first set of subcommands is of the form:</para>
4363 <screen>VBoxManage guestcontrol &lt;uuid|vmname&gt; &lt;sub-command&gt;
4364 [--username &lt;name&gt; ]
4365 [--passwordfile &lt;file&gt; | --password &lt;password&gt;]
4366 [--domain &lt;domain&gt; ]
4367 [-v|--verbose] [-q|quiet] ...
4368 </screen>
4369
4370 <para>The "common-options" are:</para>
4371 <screen>
4372 [--username &lt;name&gt; ]
4373 [--passwordfile &lt;file&gt; | --password &lt;password&gt;]
4374 [--domain &lt;domain&gt; ]
4375 [-v|--verbose] [-q|quiet]
4376 </screen>
4377
4378 <para>Where details of the common options for the first set of subcommands are:
4379 <glosslist>
4380
4381 <glossentry>
4382 <glossterm><computeroutput>&lt;uuid|vmname&gt;</computeroutput></glossterm>
4383 <glossdef>
4384 <para>Specifies the VM UUID or VM name. Mandatory.</para>
4385 </glossdef>
4386 </glossentry>
4387
4388 <glossentry>
4389 <glossterm><computeroutput>--username &lt;name&gt;</computeroutput></glossterm>
4390 <glossdef><para>Specifies the user name on guest OS under which the process should run. This
4391 user name must already exist on the guest OS. If unspecified, the host user name is used. Optional</para>
4392 </glossdef>
4393 </glossentry>
4394
4395 <glossentry>
4396 <glossterm><computeroutput>--passwordfile &lt;file&gt;|--password</computeroutput></glossterm>
4397 <glossdef><para>Specifies the absolute path on guest file system of password file containing the
4398 password for the specified user account or password for the specified user account. Optional.
4399 If both are omitted, empty password is assumed.</para></glossdef>
4400 </glossentry>
4401
4402 <glossentry>
4403 <glossterm><computeroutput>--domain &lt;domain&gt;</computeroutput></glossterm>
4404 <glossdef><para>User domain for Windows guests. Optional.</para></glossdef>
4405 </glossentry>
4406
4407 <glossentry>
4408 <glossterm><computeroutput>-v|--verbose</computeroutput></glossterm>
4409 <glossdef><para>Makes the subcommand execution more verbose. Optional</para></glossdef>
4410 </glossentry>
4411
4412 <glossentry>
4413 <glossterm><computeroutput>-q|--quiet</computeroutput></glossterm>
4414 <glossdef><para>Makes the subcommand execution quieter. Optional.</para></glossdef>
4415 </glossentry>
4416 </glosslist>
4417 </para>
4418
4419 <para>The first set of subcommands: <itemizedlist>
4420 <listitem>
4421 <para><emphasis role="bold"><computeroutput>run</computeroutput></emphasis>
4422 Executes a guest program - forwarding stdout, stderr and stdin to/from the host
4423 until it completes.</para>
4424 <screen>VBoxManage guestcontrol &lt;uuid|vmname&gt; run [common-options]
4425 --exe &lt;path to executable&gt; [--timeout &lt;msec&gt;]
4426 [-E|--putenv &lt;NAME&gt;[=&lt;VALUE&gt;]] [--unquoted-args]
4427 [--ignore-operhaned-processes] [--profile]
4428 [--no-wait-stdout|--wait-stdout]
4429 [--no-wait-stderr|--wait-stderr]
4430 [--dos2unix] [--unix2dos]
4431 -- &lt;program/arg0&gt; [argument1] ... [argumentN]]
4432 </screen>
4433 <glosslist>
4434 <glossentry>
4435 <glossterm><computeroutput>&lt;uuid|vmname&gt;</computeroutput></glossterm>
4436 <glossdef>
4437 <para>Specifies the VM UUID or VM name. Mandatory.</para>
4438 </glossdef>
4439 </glossentry>
4440
4441 <glossentry>
4442 <glossterm><computeroutput>--exe &lt;path to executable&gt;</computeroutput></glossterm>
4443 <glossdef><para>Specifies the absolute path of the executable on the guest OS file system. Mandatory. e.g.:
4444 <computeroutput>C:\Windows\System32\calc.exe</computeroutput>.</para>
4445 </glossdef>
4446 </glossentry>
4447
4448 <glossentry>
4449 <glossterm><computeroutput>--timeout &lt;msec&gt;</computeroutput></glossterm>
4450 <glossdef>
4451 <para>Specifies the maximum time (microseconds) that the executable can run,
4452 during which VBoxManage receives its output. Optional.
4453 If unspecified, VBoxManage waits indefinitely for the process to end, or an error occurs.</para>
4454 </glossdef>
4455 </glossentry>
4456
4457 <glossentry>
4458 <glossterm><computeroutput>-E|--putenv &lt;NAME&gt;=&lt;VALUE&gt;
4459 </computeroutput></glossterm>
4460 <glossdef>
4461 <para>Sets/modifies/unsets environment variable(s) in the environment in which the program will run. Optional.</para>
4462 <para>The guest process is created with the standard default guest OS environment.
4463 Use this option to modify that default environment. To set/modify a variable use:
4464 <computeroutput>&lt;NAME&gt;=&lt;VALUE&gt;</computeroutput>.
4465 To unset a variable use:
4466 <computeroutput>&lt;NAME&gt;=</computeroutput></para>
4467 <para>Any spaces in names/values should be enclosed by quotes. </para>
4468 <para>To set/modify/unset multiple variables, use multiple instances of the
4469 <computeroutput>--E|--putenv</computeroutput> option. </para>
4470 </glossdef>
4471 </glossentry>
4472
4473 <glossentry>
4474 <glossterm><computeroutput>--unquoted-args</computeroutput></glossterm>
4475 <glossdef>
4476 <para>Disables escaped double quoting (e.g. \"fred\") on arguments passed to the executed program. Optional.</para>
4477 </glossdef>
4478 </glossentry>
4479
4480 <glossentry>
4481 <glossterm><computeroutput>--ignore-operhaned-processes</computeroutput></glossterm>
4482 <glossdef>
4483 <para>Ignore orphaned processes. Not yet implemented. Optional.</para>
4484 </glossdef>
4485 </glossentry>
4486
4487 <glossentry>
4488 <glossterm><computeroutput>--profile</computeroutput></glossterm>
4489 <glossdef>
4490 <para>Use Profile. Not yet implemented. Optional.</para>
4491 </glossdef>
4492 </glossentry>
4493
4494 <glossentry>
4495 <glossterm><computeroutput>--no-wait-stdout|--wait-stdout</computeroutput></glossterm>
4496 <glossdef>
4497 <para>Does not wait/waits until the guest process ends and receives its exit code and reason/flags.
4498 In the case of --wait-stdout - while the process runs, VBoxManage receives its stdout. Optional.</para>
4499 </glossdef>
4500 </glossentry>
4501
4502 <glossentry>
4503 <glossterm><computeroutput>--no-wait-stderr|--wait-stderr</computeroutput></glossterm>
4504 <glossdef>
4505 <para>Does not wait/waits until the guest process ends and receives its exit code and reason/flags.
