path: root/doc/manual/en_US/man_VBoxManage-guestcontrol.xml

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  "http://www.oasis-open.org/docbook/xml/4.5/docbookx.dtd"[
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<refentry id="vboxmanage-guestcontrol" lang="en">
  <refentryinfo>
    <pubdate>$Date: 2023-01-05 14:44:46 +0100 (Thu, 05 Jan 2023) $</pubdate>
    <title>VBoxManage guestcontrol</title>
  </refentryinfo>

  <refmeta>
    <refentrytitle>VBoxManage-guestcontrol</refentrytitle>
    <manvolnum>1</manvolnum>
  </refmeta>

  <refnamediv>
    <refname>VBoxManage-guestcontrol</refname>
    <refpurpose>control a virtual machine from the host system</refpurpose>
    <refclass>&product-name;</refclass>
  </refnamediv>

  <refsynopsisdiv>
    <cmdsynopsis id="synopsis-vboxmanage-guestcontrol-run">
<!-- The 'id' is mandatory and must start with 'synopsis-'. -->
      <command>VBoxManage guestcontrol</command>
      <group choice="req">
        <arg choice="plain"><replaceable>uuid</replaceable></arg>
        <arg choice="plain"><replaceable>vmname</replaceable></arg>
      </group>
      <arg choice="plain">run</arg>
      <arg>--domain=<replaceable>domainname</replaceable></arg>
      <arg>--dos2unix</arg>
      <arg>--exe=<replaceable>filename</replaceable></arg>
      <arg>--ignore-orphaned-processes</arg>
      <group>
        <arg choice="plain">--no-wait-stderr</arg>
        <arg choice="plain">--wait-stderr</arg>
      </group>
      <group>
        <arg choice="plain">--no-wait-stdout</arg>
        <arg choice="plain">--wait-stdout</arg>
      </group>
      <group>
        <arg choice="plain">--passwordfile=<replaceable>password-file</replaceable></arg>
        <arg choice="plain">--password=<replaceable>password</replaceable></arg>
      </group>
      <arg>--profile</arg>
      <arg>--putenv=<replaceable>var-name</replaceable>=[<replaceable>value</replaceable>]</arg>
      <arg>--quiet</arg>
      <arg>--timeout=<replaceable>msec</replaceable></arg>
      <arg>--unix2dos</arg>
      <arg>--unquoted-args</arg>
      <arg>--username=<replaceable>username</replaceable></arg>
      <arg>--verbose</arg>
      <arg choice="req">-- <replaceable>program/arg0</replaceable> <arg rep="repeat"><replaceable>argument</replaceable></arg></arg>
    </cmdsynopsis>

    <cmdsynopsis id="synopsis-vboxmanage-guestcontrol-start">
      <command>VBoxManage guestcontrol</command>
      <group choice="req">
        <arg choice="plain"><replaceable>uuid</replaceable></arg>
        <arg choice="plain"><replaceable>vmname</replaceable></arg>
      </group>
      <arg choice="plain">start</arg>
      <arg>--domain=<replaceable>domainname</replaceable></arg>
      <arg>--exe=<replaceable>filename</replaceable></arg>
      <arg>--ignore-orphaned-processes</arg>
      <group>
        <arg choice="plain">--passwordfile=<replaceable>password-file</replaceable></arg>
        <arg choice="plain">--password=<replaceable>password</replaceable></arg>
      </group>
      <arg>--profile</arg>
      <arg>--putenv=<replaceable>var-name</replaceable>=[<replaceable>value</replaceable>]</arg>
      <arg>--quiet</arg>
      <arg>--timeout=<replaceable>msec</replaceable></arg>
      <arg>--unquoted-args</arg>
      <arg>--username=<replaceable>username</replaceable></arg>
      <arg>--verbose</arg>
      <arg choice="req">-- <replaceable>program/arg0</replaceable> <arg rep="repeat"><replaceable>argument</replaceable></arg></arg>
    </cmdsynopsis>

    <cmdsynopsis id="synopsis-vboxmanage-guestcontrol-copyfrom">
      <command>VBoxManage guestcontrol</command>
      <group choice="req">
        <arg choice="plain"><replaceable>uuid</replaceable></arg>
        <arg choice="plain"><replaceable>vmname</replaceable></arg>
      </group>
      <arg choice="plain">copyfrom</arg>
      <arg>--dereference</arg>
      <arg>--domain=<replaceable>domainname</replaceable></arg>
      <group>
        <arg choice="plain">--passwordfile=<replaceable>password-file</replaceable></arg>
        <arg choice="plain">--password=<replaceable>password</replaceable></arg>
      </group>
      <arg>--quiet</arg>
      <arg>--no-replace</arg>
      <arg>--recursive</arg>
      <arg>--target-directory=<replaceable>host-destination-dir</replaceable></arg>
      <arg>--update</arg>
      <arg>--username=<replaceable>username</replaceable></arg>
      <arg>--verbose</arg>
      <arg choice="req"><replaceable>guest-source0</replaceable></arg>
      <arg choice="plain"><replaceable>guest-source1</replaceable> [...]</arg>
      <arg choice="req"><replaceable>host-destination</replaceable></arg>
    </cmdsynopsis>

    <cmdsynopsis id="synopsis-vboxmanage-guestcontrol-copyto">
      <command>VBoxManage guestcontrol</command>
      <group choice="req">
        <arg choice="plain"><replaceable>uuid</replaceable></arg>
        <arg choice="plain"><replaceable>vmname</replaceable></arg>
      </group>
      <arg choice="plain">copyto</arg>
      <arg>--dereference</arg>
      <arg>--domain=<replaceable>domainname</replaceable></arg>
      <group>
        <arg choice="plain">--passwordfile=<replaceable>password-file</replaceable></arg>
        <arg choice="plain">--password=<replaceable>password</replaceable></arg>
      </group>
      <arg>--quiet</arg>
      <arg>--no-replace</arg>
      <arg>--recursive</arg>
      <arg>--target-directory=<replaceable>guest-destination-dir</replaceable></arg>
      <arg>--update</arg>
      <arg>--username=<replaceable>username</replaceable></arg>
      <arg>--verbose</arg>
      <arg choice="req"><replaceable>host-source0</replaceable></arg>
      <arg choice="plain"><replaceable>host-source1</replaceable> [...]</arg>
    </cmdsynopsis>

