VBoxManage: error: Failed to create the host-only adapter

Question

I am running vagrant 1.4 and virtual box 4.3 on fedora 17 machine. When I do "vagrant up", I get this error:

Bringing machine 'default' up with 'virtualbox' provider...                                                                            


[default] Clearing any previously set forwarded ports...                                                                                                                
[default] Clearing any previously set network interfaces...                                                                                                             
There was an error while executing `VBoxManage`, a CLI used by Vagrant                                                                                                  
for controlling VirtualBox. The command and stderr is shown below.                                                                                                      

Command: ["hostonlyif", "create"]                                                                                                                                       

Stderr: 0%...
Progress state: NS_ERROR_FAILURE
VBoxManage: error: Failed to create the host-only adapter
VBoxManage: error: VBoxNetAdpCtl: Error while adding new interface: VBoxNetAdpCtl: ioctl failed for /dev/vboxnetctl: Inappropriate ioctl for devic
VBoxManage: error: Details: code NS_ERROR_FAILURE (0x80004005), component HostNetworkInterface, interface IHostNetworkInterface
VBoxManage: error: Context: "int handleCreate(HandlerArg*, int, int*)" at line 66 of file VBoxManageHostonly.cpp

Solution 1

I had the same problem today. The reason was that I had another VM running in VirtualBox.

Solution:

1. Open VirtualBox and shut down every VM running
2. Go to System Preferences > Security & Privacy Then hit the "Allow" button to let Oracle (VirtualBox) load.
3. Restart VirtualBox

sudo "/Library/Application Support/VirtualBox/LaunchDaemons/VirtualBoxStartup.sh" restart

You should now be able to run vagrant up or vagrant reload and have your new host configured.

As mentioned in this answer, recent versions of macOS can block VirtualBox.

Solution:

Go to System Preferences > Security & Privacy Then hit the "Allow" button to let Oracle (VirtualBox) load.

(thanks to @pazhyn, @lsimonetti & @dave-beauchesne for clarifications)

Solution 2

For Mac OS X 10.9.3 and Vagrant 1.6.3 and VirtualBox 4.3.6 this problem was fixed with restarting the VirtualBox

sudo "/Library/Application Support/VirtualBox/LaunchDaemons/VirtualBoxStartup.sh" restart

Solution 3

TL;DR MacOS is probably blocking VirtualBox. Go to System Preferences > Security & Privacy Then hit the "Allow".

Solution: Go to System Preferences > Security & Privacy Then hit the "Allow" button to let Oracle (VirtualBox) load.

MacOS by default can block kexts from loading. You must click the "allow" button before executing the VirtualBoxStartup.sh script.

Then run: sudo "/Library/Application Support/VirtualBox/LaunchDaemons/VirtualBoxStartup.sh" restart like the answer above.

(This article provides more clarity to MacOS kernel extension loading)

Solution 4

This issue appears to be fixed by installing the latest version of Virtual Box.

Solution 5

Got the error in Mac after the update to Mojave. Probably you have an older version of virtual box.

Update to a recent version of virtualbox. (5.2 at the time of wrting this post)

Edit: adding @lsimonetti's comment.

In addition to that upgrade to Virtualbox 5.2, you need Vagrant >= 2.0.1

View more solutions

Comments

[Jeff Sisson]

you're running vagrant from fedora or that's your vagrant box os?

[Yuan He]

I have the same issue and running vagrant on OS X, is that the problem of virtual box?

[totophe]

@adi could you validate the right answer? Tks

[Steve Bennett]

Confirming this works on my Mac. Shutting down other VMs isn't sufficient, but restarting VB works.

[Erich]

Also worked for me, VirtualBox UI showed no VMs up, but restarting resolved the problem. Perhaps vagrant halt didn't finish successfully the last time.

[Ashwin Balamohan]

Worked perfectly! Thanks

[jamesplease]

This answer assumes, I guess, that VirtualBox is in your StartupItems. If it isn't, see @pazhyn's answer below, which seems to be more general & worked for me.

