VBFS(8)

NAME
vbfs - VirtualBox Shared Folder File System server

SYNOPSIS
mount -t vbfs [-r] -o share=sharename[,options] none mountpoint

DESCRIPTION
The vbfs server allows one to mount a VirtualBox shared folder as a file system. This makes it possible to access selected portions of the VirtualBox host file system when MINIX is run as a VirtualBox guest.

The above mount command will mount the vbfs file system onto the directory mountpoint. The -r mount option makes the file system read-only; note that shared folders may independently have been configured as read-only on the VMware host. The options field is a string consisting of comma-delimited key or key=value options. The vbfs server can mount only one shared folder at a time, and therefore, specifying a share name is required. The other options are optional. The following options are supported.

share=name
    This required option specifies the share name to mount. It is currently not possible to list the available share names from within MINIX3.

prefix=path
    This option sets a path prefix that will be prepended to all file system operations on the host system. The default is the empty path, exposing the entire share. Leading and trailing slashes are ignored.

uid=number
    This sets the user ID used for all the files and directories in the file system, allowing a non-root user to be the owner. The value must be specified as a decimal number. The default is root (the number 0).

gid=number
    Likewise, sets the group ID for all files and directories. The default is operator (the number 0).

fmask=number
    This option sets the file permission mask of regular files. It is specified as an octal number. For example, a value of 600 makes all files readable and writable by the owning user (see the "uid" option). The default is 755.

dmask=number
    Likewise, sets the file permission mask of directories. The default is also 755.

EXAMPLES

mount -t vbfs -o share=myshare none /usr/myshare
    # Mount the "myshare" shared folder on /usr/myshare

mount -t vbfs -o share=shared,prefix=foo/bar,uid=20,fmask=644 none /mnt
    # Mount the "foo/bar" subtree from the "shared" shared folder on /mnt

LIMITATIONS
VBFS has been designed to provide a convenient means to exchange files between the guest and the host system, not as a complete file system implementation. As such, it comes with many limitations. Some of these are VBFS implementation shortcomings; some are the result of behavioral differences between the host file system and the guest's expectations; some are the result of a mismatch between MINIX's VFS/FS protocol and the requirements from VBFS; and finally, some are the result of the user's ability to change the file system on the host system at any time.

SEE ALSO
mount(1), hgfs(8)

AUTHOR
David van Moolenbroek <david@minix3.org>