virtualbox fails to compile kernel modules via dkms after kernel update

[CharlesA]

I had the same issue happen after upgrading from kernel 2.6.32-37-server to kernel 2.6.32-38-server , and again after upgrading from -38 to -39.

After rebooting into the update kernel, the vbox kernel modules fail to compile using DKMS with the following errors:

 * Uninstalling old VirtualBox DKMS kernel modules
 dkms.conf: Error! No 'DEST_MODULE_LOCATION' directive specified.
dkms.conf: Error! No 'PACKAGE_NAME' directive specified.
dkms.conf: Error! No 'PACKAGE_VERSION' directive specified.
dkms.conf: Error! No 'DEST_MODULE_LOCATION' directive specified.
dkms.conf: Error! No 'PACKAGE_NAME' directive specified.
dkms.conf: Error! No 'PACKAGE_VERSION' directive specified.
dkms.conf: Error! No 'DEST_MODULE_LOCATION' directive specified.
dkms.conf: Error! No 'PACKAGE_NAME' directive specified.
dkms.conf: Error! No 'PACKAGE_VERSION' directive specified.
dkms.conf: Error! No 'DEST_MODULE_LOCATION' directive specified.
dkms.conf: Error! No 'PACKAGE_NAME' directive specified.
dkms.conf: Error! No 'PACKAGE_VERSION' directive specified.
dkms.conf: Error! No 'DEST_MODULE_LOCATION' directive specified.
dkms.conf: Error! No 'PACKAGE_NAME' directive specified.
dkms.conf: Error! No 'PACKAGE_VERSION' directive specified.

Error! Bad conf file.
File: /var/lib/dkms/vboxhost/4.1.6/source/dkms.conf does not represent
a valid dkms.conf file.
dkms.conf: Error! No 'DEST_MODULE_LOCATION' directive specified.
dkms.conf: Error! No 'PACKAGE_NAME' directive specified.
dkms.conf: Error! No 'PACKAGE_VERSION' directive specified.

Error! Bad conf file.
File: /var/lib/dkms/vboxhost/4.1.6/source/dkms.conf does not represent
a valid dkms.conf file.
dkms.conf: Error! No 'DEST_MODULE_LOCATION' directive specified.
dkms.conf: Error! No 'PACKAGE_NAME' directive specified.
dkms.conf: Error! No 'PACKAGE_VERSION' directive specified.

Error! Bad conf file.
File: /var/lib/dkms/vboxhost/4.1.6/source/dkms.conf does not represent
a valid dkms.conf file.
dkms.conf: Error! No 'DEST_MODULE_LOCATION' directive specified.
dkms.conf: Error! No 'PACKAGE_NAME' directive specified.
dkms.conf: Error! No 'PACKAGE_VERSION' directive specified.

Error! Bad conf file.
File: /var/lib/dkms/vboxhost/4.1.6/source/dkms.conf does not represent
a valid dkms.conf file.

There was a thread on the virtualbox forums about a similar thing from 2010, and it was pointed out that there was a bug in DKMS: https://forums.virtualbox.org/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=36320

Last time purging vbox and reinstalling it fixed the problem but this isn't the case this time.

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 10.04
Package: dkms 2.1.1.2-2ubuntu1
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 2.6.32-39.86-server 2.6.32.56+drm33.22
Uname: Linux 2.6.32-39-server x86_64
NonfreeKernelModules: rr26xx
Architecture: amd64
Date: Tue Mar 6 08:10:33 2012
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu-Server 10.04.1 LTS "Lucid Lynx" - Release amd64 (20100816.2)
PackageArchitecture: all
ProcEnviron:
 LANG=en_US.UTF-8
 SHELL=/bin/bash
SourcePackage: dkms

[CharlesA (charlesa)]

The fix was to remove the the entire vboxhost directory from:
/var/lib/dkms/vboxhost

Then running this:
sudo /etc/init.d/vboxdrv setup

The thing is - this only started happening after upgrading to the -38-server and -39-server kernels. Prior to that it was working fine.

[dino99 (9d9)]

That version is no more supported; and no expecting backport as it only concern 'security' problem.