4506 In case of --wait-stderr - while the process runs, VBoxManage receives its stderr. Optional.</para>
4507 </glossdef>
4508 </glossentry>
4509
4510 <glossentry>
4511 <glossterm><computeroutput>--dos2unix</computeroutput></glossterm>
4512 <glossdef><para>
4513 Converts output from DOS/Windows guests to UNIX/Linux-compatible line endings
4514 (CR + LF &rarr; LF). Not yet implemented. Optional.</para>
4515 </glossdef>
4516 </glossentry>
4517
4518 <glossentry>
4519 <glossterm><computeroutput>--unix2dos</computeroutput></glossterm>
4520 <glossdef><para>
4521 Converts output from a UNIX/Linux guests to DOS/Windows-compatible
4522 line endings (LF &rarr; CR + LF). Not yet implemented. Optional.</para>
4523 </glossdef>
4524 </glossentry>
4525
4526 <glossentry>
4527 <glossterm><computeroutput>[-- &lt;program/arg0&gt; [&lt;argument1&gt;] ... [&lt;argumentN&gt;]]</computeroutput></glossterm>
4528 <glossdef>
4529 <para>Specifies program name, followed by one or more arguments to pass to the program. Optional.</para>
4530 <para>Note: Any spaces in arguments should be enclosed by quotes.</para>
4531 </glossdef>
4532 </glossentry>
4533 </glosslist>
4534
4535 <para><note>
4536 <para>On Windows there are certain limitations for graphical
4537 applications; please see <xref linkend="KnownIssues" /> for more
4538 information.</para>
4539 </note> Examples: <screen>VBoxManage --nologo guestcontrol "My VM" run --exe "/bin/ls"
4540 --username foo --passwordfile bar.txt --wait-exit --wait-stdout -- -l /usr</screen> <screen>VBoxManage --nologo guestcontrol "My VM" run --exe "c:\\windows\\system32\\ipconfig.exe"
4541 --username foo --passwordfile bar.txt --wait-exit --wait-stdout</screen> Note that
4542 the double backslashes in the second example are only required on
4543 Unix hosts.</para>
4544
4545 <para><note>
4546 <para>For certain commands a user name of an existing user account on the guest
4547 must be specified; anonymous executions are not supported for security reasons. A
4548 user account password, however, is optional and depends on the guest's OS security
4549 policy or rules. If no password is specified for a given user name, an empty password
4550 will be used. On certain OSes like Windows the security policy may needs to be adjusted
4551 in order to allow user accounts with an empty password set. Also, global domain rules might
4552 apply and therefore cannot be changed.</para>
4553 </note></para>
4554
4555 <para>Starting at VirtualBox 4.1.2 guest process execution by default is limited
4556 to serve up to 5 guest processes at a time. If a new guest process gets started
4557 which would exceed this limit, the oldest not running guest process will be discarded
4558 in order to be able to run that new process. Also, retrieving output from this
4559 old guest process will not be possible anymore then. If all 5 guest processes
4560 are still active and running, starting a new guest process will result in an
4561 appropriate error message.</para>
4562
4563 <para>To raise or lower the guest process execution limit, either the guest
4564 property <computeroutput>/VirtualBox/GuestAdd/VBoxService/--control-procs-max-kept</computeroutput>
4565 or VBoxService' command line by specifying <computeroutput>--control-procs-max-kept</computeroutput>
4566 needs to be modified. A restart of the guest OS is required afterwards. To serve unlimited
4567 guest processes, a value of <computeroutput>0</computeroutput> needs to be set (not recommended).</para>
4568 </listitem>
4569
4570 <listitem>
4571 <para><emphasis role="bold"><computeroutput>start</computeroutput></emphasis>
4572 Executes a guest program until it completes.</para>
4573 <screen>VBoxManage guestcontrol &lt;uuid|vmname&gt; start [common-options]
4574 [--exe &lt;path to executable&gt;] [--timeout &lt;msec&gt;]
4575 [-E|--putenv &lt;NAME&gt;[=&lt;VALUE&gt;]] [--unquoted-args]
4576 [--ignore-operhaned-processes] [--profile]
4577 -- &lt;program/arg0&gt; [argument1] ... [argumentN]]
4578 </screen>
4579
4580 <para>Where the options are: <glosslist>
4581 <glossentry>
4582 <glossterm><computeroutput>&lt;uuid|vmname&gt;</computeroutput></glossterm>
4583 <glossdef>
4584 <para>Specifies the VM UUID or VM name. Mandatory.</para>
4585 </glossdef>
4586 </glossentry>
4587
4588 <glossentry>
4589 <glossterm><computeroutput>--exe &lt;path to executable&gt;</computeroutput></glossterm>
4590 <glossdef><para>Specifies the absolute path of the executable on the guest OS file system. Mandatory. e.g.:
4591 <computeroutput>C:\Windows\System32\calc.exe</computeroutput></para>
4592 </glossdef>
4593 </glossentry>
4594
4595 <glossentry>
4596 <glossterm><computeroutput>--timeout &lt;msec&gt;</computeroutput></glossterm>
4597 <glossdef>
4598 <para>Specifies the maximum time (microseconds) that the executable can run. Optional.
4599 If unspecified, VBoxManage waits indefinitely for the process to end, or an error occurs.</para>
4600 </glossdef>
4601 </glossentry>
4602
4603 <glossentry>
4604 <glossterm><computeroutput>-E|--putenv &lt;NAME&gt;=&lt;VALUE&gt;
4605 </computeroutput></glossterm>
4606 <glossdef>
4607 <para>Sets/modifies/unsets environment variable(s) in the environment in which the program will run. Optional.</para>
4608 <para>The guest process is created with the standard default guest OS environment.
4609 Use this option to modify that default environment. To set/modify a variable use:
4610 <computeroutput>&lt;NAME&gt;=&lt;VALUE&gt;</computeroutput>.
4611 To unset a variable use:
4612 <computeroutput>&lt;NAME&gt;=</computeroutput></para>
4613 <para>Any spaces in names/values should be enclosed by quotes. </para>
4614 <para>To set/modify/unset multiple variables, use multiple instances of the
4615 <computeroutput>--E|--putenv</computeroutput> option. </para>
4616 </glossdef>
4617 </glossentry>
4618
4619 <glossentry>
4620 <glossterm><computeroutput>--unquoted-args</computeroutput></glossterm>
4621 <glossdef>
4622 <para>Disables escaped double quoting (e.g. \"fred\") on arguments passed to the executed program. Optional.</para>
4623 </glossdef>
4624 </glossentry>
4625
4626 <glossentry>
4627 <glossterm><computeroutput>--ignore-operhaned-processes</computeroutput></glossterm>
4628 <glossdef>
4629 <para>Ignores orphaned processes. Not yet implemented. Optional.</para>
4630 </glossdef>
4631 </glossentry>
4632
4633 <glossentry>
4634 <glossterm><computeroutput>--profile</computeroutput></glossterm>
4635 <glossdef>
4636 <para>Use a profile. Not yet implemented. Optional.</para>
4637 </glossdef>
4638 </glossentry>
4639
4640 <glossentry>
4641 <glossterm><computeroutput>[-- &lt;program/arg0&gt; [&lt;argument1&gt;] ... [&lt;argumentN&gt;]]</computeroutput></glossterm>
4642 <glossdef>
4643 <para>Specifies program name, followed by one or more arguments to pass to the program. Optional.</para>
4644 <para>Note: Any spaces in arguments should be enclosed by quotes.</para>
4645 </glossdef>
4646 </glossentry>
4647 </glosslist></para>
4648
4649 <para><note>
4650 <para>On Windows there are certain limitations for graphical
4651 applications; please see <xref linkend="KnownIssues" /> for more
4652 information.</para>
4653 </note> Examples: <screen>VBoxManage --nologo guestcontrol "My VM" start --exe "/bin/ls"
4654 --username foo --passwordfile bar.txt --wait-exit --wait-stdout -- -l /usr</screen> <screen>VBoxManage --nologo guestcontrol "My VM" start --exe "c:\\windows\\system32\\ipconfig.exe"
4655 --username foo --passwordfile bar.txt --wait-exit --wait-stdout</screen> Note that
4656 the double backslashes in the second example are only required on
4657 Unix hosts.</para>
4658
4659 <para><note>
4660 <para>For certain commands a user name of an existing user account on the guest
4661 must be specified; anonymous executions are not supported for security reasons. A
4662 user account password, however, is optional and depends on the guest's OS security
4663 policy or rules. If no password is specified for a given user name, an empty password
4664 will be used. On certain OSes like Windows the security policy may needs to be adjusted
4665 in order to allow user accounts with an empty password set. Also, global domain rules might
4666 apply and therefore cannot be changed.</para>
4667 </note></para>
4668
4669 <para>Starting at VirtualBox 4.1.2 guest process execution by default is limited
4670 to serve up to 5 guest processes at a time. If a new guest process gets started
4671 which would exceed this limit, the oldest not running guest process will be discarded
4672 in order to be able to run that new process. Also, retrieving output from this
4673 old guest process will not be possible anymore then. If all 5 guest processes
4674 are still active and running, starting a new guest process will result in an
4675 appropriate error message.</para>
4676
4677 <para>To raise or lower the guest process execution limit, either the guest
4678 property <computeroutput>/VirtualBox/GuestAdd/VBoxService/--control-procs-max-kept</computeroutput>
4679 or VBoxService' command line by specifying <computeroutput>--control-procs-max-kept</computeroutput>
4680 needs to be modified. A restart of the guest OS is required afterwards. To serve unlimited
4681 guest processes, a value of <computeroutput>0</computeroutput> needs to be set (not recommended).</para>
4682 </listitem>
4683
4684 <listitem>
4685 <para><emphasis role="bold"><computeroutput>copyfrom</computeroutput></emphasis>
