'vboxmanage guestcontrol run' stops working after several hours with Linux guests (on MacOS host)

[AlbertDude]

I have a host test script that invokes functionality on Windows and Linux guest VMs using 'vboxmanage guestcontrol run' commands. After working fine for 3 or 4 hours, the script stops working as the Linux guest VM stops accepting these run commands

At this point, manually issuing a run command shows:

$ vboxmanage guestcontrol Ubuntu-14.04.5-amd64 run /bin/ls --username xyz --password xyz --verbose

Creating guest session as user 'xyz'...
Waiting for guest session to start...
VBoxManage: error: The specified user was not able to logon on guest
VBoxManage: error: Details: code VBOX_E_IPRT_ERROR (0x80bb0005), component GuestSessionWrap, interface IGuestSession, callee nsISupports
VBoxManage: error: Context: "WaitForArray(ComSafeArrayAsInParam(aSessionWaitFlags), 30 * 1000, &enmWaitResult)" at line 879 of file VBoxManageGuestCtrl.cpp
Closing guest session ...

Rebooting the Linux guest VM restores proper functionality.

This is with MacOS 10.13.6 host.

This problem has been repro'ed using VirtualBox 6.0.4 as well as older versions 5.1.38 and 5.0.40

Linux versions tried as the guest VM are: Ubuntu 18.04.1, Ubuntu 14.04.5, and Solus 3.9999

• all exhibit this problem

The test script works fine with Windows7 guest VM, no such failures have been observed with the script running continuously for over 40 hours.

[AlbertDude]

VBox log file after test script stops working

[AlbertDude]

python3 test script

[AlbertDude]

VBox log file from running VBox_test.py script

[AlbertDude]

I've attached a simplified python3 test script that reproduces the problem. It seems to fail consistently on loop iteration [1014]. The corresponding VBox log file has been attached as well. This is the screen output produced by the script:

...
[001012] [00:53:30] Normal return:
[001013] [00:53:33] Normal return:
Got error code: rc = 1 trying to issue cmd: ['vboxmanage', 'guestcontrol', 'Ubuntu-14.04.5-amd64', 'run', '/bin/ls', '--username', 'albert', '--password', 'albert', '--', '-l', '/home']
POUT:-------------------------

PERR:-------------------------
VBoxManage: error: The specified user was not able to logon on guest
VBoxManage: error: Details: code VBOX_E_IPRT_ERROR (0x80bb0005), component GuestSessionWrap, interface IGuestSession, callee nsISupports
VBoxManage: error: Context: "WaitForArray(ComSafeArrayAsInParam(aSessionWaitFlags), 30 * 1000, &enmWaitResult)" at line 879 of file VBoxManageGuestCtrl.cpp

[RolandHeijman]

Had same VBOX_E_IPRT_ERROR error using VirtualBox 6.0.4r128413 running on Win10, see https://www.virtualbox.org/ticket/19088

[Frank Batschulat (Oracle)]

does this problem reproduce with Virtualbox 6.0.14 please ?

[RolandHeijman]

Replying to fbatschu:

does this problem reproduce with Virtualbox 6.0.14 please ?

Going to check that. Thanks for your feedback.

[RolandHeijman]

Another occurrence, again copy file to vbox:

Copying from host to guest ...{{04:33:18.618 DEBUG File '<full file path on host>' -> '<full file path on vbox>' ->' }}
{{04:33:18.618 DEBUG Closing guest session ... }}
{{04:33:18.618 DEBUG 0... }}
{{04:33:18.619 DEBUG Progress state: VBOX_E_IPRT_ERROR }}
{{04:33:18.619 DEBUG VBoxManage.exe: error: Writing 57140 bytes to file on guest failed: VERR_FILE_LOCK_VIOLATION. }}
04:33:18.619 DEBUG Process exited with return code: 1

[RolandHeijman]

Replying to RolandHeijman: this error can be caused by a process on the vbox locking the file.