vbox VirtualBox stopped working after upgrade to 15.1

Hi folks

I updated one of my VirtualBox VMs host from 15.0 to 15.1 and hit with issue: cannot start VirtualBox VMs.
VM start failed with the following exception:
Code:
Exception Object
(
    [message:protected] => The virtual machine 'test 2022' has terminated unexpectedly during startup with exit code 1 (0x1)
    [string:Exception:private] =>
    [code:protected] => 0
    [file:protected] => /usr/local/www/phpvirtualbox-72/endpoints/lib/vboxconnector.php
    [line:protected] => 2491
    [trace:Exception:private] => Array
        (
            [0] => Array
                (
                    [file] => /usr/local/www/phpvirtualbox-72/endpoints/lib/vboxconnector.php
                    [line] => 956
                    [function] => remote_progressGet
                    [class] => vboxconnector
                    [type] => ->
                    [args] => Array
                        (
                            [0] => Array
                                (
                                    [progress] => 213b40dd4513e05b-0000000000000004
                                )

                        )

                )

            [1] => Array
                (
                    [file] => /usr/local/www/phpvirtualbox-72/endpoints/api.php
                    [line] => 316
                    [function] => __call
                    [class] => vboxconnector
                    [type] => ->
                    [args] => Array
                        (
                            [0] => progressGet
                            [1] => Array
                                (
                                    [0] => Array
                                        (
                                            [progress] => 213b40dd4513e05b-0000000000000004
                                        )

                                    [1] => Array
                                        (
                                            [0] => Array
                                                (
                                                    [data] => Array
                                                        (
                                                            [responseData] => Array
                                                                (
                                                                    [progress] => 213b40dd4513e05b-0000000000000004
                                                                    [info] => Array
                                                                        (
                                                                            [completed] => 1
                                                                            [canceled] =>
                                                                            [description] => Starting VM
                                                                            [operationDescription] => Creating process for virtual machine "test 2022" (headless)
                                                                            [timeRemaining] => Array
                                                                                (
                                                                                )

                                                                            [timeElapsed] => Array
                                                                                (
                                                                                    [days] => 20678
                                                                                    [hours] => 16
                                                                                    [minutes] => 27
                                                                                    [seconds] => 27
                                                                                )

                                                                            [percent] => 0
                                                                        )

                                                                )

                                                            [success] => 1
                                                            [key] => 500f4531e0fc72e2909e25f8e66362e3
                                                        )

                                                    [errors] => Array
                                                        (
                                                        )

                                                    [persist] => Array
                                                        (
                                                        )

                                                    [messages] => Array
                                                        (
                                                        )

                                                )

                                        )

                                )

                        )

                )

        )

    [previous:Exception:private] =>
)

Quick research tells me that issue is in this package:
- virtualbox-ose-kmod-72-7.2.14.1500068 VirtualBox kernel module for FreeBSD
It looks like it is built for 15.0 kernel, not 15.1, despite I did pkg update + pkg upgrade -f after system upgrade.

The workaround is to build that virtualbox-ose-kmod-72 from ports, but it requires to have ports collection and a lot of related stuff be installed, which I don't like.
Or rollback to virtualbox-ose-kmod-72: 7.2.8.1501000, which was built for 15.1.

So, my question is why the recent update of the virtualbox-ose-kmod-72 still has no correct version for 15.1?
Should this be reported as a bug? (I didn't find anything related in the Bug List)

Thanks
 
You have found where the problem lie, so rollback.
I don't know why there is some versions of virtualbox-ose-kmod in FreeBSD-ports repo.
You have to stay on FreeBSD-ports-kmods for kernel modules.
 
So, my question is why the recent update of the virtualbox-ose-kmod-72 still has no correct version for 15.1?
Should this be reported as a bug?
It's a bug, and the "why" is that kmods for 15.1, "kmods_quarterly_1" and "kmods_latest_1" repositories, are not updated since May 20 2026. I have the same problem on my system.

https://pkg.freebsd.org/FreeBSD:15:amd64/kmods_quarterly_1/ .
https://pkg.freebsd.org/FreeBSD:15:amd64/kmods_latest_1/ .

You could open a bug report. Perhaps someone from the assignee crew can take care of the issue (updating build servers of aforementioned repositories), or delegate to the person(s) responsible.

Another PR has suffered from the assignee's apparent limited knowledge (or temporary blackout) of the FreeBSD-ports-kmods framework. He had the report closed, declaring "Not a bug", when clearly it is a bug, if the 15.1 kmods repos are not updated anymore.