4686 Copies files from the guest to the host file system.
4687 (Note - only with Guest Additions 4.0 or later installed).</para>
4688
4689 <screen>VBoxManage guestcontrol &lt;uuid|vmname&gt; copyfrom [common-options]
4690 [--dryrun] [--follow] [--R|recursive]
4691 --target-directory &lt;host-dst-dir&gt;
4692 &lt;guest-src0&gt; [&lt;guest-src1&gt; [...]] </screen>
4693
4694 <para>Where the parameters are:<glosslist>
4695 <glossentry>
4696 <glossterm><computeroutput>&lt;uid|vmname&gt;</computeroutput></glossterm>
4697 <glossdef>
4698 <para>Specifies the VM UUID or VM name. Mandatory.</para>
4699 </glossdef>
4700 </glossentry>
4701
4702 <glossentry>
4703 <glossterm><computeroutput>--dryrun</computeroutput></glossterm>
4704 <glossdef>
4705 <para>Instructs VBoxManage to perform a dry run instead of an actual file copying
4706 operation. Optional. </para>
4707 </glossdef>
4708 </glossentry>
4709
4710 <glossentry>
4711 <glossterm><computeroutput>--follow</computeroutput></glossterm>
4712 <glossdef>
4713 <para>Enables symlink following on the guest file system. Optional.</para>
4714 </glossdef>
4715 </glossentry>
4716
4717 <glossentry>
4718 <glossterm><computeroutput>-R|--recursive</computeroutput></glossterm>
4719 <glossdef>
4720 <para>Enables recursive copying of files/directories from the specified guest file system
4721 directory. Optional.</para>
4722 </glossdef>
4723 </glossentry>
4724
4725 <glossentry>
4726 <glossterm><computeroutput>--target-directory &lt;host-dst-dir&gt;</computeroutput></glossterm>
4727 <glossdef>
4728 <para>Specifies the absolute path of the host file system destination directory. Mandatory. e.g.
4729 <computeroutput>C:\Temp</computeroutput>.</para>
4730 </glossdef>
4731 </glossentry>
4732
4733 <glossentry>
4734 <glossterm><computeroutput>&lt;guest-src0&gt; [&lt;guest-src1&gt; [...]]</computeroutput></glossterm>
4735 <glossdef>
4736 <para>Specifies the absolute path(s) of guest file system file(s) to be copied. Mandatory. e.g.
4737 <computeroutput>C:\Windows\System32\calc.exe</computeroutput>.
4738 Wildcards can be used in the expression(s), e.g.
4739 <computeroutput>C:\Windows\System*\*.dll</computeroutput>.</para>
4740 </glossdef>
4741 </glossentry>
4742 </glosslist>
4743 </para>
4744 </listitem>
4745
4746 <listitem>
4747 <para><emphasis role="bold"><computeroutput>copyto</computeroutput></emphasis>
4748 Copies files from the host to the guest file system.
4749 (Note - only with Guest Additions 4.0 or later installed).</para>
4750
4751 <screen>VBoxManage guestcontrol &lt;uuid|vmname&gt; copyto [common-options]
4752 [--dryrun] [--follow] [--R|recursive]
4753 --target-directory &lt;guest-dst&gt;
4754 &lt;host-src0&gt; [&lt;host-src1&gt; [...]] </screen>
4755
4756 <para>Where the parameters are:<glosslist>
4757 <glossentry>
4758 <glossterm><computeroutput>&lt;uuid|vmname&gt;</computeroutput></glossterm>
4759 <glossdef>
4760 <para>Specifies the VM UUID or VM name. Mandatory.</para>
4761 </glossdef>
4762 </glossentry>
4763
4764 <glossentry>
4765 <glossterm><computeroutput>--dryrun</computeroutput></glossterm>
4766 <glossdef>
4767 <para>Instructs VBoxManage to perform a dry run instead of an actual file copying
4768 operation. Optional. </para>
4769 </glossdef>
4770 </glossentry>
4771
4772 <glossentry>
4773 <glossterm><computeroutput>--follow</computeroutput></glossterm>
4774 <glossdef>
4775 <para>Enables symlink following on the host file system. Optional.</para>
4776 </glossdef>
4777 </glossentry>
4778
4779 <glossentry>
4780 <glossterm><computeroutput>-R|--recursive</computeroutput></glossterm>
4781 <glossdef>
4782 <para>Enables recursive copying of files/directories from the specified host file system
4783 directory(ies). Optional.</para>
4784 </glossdef>
4785 </glossentry>
4786
4787 <glossentry>
4788 <glossterm><computeroutput>--target-directory &lt;guest-dst&gt;</computeroutput></glossterm>
4789 <glossdef>
4790 <para>Specifies the absolute path of the guest file system destination directory. Mandatory. e.g.
4791 <computeroutput>C:\Temp</computeroutput>.</para>
4792 </glossdef>
4793 </glossentry>
4794
4795 <glossentry>
4796 <glossterm><computeroutput>&lt;host-src0&gt; [&lt;host-src1&gt; [...]]</computeroutput></glossterm>
4797 <glossdef>
4798 <para>Specifies the absolute path(s) of host file system file(s) to be copied. Mandatory. e.g.
4799 <computeroutput>C:\Windows\System32\calc.exe</computeroutput>.
4800 Wildcards can be used in the expression(s), e.g.
4801 <computeroutput>C:\Windows\System*\*.dll</computeroutput>.</para>
4802 </glossdef>
4803 </glossentry>
4804 </glosslist>
4805 </para>
4806 </listitem>
4807
4808 <listitem>
4809 <para><emphasis role="bold"><computeroutput>md|mkdir|createdir|createdirectory</computeroutput></emphasis>
4810 Creates one or more directory(ies) on the guest file system.
4811 (Note - only with Guest Additions 4.0 or later installed).</para>
4812
4813 <screen>VBoxManage guestcontrol &lt;uuid|vmname&gt; md|mkdir|createdir|createdirectory [common-options]
4814 [--parents] [--mode &lt;mode&gt;]
4815 &lt;guest-dir0&gt; [&lt;guest-dir1&gt; [...]] </screen>
4816
4817 <para>Where the parameters are: <glosslist>
4818 <glossentry>
4819 <glossterm><computeroutput>&lt;uuid|vmname&gt;</computeroutput></glossterm>
4820 <glossdef>
4821 <para>Specifies the VM UUID or VM name. Mandatory.</para>
4822 </glossdef>
4823 </glossentry>
4824 <glossentry>
4825 <glossterm><computeroutput>--parents</computeroutput></glossterm>
4826 <glossdef>
4827 <para>Creates any absent parent directory(ies) of the specified directory. Optional.</para>
4828 <para>e.g. If specified directory is <computeroutput>D:\Foo\Bar</computeroutput>
4829 and <computeroutput>D:\Foo</computeroutput> is absent, it will
4830 be created. In such a case, had the <computeroutput>--parents</computeroutput>
4831 option not been used, this command would have failed.</para>
4832 </glossdef>
4833 </glossentry>
4834
4835 <glossentry>
4836 <glossterm><computeroutput>--mode &lt;mode&gt;</computeroutput></glossterm>
4837 <glossdef>
4838 <para>Specifies the permission mode on the specified directory(ies) (and any parents,
4839 where <computeroutput>--parents</computeroutput> option used).
4840 Currently octal modes (e.g. <computeroutput>0755</computeroutput>) only are
4841 supported.</para>
4842 </glossdef>
4843 </glossentry>
4844
4845 <glossentry>
4846 <glossterm><computeroutput>&lt;guest-dir0&gt; [&lt;guest-dir1&gt; [...]]</computeroutput></glossterm>
4847 <glossdef>
4848 <para>Specifies list of absolute path(s) of directory(ies) to be created on
4849 guest file system. Mandatory.
4850 e.g. <computeroutput>D:\Foo\Bar</computeroutput>.</para>
4851 <para>All parent directories must already exist
4852 unless switch <computeroutput>--parents</computeroutput> used.
4853 (e.g. in the above example <computeroutput>D:\Foo</computeroutput>).
4854 The specified user must have sufficient rights to create the
4855 specified directory(ies), and any parents that need
4856 to be created.</para>
4857 </glossdef>
4858 </glossentry>
4859 </glosslist>
4860 </para>
4861 </listitem>
4862
4863 <listitem>
4864 <para><emphasis role="bold"><computeroutput>rmdir|removedir|removedirectory</computeroutput></emphasis>
4865 Deletes specified guest file system directories. (Only with installed Guest Additions 4.3.2 and later).</para>
4866
4867 <screen>VBoxManage guestcontrol &lt;uuid|vmname&gt; rmdir|removedir|removedirectory [common-options]
4868 [--recursive|-R]
4869 &lt;guest-dir0&gt; [&lt;guest-dir1&gt; [...]]
