Yum config, kernel-header, and VBox guest additions

Question

It appears that I've entered the Twilight Zone in dealing with kernel-header issues and installing OL 5.7 under VBox.
After using VMWorkstation quite happily for a few years, I've decided to give VBox a try. First I struggled with the differences in the way the two products handled networking (host-only and NAT), now I am struggling with getting VBox Guest Additions installed.
The first thing I do after initial OS installation is configure for the public yum server. Next I try to install the Guest Additions - mostly so I can share a directory with the host OS (Win 7) and pull in a bunch of standard scripts, Oracle DB install media, etc. Running the Guest Addition install - VBoxLinuxAdditions.run - complains about packgages, so I get them installed, and finally it complains about the kernel headers - unable to find source of kernel.
Looking around the web there seem to be a lot of 'this worked for me' -- with every solution being a bit different in critical details. I'd like to find not only a solution that will work for me, but also some explanation of the principals involved.
I'm beginning to suspect it may have to do with exactly how one configures 'public-yum-el5.repo'. I've always just enabled the section [el5_u7_base] (enabled=1) and left all other sections with 'enabled=0'. (and the 'u7' could vary, depending on what version I'm working with -- I've used 5.5 and 5.7). I just now built a new machine to try to crack this problem, and this time paid a lot more attention to what else was in the yum repo file. I noticed that not only are the '[el5_u(something)_base] sections:
[el5_latest]
[el5_ga_base]
[el5_u1_base]
[el5_u2_base]
[el5_u3_base]
[el5_u4_base]
[el5_u5_base]but also "ol" sections and "ol - UEK" sections:
[ol5_u5_base]
[ol5_u6_base]
[ol5_u7_base]
[ol5_u8_base]
[el5_addons]
[el5_oracle_addons]
[ol5_UEK_latest]
[ol5_UEK_base]
[el5_unsupported]I'm guessing that since "Oracle Enterprise Linux" is now simply "Oracle Linux", I should be using one of the "ol5" sections, and probably the 'ol5_UEK_latest'. Here's what I have actually installed for an OS:
[root@vblnxsrv01 yum.repos.d]# uname -a
Linux vblnxsrv01.vbdomain 2.6.32-200.13.1.el5uek #1 SMP Wed Jul 27 21:02:33 EDT 2011 x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 GNU/LinuxCan anyone clarify how these fit together, or point me to documentation to do so?
thanks.

Answer 1

DBA(t home) wrote:
After using VMWorkstation quite happily for a few years, I've decided to give VBox a trywhy now VBox? what is better?I'm beginning to wonder, myself!
I could really vent, but I dont' want to come off sounding like some of the vistors to the db forum that complain because Oracle isn't just re-badged SQL Server. But every step has been a struggle for what appears to me to be no good reason. When I first started building personal test systems with VMware, I'd never built a *nix system for myself, and had a lot to learn.  But I pretty well had it down in a weekend.  This struggle with VBox has been much more difficult.