    <cmdsynopsis id="synopsis-vboxmanage-guestcontrol-mkdir">
      <command>VBoxManage guestcontrol</command>
      <group choice="req">
        <arg choice="plain"><replaceable>uuid</replaceable></arg>
        <arg choice="plain"><replaceable>vmname</replaceable></arg>
      </group>
      <arg choice="plain">mkdir</arg>
      <arg>--domain=<replaceable>domainname</replaceable></arg>
      <arg>--mode=<replaceable>mode</replaceable></arg>
      <arg>--parents</arg>
      <group>
        <arg choice="plain">--passwordfile=<replaceable>password-file</replaceable></arg>
        <arg choice="plain">--password=<replaceable>password</replaceable></arg>
      </group>
      <arg>--quiet</arg>
      <arg>--username=<replaceable>username</replaceable></arg>
      <arg>--verbose</arg>
      <arg choice="req" rep="repeat"><replaceable>guest-directory</replaceable></arg>
    </cmdsynopsis>

    <cmdsynopsis id="synopsis-vboxmanage-guestcontrol-rmdir">
      <command>VBoxManage guestcontrol</command>
      <group choice="req">
        <arg choice="plain"><replaceable>uuid</replaceable></arg>
        <arg choice="plain"><replaceable>vmname</replaceable></arg>
      </group>
      <arg choice="plain">rmdir</arg>
      <arg>--domain=<replaceable>domainname</replaceable></arg>
      <group>
        <arg choice="plain">--passwordfile=<replaceable>password-file</replaceable></arg>
        <arg choice="plain">--password=<replaceable>password</replaceable></arg>
      </group>
      <arg>--quiet</arg>
      <arg>--recursive</arg>
      <arg>--username=<replaceable>username</replaceable></arg>
      <arg>--verbose</arg>
      <arg choice="req" rep="repeat"><replaceable>guest-directory</replaceable></arg>
    </cmdsynopsis>

    <cmdsynopsis id="synopsis-vboxmanage-guestcontrol-rm">
      <command>VBoxManage guestcontrol</command>
      <group choice="req">
        <arg choice="plain"><replaceable>uuid</replaceable></arg>
        <arg choice="plain"><replaceable>vmname</replaceable></arg>
      </group>
      <arg choice="plain">rm</arg>
      <arg>--domain=<replaceable>domainname</replaceable></arg>
      <arg>--force</arg>
      <group>
        <arg choice="plain">--passwordfile=<replaceable>password-file</replaceable></arg>
        <arg choice="plain">--password=<replaceable>password</replaceable></arg>
      </group>
      <arg>--quiet</arg>
      <arg>--username=<replaceable>username</replaceable></arg>
      <arg>--verbose</arg>
      <arg choice="req" rep="repeat"><replaceable>guest-directory</replaceable></arg>
    </cmdsynopsis>

    <cmdsynopsis id="synopsis-vboxmanage-guestcontrol-mv">
      <command>VBoxManage guestcontrol</command>
      <group choice="req">
        <arg choice="plain"><replaceable>uuid</replaceable></arg>
        <arg choice="plain"><replaceable>vmname</replaceable></arg>
      </group>
      <arg choice="plain">mv</arg>
      <arg>--domain=<replaceable>domainname</replaceable></arg>
      <group>
        <arg choice="plain">--passwordfile=<replaceable>password-file</replaceable></arg>
        <arg choice="plain">--password=<replaceable>password</replaceable></arg>
      </group>
      <arg>--quiet</arg>
      <arg>--username=<replaceable>username</replaceable></arg>
      <arg>--verbose</arg>
      <arg choice="req" rep="repeat"><replaceable>source</replaceable></arg>
      <arg choice="req"><replaceable>destination-directory</replaceable></arg>
    </cmdsynopsis>

    <cmdsynopsis id="synopsis-vboxmanage-guestcontrol-mktemp">
      <command>VBoxManage guestcontrol</command>
      <group choice="req">
        <arg choice="plain"><replaceable>uuid</replaceable></arg>
        <arg choice="plain"><replaceable>vmname</replaceable></arg>
      </group>
      <arg choice="plain">mktemp</arg>
      <arg>--directory</arg>
      <arg>--domain=<replaceable>domainname</replaceable></arg>
      <arg>--mode=<replaceable>mode</replaceable></arg>
      <group>
        <arg choice="plain">--passwordfile=<replaceable>password-file</replaceable></arg>
        <arg choice="plain">--password=<replaceable>password</replaceable></arg>
      </group>
      <arg>--quiet</arg>
      <arg>--secure</arg>
      <arg>--tmpdir=<replaceable>directory-name</replaceable></arg>
      <arg>--username=<replaceable>username</replaceable></arg>
      <arg>--verbose</arg>
      <arg choice="req"><replaceable>template-name</replaceable></arg>
    </cmdsynopsis>

    <cmdsynopsis id="synopsis-vboxmanage-guestcontrol-stat">
      <command>VBoxManage guestcontrol</command>
      <group choice="req">
        <arg choice="plain"><replaceable>uuid</replaceable></arg>
        <arg choice="plain"><replaceable>vmname</replaceable></arg>
      </group>
      <arg choice="plain">stat</arg>
      <arg>--domain=<replaceable>domainname</replaceable></arg>
      <group>
        <arg choice="plain">--passwordfile=<replaceable>password-file</replaceable></arg>
        <arg choice="plain">--password=<replaceable>password</replaceable></arg>
      </group>
      <arg>--quiet</arg>
      <arg>--username=<replaceable>username</replaceable></arg>
      <arg>--verbose</arg>
      <arg choice="req"><replaceable>filename</replaceable></arg>
    </cmdsynopsis>

