VirtualBox 7.2.8: Bug fixes for Linux, Wayland, and Secure Boot
VirtualBox 7.2.8 brings important bug fixes for Linux hosts, Wayland guests, and Secure Boot. 7.1.x also reaches its support end.
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- Michael Plura
VirtualBox 7.2.8, like the previous 7.2.x updates, fixes some bugs; new features were last introduced by VirtualBox 7.2.0 in August of last year. For GNU/Linux hosts, the adaptation to Linux kernels 6.19 and 7.0 is particularly important. The developers have also resolved specific bugs related to RHEL 10.1 and 10.2 and now support the UEK kernels of Oracle Linux 9. For Linux Guest Additions, users should avoid the included kernel module vboxvideo and switch to VMSVGA or the vboxvideo provided with distributions with Linux kernel 7.0 and later. For older kernels, guests will continue to use vboxvideo from the Linux Guest Additions.
Fixes for problems with Wayland and Secure Boot
Unlike with X11 guests, copying clipboard content from Wayland guests to the host system has not always worked until now. A bug fix is intended to resolve the issue.
A troublesome problem with the Secure Boot Certificates of Windows 11, which causes the error message “Get-SecureBootUEFI -Name DBX: The variable is currently not defined” to appear, is now being addressed by the developers for new VMs using dummy signatures. According to developer Alexander Eichner, existing faulty installations can be resolved using the commands.
VBoxManage modifynvram vmname enrollorclpk
VBoxManage modifynvram vmname enrollmssignaturesis defused. A bug in NAT networks that occurred when the internal DNS was unreachable has also been fixed.
Interesting to read: Bug reports
Even the first fix in the VirtualBox 7.2.8 changelog is interesting. It concerns the Virtual Machine Manager (VMM), where, according to the description, a “Guru Meditation” with error code VERR_IEM_IPE_4 occurs under Windows 11 when a guest attempts to execute a mismatched vmmcall instruction (0f 01 d9). The submitter, according to their statement, noticed the problem while reading the source code.
On a macOS host, a guest system with the current development version 16 of FreeBSD, in conjunction with an LSI Logic SAS controller with 13 data drives, caused a VBOX crash during shutdown. According to the description of the fix on GitHub, this was due to an incorrect number of virtual status LEDs.
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EoL: The end for VirtualBox 7.1.x is near
Simultaneously with the update of VirtualBox 7.2, the 7.1 branch also received almost the same fixes – along with the note that VirtualBox 7.1 will no longer receive support. After updating to VirtualBox 7.1.18, users should therefore consider migrating to 7.2.8.
VirtualBox is virtualization software for Windows, macOS, GNU/Linux, and Solaris desktops, and in an adapted form also for FreeBSD. The software was originally developed by InnoTek Systemberatung GmbH; in 2008 Sun Microsystems took it over, and in 2010 it went to Oracle. All current fixes for VirtualBox 7.2.x are listed in the changelog. The software is now available for free download on the project page for Windows, macOS, GNU/Linux, and Solaris hosts. When updating, one should not forget to also update the VirtualBox Extension Pack (note the special PUEL license!) to version 7.2.8.
(mki)
