Error creating machine: Error in driver during machine creation: This computer doesn't have VT-X/AMD-v enabled. Enabling it in the BIOS is mandatory

[GiantEnemyCrab]

I run a command like:

docker-machine --debug create -d "virtualbox" default

I get

Error creating machine: Error in driver during machine creation: This computer doesn't have VT-X/AMD-v enabled. Enabling it in the BIOS is mandatory

Here is my environment

helios@mtl-helios:~$ docker --version
Docker version 1.9.0, build 76d6bc9
helios@mtl-helios:~$ docker-machine --version
docker-machine version 0.5.0 (04cfa58)
helios@mtl-helios:~$ vboxmanage --version
5.0.8r103449
helios@mtl-helios:~$ lsb_release -a
No LSB modules are available.
Distributor ID: Ubuntu
Description:    Ubuntu 14.04 LTS
Release:        14.04
Codename:       trusty

Would be great if anybody could point me to resolve this.

Here is the --debug output: https://gist.github.com/GiantEnemyCrab/633c6c7e9f8fd929d348
And here is the VBox.log: https://gist.github.com/GiantEnemyCrab/43f3f9990af26deec4c8

[dmp42]

Hi @GiantEnemyCrab

I believe the error message tells you what's wrong and what to do:

This computer doesn't have VT-X/AMD-v enabled. Enabling it in the BIOS is mandatory

You need to go into your laptop BIOS and enable VT-X/AMD-v.

[GiantEnemyCrab]

Thanks for the response! Actually, I am on vmware and it's one of the VMs, headless. I am not the admin of the machine, but I suppose it is still possible to configure it?

[dmp42]

So, you are inside a VMWare VM and trying to start virtualbox inside it?
If so, it's very unlikely to work. Virtualization inside virtualization is usually not working.

[GiantEnemyCrab]

yes, I am on the VM server (not physical) and trying to create docker machine with the virtualbox docker inside that VM.

[nathanleclaire]

I do have VirtualBox inside of VMware Fusion working on a VM on my laptop, you have to toggle a setting in the Preferences menu for the VM to get nested virtualization to work though.

[nathanleclaire]

@GiantEnemyCrab If our VTX check is preventing you from being able to make a VM when you otherwise could (e.g. with older versions of Machine), then we should fix it, but check to make sure creating any VM at all works please.

[GiantEnemyCrab]

Thanks for the feedback so far to both of you.

The older versions, I could try 0.4.1 or 0.4.0 and come back here with results.

[GiantEnemyCrab]

hi @nathanleclaire

I am back here with some results. It looks like the machine itself is created in 0.4.1, I think.....
It is having a problem doing ssh into the virtualbox though. And it keeps being in the loop of attempting the ssh quite a number of times. It could be another issue?

Anyway, I will paste the debug log here.

VBox.log file: https://gist.github.com/GiantEnemyCrab/42187e86f4867028dced
docker-machine debug on: https://gist.github.com/GiantEnemyCrab/2df075516e922a68a0d1

[dgageot]

Hi @GiantEnemyCrab, before version 0.5.0, the vm was looping attempting ssh connection because the vm could in fact not be started. With version 0.5.0, the exact error is now displayed.

[GiantEnemyCrab]

ok, I somehow switched the version of virtualbox to 4.3 default, let me try with 5.0.8 again, sorry about this, and will be back with some results.

[dgageot]

To make sure that there's really a problem with the created vm, you can capture its screen with VBoxManage controlvm vm_name screenshot.png screen.png

[GiantEnemyCrab]

Thanks @dgageot, I got the screenshot. And there is a message before the docker whale ascii art saying:

This kernel requires an x86-64 CPU, but only detected an -686 CPU.
Unable to boot = please use a kernel appropriate for your CPU.

In this case, at least, VM is created using 0.4.1?

But weird, the CPU is indeed x86_64.

helios@mtl-helios:~$ uname -a
Linux mtl-helios 3.13.0-24-generic #46-Ubuntu SMP Thu Apr 10 19:11:08 UTC 2014 x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 GNU/Linux

Hmmmm, how can I move forward?