    <cmdsynopsis id="synopsis-vboxmanage-guestcontrol-list">
      <command>VBoxManage guestcontrol</command>
      <group choice="req">
        <arg choice="plain"><replaceable>uuid</replaceable></arg>
        <arg choice="plain"><replaceable>vmname</replaceable></arg>
      </group>
      <arg choice="plain">list</arg>
      <group choice="req">
        <arg choice="plain">all</arg>
        <arg choice="plain">files</arg>
        <arg choice="plain">processes</arg>
        <arg choice="plain">sessions</arg>
      </group>
      <arg>--quiet</arg>
      <arg>--verbose</arg>
    </cmdsynopsis>

    <cmdsynopsis id="synopsis-vboxmanage-guestcontrol-closeprocess">
      <command>VBoxManage guestcontrol</command>
      <group choice="req">
        <arg choice="plain"><replaceable>uuid</replaceable></arg>
        <arg choice="plain"><replaceable>vmname</replaceable></arg>
      </group>
      <arg choice="plain">closeprocess</arg>
      <group>
        <arg choice="plain">--session-id=<replaceable>ID</replaceable></arg>
        <arg choice="plain">--session-name=<replaceable>name-or-pattern</replaceable></arg>
      </group>
      <arg>--quiet</arg>
      <arg>--verbose</arg>
      <arg choice="req" rep="repeat"><replaceable>PID</replaceable></arg>
    </cmdsynopsis>

    <cmdsynopsis id="synopsis-vboxmanage-guestcontrol-closesession">
      <command>VBoxManage guestcontrol</command>
      <group choice="req">
        <arg choice="plain"><replaceable>uuid</replaceable></arg>
        <arg choice="plain"><replaceable>vmname</replaceable></arg>
      </group>
      <arg choice="plain">closesession</arg>
      <group>
        <arg choice="plain">--all</arg>
        <arg choice="plain">--session-id=<replaceable>ID</replaceable></arg>
        <arg choice="plain">--session-name=<replaceable>name-or-pattern</replaceable></arg>
      </group>
      <arg>--quiet</arg>
      <arg>--verbose</arg>
    </cmdsynopsis>

    <cmdsynopsis id="synopsis-vboxmanage-guestcontrol-updatega">
      <command>VBoxManage guestcontrol</command>
      <group choice="req">
        <arg choice="plain"><replaceable>uuid</replaceable></arg>
        <arg choice="plain"><replaceable>vmname</replaceable></arg>
      </group>
      <arg choice="plain">updatega</arg>
      <arg>--quiet</arg>
      <arg>--verbose</arg>
      <arg>--source=<replaceable>guest-additions.ISO</replaceable></arg>
      <arg>--wait-start</arg>
      <arg>-- <arg rep="repeat"><replaceable>argument</replaceable></arg></arg>
    </cmdsynopsis>

    <cmdsynopsis id="synopsis-vboxmanage-guestcontrol-watch">
      <command>VBoxManage guestcontrol</command>
      <group choice="req">
        <arg choice="plain"><replaceable>uuid</replaceable></arg>
        <arg choice="plain"><replaceable>vmname</replaceable></arg>
      </group>
      <arg choice="plain">watch</arg>
      <arg>--quiet</arg>
      <arg>--verbose</arg>
    </cmdsynopsis>
  </refsynopsisdiv>