4870 </screen>
4871
4872 <para>Where the parameters are: <glosslist>
4873 <glossentry>
4874 <glossterm><computeroutput>&lt;uuid|vmname&gt;</computeroutput></glossterm>
4875 <glossdef>
4876 <para>Specifies the VM UUID or VM name. Mandatory.</para>
4877 </glossdef>
4878 </glossentry>
4879
4880 <glossentry>
4881 <glossterm><computeroutput>--recursive</computeroutput></glossterm>
4882 <glossdef>
4883 <para>Recursively removes directories and contents. Optional.</para>
4884 </glossdef>
4885 </glossentry>
4886
4887 <glossentry>
4888 <glossterm><computeroutput>&lt;guest-dir0&gt; [&lt;guest-dir1&gt; [...]]</computeroutput></glossterm>
4889 <glossdef>
4890 <para>Specifies list of the absolute path(s) of directory(ies) to be deleted on
4891 guest file system. Mandatory. Wildcards are allowed. e.g. <computeroutput>D:\Foo\*Bar</computeroutput>.
4892 The specified user must have sufficient rights to delete the
4893 specified directory(ies).</para>
4894 </glossdef>
4895 </glossentry>
4896 </glosslist></para>
4897 </listitem>
4898
4899 <listitem>
4900 <para><emphasis role="bold"><computeroutput>rm|removefile</computeroutput></emphasis>
4901 Deletes specified files on the guest file system. (Only with installed Guest
4902 Additions 4.3.2 and later).</para>
4903
4904 <screen>VBoxManage guestcontrol &lt;uuid|vmname&gt; rm|removefile [common-options]
4905 [-f|--force]
4906 &lt;guest-file0&gt; [&lt;guest-file1&gt; [...]] </screen>
4907
4908 <para>Where the parameters are: <glosslist>
4909 <glossentry>
4910 <glossterm><computeroutput>&lt;uuid|vmname&gt;</computeroutput></glossterm>
4911 <glossdef>
4912 <para>Specifies the VM UUID or VM name. Mandatory.</para>
4913 </glossdef>
4914 </glossentry>
4915
4916 <glossentry>
4917 <glossterm><computeroutput>-f|--force</computeroutput></glossterm>
4918 <glossdef>
4919 <para>Enforce operation (override any requests for confirmations). Optional.</para>
4920 </glossdef>
4921 </glossentry>
4922
4923 <glossentry>
4924 <glossterm><computeroutput>&lt;guest-file0&gt; [&lt;guest-file1&gt; [...]]</computeroutput></glossterm>
4925 <glossdef>
4926 <para>Specifies list of absolute path(s) of file(s) to be deleted on guest file system. Mandatory.
4927 Wildcards are allowed. e.g. <computeroutput>D:\Foo\Bar\text*.txt</computeroutput>.
4928 The specified user should have sufficient rights to delete the specified file(s).</para>
4929 </glossdef>
4930 </glossentry>
4931 </glosslist>
4932 </para>
4933 </listitem>
4934
4935 <listitem>
4936 <para><emphasis role="bold"><computeroutput>mv|move|ren|rename</computeroutput></emphasis>
4937 This subcommand renames file(s) and/or directory(ies) on the guest file system. (Only with installed Guest
4938 Additions 4.3.2 and later).</para>
4939
4940 <screen>VBoxManage guestcontrol &lt;uuid|vmname&gt; mv|move|ren|rename [common-options]
4941 &lt;guest-source0&gt; [&lt;guest-source1&gt; [...]] &lt;guest-dest&gt;</screen>
4942
4943 <para>Where the parameters are: <glosslist>
4944 <glossentry>
4945 <glossterm><computeroutput>&lt;uuid|vmname&gt;</computeroutput></glossterm>
4946 <glossdef>
4947 <para>Specifies the VM UUID or VM name. Mandatory.</para>
4948 </glossdef>
4949 </glossentry>
4950
4951 <glossentry>
4952 <glossterm><computeroutput>&lt;guest-source0&gt; [&lt;guest-source1&gt; [...]]</computeroutput></glossterm>
4953 <glossdef>
4954 <para>Specifies absolute path(s) of file(s) and/or single directory to be moved/renamed on guest
4955 file system. Mandatory.
4956 Wildcards are allowed in file names(s). The specified user should have sufficient rights to
4957 access the specified file(s).</para>
4958 </glossdef>
4959 </glossentry>
4960
4961 <glossentry>
4962 <glossterm><computeroutput>&lt;dest&gt;</computeroutput></glossterm>
4963 <glossdef>
4964 <para>Specifies the absolute path of the destination file/directory to which the file(s)
4965 are to be moved. Mandatory. If only one file to be moved, &lt;dest&gt; can be file or directory,
4966 else it must be a directory.
4967 The specified user must have sufficient rights to access the destination file/directory.</para>
4968 </glossdef>
4969 </glossentry>
4970 </glosslist></para>
4971 </listitem>
4972
4973 <listitem>
4974 <para><emphasis role="bold"><computeroutput>mktemp|createtemp|createtemporary</computeroutput></emphasis>
4975 Creates a temporary file/directory on the guest file system, to assist subsequent
4976 copying of files from the host to the guest file systems. By default, the file/directory
4977 is created in the guest's platform specific temp directory. Not currently supported.
4978 (Only with installed Guest Additions 4.2 and later).</para>
4979
4980 <screen>VBoxManage guestcontrol &lt;uuid|vmname&gt; mktemp|createtemp|createtemporary [common-options]
4981 [--directory] [--secure] [--mode &lt;mode&gt;] [--tmpdir &lt;directory&gt;]
4982 &lt;template&gt;
4983 </screen>
4984
4985 <para>The parameters are: <glosslist>
4986 <glossentry>
4987 <glossterm><computeroutput>&lt;uuid|vmname&gt;</computeroutput></glossterm>
4988 <glossdef>
4989 <para>Specifies the VM UUID or VM name. Mandatory.</para>
4990 </glossdef>
4991 </glossentry>
4992
4993 <glossentry>
4994 <glossterm><computeroutput>--directory</computeroutput></glossterm>
4995 <glossdef>
4996 <para>Creates a temporary directory instead of a file, specified by the &lt;template&gt; parameter. Optional.</para>
4997 </glossdef>
4998 </glossentry>
4999
5000 <glossentry>
5001 <glossterm><computeroutput>--secure</computeroutput></glossterm>
5002 <glossdef>
5003 <para>
5004 Enforces secure file/directory creation. Optional. The permission mode is set to
5005 <computeroutput>0755</computeroutput>. Operation fails if it cannot be performed securely.
5006 </para>
5007 </glossdef>
5008 </glossentry>
5009
5010 <glossentry>
5011 <glossterm><computeroutput>--mode &lt;mode&gt;</computeroutput></glossterm>
5012 <glossdef>
5013 <para>Specifies the permission mode of the specified directory. Optional.
5014 Currently only octal modes (e.g. <computeroutput>0755</computeroutput>)
5015 are supported.</para>
5016 </glossdef>
5017 </glossentry>
5018
5019 <glossentry>
5020 <glossterm><computeroutput>--tmpdir &lt;directory&gt;</computeroutput></glossterm>
5021 <glossdef>
5022 <para>
5023 Specifies the absolute path of the directory on the guest file system into which the
5024 file/directory specified in will be created. Optional.
5025 If unspecified, the platform-specific temp directory is used.
5026 </para>
5027 </glossdef>
5028 </glossentry>
5029
5030 <glossentry>
5031 <glossterm><computeroutput>&lt;template&gt;</computeroutput></glossterm>
5032 <glossdef>
5033 <para>Specifies a file name without a directory path, containing at least one sequence comprising
5034 three consecutive 'X' characters, or ending in 'X'. Mandatory.
5035 </para>
5036 </glossdef>
5037 </glossentry>
5038 </glosslist></para>
5039 </listitem>
5040
5041 <listitem>
5042 <para><emphasis role="bold"><computeroutput>stat</computeroutput></emphasis>
5043 Displays file or file system status(es) on the guest.</para>
5044
5045 <screen>VBoxManage guestcontrol &lt;uuid|vmname&gt; stat [common-options]
5046 &lt;file0&gt; [&lt;file1&gt; [...]]</screen>
5047
5048 <para>Where the parameters are: <glosslist>
5049 <glossentry>
5050 <glossterm><computeroutput>&lt;uuid|vmname&gt;</computeroutput></glossterm>
5051 <glossdef>
5052 <para>Specifies the VM UUID or VM name. Mandatory.</para>
5053 </glossdef>
5054 </glossentry>
5055
5056 <glossentry>
5057 <glossterm><computeroutput>&lt;file0&gt; [&lt;file1&gt; [...]]</computeroutput></glossterm>
5058 <glossdef>
5059 <para>Specifies absolute path(s) of file(s) and/or file system(s) on guest file system. Mandatory.