Bug 297254 - graphics/drm-612-kmod: Absent from 15.1 kmods repo

Meanwhile:
The workaround is to build that virtualbox-ose-kmod-72 from ports, but it requires to have ports collection and a lot of related stuff be installed, which I don't like.
you can use the ports(7) target
Rich (BB code):
     install-missing-packages
                Install missing dependencies from packages instead of building
                them.
After building the kernel module from port, pkg-autoremove(8) build dependencies (check before deleting listed packages).

Also, pkg-lock(8) the kmod packages, so that a update won't try to replace it with the old version. You have to monitor yourself any virtualbox-ose-kmod-72 updates and build from ports again if there are any, at least until 15.0 is end-of-life (expected 30 September 2026). After that, all kernel modules are build for 15.1 in the "FreeBSD-ports" repo.
 
I just needed to build the virtualbox-ose-kmod-72 from ports source and it's running fine.
My problem is the hostonly interface that doesn't seem to work.
I need it for minikube, kubernetes virtualization.
 
Everytime you update the Kernel you need to rebuild the VIrtualbox drivers /kmods towards the new kermel.
You need to do this in ports tree. Specificly because the FreeBSD 15 repos are for 15.0
We dont have a 15.1 Repo or KMOD repo online at this time. This affects all Kernel integrated KMODS
Although most common issue is graphics drivers. Were users try to install 15.0 graphics drivers on to the 15.1 kernel.
 
Everytime you update the Kernel you need to rebuild the VIrtualbox drivers /kmods towards the new kermel.
You need to do this in ports tree. Specificly because the FreeBSD 15 repos are for 15.0
We dont have a 15.1 Repo or KMOD repo online at this time. This affects all Kernel integrated KMODS
Although most common issue is graphics drivers. Were users try to install 15.0 graphics drivers on to the 15.1 kernel.
Not true. The FreeBSD-ports-kmods repo is there for that.
So, you can recompile, but it's not needed.
 
You can see it with pkg repos.
You have to select FreeBSD-ports-kmods with the -r switch of pkg. With this last, you can be sure that the softwares are compiled for your current version.
Seems there are some duplicates in the FreeBSD-ports repo. That's all the problem.
 
So in a default installation of 15.1 only one FreeBSD-ports-kmods repo is visible :

no DRM 6.12 kmod is visible so its not possible to install the DRM modules that belong to 15.1
what action is the novice user expected to take to install to be able to install drm-612-kmod-6.12.85.1501501_1 ?


# pkg search drm
drm-515-kmod-5.15.160.1500068_10 Direct Rendering Manager (DRM) GPU drivers
drm-61-kmod-6.1.128.1500068_10 Direct Rendering Manager (DRM) GPU drivers
drm-66-kmod-6.6.25.1500068_10 Direct Rendering Manager (DRM) GPU drivers
drm-kmod-20260508 Direct Rendering Manager (DRM) GPU drivers metaport
drm_info-2.10.0 Dump info about DRM devices




# pkg repos
FreeBSD-ports: {
url : "pkg+https://pkg.freebsd.org/FreeBSD:15:amd64/quarterly",
enabled : yes,
priority : 0,
mirror_type : "SRV",
signature_type : "FINGERPRINTS",
fingerprints : "/usr/share/keys/pkg"
}
FreeBSD-ports-kmods: {
url : "pkg+https://pkg.freebsd.org/FreeBSD:15:amd64/kmods_quarterly_1",
enabled : yes,
priority : 0,
mirror_type : "SRV",
signature_type : "FINGERPRINTS",
fingerprints : "/usr/share/keys/pkg"
}
FreeBSD-base: {
url : "pkg+https://pkg.freebsd.org/FreeBSD:15:amd64/base_release_1",
enabled : no,
priority : 0,
mirror_type : "SRV",
signature_type : "FINGERPRINTS",
fingerprints : "/usr/share/keys/pkgbase-15"
}
 
% pkg search -r FreeBSD-ports-kmods drm
drm-515-kmod-5.15.160.1501000_9 Direct Rendering Manager GPU drivers
drm-61-kmod-6.1.128.1501000_9 Direct Rendering Manager GPU drivers
drm-66-kmod-6.6.25.1501000_9 Direct Rendering Manager GPU drivers
drm-latest-kmod-6.9.1501000_1 DRM drivers modules


There is actually not (yet?) drm-612-kmod. But you have others, including drm-66-kmod. So, yes, if you need specifically this one and not 515, nor 61, nor 66, for the moment, you have to compile.

