One of the nice features of VirtualBox is the ability to start headless VMs (i.e., runs without having to open a window to "see" the guest OS). I use it to run a Linux VM to host my internal wiki and web services. The advantage is that when I rebuild a system (and I do this more often than friends, family, & other users like), I don't have to restore the wiki. I only have to re-install Virtualbox, copy the script below, and start the VM.
VirtualBox allows for the use of multi-word names for VMs. One missing piece for VirtualBox is a script to start/stop headless VMs. Various people, such as Ross Peoples and Brendan Kidwell (links below), have written these scripts. I like Ross's script but it didn't like my naming scheme, so I've adjusted his script (shown below).
The fix is quite basic. It involves putting quotes around "VM_NAME" in Ross's script. This needs to be done on lines 36, 73, and 96. The author has already added them on line 38. (Hint: In VI, you can jump to line 36 by typing ":36" (without the quotes) in command mode.)
As an example, line 36 looks like
DESC="VirtualBox - ${VM_NAME}"
You should add the quotes so that it looks like
DESC="VirtualBox - '${VM_NAME}'"
My adaptation to deejross's script allows me to run a VM called "Fedora 10" under Ubuntu. I haven't changed it much (yet) but just in case I (or you) need it at a future date, here 'tis:
#! /bin/sh
### BEGIN INIT INFO
# Provides: VirtualBox - XP-Radio
# Required-Start: $local_fs $remote_fs
# Required-Stop: $local_fs $remote_fs
# Default-Start: 2 3 4 5
# Default-Stop: S 0 1 6
# Short-Description: Handles the XP-Radio virtual machine
# Description: This file should be used to construct scripts to be
# placed in /etc/init.d.
### END INIT INFO
# Author: Ross Peoples <ubuntu.ross.peoples@gmail.com>
# Do NOT "set -e"
# PATH should only include /usr/* if it runs after the mountnfs.sh script
PATH=/usr/sbin:/usr/bin:/sbin:/bin
#
# CHANGE THESE AS NEEDED
#
# Name given to the virtual machine
VM_NAME="Fedora 10"
# Name of this file, excluding /etc/init.d/
THIS_FILE=vbox-fed
# Username to run as
RUNAS_USERNAME=joat
#
# END CHANGE THESE AS NEEDED
#
DESC="VirtualBox - '${VM_NAME}'"
DAEMON=/usr/bin/VBoxVRDP
DAEMON_ARGS="-startvm \"${VM_NAME}\""
PIDFILE=/var/run/$THIS_FILE.pid
SCRIPTNAME=/etc/init.d/$THIS_FILE
# Exit if the package is not installed
[ -x "$DAEMON" ] || exit 0
# Read configuration variable file if it is present
[ -r /etc/default/$THIS_FILE ] && . /etc/default/$THIS_FILE
# Load the VERBOSE setting and other rcS variables
[ -f /etc/default/rcS ] && . /etc/default/rcS
# Define LSB log_* functions.
# Depend on lsb-base (>= 3.0-6) to ensure that this file is present.
. /lib/lsb/init-functions
#
# Function that starts the daemon/service
#
do_start()
{
# Return
# 0 if daemon has been started
# 1 if daemon was already running
# 2 if daemon could not be started
#start-stop-daemon --start --quiet --pidfile $PIDFILE --exec $DAEMON --test > /dev/null \
#|| return 1
#start-stop-daemon --start --quiet --pidfile $PIDFILE --exec $DAEMON -- \
#$DAEMON_ARGS \
#|| return 2
# Add code here, if necessary, that waits for the process to be ready
# to handle requests from services started subsequently which depend
# on this one. As a last resort, sleep for some time.
su $RUNAS_USERNAME -c "VBoxManage startvm '${VM_NAME}' -type vrdp"
}
#
# Function that stops the daemon/service
#
do_stop()
{
# Return
# 0 if daemon has been stopped
# 1 if daemon was already stopped
# 2 if daemon could not be stopped
# other if a failure occurred
start-stop-daemon --stop --quiet --retry=TERM/30/KILL/5 --pidfile $PIDFILE --name $THIS_FILE
RETVAL="$?"
[ "$RETVAL" = 2 ] && return 2
# Wait for children to finish too if this is a daemon that forks
# and if the daemon is only ever run from this initscript.
# If the above conditions are not satisfied then add some other code
# that waits for the process to drop all resources that could be
# needed by services started subsequently. A last resort is to
# sleep for some time.
su $RUNAS_USERNAME -c "VBoxManage controlvm '${VM_NAME}' acpipowerbutton && sleep 10"
start-stop-daemon --stop --quiet --oknodo --retry=0/30/KILL/5 --exec $DAEMON
[ "$?" = 2 ] && return 2
# Many daemons don't delete their pidfiles when they exit.
rm -f $PIDFILE
return "$RETVAL"
}
#
# Function that sends a SIGHUP to the daemon/service
#
do_reload() {
#
# If the daemon can reload its configuration without
# restarting (for example, when it is sent a SIGHUP),
# then implement that here.
#
# start-stop-daemon --stop --signal 1 --quiet --pidfile $PIDFILE --name $NAME
echo "Reload not supported"
return 0
}
case "$1" in
start)
[ "$VERBOSE" != no ] && log_daemon_msg "Starting $DESC" "$THIS_FILE"
do_start
case "$?" in
0|1) [ "$VERBOSE" != no ] && log_end_msg 0 ;;
2) [ "$VERBOSE" != no ] && log_end_msg 1 ;;
esac
;;
stop)
[ "$VERBOSE" != no ] && log_daemon_msg "Stopping $DESC" "$THIS_FILE"
do_stop
case "$?" in
0|1) [ "$VERBOSE" != no ] && log_end_msg 0 ;;
2) [ "$VERBOSE" != no ] && log_end_msg 1 ;;
esac
;;
#reload|force-reload)
#
# If do_reload() is not implemented then leave this commented out
# and leave 'force-reload' as an alias for 'restart'.
#
#log_daemon_msg "Reloading $DESC" "$NAME"
#do_reload
#log_end_msg $?
#;;
*)
#echo "Usage: $SCRIPTNAME {start|stop|restart|reload|force-reload}" >&2
echo "Usage: $SCRIPTNAME {start|stop}" >&2
exit 3
;;
esac
Sep 28 2009 1:58 pm
Well thanx this worked for me thumbs up from Holland!