[amateur barista]

Does not work, virtualbox by default does not install at this location. I know mine is a default install and is not located in StartupItems. Please see @pazhyn answer below. Thanks!

[amateur barista]

Works for me, VirtualBox 4.3.18, OS X 10.9.3. Thanks!

[totophe]

@amateurbarista I've a default installation of VirtualBox and this work, as confirmed before by others, so your assertion is not correct. Although, I've also added the more common pattern, as this solution assumes VB is started with the system.

[Dr.jacky]

@totophe What about windows?!

[totophe]

@Mr.Hyde On Windows, you should just restart the virtual machines from VirtualBox and maybe restart VirtualBox itself.

[DevAnimal]

My case is Vagrant 1.7.4+Virtualbox 5.0+Windows 10 build 10240. Version 5.01 fix the issue.

[jaguililla]

vboxreload does not exist. Neither vbox

[Tihomir Meščić]

Thanks for this. I had the same issue.

[user1501382]

Thanks for this. I was using Virtual Box on windows and had exactly same issue. Your hint of checking preferences of network helped me solve this issue.

[Rubinum]

service not found :( although virtual box is installed.

[George D.]

would running parallels also be an issue causing this error?

[totophe]

@GeorgeD. Not to my knowledge

[Nick DuBois]

My local env just stopped responding. Could not get vagrant up. remove and installed vbox fixed whatever was the issue. Thanks

[Srdjan Marjanovic]

Worked for me! Thanks

[lsimonetti]

In addition to that upgrade to Virtualbox 5.2, you need Vagrant >= 2.0.1 github.com/hashicorp/vagrant/blob/v2.1.5/…

[Bahman.A]

For any one having the same question on: Mac OS 10.13 + vagrant 2.2.0 + VirtualBox 5.2.20 this worked perfectly for me. Thank you so much!

[trainoasis]

Had to do this and then click "Allow" in System preferences as mentioned by some other answers. Without this, the "Allow" did not appear even.

[daneczech]

MacOS by default can block kexts from loading. You must click the "allow" button before executing the VirtualBoxStartup.sh script. That was the issue for me ! Thanks!

[Redas Jarušaitis]

Worked for me. OS X with VirtualBox 6.0 and Vagrant 2.2.7

[Dave Hodgkinson]

Yes. Destorying the previous VM didn't do it for me.

[wowkalucky]

Confirmed on: - Catalina 10.15.5 (19F101), - Vagrant 2.2.9, Virtualbox v6.0.22

[muya_]

On macOS BigSur (11.0.1) I had to update Virtualbox to the latest version before getting the prompt on System Preferences > Security & Privacy > General to "Allow". A system restart was also required after allowing.

[Golinmarq]

Where do I set the allow?

[Mirko]

Big Sur, system pref -> security & privacy -> general -> unlock to make changes -> advanced -> approve and reboot

[Adam]

The main answer is correct, HOWEVER .... this post does say to reinstall VirtualBox which is what helped Apple recognize and re-approve the security preferences for me.

[Eliseu Monar dos Santos]

Yep, just restarting my Mac fixed it, thanks! (from 11.5.1 to 11.5.2)

[Julesezaar]

The first vagrant up normally provisions itself... And running the provision again can mess everything up. Provisioning is often not written to run twice (not idempotent), so it will execute things again. That is always very dangerous unless you have written everything so well that it can run multiple times

[monas]

That Allow access thing won't be shown after the update, only after install I guess. But the command does the job on Big Sur 11.5 and 11.6. One note - after that command I also had to do the restart.

[Pathros]

Thanks. More about how to solve it here.

[BZC]

Thanks. It solved the problem on Monterey.

[Apollo Grace]

This did not work for me - apparently the various shutdowns didn't work It says things like "Unloading VBoxUSB.kext", but then later it says "Error: VBoxUSB.kext is already loaded".

[Samuel Lindblom]

I never got the "Approve" button in Security & Privacy settings, despite following all advice. An extra restart solved it. Restart after each fix that you try, to save some headache.