  <refsect1>
    <title>Description</title>
    <para>
      The <command>VBoxManage guestcontrol</command> command enables you
      to control a guest (VM) from the host system. See
      <xref linkend="guestadd-guestcontrol" />.
    </para>
    <refsect2>
      <title>Common Options and Operands</title>
      <para>
        The following options can be used by any of the
        <command>VBoxManage guestcontrol</command> subcommands:
      </para>
      <variablelist>
        <varlistentry>
          <term><replaceable>uuid</replaceable>|<replaceable>vmname</replaceable></term>
          <listitem><para>
              Specifies the Universally Unique Identifier (UUID) or name
              of the VM.
            </para></listitem>
        </varlistentry>
        <varlistentry>
          <term><option>--quiet</option></term>
          <listitem><para>
              Specifies that the command produce quieter output.
            </para><para>
              The short form of this option is <option>-q</option>.
            </para></listitem>
        </varlistentry>
        <varlistentry>
          <term><option>--verbose</option></term>
          <listitem><para>
              Specifies that the command produce more detailed output.
            </para><para>
              The short form of this option is <option>-v</option>.
            </para></listitem>
        </varlistentry>
      </variablelist>
      <para>
        Some of the <command>VBoxManage guestcontrol</command>
        subcommands require that you provide guest credentials for
        authentication. The subcommands are:
        <command>copyfrom</command>, <command>copyto</command>,
        <command>mkdir</command>, <command>mktemp</command>,
        <command>mv</command>, <command>rmdir</command>,
        <command>rm</command>, <command>run</command>,
        <command>start</command>, and <command>stat</command>.
      </para>
      <para>
        While you cannot perform anonymous executions, a user account
        password is optional and depends on the guest's OS security
        policy. If a user account does not have an associated password,
        specify an empty password. On OSes such as Windows, you might
        need to adjust the security policy to permit user accounts with
        an empty password. In additional, global domain rules might
        apply and therefore cannot be changed.
      </para>
      <para>
        The following options are used for authentication on the guest
        VM:
      </para>
      <variablelist>
        <varlistentry>
          <term><option>--domain=<replaceable>domainname</replaceable></option></term>
          <listitem><para>
              Specifies the user domain for Windows guest VMs.
            </para></listitem>
        </varlistentry>
        <varlistentry>
          <term><option>--password=<replaceable>password</replaceable></option></term>
          <listitem><para>
              Specifies the password for the specified user. If you do
              not specify a password on the command line or if the
              password file is empty, the specified user needs to have
              an empty password.
            </para></listitem>
        </varlistentry>
        <varlistentry>
          <term><option>--passwordfile=<replaceable>filename</replaceable></option></term>
          <listitem><para>
              Specifies the absolute path to a file on the guest OS that
              contains the password for the specified user. If the
              password file is empty or if you do not specify a password
              on the command line, the specified user needs to have an
              empty password.
            </para></listitem>
        </varlistentry>
        <varlistentry>
          <term><option>--username=<replaceable>username</replaceable></option></term>
          <listitem><para>
              Specifies an existing user on the guest OS that runs the
              process. If unspecified, the host user runs the process.
            </para></listitem>
        </varlistentry>
      </variablelist>
    </refsect2>
    <refsect2>
      <title>Guest Process Restrictions</title>
      <para>
        By default, you can run up to five guest processes
        simultaneously. If a new guest process starts and would exceed
        this limit, the oldest not-running guest process is discarded to
        run the new process. You cannot retrieve output from a discarded
        guest process. If all five guest processes are active and
        running, attempting to start a new guest process fails.
      </para>
      <para>
        You can modify the guest process execution limit in two ways:
      </para>
      <itemizedlist>
        <listitem><para>
            Use the <command>VBoxManage setproperty</command> command to
            update the
            <literal>/VirtualBox/GuestAdd/VBoxService/--control-procs-max-kept</literal>
            guest property value.
          </para></listitem>
        <listitem><para>
            Use the <command>VBoxService</command> command and specify
            the
            <option>--control-procs-max-kept=<replaceable>value</replaceable></option>
            option.
          </para></listitem>
      </itemizedlist>
      <para>
        After you change the limit, you must restart the guest OS.
      </para>
      <para>
        You can serve an unlimited number guest processes by specifing a
        value of <literal>0</literal>, however this action is not
        recommended.
      </para>
    </refsect2>
    <refsect2 id="vboxmanage-guestcontrol-run">
      <title>Run a Command on the guest</title>
      <remark role="help-copy-synopsis"/>
      <para>
        The <command>VBoxManage guestcontrol
        <replaceable>vmname</replaceable> run</command> command enables
        you to execute a program on the guest VM. Standard input,
        standard output, and standard error are redirected from the VM
        to the host system until the program completes.
      </para>
      <note>
        <para>
          The Windows OS imposes certain limitations for graphical
          applications. See <xref linkend="KnownIssues" />.
        </para>
      </note>
      <variablelist>
        <varlistentry>
          <term><option>--exe=<replaceable>path-to-executable</replaceable></option></term>
          <listitem><para>
              Specifies the absolute path of the executable program to
              run on the guest VM. For example:
              <filename>C:\Windows\System32\calc.exe</filename>.
            </para></listitem>
        </varlistentry>
        <varlistentry>
          <term><option>--timeout=<replaceable>msec</replaceable></option></term>
          <listitem><para>
              Specifies the maximum amount of time, in milliseconds,
              that the program can run. While the program runs,
              <command>VBoxManage</command> receives its output.
            </para><para>
              If you do not specify a timeout value,
              <command>VBoxManage</command> waits indefinitely for the
              process to end, or for an error to occur.
            </para></listitem>
        </varlistentry>
        <varlistentry>
          <term><option>--putenv=<replaceable>NAME</replaceable>=[<replaceable>value</replaceable>]</option></term>
          <listitem><para>
              Sets, modifies, and unsets environment variables in the
              guest VM environment.
            </para><para>
              When you create a guest process, it runs with the default
              standard guest OS environment. Use this option to modify
              environment variables in that default environment.
            </para><para>
              Use the
              <option>--putenv=<replaceable>NAME</replaceable>=[<replaceable>value</replaceable>]</option>
              option to set or modify the environment variable specified
              by <replaceable>NAME</replaceable>.
            </para><para>
              Use the
              <option>--putenv=<replaceable>NAME</replaceable>=[<replaceable>value</replaceable>]</option>
              option to unset the environment variable specified by
              <replaceable>NAME</replaceable>.
            </para><para>
              Ensure that any environment variable name or value that
              includes spaces is enclosed by quotes.
            </para><para>
              Specify a <option>--putenv</option> option for each
              environment variable that you want to modify.
            </para><para>
              The short form of this option is <option>-E</option>.
            </para></listitem>
        </varlistentry>
        <varlistentry>
          <term><option>--unquoted-args</option></term>
          <listitem><para>
              Disables the escaped double quoting of arguments that you
              pass to the program. For example,
              <literal>\"fred\"</literal>.
            </para></listitem>
        </varlistentry>
        <varlistentry>
          <term><option>--ignore-orphaned-processes</option></term>
          <listitem><para>
              Ignores orphaned processes. Not yet implemented.
            </para></listitem>
        </varlistentry>
        <varlistentry>
          <term><option>--profile</option></term>
          <listitem><para>
              Uses a shell profile to specify the environment to use.