[dgageot]

Hi @GiantEnemyCrab The thing is you are running VirtualBox inside VMWare VM. So even if the host is a x86-64 with hardware virtualization enabled, there's a good chance that Virtualbox isn't able to use those VT-X instructions.
@nathanleclaire How did you make it work?

[nathanleclaire]

Click on VM => "Virtual Machine" menu => Preferences => Processors and Memory => Advanced options => Enable hypervisor applications in this virtual machine

[GiantEnemyCrab]

Thank you so much for the insight!

It turns out that since I am already in Ubuntu, I don't really need to do the virtualbox stuff. I can just docker create / docker run by pulling an image, such as postgres and it can run just fine.

I was blindly trying to follow instructions specifically for windows / mac, but it does not look like I need the initial docker-machine create default part anyway.

Please confirm that, and I think the error message given about VT-X, etc, is appropriate in docker-machine v0.5.0. In that case the ticket can be closed.

However, @nathanleclaire 's preference editing is a great reference as well.

[dgageot]

@GiantEnemyCrab Great! Let's close this ticket then.

[nathanleclaire]

Nicely done everyone 👍

[ye4241]

This solution works for me.(Window 10/8)

1. In the BIOS, enable the Intel Virtualization Technology. F10 and press Y to save.Reboot.
2. Win+Q, Find the Hyper-V Manager, Stop the service.
3. Win+X, then press A, bcdedit /set hypervisorlaunchtype off, press enter to disable hyper-v.
4. Reboot, and the hardware speedup is enabled now!

[krishna81m]

Have same problem on my Windows 7 Enterprise laptop running a Ubuntu OS VM using Oracle VirtualBox.

However, I do see Virtualization enabled on my Windows laptop as well as on Ubuntu VM. The Oracle VirtualBox includes System Acceleration Setting: VT-x/AMD-V, Nested Paging, Hyper-V ParaVirtualization on the Ubuntu VM, I tried the default paravirtualization as well, but of no use.

My windows laptop (has its own windows OS - docker issues) is able to start docker containers on created docker-machine on my laptop but not on Ubuntu VM,

Everything is messed up if I use docker-machine comands on my Ubuntu VM.

root@hyper-VirtualBox:/home/hyper# docker-machine ls
NAME      ACTIVE   DRIVER       STATE     URL   SWARM   DOCKER    ERRORS
default   -        virtualbox   Stopped                 Unknown   
root@hyper-VirtualBox:/home/hyper# docker-machine start default(default) Starting VM...
This computer doesn't have VT-X/AMD-v enabled. Enabling it in the BIOS is mandatory
root@hyper-VirtualBox:/home/hyper# docker-machine ls
NAME      ACTIVE   DRIVER       STATE     URL   SWARM   DOCKER    ERRORS
default   *        virtualbox   Running                 Unknown   Something went wrong running an SSH command!
command : ip addr show dev eth1
err     : exit status 255
output  : 

root@hyper-VirtualBox:/home/hyper# docker-machine -v
docker-machine version 0.5.3, build 4d39a66

[sanjayjaiswar]

VMWare Workstation/Fusion - Ubuntu VM (64bit 16.04)
Click on VM => "Virtual Machine" menu => Preferences => Processors and Memory => Advanced options => Enable hypervisor applications in this virtual machine

sudo apt-get install virtualbox

https://github.com/docker/labs/blob/master/swarm-mode/beginner-tutorial/swarm-node-vbox-setup.sh
./swarm-node-vbox-setup.sh

Worked just fine.

[xavyaly]

$ sudo docker-machine create --driver virtualbox manager1
Running pre-create checks...
Error with pre-create check: "This computer doesn't have VT-X/AMD-v enabled. Enabling it in the BIOS is mandatory"

Please note i am using AWS ubuntu 16.04 machine
Please guide me how to resolve this error in ubuntu 16.04 through CLI asap