FS#63936 - [virtualbox] doesn't work (VirtualBox GUI and VBoxManage both freeze)

Attached to Project: Community Packages
Opened by Andrej Podzimek (andrej) - Saturday, 28 September 2019, 04:51 GMT
Last edited by Christian Hesse (eworm) - Thursday, 02 January 2020, 08:35 GMT
Task Type Bug Report
Category Upstream Bugs
Status Closed
Assigned To Christian Hesse (eworm)
Architecture x86_64
Severity High
Priority Normal
Reported Version
Due in Version Undecided
Due Date Undecided
Percent Complete 100%
Votes 1
Private No

Details

Description:
VirtualBox started freezing after a recent system update. It creates 4 X11 windows (which show up in KDE's Task Manager), but the windows never really appear, not even decorations. Output from `strace -f` shows an endless loop of futex waits. There is no way to use VirtualBox and no way to carry out VBoxManage operations (which also freeze).

Additional info:
* package version(s)
6.0.10 used to work (with kernel 5.2.5)
6.0.12 doesn't work (with kernel 5.3.1)

* config and/or log files etc.
N/A; please let me know if any logs are needed. VirtualBox and VBoxManage didn't print anything on the console once frozen.

* link to upstream bug report, if any
Last futex-related hangs in VirtualBox are >10 years old (https://www.virtualbox.org/ticket/5836 https://www.virtualbox.org/ticket/5961) and likely unrelated.

Steps to reproduce:
Try to run the VirtualBox GUI. It will freeze.
Try to carry out an opreation using VBoxManage. It will freeze, including attempts to just list VMs.
Try to install virtualbox-ext-oracle. It will freeze (because it calls VBoxManage).

What I tried:
* sudo vboxreload
* package reinstall
* multiple reboots
* virtualbox-svn [The package fails to build. -> No clue if it could help.]
This task depends upon

Closed by  Christian Hesse (eworm)
Thursday, 02 January 2020, 08:35 GMT
Reason for closing:  Upstream
Additional comments about closing:  Works with 6.1.0-1.
Comment by Andrej Podzimek (andrej) - Sunday, 13 October 2019, 12:47 GMT
There's `VBoxSVC.log` when I try to run VirtualBox, but it doesn't seem to be particularly interesting:

```
00:00:00.003085 main VirtualBox XPCOM Server 6.0.12 r132055 linux.amd64 (Sep 17 2019 10:48:12) release log
00:00:00.003088 main Log opened 2019-10-13T12:37:22.006702000Z
00:00:00.003089 main Build Type: release
00:00:00.003149 main OS Product: Linux
00:00:00.003201 main OS Release: 5.3.1-arch1-1-user-regd
00:00:00.003249 main OS Version: #1 SMP PREEMPT Sat Sep 28 02:25:07 CEST 2019
00:00:00.003413 main DMI Product Name: Super Server
00:00:00.003559 main DMI Product Version: 0123456789
00:00:00.003922 main Host RAM: 64215MB (62.7GB) total, 56137MB (54.8GB) available
00:00:00.003926 main Executable: /usr/lib/virtualbox/VBoxSVC
00:00:00.003927 main Process ID: 703785
00:00:00.003928 main Package type: LINUX_64BITS_GENERIC (OSE)
00:00:00.012127 main IPC socket path: /tmp/.vbox-andrej-ipc/ipcd
00:00:00.179268 nspr-2 VirtualBox: object creation starts
00:00:00.179911 nspr-2 Home directory: '/home/andrej/.config/VirtualBox'
00:00:00.180621 nspr-2 Loading settings file "/home/andrej/.config/VirtualBox/VirtualBox.xml" with version "1.14-linux"
```

It always ends right there. The XML file looks quite normal, no big difference in comparison to backups.
Comment by Andrej Podzimek (andrej) - Thursday, 02 January 2020, 08:32 GMT
VirtualBox GUI works again. Everything is back to normal with version 6.1.0-1.

Sadly I didn’t have time to debug why exactly 6.0.12 was getting stuck, so this problem will likely remain a mystery.
Comment by Christian Hesse (eworm) - Thursday, 02 January 2020, 08:34 GMT
Let's call it an upstream mystery.
Thanks for report!

Loading...