              Not yet implemented.
            </para></listitem>
        </varlistentry>
        <varlistentry>
          <term><option>--no-wait-stdout</option></term>
          <listitem><para>
              Does not wait for the guest process to end or receive its
              exit code and any failure explanation.
            </para></listitem>
        </varlistentry>
        <varlistentry>
          <term><option>--wait-stdout</option></term>
          <listitem><para>
              Waits for the guest process to end to receive its exit
              code and any failure explanation. The
              <command>VBoxManage</command> command receives the
              standard output of the guest process while the process
              runs.
            </para></listitem>
        </varlistentry>
        <varlistentry>
          <term><option>--no-wait-stderr</option></term>
          <listitem><para>
              Does not wait for the guest process to end to receive its
              exit code, error messages, and flags.
            </para></listitem>
        </varlistentry>
        <varlistentry>
          <term><option>--wait-stderr</option></term>
          <listitem><para>
              Waits for the guest process to end to receive its exit
              code, error messages, and flags. The
              <command>VBoxManage</command> command receives the
              standard error of the guest process while the process
              runs.
            </para></listitem>
        </varlistentry>
        <varlistentry>
          <term><option>--dos2unix</option></term>
          <listitem><para>
              Transform DOS or Windows guest output to UNIX or Linux
              output. This transformation changes CR + LF line endings
              to LF. Not yet implemented.
            </para></listitem>
        </varlistentry>
        <varlistentry>
          <term><option>--unix2dos</option></term>
          <listitem><para>
              Transform UNIX or Linux guest output to DOS or Windows
              output. This transformation changes LF line endings to CR
              + LF.
            </para></listitem>
        </varlistentry>
        <varlistentry>
          <term><option>-- <replaceable>program/arg0</replaceable> [<replaceable>argument</replaceable>...]</option></term>
          <listitem><para>
              Specifies the name of the program and any arguments to
              pass to the program.
            </para><para>
              Ensure that any command argument that includes spaces is
              enclosed by quotes.
            </para></listitem>
        </varlistentry>
      </variablelist>
    </refsect2>
    <refsect2 id="vboxmanage-guestcontrol-start">
      <title>Start a Command on the guest</title>
      <remark role="help-copy-synopsis"/>
      <para>
        The <command>VBoxManage guestcontrol
        <replaceable>vmname</replaceable> start</command> command
        enables you to execute a guest program until it completes.
      </para>
      <note>
        <para>
          The Windows OS imposes certain limitations for graphical
          applications. See <xref linkend="KnownIssues" />.
        </para>
      </note>
    </refsect2>
    <refsect2 id="vboxmanage-guestcontrol-copyfrom">
      <title>Copy a file from the guest to the host.</title>
      <remark role="help-copy-synopsis"/>
      <para>
        The <command>VBoxManage guestcontrol
        <replaceable>vmname</replaceable> copyfrom</command> command
        enables you to copy a file from the guest VM to the host system.
      </para>
      <variablelist>
        <varlistentry>
          <term><option>--dereference</option></term>
          <listitem><para>
              Enables following of symbolic links on the guest file
              system.
            </para></listitem>
        </varlistentry>
        <varlistentry>
          <term><option>--no-replace</option></term>
          <listitem><para>
              Only copies a file if it does not exist on the host yet.
            </para><para>
              The short form of this option is <option>-n</option>.
            </para></listitem>
        </varlistentry>
        <varlistentry>
          <term><option>--recursive</option></term>
          <listitem><para>
              Recursively copies files and directories from the
              specified guest directory to the host.
            </para><para>
              The short form of this option is <option>-R</option>.
            </para></listitem>
        </varlistentry>
        <varlistentry>
          <term><option>--target-directory=<replaceable>host-dst-dir</replaceable></option></term>
          <listitem><para>
              Specifies the absolute path of the destination directory
              on the host system. For example,
              <filename>C:\Temp</filename>.
            </para></listitem>
        </varlistentry>
        <varlistentry>
          <term><option>--update</option></term>
          <listitem><para>
              Only copies a file if the guest file is newer than on the host.
            </para><para>
              The short form of this option is <option>-u</option>.
            </para></listitem>
        </varlistentry>
        <varlistentry>
          <term><literal><replaceable>guest-source0</replaceable> [<replaceable>guest-source1</replaceable> [...]]</literal></term>
          <listitem><para>
              Specifies the absolute path of one or more files to copy
              from the guest VM. For example,
              <filename>C:\Windows\System32\calc.exe</filename>. You can
              use wildcards to specify multiple files. For example,
              <filename>C:\Windows\System*\*.dll</filename>.
            </para></listitem>
        </varlistentry>
      </variablelist>
    </refsect2>
    <refsect2 id="vboxmanage-guestcontrol-copyto">
      <title>Copy a file from the host to the guest.</title>
      <remark role="help-copy-synopsis"/>
      <para>
        The <command>VBoxManage guestcontrol
        <replaceable>vmname</replaceable> copyto</command> command
        enables you to copy a file from the host system to the guest VM.
      </para>
      <variablelist>
        <varlistentry>
          <term><option>--dereference</option></term>
          <listitem><para>
              Enables following of symbolic links on the host system.
            </para></listitem>
        </varlistentry>
        <varlistentry>
          <term><option>--no-replace</option></term>
          <listitem><para>
              Only copies a file if it does not exist on the guest yet.
            </para><para>
              The short form of this option is <option>-n</option>.
            </para></listitem>
        </varlistentry>
        <varlistentry>
          <term><option>--recursive</option></term>
          <listitem><para>
              Recursively copies files and directories from the
              specified host directory to the guest.
            </para><para>
              The short form of this option is <option>-R</option>.
            </para></listitem>
        </varlistentry>
        <varlistentry>
          <term><option>--target-directory=<replaceable>guest-dst-dir</replaceable></option></term>
          <listitem><para>
              Specifies the absolute path of the destination directory
              on the guest. For example,
              <filename>/home/myuser/fromhost</filename>.
            </para></listitem>
        </varlistentry>
        <varlistentry>
          <term><option>--update</option></term>
          <listitem><para>
              Only copies a file if the host file is newer than on the guest.
            </para><para>
              The short form of this option is <option>-u</option>.
            </para></listitem>
        </varlistentry>
        <varlistentry>
          <term><literal><replaceable>host-source0</replaceable> [<replaceable>host-source1</replaceable> [...]]</literal></term>
          <listitem><para>
              Specifies the absolute path of a file to
              copy from the host system. For example,
              <filename>C:\Windows\System32\calc.exe</filename>. You can
              use wildcards to specify multiple files. For example,
              <filename>C:\Windows\System*\*.dll</filename>.
            </para></listitem>
        </varlistentry>
      </variablelist>
    </refsect2>
    <refsect2 id="vboxmanage-guestcontrol-mkdir">
      <title>Create a directory on the guest.</title>
      <remark role="help-copy-synopsis"/>
      <para>
        The <command>VBoxManage guestcontrol
        <replaceable>vmname</replaceable> mkdir</command> command
        enables you to create one or more directories on the guest VM.
      </para>
      <para>
        Alternate forms of this subcommand are <command>md</command>,
        <command>createdir</command>, and
        <command>createdirectory</command>.
      </para>
      <variablelist>
        <varlistentry>
          <term><option>--parents</option></term>
          <listitem><para>
              Creates any of the missing parent directories of the
              specified directory.
            </para><para>
              For example, if you attempt to create the
              <filename>D:\Foo\Bar</filename> directory and the
              <filename>D:\Foo</filename> directory does not exist,
              using the <option>--parents</option> creates the missing