5060 e.g. <computeroutput>/home/foo/a.out</computeroutput>.
5061 The specified user should have sufficient rights to access
5062 the specified file(s)/file system(s).</para>
5063 </glossdef>
5064 </glossentry>
5065 </glosslist></para>
5066 </listitem>
5067 </itemizedlist>
5068 </para>
5069
5070 <para>The second set of subcommands is of the form:</para>
5071 <screen>VBoxManage guestcontrol &lt;uuid|vmname&gt; &lt;sub-command&gt;
5072 [-v|--verbose] [-q|quiet] ...
5073 </screen>
5074
5075 <para>The "common-options" are:</para>
5076 <screen>
5077 [-v|--verbose] [-q|--quiet]
5078 </screen>
5079
5080 <para>Where details of the common options for the second set of subcommands are:
5081 <glosslist>
5082
5083 <glossentry>
5084 <glossterm><computeroutput>-v|--verbose</computeroutput></glossterm>
5085 <glossdef><para>Makes the sub-command execution more verbose. Optional.</para></glossdef>
5086 </glossentry>
5087
5088 <glossentry>
5089 <glossterm><computeroutput>-q|--quiet</computeroutput></glossterm>
5090 <glossdef><para>Makes the sub-command execution quieter. Optional.</para></glossdef>
5091 </glossentry>
5092 </glosslist>
5093 </para>
5094
5095 <para>The second set of subcommands: <itemizedlist>
5096 <listitem>
5097 <para><emphasis role="bold"><computeroutput>list</computeroutput></emphasis>
5098 Lists guest control configuration and status data, e.g. open guest sessions,
5099 guest processes and files.</para>
5100
5101 <screen>VBoxManage guestcontrol &lt;uuid|vmname&gt; list [common-opts]
5102 &lt;all|sessions|processes|files&gt; </screen>
5103
5104 <para>Where the parameters are: <glosslist>
5105 <glossentry>
5106 <glossterm><computeroutput>&lt;uuid|vmname&gt;</computeroutput></glossterm>
5107 <glossdef>
5108 <para>Specifies the VM UUID or VM name. Mandatory.</para>
5109 </glossdef>
5110 </glossentry>
5111
5112 <glossentry>
5113 <glossterm><computeroutput>all|sessions|processes|files</computeroutput></glossterm>
5114 <glossdef>
5115 <para>Indicates whether to list all available data or guest sessions, processes or files.
5116 Mandatory.</para>
5117 </glossdef>
5118 </glossentry>
5119
5120 </glosslist></para>
5121 </listitem>
5122
5123 <listitem>
5124 <para><emphasis role="bold"><computeroutput>closeprocess</computeroutput></emphasis>
5125 Terminates guest processes specified by PID(s))running in guest session(s),
5126 specified by the session ID or name(s).</para>
5127
5128 <screen>VBoxManage guestcontrol &lt;uuid|vmname&gt; closeprocess [common-options]
5129 --session-id &lt;ID&gt; | --session-name &lt;name or pattern&gt;
5130 &lt;PID0&gt; [&lt;PID1&gt; [...]] </screen>
5131
5132 <para>Where the parameters are: <glosslist>
5133 <glossentry>
5134 <glossterm><computeroutput>&lt;uuid|vmname&gt;</computeroutput></glossterm>
5135 <glossdef>
5136 <para>Specifies the VM UUID or VM name. Mandatory.</para>
5137 </glossdef>
5138 </glossentry>
5139
5140 <glossentry>
5141 <glossterm><computeroutput>--session-id &lt;ID&gt;</computeroutput></glossterm>
5142 <glossdef>
5143 <para>Specifies the guest session by its ID. Optional.</para>
5144 </glossdef>
5145 </glossentry>
5146
5147 <glossentry>
5148 <glossterm><computeroutput>--session-name &lt;name or pattern&gt;</computeroutput></glossterm>
5149 <glossdef>
5150 <para>Specifies the guest session by its name, or multiple sessions
5151 using a pattern containing wildcards. Optional.</para>
5152 </glossdef>
5153 </glossentry>
5154
5155 <glossentry>
5156 <glossterm><computeroutput>&lt;PID0&gt; [&lt;PID1&gt; [...]]</computeroutput></glossterm>
5157 <glossdef>
5158 <para>Specifies a list of process identifiers (PIDs) of guest processes to be terminated. Mandatory.</para>
5159 </glossdef>
5160 </glossentry>
5161 </glosslist></para>
5162 </listitem>
5163
5164 <listitem>
5165 <para><emphasis role="bold"><computeroutput>closesession</computeroutput></emphasis>
5166 Closes specified guest sessions, specified either by session ID or name.</para>
5167
5168 <screen>VBoxManage guestcontrol &lt;uuid|vmname&gt; closesession [common-options]
5169 --session-id &lt;ID&gt; | --session-name &lt;name or pattern&gt; | --all </screen>
5170
5171 <para>Where the parameters are: <glosslist>
5172 <glossentry>
5173 <glossterm><computeroutput>&lt;uuid|vmname&gt;</computeroutput></glossterm>
5174 <glossdef>
5175 <para>Specifies the VM UUID or VM name. Mandatory.</para>
5176 </glossdef>
5177 </glossentry>
5178
5179 <glossentry>
5180 <glossterm><computeroutput>--session-id &lt;ID&gt;</computeroutput></glossterm>
5181 <glossdef>
5182 <para>Specifies the guest session to be closed by ID. Optional.</para>
5183 </glossdef>
5184 </glossentry>
5185
5186 <glossentry>
5187 <glossterm><computeroutput>--session-name &lt;name or pattern&gt;</computeroutput></glossterm>
5188 <glossdef>
5189 <para>Specifies the guest session to be closed by name. Optional.
5190 Multiple sessions can be specified by using a pattern
5191 containing wildcards. </para>
5192 </glossdef>
5193 </glossentry>
5194
5195 <glossentry>
5196 <glossterm><computeroutput>--all</computeroutput></glossterm>
5197 <glossdef>
5198 <para>Close all guest sessions. Optional.</para>
5199 </glossdef>
5200 </glossentry>
5201 </glosslist></para>
5202 </listitem>
5203
5204 <listitem>
5205 <para><emphasis role="bold"><computeroutput>updatega|updateadditions|updateguestadditions</computeroutput></emphasis>
5206 Ugrades Guest Additions already installed on the guest.
5207 (Only already installed Guest Additions 4.0 and later).</para>
5208
5209 <screen>VBoxManage guestcontrol &lt;uuid|vmname&gt; updatega|updateadditions|updateguestadditions [common-options]
5210 [--source &lt;New .ISO path&gt;]
5211 [--wait-start]
5212 [-- &lt;argument0&gt; [&lt;argument1&gt; [...]]]</screen>
5213
5214 <para>Where the parameters are: <glosslist>
5215 <glossentry>
5216 <glossterm><computeroutput>&lt;uuid|vmname&gt;</computeroutput></glossterm>
5217 <glossdef>
5218 <para>Specifies the VM UUID or VM name. Mandatory.</para>
5219 </glossdef>
5220 </glossentry>
5221
5222 <glossentry>
5223 <glossterm><computeroutput>--source</computeroutput> &lt;New .ISO path&gt;</glossterm>
5224 <glossdef>
5225 <para>Specifies the absolute path on guest file system of the .ISO file for Guest Additions update. Mandatory.</para>
5226 </glossdef>
5227 </glossentry>
5228
5229 <glossentry>
5230 <glossterm><computeroutput>--wait-start</computeroutput></glossterm>
5231 <glossdef>
5232 <para>Indicates that VBoxManage starts the usual updating process on the guest and then waits
5233 until the actual Guest Additions updating begins, at which point VBoxManage self-terminates. Optional.</para>
5234 <para>Default behavior is that VBoxManage waits for completion of the Guest Additions update before
5235 terminating. Use of this option is sometimes necessary, as a running VBoxManage
5236 can affect the interaction between the installer and the guest OS.</para>
5237 </glossdef>
5238 </glossentry>
5239
5240 <glossentry>
5241 <glossterm><computeroutput>[-- &lt;argument0&gt; [&lt;argument1&gt; [...]]]</computeroutput></glossterm>
5242 <glossdef>
5243 <para>Specifies optional command line arguments to be supplied to the Guest Additions
5244 updater. Useful for retrofitting features which are not currently installed.</para>
5245 <para>Arguments containing spaces should be enclosed by quotes.</para>
5246 </glossdef>
5247 </glossentry>
5248 </glosslist></para>
5249 </listitem>
5250
5251 <listitem>
5252 <para><emphasis role="bold"><computeroutput>watch</computeroutput></emphasis>
5253 This subcommand prints current guest control activity.</para>
5254
5255 <screen>VBoxManage guestcontrol &lt;uuid|vmname&gt; watch [common-options]
5256 </screen>
5257 <para>Where the parameters are: <glosslist>
5258 <glossentry>
5259 <glossterm><computeroutput>&lt;uuid|vmname&gt;</computeroutput></glossterm>
5260 <glossdef>
5261 <para>Specifies the VM UUID or VM name. Mandatory.</para>
5262 </glossdef>
5263 </glossentry>
5264 </glosslist></para>
5265 </listitem>
5266 </itemizedlist></para>
5267 </sect1>
5268
5269 <sect1 id="metrics">
5270 <title>VBoxManage metrics</title>
5271
5272 <para>This command supports monitoring the usage of system resources.
