Vagrant shared folder and symbolic links under Windows 10

Question

I have a vagrant box with Linux inside under Windows 10 (VirtualBox 5.1.4, Vagrant 1.8.5). I'm working with the Git Bash as normal user. Inside the vagrant box I cannot create a symlink:

c:/path/to/my/vagrant-project/ vagrant up + vagrant ssh
/home/vagrant/my-shared-folder/ $ ln -s /any/path/to/linux/box/folder my-symlink-name
/home/vagrant/my-shared-folder/ $ ln: creating symbolic link `my-symlink-name': Protocol error

Under Windows 7 it was working with: How do I create a link in Windows 7 home premium as a regular user?

So, has anything changed under Windows 10?

Solution

I was struggeling a long time with the same issue. Make sure that:

• The VirtualBox Option "SharedFoldersEnableSymlinksCreate" is active for each Folder *1)

• You MUST run the GitBash as "Admin" user because it seems that Usermanagement in Windows just allows the symlink creation for "Admin" users *2)

  1. You can do it manually from Windows command line (setextradata via VBoxManager) or via the Vagrantfile like

     virtualbox.customize ['setextradata', :id, "VBoxInternal2/SharedFoldersEnableSymlinksCreate//vagrant", '1']  
     

  2. Right click on GitBash icon and run as Administrator

     

  Afterwards you should be able to log into the vagrant box and create symlinks inside shared folders which showup in Windows explorer as .symlink files.

Comments

[das-g]

What happens when you issue that ln -s command? Do you get any error messages?

[Kevin Horst]

I just added the error message to my question. I found out, that I have to start the Git Bash as administrator to get this running. Is there a way to extend the normal user with "create symlink permissions"?

[Don't Root here plz...]

Nothing has changed in the symbolic links part of Windows 10.

[Ryan]

For me, running as administrator was not enough, and I still got "Protocol error" when trying to create symlinks. Here was what worked: stackoverflow.com/a/60741351/470749

[Kevin Horst]

this doesn't work for symlinks as described above

[Ramhound]

"This is not a solution to the original question" - If it is not an answer to the question that was asked, then why are you submitting it as an answer, to the question that was asked? Please take into considering that commentary should never be submitted as an answer.

[Ramhound]

I wouldn't have known it was an answer to this question, since you literally indicated, it wasn't an answer to the question.

[velop]

To my knowledge /vagrant in "VBoxInternal2/SharedFoldersEnableSymlinksCreate//vagrant" specifies the shared folder in which symlinks are allowed. v-root specifies the root of the vm. Furthermore symlinks are activated by default for v-root.

[UpTheCreek]

I use both these steps, and still have symlink failures when doing npm install for certain packages.