              <filename>D:\Foo</filename> directory. However, if you
              attempt to create the <filename>D:\Foo\Bar</filename> and
              do not specify the <option>--parents</option> option, the
              command fails.
            </para></listitem>
        </varlistentry>
        <varlistentry>
          <term><option>--mode=<replaceable>mode</replaceable></option></term>
          <listitem><para>
              Specifies the permission mode to use for the specified
              directory. If you specify the <option>--parents</option>
              option, the mode is used for the associated parent
              directories, as well. <replaceable>mode</replaceable> is a
              four-digit octal mode such as <literal>0755</literal>.
            </para></listitem>
        </varlistentry>
        <varlistentry>
          <term><literal><replaceable>guest-dir</replaceable> [<replaceable>guest-dir</replaceable>...]</literal></term>
          <listitem><para>
              Specifies an absolute path of one or more directories to
              create on the guest VM. For example,
              <filename>D:\Foo\Bar</filename>.
            </para><para>
              If all of the associated parent directories do not exist
              on the guest VM, you must specify the
              <option>--parents</option> option.
            </para><para>
              You must have sufficient rights on the guest VM to create
              the specified directory and its parent directories.
            </para></listitem>
        </varlistentry>
      </variablelist>
    </refsect2>
    <refsect2 id="vboxmanage-guestcontrol-rmdir">
      <title>Remove a directory from the guest.</title>
      <remark role="help-copy-synopsis"/>
      <para>
        The <command>VBoxManage guestcontrol
        <replaceable>vmname</replaceable> rmdir</command> command
        enables you to delete the specified directory from the guest VM.
      </para>
      <para>
        Alternate forms of this subcommand are
        <command>removedir</command> and
        <command>removedirectory</command>.
      </para>
      <variablelist>
        <varlistentry>
          <term><option>--recursive</option></term>
          <listitem><para>
              Recursively removes directories from the specified from
              the guest VM.
            </para><para>
              The short form of this option is <option>-R</option>.
            </para></listitem>
        </varlistentry>
        <varlistentry>
          <term><literal><replaceable>guest-dir</replaceable> [<replaceable>guest-dir</replaceable>...]</literal></term>
          <listitem><para>
              Specifies an absolute path of one or more directories to
              remove from the guest VM. You can use wildcards to specify
              the directory names. For example,
              <filename>D:\Foo\*Bar</filename>.
            </para><para>
              You must have sufficient rights on the guest VM to remove
              the specified directory and its parent directories.
            </para></listitem>
        </varlistentry>
      </variablelist>
    </refsect2>
    <refsect2 id="vboxmanage-guestcontrol-rm">
      <title>Remove a file from the guest.</title>
      <remark role="help-copy-synopsis"/>
      <para>
        The <command>VBoxManage guestcontrol
        <replaceable>vmname</replaceable> rm</command> command enables
        you to delete the specified files from the guest VM.
      </para>
      <para>
        The alternate form of this subcommand is
        <command>removefile</command>.
      </para>
      <variablelist>
        <varlistentry>
          <term><option>--force</option></term>
          <listitem><para>
              Forces the operation and overrides any confirmation
              requests.
            </para><para>
              The short form of this option is <option>-f</option>.
            </para></listitem>
        </varlistentry>
        <varlistentry>
          <term><literal><replaceable>guest-file</replaceable> [<replaceable>guest-file</replaceable>...]</literal></term>
          <listitem><para>
              Specifies an absolute path of one or more file to remove
              from the guest VM. You can use wildcards to specify the
              file names. For example,
              <filename>D:\Foo\Bar\text*.txt</filename>.
            </para><para>
              You must have sufficient rights on the guest VM to remove
              the specified file.
            </para></listitem>
        </varlistentry>
      </variablelist>
    </refsect2>
    <refsect2 id="vboxmanage-guestcontrol-mv">
      <title>Rename a file or Directory on the guest</title>
      <remark role="help-copy-synopsis"/>
      <para>
        The <command>VBoxManage guestcontrol
        <replaceable>vmname</replaceable> mv</command> command enables
        you to rename files and directories on the guest VM.
      </para>
      <para>
        Alternate forms of this subcommand are <command>move</command>,
        <command>ren</command>, and <command>rename</command>.
      </para>
      <variablelist>
        <varlistentry>
          <term><literal><replaceable>guest-source</replaceable> [<replaceable>guest-source</replaceable>...]</literal></term>
          <listitem><para>
              Specifies an absolute path of a file or a single directory
              to move or rename on the guest VM. You can use wildcards
              to specify the file names.
            </para><para>
              You must have sufficient rights on the guest VM to access
              the specified file or directory.
            </para></listitem>
        </varlistentry>
        <varlistentry>
          <term><replaceable>dest</replaceable></term>
          <listitem><para>
              Specifies the absolute path of the renamed file or
              directory, or the destination directory to which to move
              the files. If you move only one file,
              <replaceable>dest</replaceable> can be a file or a
              directory, otherwise <replaceable>dest</replaceable> must
              be a directory.
            </para><para>
              You must have sufficient rights on the guest VM to access
              the destination file or directory.
            </para></listitem>
        </varlistentry>
      </variablelist>
    </refsect2>
    <refsect2 id="vboxmanage-guestcontrol-mktemp">
      <title>Create a Temporary File or Directory on the guest</title>
      <remark role="help-copy-synopsis"/>
      <para>
        The <command>VBoxManage guestcontrol
        <replaceable>vmname</replaceable> mktemp</command> command
        enables you to create a temporary file or temporary directory on
        the guest VM. You can use this command to assist with the
        subsequent copying of files from the host system to the guest
        VM. By default, this command creates the file or directory in
        the guest VM's platform-specific <filename>temp</filename>
        directory.
      </para>
      <para>
        Alternate forms of this subcommand are
        <command>createtemp</command> and
        <command>createtemporary</command>.
      </para>
      <variablelist>
        <varlistentry>
          <term><option>--directory</option></term>
          <listitem><para>
              Creates a temporary directory that is specified by the
              <replaceable>template</replaceable> operand.
            </para></listitem>
        </varlistentry>
        <varlistentry>
          <term><option>--secure</option></term>
          <listitem><para>
              Enforces secure file and directory creation by setting the
              permission mode to <literal>0755</literal>. Any operation
              that cannot be performed securely fails.
            </para></listitem>
        </varlistentry>
        <varlistentry>
          <term><option>--mode=<replaceable>mode</replaceable></option></term>
          <listitem><para>
              Specifies the permission mode to use for the specified
              directory. <replaceable>mode</replaceable> is a four-digit
              octal mode such as <literal>0755</literal>.
            </para></listitem>
        </varlistentry>
        <varlistentry>
          <term><option>--tmpdir=<replaceable>directory</replaceable></option></term>
          <listitem><para>
              Specifies the absolute path of the directory on the guest
              VM in which to create the specified file or directory. If
              unspecified, <replaceable>directory</replaceable> is the
              platform-specific <filename>temp</filename> directory.
            </para></listitem>
        </varlistentry>
        <varlistentry>
          <term><replaceable>template</replaceable></term>
          <listitem><para>
              Specifies a template file name for the temporary file,
              without a directory path. The template file name must
              contain at least one sequence of three consecutive X
              characters, or must end in X.
            </para></listitem>
        </varlistentry>
      </variablelist>
    </refsect2>
    <refsect2 id="vboxmanage-guestcontrol-stat">
      <title>Show a file or File System Status on the guest</title>
      <remark role="help-copy-synopsis"/>
      <para>
        The <command>VBoxManage guestcontrol
