VirtualBox and Warpin (wic.exe)

[Bennie Nelson]

I'm interested in finding out how much effort is involved in creating the Warpin package for the VirtualBox Guest Additions. I maintain a number of ArcaOS VMs and I'm hoping there is an easier method than just manually updating the guest additions every time I move to newer releases of VirtualBox.

Thanks,
Bennie Nelson

[Dave Yeo]

The documentation etc is under x:\sys\install\WARPIN. I think you can use wic.exe to disassemble the package, then after updating files, reassemble it. Haven't tried though.

[Doug Bissett]

Haven't tried though.

I did try, a few years ago. It is actually pretty easy to build a WarpIn installer. The problem is, that you need the updated files, before they are released, so you can build the installer, and that installer needs to be included in the release. Oracle isn't interested in any of that because they don't have an OS/2 system to run WarpIn to build the package, and if they don't build it, they won't include it (you never know what might be in an externally produced package, so they won't do it).

After much experimenting, I decided that a REXX script was the answer, but they won't include that either. My script is now very much out of date (it doesn't include the access to shared folders), and it really isn't needed any more, since ArcaOS now installs that stuff for you (but only at an initial install, I think).

One very important thing, is: DO NOT copy the LIBC stuff into your system, unless you really want trouble. The stuff in the Extensions is way out of date, and you could replace the up to date stuff, if it is already installed.

[Bennie Nelson]

So I extracted the install script (wic -X) from the VirtualBox WPI file and listed the package (wic -l), but I have not found a way to list the specific files in the package other than extracting them with wic -x. It looks like I should be able to delete the 9 files, add the newer versions from the Guest Additions ISO, update the script (see below), and add that, as well.

Archive: "vboxadd.wpi"
WPI revision: 3
Stub size: 0 bytes
Package 1
     9 files, size:  5,107,122 bytes original
                     1,694,924 bytes compressed (67% compression)
Summary: 1 package(s), 9 files total
     5,107,122 bytes original
     1,694,924 bytes compressed (67% compression)

The version string for the PACKAGEID in the install script would need to be changed:
<PCK INDEX=1 PACKAGEID="Oracle\VirtualBox\Client Additions\6\1\12"

What am I missing?

Thanks,
Bennie Nelson

[Neil Waldhauer]

I suggest extracting all the files, replacing what you want, then assemble all the files.

Check the license file to see if you can publish your WarpIN package. You might be making this for your own purposes, but if you can get others to use your package, it will help you find any bugs sooner.

[Andreas Schnellbacher]

You can use my DOSBox installer as a huge example for using REXX to extend WarpIN. Beneath extracting the files README.OS2, inst\* and the .wis file from Jochen's package, there exists dosbox-createwpi.cmd.

The REXX .cmd files contain tons of examples. The createwpi script allows for using either extracted files (from an older package) or include files. Jochen always builds his files with recent DOSBox files, directly from its repository, so for me remained only to download recent NLS files and convert their numerous encodings.

Special about the REXX code in the DOSBox WarpIN installer is: It downloads missing .rpm packages, edits a config file, removes all kinds of old DOSBox files and uses dynamic WarpIN page contents.

It's surely much to big to start with wic. But I can sent it to you if you want. I rarely watch my os2world.com PM area, so please drop me a note here, in case.

BTW: WarpIN has several flaws. Many of them can be worked around with WarpIN REXX. Christian had made 2 presentations about advanced installations. One is how to automate uninstall (quite complicated, implemented now by Alex) and the others I remember are how to debug contained REXX code and how to dynamically build installer pages (e.g. his genmac installer). For NEPMD he had created a preprocessor that expands vars in the .wis file. Furthermore, I have added to the NEPMD installation to rename old NEPMD entries in the WarpIN database. All these are very special and require some experience.

Some tips:

• Use Christian's Initialize_GetTitle method for REXX code executed on starting WarpIN.
• The names of the packages should be fix. Changing them later should better be avoided.
• Use the GROUP tag for subpackages.
• Folders created by the installer should not have the REPLACE flag for CREATEOBJECT. That allows for moving them manually. REPLACE may be useful for all other objects.
• HTML comments are not allowed within tags.
• For updates, allow for installing it over the existing files, without uninstall for convenience.

