VirtualBox Extension Pack Linux: How to enable USB3 and other features like NVME

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HOWTO: Getting virtualbox to see and use USB3.0 devices
The current install on 3.7.4 does not have the extensions pack installed (do not mistake this for the VboxGuestAdditions).
One can download this pack from Oracle if wanted:
https://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/Downloads
Be sure to take the sha256 checksums file too as you might need the number later.

To have the same required signature, download their latest for debian10 too (remove the existing Virtualbox with "apr virtualbox-6.0 " first):
https://download.virtualbox.org/virtualbox/6.0.8/virtualbox-6.0_6.0.8-130520~Ubuntu~bionic_amd64.deb

Install the downloaded .deb with "dpkg" "aptitude", "debi" or "gdebi" or whatever suits your needs best but not with "api".

After which you'll need to run the following command (in the download directory, or use full PATH) as the inhouse virtualbox GUI option does not work on Elive Linux:

sudo VBoxManage extpack install --replace Oracle_VM_VirtualBox_Extension_Pack-6.0.8.vbox-extpack --accept-license=6d89127c7f043fa96592da96ca87ac5ee9a7afd347d788380f91b695b67d7954
(the license/checksum here is the correct one for now 1 Oct. 2019)

EDIT

As of 29 Dec. the buster Vbox version is 6.1.0 which requires downloading the (right) extpack again and using (in the same directory in which you dowloaded):

sudo VBoxManage extpack install --replace Oracle_VM_VirtualBox_Extension_Pack-6.1.0.vbox-extpack --accept-license=b907e69a5bad4dcd8e831416a2118b744bad1656918712a2d2131e595357cad4

and for new 6.1.12...

sudo VBoxManage extpack install --replace Oracle_VM_VirtualBox_Extension_Pack-6.1.12.vbox-extpack --accept-license=56be48f923303c8cababb0bb4c478284b688ed23f16d775d729b89a2e8e5f9eb

And, after scrolling and accepting the license, it will be installed and you can connect USB3.0 devices. :smiley14:

Elive_Screenshot_2019-06-17_21%3A55%3A56__1034x834
Elive_Screenshot_2019-06-17_21%3A55%3A56__1034x8341034×834 93.4 KB

In a later post here there's an untested script by @Thanatermesis that picks out and selects the right license number.

To be clear: We don't propagate accepting unread licences blindly .... so use common sense:

  • Read any license before accepting it ..... else you'll never know what you're actually signing for, will you?
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2

This post saved me again installing the extension packs :happy:

For the 3.7.14 version seems like the exact (new) command for them is:

sudo VBoxManage extpack install --replace Oracle_VM_VirtualBox_Extension_Pack-6.0.12.vbox-extpack --accept-license=27a0956940654b0accf4d79692078bd496d9f062e4ed3da69e5421cba8d1e444

I don't understand why the GUI installer just don't works... but happy to have it working (after a few more 2-3 errors/tests)

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Yeah it depends on the downloaded license that has to be accepted.
I've still got the old one lying around and that also just simply gets accepted too. :smile_cat:

Edit

As of version 6.1.0 the old pack does not install any more.

4

This is the last command needed for the last extension pack & updated vbox:

sudo VBoxManage extpack install --replace Oracle_VM_VirtualBox_Extension_Pack-6.1.2.vbox-extpack --accept-license=56be48f923303c8cababb0bb4c478284b688ed23f16d775d729b89a2e8e5f9eb

Note: I installed it without the need of the parameter --accept-licence, you may want to remove it...

5

It depends which version of Virtualbox you have installed....i.e the Oracle version required it but others may not.
I don't really know but it's not much of a deal so I'll leave it there for now, until it becomes obsolete again. :smiley_cat:

6

script for install any version: (untested)

extension=$(ls -1 Oracle_VM_VirtualBox_Extension_Pack* | sort -g | tail -1 ) ; sudo VBoxManage extpack install --replace "$extension" --accept-license="$( sha256sum "$extension" )"

7

:info: package virtualbox-ext-pack is now included on the repo

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