VirtualBoxVM cannot be completely approved in parental controls on Mac OS X

[jfalkenberg]

When trying to run VirtualBox on a restricted (child) account on Mac OS, parental controls ask each time when trying to start a VM if it is OK if the user runs VirtualBoxVM. However, you cannot allow this for "always" but only for "once".

[jgilmore]

This is a bug in the apple parental controls. Recently (10.6, I think) is was changed to prevent sub-applications from being launched. I read that there is an option to disable this behavior, but I can't find it. (macOSX 10.7.4)

In theory you can drag and drop the sub-application from the finder (right-click on virtualbox, select "show contents", select contents/resources, and drag VirtualboxVM) This doesn't work either. In fact, the "VirtualboxVM" will show up only until you click on another user. The change isn't saved. I believe this is another manifestation of the same bug.

Even Moving "VirtualboxVM.app" to the applications folder and symlinking it inside the "resources" folder doesn't work. Even if the internal "MacOS" symlink is copied instead.

I suspect that for some reason the parental controls are unable to recognize the sub-application as an application. It may be missing some critical unique identifier or some such.

I have not found any work around for this.

If this cannot be fixed quickly I may have to (with great reluctance) switch back to vmware. I must be able to restrict applications, but I need to allow access to my virtual machine. As things stand, NO virtual machine may be run by any user with ANY application restrictions.

[jgilmore]

Found it - Reboot.

Very windows-ish solution, but it works. Clears the parental controls cache or something. Anyway, after rebooting it prompted for several applications of strange names associated with virtualbox. However, this time it remembered them, and functioned correctly.

[aeichner]

Please reopen if still relevant with a recent VirtualBox release.