Introduction

phpVirtualBox uses a caching mechanism to limit the amount of work vboxwebsrv has to perform, as well as the amount of network traffic generated. This allows for many users to access phpVirtualBox at the same time with a minimal performance hit.

As a result, changing settings outside of phpVirtualBox (using VBoxManage, or the VirtualBox GUI) may not be reflected in the phpVirtualBox web page. While phpVirtualBox DOES refresh its cache periodically, you may wish to manually refresh an item's cache. If you do not use VBoxManage, or the VirtualBox GUI, you may never have to worry about this at all.

Again, phpVirtualBox refreshes an appropriate item's cache each time a change that affects the cached item has been made through the phpVirtualBox web page. You may only have to perform these steps if you have made a change outside of the phpVirtualBox web page.

Cache Items

USB Devices

USB devices are not cached. It is expected that USB devices will be plugged in and removed at any time.

Virtual Machines

If you change a virtual machine's settings outside of phpVirtualBox, you may refresh its cache by highlighting the VM on the left hand side of phpVirtualBox. Then click on Machine (top menu item) -> Refresh. This will ensure that phpVirtualBox's cache is up-to-date. If you have changed a storage attachment setting (added / removed a hard disk for instance), or manipulated its snapshots, it is a good idea to also refresh the Mediums cache as described in the next section.

Mediums (Hard Disks, CD/DVD images, etc.)

You may refresh phpVirtualBox's medium list by opening the Virtual Media Manager in phpVirtualBox and clicking on the Refresh button in the toolbar.

VirtualBox host settings (host drives, host-only interfaces, etc.)

If you change the VirtualBox host settings outside of phpVirtualBox, you may refresh its cache by highlighting the VirtualBox at the top of the left hand side of phpVirtualBox. Then click on Machine (top menu item) -> Refresh.

The following are examples of tasks that may alter VirtualBox host settings:

Attaching a new CD/DVD drive to the host
Attaching a new network card to the host
Creating a new Host-only interface

VirtualBox System Settings

If you have changed VirtualBox system settings outside of phpVirtualBox, you may refresh the cache using the same instructions for refreshing VirtualBox host settings. When the VirtualBox host cache is refreshed, VirtualBox system settings are also refreshed.

The following are examples of tasks that may alter VirtualBox system settings:

Installing a new extension pack
Changing the Default Machine Folder setting
Any change made by running "VBoxManage setproperty"

Comment by dama...@gmail.com, Jan 28, 2011

I think you may refresh the entire VM when the settings window of this VM is opened in phpVirtualBox. Or at least having a config option that activates this kind of auto-refresh if the user wants this behavior.

Comment by project member imooreya...@gmail.com, Jan 28, 2011

I can see where this can be useful. A config option for this will be added in the next release of phpVirtualBox.

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