A novice user will prefer to not compile, because it's somewhat more complex than just pkg install (not to speak about the time).

Here, you have some official documentations: https://docs.freebsd.org/en/books/handbook/ports/#kmod-repository
 
went to vm-bhyve and never looked back
I'm in the opposite situation right now. Have to switch to VirtualBox because Bhyve deprecated CSM support, so I'm not able to install legacy systems like Windows 2008 R2 or XP/2000. But I need these systems time-to-time to run some specific soft that is not compatible with newer systems, unfortunately.

Hope, bhyve uefi-legacy port/package will be released soon, so I'll be able to run legacy systems with Bhyve once again. But for now I see no alternatives for VirtualBox for my cases.
 
Had the same problem a few years ago, went to vm-bhyve and never looked back.
% pkg search -r FreeBSD-ports-kmods virtualbox
virtualbox-ose-kmod-6.1.50.1501000_1 VirtualBox kernel module for FreeBSD
virtualbox-ose-kmod-70-7.0.26.1501000 VirtualBox kernel module for FreeBSD
virtualbox-ose-kmod-71-7.1.18.1501000 VirtualBox kernel module for FreeBSD
virtualbox-ose-kmod-72-7.2.8.1501000 VirtualBox kernel module for FreeBSD
virtualbox-ose-kmod-legacy-5.2.44.1501000_7 VirtualBox kernel module for FreeBSD


There are now not so much problems to use VirtualBox. You just have to be attentive at each OS upgrade.

I use VirtualBox under Windows, but not with FreeBSD. bhyve is the way to go for me, even if it lacks some features.

legacy systems like Windows 2008 R2 or XP/2000.
Personally, I don't use any legacy OS because of their never corrected security flaws. If you are obliged to do that, never leave them connected to any network.

If you search well, there are some chances you will find equivalent softwares running on current OS versions.
 
/offtopic
If you search well, there are some chances you will find equivalent softwares running on current OS versions.
That is the custom soft developed many years ago for specific purposes. I'm pretty sure there is no available and affordable alternatives for these specific tasks.

Anyway, it is safer, simpler, and easier to use well known and verified soft even though it requires legacy OS.

As for the security aspects, modern systems also has vulnerabilities, so I see no big difference in protection measurements here.
 
As for the security aspects, modern systems also has vulnerabilities, so I see no big difference in protection measurements here.
Once, I left a machine with Windows 7, maybe one or two years after support ended. My son brought a trojan into his laptop. It infected only this machine and not the others with Windows 10 (FreeBSD remained untouched, of course).

So, it's not some dogma, some discourses. It's something I lived. I can tell you, as soon as the support for Windows 10 terminated, I get rid of it on all my machines.
 
I can tell you, as soon as the support for Windows 10 terminated, I get rid of it on all my machines.
Good for you. And I'm happy for you being able to easily replace old soft/systems with new ones without any risks or issues.

I started this topic to rise a particular case and particular problem.

If you are trying to persuade me that I have to get rid of the software that perfectly solves its task just because it cannot be run on a modern system - I'll not do that anyway. Bhyve and new soft/systems can be perfect in their beauty, but they are not able to solve my case. At least, for now.
 
I don't mean to convince you. It's probable that you will experience same thing than me, one day (if this/these OSes are connected to a network).
But the idea: anyway all systems have security concern so... Well, this is dangerous, at least.
 
Everytime you update the Kernel you need to rebuild the VIrtualbox drivers /kmods towards the new kermel.
You need to do this in ports tree. Specificly because the FreeBSD 15 repos are for 15.0
We dont have a 15.1 Repo or KMOD repo online at this time. This affects all Kernel integrated KMODS
Although most common issue is graphics drivers. Were users try to install 15.0 graphics drivers on to the 15.1 kernel.
virtualbox-ose-kmod-72 port and virtualbox-ose-72 port versions mismatch 😫
7.2.6 7.2.18
 
I don't mean to convince you. It's probable that you will experience same thing than me, one day (if this/these OSes are connected to a network).
But the idea: anyway all systems have security concern so... Well, this is dangerous, at least.
Hate to tell you but in industry, with their 20 year renewal cycle, you find many Windows XP, either on machines themselves or running bare or virtual to carry the apps to configure them.
You just need to make sure they are not accessible from Internet.
And frankly even the latest versions shouldn't be.
a] patches come late anyway
b] state sponsored hackers do not care about CVE lists and firewalls are probably no match to them if they decide it is worth the trouble.
 