5273 Resources are represented by various metrics associated with the host
5274 system or a particular VM. For example, the host system has a
5275 <computeroutput>CPU/Load/User</computeroutput> metric that shows the
5276 percentage of time CPUs spend executing in user mode over a specific
5277 sampling period.</para>
5278
5279 <para>Metric data is collected and retained internally; it may be
5280 retrieved at any time with the <computeroutput>VBoxManage metrics
5281 query</computeroutput> subcommand. The data is available as long as the
5282 background <computeroutput>VBoxSVC</computeroutput> process is alive. That
5283 process terminates shortly after all VMs and frontends have been
5284 closed.</para>
5285
5286 <para>By default no metrics are collected at all. Metrics collection does
5287 not start until <computeroutput>VBoxManage metrics setup</computeroutput>
5288 is invoked with a proper sampling interval and the number of metrics to be
5289 retained. The interval is measured in seconds. For example, to enable
5290 collecting the host processor and memory usage metrics every second and
5291 keeping the 5 most current samples, the following command can be
5292 used:</para>
5293
5294 <screen>VBoxManage metrics setup --period 1 --samples 5 host CPU/Load,RAM/Usage</screen>
5295
5296 <para>Metric collection can only be enabled for started VMs. Collected
5297 data and collection settings for a particular VM will disappear as soon as
5298 it shuts down. Use <computeroutput>VBoxManage metrics list
5299 </computeroutput> subcommand to see which metrics are currently available.
5300 You can also use <computeroutput>--list</computeroutput> option with any
5301 subcommand that modifies metric settings to find out which metrics were
5302 affected.</para>
5303
5304 <para>Note that the <computeroutput>VBoxManage metrics
5305 setup</computeroutput> subcommand discards all samples that may have been
5306 previously collected for the specified set of objects and metrics.</para>
5307
5308 <para>To enable or disable metrics collection without discarding the data
5309 <computeroutput>VBoxManage metrics enable</computeroutput> and
5310 <computeroutput>VBoxManage metrics disable</computeroutput> subcommands
5311 can be used. Note that these subcommands expect metrics, not submetrics,
5312 like <code>CPU/Load</code> or <code>RAM/Usage</code> as parameters. In
5313 other words enabling <code>CPU/Load/User</code> while disabling
5314 <code>CPU/Load/Kernel</code> is not supported.</para>
5315
5316 <para>The host and VMs have different sets of associated metrics.
5317 Available metrics can be listed with <computeroutput>VBoxManage metrics
5318 list</computeroutput> subcommand.</para>
5319
5320 <para>A complete metric name may include an aggregate function. The name
5321 has the following form:
5322 <computeroutput>Category/Metric[/SubMetric][:aggregate]</computeroutput>.
5323 For example, <computeroutput>RAM/Usage/Free:min</computeroutput> stands
5324 for the minimum amount of available memory over all retained data if
5325 applied to the host object.</para>
5326
5327 <para>Subcommands may apply to all objects and metrics or can be limited
5328 to one object or/and a list of metrics. If no objects or metrics are given
5329 in the parameters, the subcommands will apply to all available metrics of
5330 all objects. You may use an asterisk
5331 ("<computeroutput>*</computeroutput>") to explicitly specify that the
5332 command should be applied to all objects or metrics. Use "host" as the
5333 object name to limit the scope of the command to host-related metrics. To
5334 limit the scope to a subset of metrics, use a metric list with names
5335 separated by commas.</para>
5336
5337 <para>For example, to query metric data on the CPU time spent in user and
5338 kernel modes by the virtual machine named "test", you can use the
5339 following command:</para>
5340
5341 <screen>VBoxManage metrics query test CPU/Load/User,CPU/Load/Kernel</screen>
5342
5343 <para>The following list summarizes the available subcommands:</para>
5344
5345 <glosslist>
5346 <glossentry>
5347 <glossterm><computeroutput>list</computeroutput></glossterm>
5348
5349 <glossdef>
5350 <para>This subcommand shows the parameters of the currently existing
5351 metrics. Note that VM-specific metrics are only available when a
5352 particular VM is running.</para>
5353 </glossdef>
5354 </glossentry>
5355
5356 <glossentry>
5357 <glossterm><computeroutput>setup</computeroutput></glossterm>
5358
5359 <glossdef>
5360 <para>This subcommand sets the interval between taking two samples
5361 of metric data and the number of samples retained internally. The
5362 retained data is available for displaying with the
5363 <code>query</code> subcommand. The <computeroutput>--list
5364 </computeroutput> option shows which metrics have been modified as
5365 the result of the command execution.</para>
5366 </glossdef>
5367 </glossentry>
5368
5369 <glossentry>
5370 <glossterm><computeroutput>enable</computeroutput></glossterm>
5371
5372 <glossdef>
5373 <para>This subcommand "resumes" data collection after it has been
5374 stopped with <code>disable</code> subcommand. Note that specifying
5375 submetrics as parameters will not enable underlying metrics. Use
5376 <computeroutput>--list</computeroutput> to find out if the command
5377 did what was expected.</para>
5378 </glossdef>
5379 </glossentry>
5380
5381 <glossentry>
5382 <glossterm><computeroutput>disable</computeroutput></glossterm>
5383
5384 <glossdef>
5385 <para>This subcommand "suspends" data collection without affecting
5386 collection parameters or collected data. Note that specifying
5387 submetrics as parameters will not disable underlying metrics. Use
5388 <computeroutput>--list</computeroutput> to find out if the command
5389 did what was expected.</para>
5390 </glossdef>
5391 </glossentry>
5392
5393 <glossentry>
5394 <glossterm><computeroutput>query</computeroutput></glossterm>
5395
5396 <glossdef>
5397 <para>This subcommand retrieves and displays the currently retained
5398 metric data.<note>
5399 <para>The <code>query</code> subcommand does not remove or
5400 "flush" retained data. If you query often enough you will see
5401 how old samples are gradually being "phased out" by new
5402 samples.</para>
5403 </note></para>
5404 </glossdef>
5405 </glossentry>
5406
5407 <glossentry>
5408 <glossterm><computeroutput>collect</computeroutput></glossterm>
5409
5410 <glossdef>
5411 <para>This subcommand sets the interval between taking two samples
5412 of metric data and the number of samples retained internally. The
5413 collected data is displayed periodically until Ctrl-C is pressed
5414 unless the <computeroutput>--detach</computeroutput> option is
5415 specified. With the <computeroutput>--detach</computeroutput>
5416 option, this subcommand operates the same way as <code>setup</code>
5417 does. The <computeroutput>--list</computeroutput> option shows which
5418 metrics match the specified filter.</para>
5419 </glossdef>
5420 </glossentry>
5421 </glosslist>
5422 </sect1>
5423
5424 <sect1 id="vboxmanage-natnetwork">
5425 <title>VBoxManage natnetwork</title>
5426
5427 <para>NAT networks use the Network Address Translation (NAT) service - which works in a
5428 similar way to a home router. It groups systems using it into a network and prevents
5429 outside systems from directly accessing those inside, while letting systems inside communicate
5430 with each other and outside systems using TCP and UDP over IPv4 and IPv6.</para>
5431
5432 <para>A NAT service is attached to an internal network. Virtual machines to make use of one
5433 should be attached to it. The name of an internal network is chosen when the NAT service is
5434 created, and the internal network will be created if it does not already exist.