        <replaceable>vmname</replaceable> stat</command> command enables
        you to show the status of files or file systems on the guest VM.
      </para>
      <variablelist>
        <varlistentry>
          <term><literal><replaceable>file</replaceable> [<replaceable>file</replaceable> ...]</literal></term>
          <listitem><para>
              Specifies an absolute path of a file or file system on the
              guest VM. For example,
              <filename>/home/foo/a.out</filename>.
            </para><para>
              You must have sufficient rights on the guest VM to access
              the specified files or file systems.
            </para></listitem>
        </varlistentry>
      </variablelist>
    </refsect2>
    <refsect2 id="vboxmanage-guestcontrol-list">
      <title>List the Configuration and Status Information for a Guest Virtual
        Machine</title>
      <remark role="help-copy-synopsis"/>
      <para>
        The <command>VBoxManage guestcontrol
        <replaceable>vmname</replaceable> list</command> command enables
        you to list guest control configuration and status information.
        For example, the output shows open guest sessions, guest
        processes, and files.
      </para>
      <variablelist>
        <varlistentry>
          <term><literal>all</literal>|<literal>sessions</literal>|<literal>processes</literal>|<literal>files</literal></term>
          <listitem><para>
              Indicates the type of information to show.
              <literal>all</literal> shows all available data,
              <literal>sessions</literal> shows guest sessions,
              <literal>processes</literal> shows processes, and
              <literal>files</literal> shows files.
            </para></listitem>
        </varlistentry>
      </variablelist>
    </refsect2>
    <refsect2 id="vboxmanage-guestcontrol-closeprocess">
      <title>Terminate a Process in a guest Session</title>
      <remark role="help-copy-synopsis"/>
      <para>
        The <command>VBoxManage guestcontrol
        <replaceable>vmname</replaceable> closeprocess</command> command
        enables you to terminate a guest process that runs in a guest
        session. Specify the process by using a process identifier (PID)
        and the session by using the session ID or name.
      </para>
      <variablelist>
        <varlistentry>
          <term><option>--session-id=<replaceable>ID</replaceable></option></term>
          <listitem><para>
              Specifies the ID of the guest session.
            </para></listitem>
        </varlistentry>
        <varlistentry>
          <term><option>--session-name=<replaceable>name</replaceable>|<replaceable>pattern</replaceable></option></term>
          <listitem><para>
              Specifies the name of the guest session. Use a pattern
              that contains wildcards to specify multiple sessions.
            </para></listitem>
        </varlistentry>
        <varlistentry>
          <term><literal><replaceable>PID</replaceable> [<replaceable>PID</replaceable> ...]</literal></term>
          <listitem><para>
              Specifies the list of PIDs of guest processes to
              terminate.
            </para></listitem>
        </varlistentry>
      </variablelist>
    </refsect2>
    <refsect2 id="vboxmanage-guestcontrol-closesession">
      <title>Close a guest Session</title>
      <remark role="help-copy-synopsis"/>
      <para>
        The <command>VBoxManage guestcontrol
        <replaceable>vmname</replaceable> closesession</command> command
        enables you to close a guest session. Specify the guest session
        either by session ID or by name.
      </para>
      <variablelist>
        <varlistentry>
          <term><option>--session-id=<replaceable>ID</replaceable></option></term>
          <listitem><para>
              Specifies the ID of the guest session.
            </para></listitem>
        </varlistentry>
        <varlistentry>
          <term><option>--session-name=<replaceable>name</replaceable>|<replaceable>pattern</replaceable></option></term>
          <listitem><para>
              Specifies the name of the guest session. Use a pattern
              that contains wildcards to specify multiple sessions.
            </para></listitem>
        </varlistentry>
        <varlistentry>
          <term><option>--all</option></term>
          <listitem><para>
              Closes all guest sessions.
            </para></listitem>
        </varlistentry>
      </variablelist>
    </refsect2>
    <refsect2 id="vboxmanage-guestcontrol-updatega">
      <title>Update the Guest Additions Software on the guest</title>
      <remark role="help-copy-synopsis"/>
      <para>
        The <command>VBoxManage guestcontrol
        <replaceable>vmname</replaceable> updatega</command> command
        enables you to update the Guest Additions software installed in
        the specified guest VM.
      </para>
      <para>
        Alternate forms of this subcommand are
        <command>updateadditions</command> and
        <command>updateguestadditions</command>.
      </para>
      <variablelist>
        <varlistentry>
          <term><option>--source=<replaceable>new-iso-path</replaceable></option></term>
          <listitem><para>
              Specifies the absolute path of the Guest Additions update
              <filename>.ISO</filename> file on the guest VM.
            </para></listitem>
        </varlistentry>
        <varlistentry>
          <term><option>--reboot</option></term>
          <listitem><para>
              Automatically reboots the guest after a successful Guest Additions
              update.
            </para></listitem>
        </varlistentry>
        <varlistentry>
          <term><option>--timeout=<replaceable>ms</replaceable></option></term>
          <listitem><para>
              Sets the timeout (in ms) to wait for the overall Guest Additions update
              to complete. By default no timeout is being used.
            </para></listitem>
        </varlistentry>
        <varlistentry>
          <term><option>--verify</option></term>
          <listitem><para>
              Verifies whether the Guest Additions were updated successfully after
              a successful installation. A guest reboot is mandatory.
            </para></listitem>
        </varlistentry>
        <varlistentry>
          <term><option>--wait-ready</option></term>
          <listitem><para>
              Waits for the current Guest Additions being ready to handle the
              Guest Additions update.
            </para>
          </listitem>
        </varlistentry>
        <varlistentry>
          <term><option>--wait-start</option></term>
          <listitem><para>
              Starts the <command>VBoxManage</command> update process on
              the guest VM and then waits for the Guest Additions update
              to begin before terminating the
              <command>VBoxManage</command> process.
            </para><para>
              By default, the <command>VBoxManage</command> command
              waits for the Guest Additions update to complete before it
              terminates. Use this option when a running
              <command>VBoxManage</command> process affects the
              interaction between the installer and the guest OS.
            </para></listitem>
        </varlistentry>
        <varlistentry>
          <term><option>-- <replaceable>argument</replaceable> [<replaceable>argument</replaceable> ...]</option></term>
          <listitem><para>
              Specifies optional command-line arguments to pass to the
              Guest Additions updater. You might use the
              <option>--</option> option to pass the appropriate updater
              arguments to retrofit features that are not yet installed.
            </para><para>
              Ensure that any command argument that includes spaces is
              enclosed by quotes.
            </para></listitem>
        </varlistentry>
      </variablelist>
    </refsect2>
    <refsect2 id="vboxmanage-guestcontrol-waitrunlevel">
      <title>Wait for a guest run level</title>
      <para>
        The <command>VBoxManage guestcontrol
        <replaceable>vmname</replaceable> waitrunlevel</command> command
        enables you to wait for a guest run level being reached.
      </para>
      <variablelist>
        <varlistentry>
          <term><option>--timeout=<replaceable>ms</replaceable></option></term>
          <listitem><para>
              Sets the timeout (in ms) to wait for reaching the run level.
              By default no timeout is being used.
            </para></listitem>
        </varlistentry>
        <varlistentry>
          <term><option><replaceable>system</replaceable>|<replaceable>userland</replaceable>|<replaceable>desktop</replaceable></option></term>
          <listitem><para>
            Specifies the run level to wait for.
          </para></listitem>
        </varlistentry>
      </variablelist>
    </refsect2>
    <refsect2 id="vboxmanage-guestcontrol-watch">
      <title>Show Current Guest Control Activity</title>
      <remark role="help-copy-synopsis"/>
      <para>
        The <command>VBoxManage guestcontrol
        <replaceable>vmname</replaceable> watch</command> command
        enables you to show current guest control activity.
      </para>
    </refsect2>
  </refsect1>

