Shared Folder symlnks now broken with Windows Host<-> Linux Guest

[Matteius]

One of the most annoying things over the holidays was when I upgraded to the Virtual Box 4.1.8 release and it broke the ability to create symlinks inside shared folders on a Windows 7 host. Normally prior, I would run Virtual Box as administrator and symlinks were creatable and would function properly. We use symlinks to link our django project settings files to be a source file checked into our code repots. Now I have to copy the file direct and use a differ tool.

Unfortunately I did try down grading to the previous version but the xml structure of the machine file definitions changed and there was no documentation or inisight on how to correct it so my machines could now only run in the current version that has this broken functionality. I consider this defect major because it is functionality that is useful to developers, does not pose a security risk, and is now completely broken in the latest point release.

I love VirtualBox and I will be truly satisfied if this issue can be fixed. Now to file a different report with the PyCharm people ...

[Angelo GIRARDI]

VirtualBox 4.1.12 at both level. I have Mandriva-Linux x86_64 2011 as host, and Mandriva-Linix i586 2011 as guest and I get the same problems. The link symbol at host level points to a host file, which is normal, but at guest level the symbol link points to guest level file, so that impossible to get the right file. Previously, the link symbol at guest level was consider as normal file/directory pointing to the host file.

[worsecodes]

Replying to angelo-girardi:

VirtualBox 4.1.12 at both level. I have Mandriva-Linux x86_64 2011 as host, and Mandriva-Linix i586 2011 as guest and I get the same problems. The link symbol at host level points to a host file, which is normal, but at guest level the symbol link points to guest level file, so that impossible to get the right file. Previously, the link symbol at guest level was consider as normal file/directory pointing to the host file.

I think that's a different issue. If I understand correctly, Matteius can't create a symlink in his *nix guest at all. And for what it's worth, that sounds like the correct behaviour to me (the issue you're describing, not the one Matteius is). Otherwise, couldn't you create a symlink to, for example, /etc/ in the guest OS, unmount and remount the shared folder, then all of the sudden have the symlink you created give access to the host's /etc/ ?

[worsecodes]

Possible duplicate of https://www.virtualbox.org/ticket/10085
Matteius can you describe what "broke"? Describe what happens when you try to create a symlink.

[segimon]

I have Ubuntu 10.04 64-bit as host. I have Fedora, Ubuntu, and Debian VMs. The shared folder that is on a ext3 partition of the host. I noticed that symlinks don't work on the shared folder with VirtualBox 4.1.12. I uninstalled 4.1.12, and then I installed the older 4.1.6 were symlinks still work on the shared folder. Thank you in advance for solving this.