i have set up a headless vbox vm on ubuntu server 12.04. i've done this before from a gui distro no problem but reached an impass this time because ubuntu server has no gui for vrdp used by vbox for NATing remote connections. the issue is i set the machine up completely fine but need to now install the OS. when i start the vm it listens on port 3389 like it is supposed to but i can't access it via "rdesktop 127.0.0.1" because the server has no gui to use rdesktop and display the install process of the distro on the guest vm. this was a non issue before because my host OS had a gui but since this one doesn't i don't know what i should do. i don't want to install a gui because once the guest OS is installed rdesktop isn't needed since it will be accessed with ssh remotely via vbox's built in NAT function. any ideas how i can get this guest OS installed?

I have not done it but have you read this?
http://www.virtualbox.org/manual/ch07.html

yea i did. i know how it works the issue is i can't use rdp client from a non-gui server without x windows. rdesktop fails for that reason. i just didn't want to install all that. i tried with installing just xorg but no success. i kinda want to know the minimum i need to install to use rdesktop. their page has no documentation. i've seen other sites but they want too much installed like a full blown desktop and i don't want that. if i get no solution i can do it a diff way but thought i'd see if anyone had creative solution. i already put the request in for the admin to open port 3389 so i can rdp in from my laptop with a gui which will work but i have to wait for the powers that be to do that meanwhile any workarounds welcome

Depending on which OS you want to install there may be install media available that start the installer with a SSH server running, so that rdesktop isn't needed. Which OS do you want to install?

really. thats the kind of creative solution i'm looking for. i had no idea that is possible. i am installing like debian or ubuntu server. the criteria is: linux and no gui for the guest OS's. they are for students in a linux class at my school. each student gets his/her own vm with root permissions for the class. since i need like 30 vm/s and i got like 16gb RAM on server they only get 512MB RAM each (including the host OS) so i can't have a gui distro. leaning towards ubuntu server or a minimal debian for the guests

Here is a How-To for achieving what you want with Debian, I am not sure if this will work with Ubuntu: http://www.sgvulcan.com/installing-d...sing-only-ssh/

This looks like what you want to do:
http://www.sgvulcan.com/installing-d...sing-only-ssh/
I've not had chance to try it out but I'll definitely be giving it a go soon.

that was a great answer. i really had little expectation when i started this thread but you came through big time because no one was going to open that port over this holliday weekend and i really want to get this done. it also has i really never thought or knew how to customize the net-install version. most excellent.

really i only need it to do a unattended install. ssh isn't needed then because if i can config that iso to just boot and do the whole install without me everything would work. vbox will boot the iso currently. the bonus of that is it would make the process of doing 30 of these guests alot easier. nowthen i wouldn't i have to baby sit the install. i'll have to look into that as well

last question? regarding that link, when vbox boots this custom iso will it just go through the whole install process without needing any input from me? or does it just allow the regular install process to happen over ssh

It will just do the install process over SSH, if you want to have an unattended installation have a look at Debian's preseeding function: http://wiki.debian.org/DebianInstaller/Preseed
But you really don't have to do that for your purpose, just make one reference installation (and backup the VM for future purposes), then clone it 30 times using Virtualbox's clone function: https://www.virtualbox.org/manual/ch...manage-clonevm

thanks alot for your help. i did think of cloning but was unsure of the details so thanks for the link. my main reason for not researching it more was i figured they would all have the same user that ubuntu asks for at install. that was the distro i was originally using because the class has always been taught from ubuntu. i have permission to use debian or something else but there are some differences the teachers will need to be aware of if i do that. for example debian still uses the sysV init system and ubuntu has its own upstart so they'll have to modify those lessons. personally i think thats a good thing and really i should use a distro with the more relevant sysd start up. i think i may do the cloning however and the first day of class i'll suggest they make that lesson creating their own users and removing the default cloned one. if i clone i'll just have to use VBoxModify to associate a unique port for each guest to NAT the ssh connection through vbox. i.e VBoxManage modifyvm student1 --natpf1 student1ssh,tcp,,60001,,22 VBoxManage modifyvm student2 --natpf1 student2ssh,tcp,,60002,,22 etc....