Well, when you have no choice, then... You have no choice.

At work, we have yet a Windows XP and a Windows 7. Always the same problem: the softwares we own can't run on new OSes. We could bye licences of the last versions but it costs a lot. In one case, we would have to change the machine the software manages as well. The price would be stratospheric. It's not my money and that's not me who decide.

Conversely, at home, there is no such high prices, no machine to manage. So, there is no obsolete OSes except in some VMs that I never run for too long.

Of course, a full patched OS have flaws, but the chances you get hacked/infected because of these so-called "0day" flaws is weak. No "top/state hacker" will waste her/his time to enter in my home network but a worm... It's already happened (and actually because of an old OS I kept at this time, note that it wasn't accessible by internet, I mean no service were running, no open port).

My company can suffer the same problem. if a worm is present on only one machine on the internal network, it could discover and infect these old Windows.

The speech that consists to tell: "In all cases you're not secure, so do what you want" is a no-way for me.
 
It's a bug, and the "why" is that kmods for 15.1, "kmods_quarterly_1" and "kmods_latest_1" repositories, are not updated since May 20 2026. I have the same problem on my system.
This doesn't help either:
Re: FreeBSD-ports-kmods repo not updated since May? (Date: Thu, 20 Aug 2026 13:00:06 UTC) - left unanswered.

I find it particularly sad that an update that focusses on a large number of CVEs:
emulators/virtualbox-ose-*72: Update 7.2.16 => 7.2.18 (19 CVEs), commit date: 2026-09-16
did not find its way in quarterly and latest kmods packages in FreeBSD-ports-kmods for the benefit of 15.1-RELEASE at all.

Showing explicitly:
Rich (BB code):
 # pkg rquery -x '%R %o %n %v' 'virtualbox-ose.*' | sed -E '/-additions-|-legacy/d' | column -t | nl -ba
     1  FreeBSD-ports        emulators/virtualbox-ose            virtualbox-ose            6.1.50_20
     2  FreeBSD-ports        emulators/virtualbox-ose-70         virtualbox-ose-70         7.0.26_8
     3  FreeBSD-ports        emulators/virtualbox-ose-71         virtualbox-ose-71         7.1.18_1
     4  FreeBSD-ports        emulators/virtualbox-ose-72         virtualbox-ose-72         7.2.18
     5  FreeBSD-ports        emulators/virtualbox-ose-additions  virtualbox-ose-additions  6.1.50.1500068_4
     6  FreeBSD-ports        emulators/virtualbox-ose-kmod       virtualbox-ose-kmod       6.1.50.1500068_1
     7  FreeBSD-ports        emulators/virtualbox-ose-kmod-70    virtualbox-ose-kmod-70    7.0.26.1500068
     8  FreeBSD-ports        emulators/virtualbox-ose-kmod-71    virtualbox-ose-kmod-71    7.1.18.1500068
     9  FreeBSD-ports        emulators/virtualbox-ose-kmod-72    virtualbox-ose-kmod-72    7.2.18.1500068
    10  FreeBSD-ports        emulators/virtualbox-ose            virtualbox-ose-nox11      6.1.50_20
    11  FreeBSD-ports        emulators/virtualbox-ose-70         virtualbox-ose-nox11-70   7.0.26_8
    12  FreeBSD-ports        emulators/virtualbox-ose-71         virtualbox-ose-nox11-71   7.1.18_1
    13  FreeBSD-ports        emulators/virtualbox-ose-72         virtualbox-ose-nox11-72   7.2.18
    14  FreeBSD-ports-kmods  emulators/virtualbox-ose-kmod       virtualbox-ose-kmod       6.1.50.1501000_1
    15  FreeBSD-ports-kmods  emulators/virtualbox-ose-kmod-70    virtualbox-ose-kmod-70    7.0.26.1501000
    16  FreeBSD-ports-kmods  emulators/virtualbox-ose-kmod-71    virtualbox-ose-kmod-71    7.1.18.1501000
    17  FreeBSD-ports-kmods  emulators/virtualbox-ose-kmod-72    virtualbox-ose-kmod-72    7.2.8.1501000
      >>FreeBSD-ports-kmods  emulators/virtualbox-ose-kmod-72    virtualbox-ose-kmod-72    7.2.18.1501000<<  <-- missing
 #
 
I stopped using VirtualBox precisely because of that same problem. With every update, the dependencies would break, and I just didn't feel like constantly fixing it. Everything ought to work properly after an update. try bhyve
 
Back
Top