[Alex Taylor]

So I extracted the install script (wic -X) from the VirtualBox WPI file and listed the package (wic -l), but I have not found a way to list the specific files in the package other than extracting them with wic -x. It looks like I should be able to delete the 9 files, add the newer versions from the Guest Additions ISO, update the script (see below), and add that, as well.

Archive: "vboxadd.wpi"
WPI revision: 3
Stub size: 0 bytes
Package 1
     9 files, size:  5,107,122 bytes original
                     1,694,924 bytes compressed (67% compression)
Summary: 1 package(s), 9 files total
     5,107,122 bytes original
     1,694,924 bytes compressed (67% compression)

Put a package number at the end of the command line to see the files in that package.

Or you can use my ARCVIEW program, it will display WPI file contents.

The version string for the PACKAGEID in the install script would need to be changed:
<PCK INDEX=1 PACKAGEID="Oracle\VirtualBox\Client Additions\6\1\12"

What am I missing?

Other than updating the changed files, not much. Unless, of course, the actual required install logic needs to be changed, in which case you'll need to figure that out.

[Neil Waldhauer]

If you can find a readme, you might add a note to it explaining your change.

[jailbird]

A dumb question..

Are the OS/2 Additions even really changed that often, or does their build system just automatically bump the release version every time they cut a new one?

I’m basically wondering if it’s even worth updating them, really?

[Doug Bissett]

A dumb question..

Are the OS/2 Additions even really changed that often, or does their build system just automatically bump the release version every time they cut a new one?

I’m basically wondering if it’s even worth updating them, really?

From what I have seen, the date, and time, on the files gets changed, at every release, but if you compare them to the previous ones, they are not really changed very often. They do get changed sometimes, but the only way to find out is to do a compare on the files. The safe, and easy, way is to always update, whether the files were actually changed, or not.

[Dave Yeo]

A dumb question..

Are the OS/2 Additions even really changed that often, or does their build system just automatically bump the release version every time they cut a new one?

I’m basically wondering if it’s even worth updating them, really?

Bird (Knut) does occasionally do work on the OS/2 additions, last was extended folders IIRC. He was the one who did most of our current libc work back in the day and now maintains the VBox build system.

[Andreas Schnellbacher]

How often Knut has changed the OS/2 additions in the nearer past? IIRC, Valery wrote that the current one may be Knut's last one.

[Dave Yeo]

How often Knut has changed the OS/2 additions in the nearer past? IIRC, Valery wrote that the current one may be Knut's last one.

About the same time as Valery released his, Knut also released some updates. IIRC, Valery's was more complete. Knut might return to working on it or might not. Not sure who builds the official OS/2 Additions, perhaps Knut

[mauro]

How often Knut has changed the OS/2 additions in the nearer past? IIRC, Valery wrote that the current one may be Knut's last one.

About the same time as Valery released his, Knut also released some updates. IIRC, Valery's was more complete. Knut might return to working on it or might not. Not sure who builds the official OS/2 Additions, perhaps Knut

Confirm that in my case, after having installed the Valery GA 5.0.51.r218 in feb 2020 , non further update was needed as they perfectly handle mouse integration, clipboard sharing, folder sharing, video resolution, although I've upgraded Virtualbox version time by time till today.

[Martin Iturbide]

Are the OS/2 Additions even really changed that often, or does their build system just automatically bump the release version every time they cut a new one?

I’m basically wondering if it’s even worth updating them, really?

Hi

On VirtualBox 6.0.2 OS/2 Additions, Knut finished (or restored) the "Shared Folder" functionality, on 6.0.10 he fixed something else on the shared folders. I think the latest ones are just rebuilds of the same OS/2 Additions source code. The final word is on the VirtuaBox Changelog. As far as I know this "shared Folders" from the official source only works from the command line of OS/2 to read and copy files from the host.

I'm using Valery's VBOX additions because he has WPS support for the "Shared Folder" feature. I can read and copy files from the host using the WPS GUI.

For what I been told Valery's implementation of shared folders (VBOXFS.IFS , not to be confused with VBOXSF.IFS) is completely different from the official one.

I contacted Knut about the ticket I opened and he said that he is going to take a look to put the "ArcaOS OS type."

Regards