  <refsect1>
    <title>Examples</title>
    <remark role="help-scope" condition="GLOBAL"/>
    <para>
      The following <command>VBoxManage guestcontrol run</command>
      command executes the <command>ls -l /usr</command> command on the
      <literal>My OL VM</literal> Oracle Linux VM as the
      <literal>user1</literal> user.
    </para>
<screen>
$ VBoxManage --nologo guestcontrol "My OL VM" run --exe "/bin/ls" \
--username user1 --passwordfile pw.txt --wait-stdout -- -l /usr
</screen>
    <para>
      The <option>--exe</option> option specifies the absolute path of
      the command to run in the guest VM, <filename>/bin/ls</filename>.
      Use the <option>--</option> option to pass any arguments that
      follow it to the <command>ls</command> command.
    </para>
    <para>
      Use the <option>--username</option> option to specify the user
      name, <literal>user1</literal> and use the
      <option>--passwordfile</option> option to specify the name of a
      file that includes the password for the <literal>user1</literal>
      user, <filename>pw.txt</filename>.
    </para>
    <para>
      The <option>--wait-stdout</option> option waits for the
      <command>ls</command> guest process to complete before providing
      the exit code and the command output. The
      <option>--nologo</option> option suppresses the output of the logo
      information.
    </para>
    <para>
      The following <command>VBoxManage guestcontrol run</command>
      command executes the <command>ipconfig</command> command on the
      <literal>My Win VM</literal> Windows VM as the
      <literal>user1</literal> user. Standard input, standard output,
      and standard error are redirected from the VM to the host system
      until the program completes.
    </para>
<screen>
$ VBoxManage --nologo guestcontrol "My Win VM" run \
--exe "c:\\windows\\system32\\ipconfig.exe" \
--username user1 --passwordfile pw.txt --wait-stdout
</screen>
    <para>
      The <option>--exe</option> specifies the absolute path of command
      to run in the guest VM,
      <filename>c:\windows\system32\ipconfig.exe</filename>. The double
      backslashes shown in this example are required only on UNIX host
      systems.
    </para>
    <para>
      Use the <option>--username</option> option to specify the user
      name, <literal>user1</literal> and use the
      <option>--passwordfile</option> option to specify the name of a
      file that includes the password for the <literal>user1</literal>
      user, <filename>pw.txt</filename>.
    </para>
    <para>
      The <option>--wait-stdout</option> option waits for the
      <command>ls</command> guest process to complete before providing
      the exit code and the command output. The
      <option>--nologo</option> option to suppress the output of the
      logo information.
    </para>
    <para>
      The following <command>VBoxManage guestcontrol start</command>
      command executes the <command>ls -l /usr</command> command on the
      <literal>My OL VM</literal> Oracle Linux VM until the program
      completes.
    </para>
<screen>
$ VBoxManage --nologo guestcontrol "My Win VM" start \
--exe "c:\\windows\\system32\\ipconfig.exe" \
--username user1 --passwordfile pw.txt --wait-stdout
</screen>
  </refsect1>
</refentry>