5435 An example command to create a NAT network:</para>
5436
5437 <screen>VBoxManage natnetwork add --netname natnet1 --network "192.168.15.0/24" --enable</screen>
5438
5439 <para>Here, "natnet1" is the name of the internal network to be used and "192.168.15.0/24" is the
5440 network address and mask of the NAT service interface. By default, in this static configuration
5441 - the gateway will be assigned the address 192.168.15.1 (the address after the interface address),
5442 though this is subject to change.</para>
5443
5444 <para>To add a DHCP server to the NAT network after creation:</para>
5445
5446 <screen>VBoxManage natnetwork modify --netname natnet1 --dhcp on</screen>
5447
5448 <para>Below are the subcommands for <emphasis role="bold"><computeroutput>VBoxManage natnetwork </computeroutput></emphasis></para>
5449
5450 <screen>VBoxManage natnetwork add --netname &lt;name&gt;
5451 [--network &lt;network&gt;]
5452 [--enable|--disable]
5453 [--dhcp on|off]
5454 [--port-forward-4 &lt;rule&gt;]
5455 [--loopback-4 &lt;rule&gt;]
5456 [--ipv6 on|off]
5457 [--port-forward-6 &lt;rule&gt;]
5458 [--loopback-6 &lt;rule&gt;]
5459 </screen>
5460
5461
5462 <para><emphasis role="bold"><computeroutput>VBoxManage natnetwork add</computeroutput></emphasis>
5463 Creates a new internal network interface, and adds a NAT network service. This command is a
5464 prerequisite for enabling attachment of VMs to the NAT network. Parameters:</para>
5465
5466 <para>
5467 <glosslist>
5468 <glossentry>
5469 <glossterm><computeroutput>--netname &lt;name&gt;</computeroutput></glossterm>
5470 <glossdef>
5471 <para>Where &lt;name&gt; is the name of the new internal network interface on the host OS. </para>
5472 </glossdef>
5473 </glossentry>
5474 <glossentry>
5475 <glossterm><computeroutput>--network &lt;network&gt;</computeroutput></glossterm>
5476 <glossdef>
5477 <para>Where &lt;network&gt; specifies the static(default)/DHCP network address and mask of
5478 the NAT service interface.</para>
5479 </glossdef>
5480 </glossentry>
5481 <glossentry>
5482 <glossterm><computeroutput>--enable|--disable</computeroutput></glossterm>
5483 <glossdef>
5484 <para>Enables/disables the NAT network service.</para>
5485 </glossdef>
5486 </glossentry>
5487 <glossentry>
5488 <glossterm><computeroutput>--dhcp on|off</computeroutput></glossterm>
5489 <glossdef>
5490 <para>Enables/disables DHCP server specified by --netname; its use also indicates that it
5491 is a DHCP server.</para>
5492 </glossdef>
5493 </glossentry>
5494 <glossentry>
5495 <glossterm><computeroutput>--port-forward-4 &lt;rule&gt;</computeroutput></glossterm>
5496 <glossdef>
5497 <para>Enables IPv4 port forwarding, rule specified by &lt;rule&gt;.</para>
5498 </glossdef>
5499 </glossentry>
5500 <glossentry>
5501 <glossterm><computeroutput>--loopback-4 &lt;rule&gt;</computeroutput></glossterm>
5502 <glossdef>
5503 <para>Enables IPv4 loopback interface, rule specified by &lt;rule&gt;.</para>
5504 </glossdef>
5505 </glossentry>
5506 <glossentry>
5507 <glossterm><computeroutput>--ipv6 on|off</computeroutput></glossterm>
5508 <glossdef>
5509 <para>Enables/disables IPv6 (default is IPv4, disables gives IPv4).</para>
5510 </glossdef>
5511 </glossentry>
5512 <glossentry>
5513 <glossterm><computeroutput>--port-forward-6 &lt;rule&gt;</computeroutput></glossterm>
5514 <glossdef>
5515 <para>Enables IPv6 port forwarding, rule specified by &lt;rule&gt;.</para>
5516 </glossdef>
5517 </glossentry>
5518 <glossentry>
5519 <glossterm><computeroutput>--loopback-6 &lt;rule&gt;</computeroutput></glossterm>
5520 <glossdef>
5521 <para>Enables IPv6 loopback interface, rule specified by &lt;rule&gt;.</para>
5522 </glossdef>
5523 </glossentry>
5524 </glosslist>
5525 </para>
5526
5527 <screen>VBoxManage natnetwork remove --netname &lt;name&gt; </screen>
5528
5529 <para><emphasis role="bold"><computeroutput>VBoxManage natnetwork remove</computeroutput></emphasis>
5530 Removes a NAT network service, parameters:</para>
5531
5532 <para>
5533 <glosslist>
5534 <glossentry>
5535 <glossterm><computeroutput>--netname &lt;name&gt;</computeroutput></glossterm>
5536 <glossdef>
5537 <para>Where &lt;name&gt; specifies an existing NAT network service.
5538 Does not remove any DHCP server enabled on the network.</para>
5539 </glossdef>
5540 </glossentry>
5541 </glosslist>
5542 </para>
5543
5544 <screen>VBoxManage natnetwork modify --netname &lt;name&gt;
5545 [--network &lt;network&gt;]
5546 [--enable|--disable]
5547 [--dhcp on|off]
5548 [--port-forward-4 &lt;rule&gt;]
5549 [--loopback-4 &lt;rule&gt;]
5550 [--ipv6 on|off]
5551 [--port-forward-6 &lt;rule&gt;]
5552 [--loopback-6 &lt;rule&gt;]
5553 </screen>
5554
5555 <para><emphasis role="bold"><computeroutput>VBoxManage natnetwork modify</computeroutput></emphasis>
5556 Modifies an existing NAT network service, parameters:</para>
5557
5558 <para>
5559 <glosslist>
5560 <glossentry>
5561 <glossterm><computeroutput>--netname &lt;name&gt;</computeroutput></glossterm>
5562 <glossdef>
5563 <para>Where &lt;name&gt; specifies an existing NAT network service.</para>
5564 </glossdef>
5565 </glossentry>
5566 <glossentry>
5567 <glossterm><computeroutput>--network &lt;network&gt;</computeroutput></glossterm>
5568 <glossdef>
5569 <para>Where &lt;network&gt; specifies the new static(default)/DHCP network address and mask
5570 of the NAT service interface.</para>
5571 </glossdef>
5572 </glossentry>
5573 <glossentry>
5574 <glossterm><computeroutput>--enable|--disable</computeroutput></glossterm>
5575 <glossdef>
5576 <para>Enables/disables the NAT network service.</para>
5577 </glossdef>
5578 </glossentry>
5579 <glossentry>
5580 <glossterm><computeroutput>--dhcp on|off</computeroutput></glossterm>
5581 <glossdef>
5582 <para>Enables (and if absent, adds)/disables (if any) DHCP server.</para>
5583 </glossdef>
5584 </glossentry>
5585 <glossentry>
5586 <glossterm><computeroutput>--port-forward-4 &lt;rule&gt;</computeroutput></glossterm>
5587 <glossdef>
5588 <para>Enables IPv4 port forwarding, rule specified by &lt;rule&gt;.</para>
5589 </glossdef>
5590 </glossentry>
5591 <glossentry>
5592 <glossterm><computeroutput>--loopback-4 &lt;rule&gt;</computeroutput></glossterm>
5593 <glossdef>
5594 <para>Enables IPv4 loopback interface, rule specified by &lt;rule&gt;.</para>
5595 </glossdef>
5596 </glossentry>
5597 <glossentry>
5598 <glossterm><computeroutput>--ipv6 on|off</computeroutput></glossterm>
5599 <glossdef>
5600 <para>Enables/disables IPv6 (default is IPv4, disables gives IPv4).</para>
5601 </glossdef>
5602 </glossentry>
5603 <glossentry>
5604 <glossterm><computeroutput>--port-forward-6 &lt;rule&gt;</computeroutput></glossterm>
5605 <glossdef>
5606 <para>Enables IPv6 port forwarding, rule specified by &lt;rule&gt;.</para>
5607 </glossdef>
5608 </glossentry>
5609 <glossentry>
5610 <glossterm><computeroutput>--loopback-6 &lt;rule&gt;</computeroutput></glossterm>
5611 <glossdef>
5612 <para>Enables IPv6 loopback interface, rule specified by &lt;rule&gt;.</para>
5613 </glossdef>
5614 </glossentry>
5615 </glosslist>
5616 </para>
5617
5618 <screen>VBoxManage natnetwork start --netname &lt;name&gt;
5619 </screen>
5620
5621 <para><emphasis role="bold"><computeroutput>VBoxManage natnetwork start</computeroutput></emphasis>
5622 Starts specified NAT network service and any associated DHCP server, parameters:</para>
5623
5624 <para>
5625 <glosslist>
5626 <glossentry>
5627 <glossterm><computeroutput>--netname &lt;name&gt;</computeroutput></glossterm>
5628 <glossdef>
5629 <para>Where &lt;name&gt; specifies an existing NAT network service.</para>
5630 </glossdef>
5631 </glossentry>
5632 </glosslist>
5633 </para>
5634
5635 <screen>VBoxManage natnetwork stop --netname &lt;name&gt;
5636 </screen>
5637
5638 <para><emphasis role="bold"><computeroutput>VBoxManage natnetwork stop</computeroutput></emphasis>
5639 Stops specified NAT network service and any DHCP server, parameters:</para>
5640
5641 <para>
5642 <glosslist>
5643 <glossentry>
5644 <glossterm><computeroutput>--netname &lt;name&gt;</computeroutput></glossterm>
5645 <glossdef>
5646 <para>Where &lt;name&gt; specifies an existing NAT network service.</para>
5647 </glossdef>
5648 </glossentry>
5649 </glosslist>
5650 </para>
5651
5652 <screen>VBoxManage natnetwork list [&lt;pattern&gt;] </screen>
5653
5654 <para><emphasis role="bold"><computeroutput>VBoxManage natnetwork list</computeroutput></emphasis>
5655 Lists all NAT network services with optional filtering, parameters:</para>
5656
5657 <para>
5658 <glosslist>
5659 <glossentry>
5660 <glossterm><computeroutput>[&lt;pattern&gt;]</computeroutput></glossterm>
5661 <glossdef>
5662 <para>Where &lt;pattern&gt; is optional filtering pattern.</para>
5663 </glossdef>
5664 </glossentry>
5665 </glosslist>
5666 </para>
5667 </sect1>
5668
5669 <sect1 id="vboxmanage-hostonlyif">
5670 <title>VBoxManage hostonlyif</title>
5671
5672 <para>With "hostonlyif" you can change the IP configuration of a host-only
5673 network interface. For a description of host-only networking, please
5674 refer to <xref linkend="network_hostonly" />. Each host-only interface is
5675 identified by a name and can either use the internal DHCP server or a
5676 manual IP configuration (both IP4 and IP6).</para>
5677
5678 <para>The following list summarizes the available subcommands:</para>
5679
5680 <glosslist>
5681 <glossentry>
5682 <glossterm><computeroutput>ipconfig "&lt;name&gt;"</computeroutput></glossterm>
5683 <glossdef>
5684 <para>Configure a hostonly interface</para>
5685 </glossdef>
5686 </glossentry>
5687 <glossentry>
5688 <glossterm><computeroutput>create</computeroutput></glossterm>
5689 <glossdef>
5690 <para>Creates a new vboxnet&lt;N&gt; interface on the host OS.
