Virtualbox: Shared directory- “unknown filesystem type vboxsf”
I got the error message “unknown filesystem type vboxsf” while I was trying to share a directory from my Windows XP host to Ubuntu Interpid Ibex (8.10). In almost every where it said to install Guest additions. After spending few hours I found the solution. So decided to share with you for reference.
Step 1: Install host additions (usually you install them when you install virualbox).
Step 2: If you have created a new machine, then create a shared directory/folder. (From the machine’s Devices menu)
Step 3: From machine’s Devices menu, select “Install guest additions”
Step 4: Now in the guest (Ubuntu Ibex Interpid for my case), fire up a console and type the following:
1 | sudo /media/cdrom/VBoxLinuxAdditions-x86.run |
It should install the additions.
Step 5: Now create a directory where you want to mount your shared drive. For example I have created shared directory under mount using following:
1 2 3 | #cd /media #sudo mkdir shared |
Step 6: Mount using following command:
1 | sudo mount -t vboxsf shared /media/shared |
Note that shared was the name of the directory I shared from virtual box and /media/shared is the directory where I wanted to mount my shared directory.
Now you should be able to see the files under shared directory in both system.
Enjoy!
24. March 2009 at 9:54 am :
thank you this was helpful. I followed all the steps and got the following error
/sbin/mount.vboxsf: mounting failed with the error: No such device
24. March 2009 at 10:03 am :
try running this as root user: “modprobe vboxvfs” then follow step 6.
17. June 2009 at 7:25 am :
it is a crap. it does not work.
17. June 2009 at 10:10 am :
Andrius Burlega@ how far have you gone? or you got no clue what you are trying to do?
17. June 2009 at 5:08 pm :
If mount works from / , but does not works from /export/home/andrius, is it not an idiocity?
21. July 2009 at 2:55 am :
“sbin/modprobe vboxvfs” , Step 6
Then it works
5. August 2009 at 9:07 am :
This is what worked for me:
sudo /sbin/mount.vboxfs
11. September 2009 at 10:51 am :
Doing a
worked for me. Careful not to forget the v in vboxvfs.
5. October 2009 at 10:51 am :
I am new to VirtualBox and just exploring. I am running Ubuntu 9.04 as the Host Machine, and have successfully setup guest machines on my computer and on a USB drive. I have not been successful at finding a way to share. I couldn’t do the first suggestion, since I don’t know where to get the guest additions. I have tried all of the other suggestions and all end up with “unknown filesystem type vbox”. Still searching.
3. November 2009 at 12:45 pm :
The filesystem type name seems to have changed in recent editions of Virtualbox, if a type of vboxfs does not work for you then try vboxsf, this worked for me in 3.0.10, e.g.
mount -t vboxsf sharename mountpoint
17. November 2009 at 1:04 pm :
Thanks a lot! It worked
14. December 2009 at 4:38 am :
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16. December 2009 at 1:22 am :
[...] of shared folders using which you can seamlessly move files from the host box to the guest box. Setting this up was not child’s play, but once it was done it saved me tons of donkey work. In VMware, I had to use Samba to get this [...]
10. January 2010 at 8:35 am :
Thanks a lot. Big help.
17. January 2010 at 1:18 am :
Hi Man,
Thanks a lot. After a long struggle for 3 hours finally saw ur blog. It worked! Grt Help. Bye
12. February 2010 at 8:26 am :
Thanks a lot. Very helpful.
20. February 2010 at 1:11 am :
My ubuntu is not configured to build the kernel… do you know what I need to install to be able to build a kernel?
Thanks,
Wayne
9. March 2010 at 4:54 pm :
try vboxsf rather than vboxfs when mounting. It worked for me.
29. March 2010 at 4:58 am :
Hi i almost had it working until the final step. When i try mounting it i get a protocol error. I am a noob programmer, so i have no idea what i did wrong. Please help.
29. March 2010 at 5:05 am :
I realised the folder was no longer being shared
I continued trying, i tried the command
mount -t vboxsf (filename) /
someone above mentioned using the slash
i didnt get an error message
i try again with the commands and i get a error saying invalid argument
my computers name is overlord, the command i used was
mount -t vboxsf Procedural_Programming /home/overlord/Procedural_Programming
I tried all the solutions above.
23. April 2010 at 1:14 am :
Hi,
I was able to successfully mount the shared folder.
My Environment:
PC running windows 7 OS (Host)
Virtual box 3.1.x
UBUNTU 9.x (running as guest)
Oracle 11gR1 running on UBUNTU
I needed the share for installing oracle, whose binaries were downloaded into windows
Steps:
On the Virtual Box Main window, select the Details tab (right side).
In this, choose the last option “Shared Folders”
Provide the full windows path of the folder you wnat to share and assign a nickname, say, ‘winshare’
Now fire up ubuntu
From the Device menu on the Main Virtual Box window, select “install guest additions” (this will mount a cdrom in ubuntu)
From the ubuntu guest, run /media/cdrom0/VBoxLinuxAdditions-x86.run
this will install the “vboxsf” type of filesystem.
sudo mkdir /media/winmount
sudo mount -t vboxsf winshare /media/winmount
VOILA! You are done!!!
Hope This helps:)
-Anand
13. May 2010 at 5:15 pm :
Also note that you need to have your guest system to allow compiling kernel modules. This typically means having headers and dev tools installed. It’s where I was falling short.
19. May 2010 at 5:11 am :
Try installing the below package:
virtualbox-ose-guest-utils
sudo apt-get install virtualbox-ose-guest-utils
21. May 2010 at 7:59 am :
you have just to exec sh autorun.sh to install vbox additions
then sudo mount -t vboxsf winshare /media/winmount
10. June 2010 at 3:27 pm :
Step 3: From machine’s Devices menu, select “Install guest additions”
This didn’t initially work for me on virtualbox-ose installed through Synaptic.
(the iso file was missing)
What finally did work:
I ran synaptic on the guest (the virtual machine), and installed the virtual guest package there.
After that, the other tips here worked well. i.e. in guest:
sudo modprobe vboxvfs
sudo mount -t vboxsf shared /mnt/shared
BTW – The iso file eventually downloaded and I could mount it like originally described, but this took so long, I had the package installed by synaptic running first.
11. June 2010 at 6:09 am :
Thanks a lot,you saved my day!
2. June 2011 at 1:02 pm :
Very intressting and informativ Post from you. I gonna try that by my own and i hope it will work proper right. I hope to see more of these Post in the future. Thank you
26. October 2011 at 11:33 am :
Dear sir
I have installed oracle linux 6 on virtual box and tried under root # mount -t vboxfs share /Myshare
says unknown filesystem type ‘vboxfs’
when tried for sudo modprobe vboxsf or vboxfs
FATAL: Module vboxsf not not found
Pls help
10. January 2012 at 2:40 am :
Hi Guys, i was also facing the same error
“/sbin/mount.vboxsf: mounting failed with the error: No such device”
i have updated my guest additions, and restarted guest OS.
It worked fine !!!!