5691 This command is essential before you can attach VMs to host-only network.</para>
5692 </glossdef>
5693 </glossentry>
5694 <glossentry>
5695 <glossterm><computeroutput>remove vboxnet&lt;N&gt;</computeroutput></glossterm>
5696 <glossdef>
5697 <para>Removes a vboxnet&lt;N&gt; interface from the host OS.</para>
5698 </glossdef>
5699 </glossentry>
5700 </glosslist>
5701
5702 </sect1>
5703
5704 <sect1 id="vboxmanage-dhcpserver">
5705 <title>VBoxManage dhcpserver</title>
5706
5707 <para>The "dhcpserver" commands allow you to control the DHCP server that
5708 is built into VirtualBox. You may find this useful when using internal or
5709 host-only networking. (Theoretically, you can enable it for a bridged
5710 network as well, but that will likely cause conflicts with other DHCP
5711 servers in your physical network.)</para>
5712
5713 <para>Use the following command line options:<itemizedlist>
5714 <listitem>
5715 <para>If you use internal networking for a virtual network adapter
5716 of a virtual machine, use <computeroutput>VBoxManage dhcpserver add
5717 --netname &lt;network_name&gt;</computeroutput>, where
5718 <computeroutput>&lt;network_name&gt;</computeroutput> is the same
5719 network name you used with <computeroutput>VBoxManage modifyvm
5720 &lt;vmname&gt; --intnet&lt;X&gt;
5721 &lt;network_name&gt;</computeroutput>.</para>
5722 </listitem>
5723
5724 <listitem>
5725 <para>If you use host-only networking for a virtual network adapter
5726 of a virtual machine, use <computeroutput>VBoxManage dhcpserver add
5727 --ifname &lt;hostonly_if_name&gt;</computeroutput> instead, where
5728 <computeroutput>&lt;hostonly_if_name&gt;</computeroutput> is the
5729 same host-only interface name you used with
5730 <computeroutput>VBoxManage modifyvm &lt;vmname&gt;
5731 --hostonlyadapter&lt;X&gt;
5732 &lt;hostonly_if_name&gt;</computeroutput>.</para>
5733
5734 <para>Alternatively, you can also use the
5735 <computeroutput>--netname</computeroutput> option as with
5736 internal networks if you know the host-only network's name; you can
5737 see the names with <computeroutput>VBoxManage list
5738 hostonlyifs</computeroutput> (see <xref linkend="vboxmanage-list" />
5739 above).</para>
5740 </listitem>
5741 </itemizedlist></para>
5742
5743 <para>The following additional parameters are required when first adding a
5744 DHCP server:<itemizedlist>
5745 <listitem>
5746 <para>With <computeroutput>--ip</computeroutput>, specify the IP
5747 address of the DHCP server itself.</para>
5748 </listitem>
5749
5750 <listitem>
5751 <para>With <computeroutput>--netmask</computeroutput>, specify the
5752 netmask of the network.</para>
5753 </listitem>
5754
5755 <listitem>
5756 <para>With <computeroutput>--lowerip</computeroutput> and
5757 <computeroutput>--upperip</computeroutput>, you can specify the
5758 lowest and highest IP address, respectively, that the DHCP server
5759 will hand out to clients.</para>
5760 </listitem>
5761 </itemizedlist></para>
5762
5763 <para>Finally, you must specify <computeroutput>--enable</computeroutput>
5764 or the DHCP server will be created in the disabled state, doing
5765 nothing.</para>
5766
5767 <para>After this, VirtualBox will automatically start the DHCP server for
5768 given internal or host-only network as soon as the first virtual machine
5769 which uses that network is started.</para>
5770
5771 <para>Reversely, use <computeroutput>VBoxManage dhcpserver
5772 remove</computeroutput> with the given <computeroutput>--netname
5773 &lt;network_name&gt;</computeroutput> or <computeroutput>--ifname
5774 &lt;hostonly_if_name&gt;</computeroutput> to remove the DHCP server again
5775 for the given internal or host-only network.</para>
5776
5777 <para>To modify the settings of a DHCP server created earlier with
5778 <computeroutput>VBoxManage dhcpserver add</computeroutput>, you can use
5779 <computeroutput>VBoxManage dhcpserver modify</computeroutput> for a given
5780 network or host-only interface name. This has the same parameters as
5781 <computeroutput>VBoxManage dhcpserver add</computeroutput>.</para>
5782 </sect1>
5783
5784 <sect1 id="vboxmanage-usbdevsource">
5785 <title>VBoxManage usbdevsource</title>
5786
5787 <para>The "usbdevsource" commands enables you to add and remove USB devices
5788 globally.</para>
5789
5790 <para>The following command adds a USB device.</para>
5791
5792 <screen>VBoxManage usbdevsource add &lt;source name&gt;
5793 --backend &lt;backend&gt;
5794 --address &lt;address&gt;
5795 </screen>
5796
5797 <para>Where the command line options are:<itemizedlist>
5798 <listitem>
5799 <para>&lt;source name&gt; specifies the ID of the 'source' USB
5800 device to be added. Mandatory.</para>
5801 </listitem>
5802 <listitem>
5803 <para>--backend &lt;backend&gt; specifies the USB proxy service
5804 backend to use. Mandatory.</para>
5805 </listitem>
5806 <listitem>
5807 <para>--address &lt;address&gt; specifies the backend specific
5808 address. Mandatory.</para>
5809 </listitem>
5810 </itemizedlist></para>
5811
5812 <para>The following command removes a USB device.</para>
5813
5814 <screen>VBoxManage usbdevsource remove &lt;source name&gt;
5815 </screen>
5816
5817 <para>Where the command line options are:<itemizedlist>
5818 <listitem>
5819 <para>&lt;source name&gt; specifies the ID of the 'source' USB
5820 device to be removed. Mandatory.</para>
5821 </listitem>
5822 </itemizedlist></para>
5823 </sect1>
5824
5825
5826 <xi:include href="user_man_VBoxManage-debugvm.xml" xpointer="element(/1)" xmlns:xi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XInclude" />
5827 <xi:include href="user_man_VBoxManage-extpack.xml" xpointer="element(/1)" xmlns:xi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XInclude" />
5828 <xi:include href="user_man_VBoxManage-unattended.xml" xpointer="element(/1)" xmlns:xi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XInclude" />
5829</chapter>
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