LinuxQuestions.org
Review your favorite Linux distribution.
Go Back   LinuxQuestions.org > Forums > Linux Forums > Linux - Desktop
User Name
Password
Linux - Desktop This forum is for the discussion of all Linux Software used in a desktop context.

Notices


Reply
  Search this Thread
Old 07-02-2014, 05:21 PM   #1
SaintDanBert
Senior Member
 
Registered: Jan 2009
Location: "North Shore" Louisiana USA
Distribution: Mint-20.1 with Cinnamon
Posts: 1,767
Blog Entries: 3

Rep: Reputation: 108Reputation: 108
seeking help getting started with 'virtualbox'


I think that I'm stuck in analysis paralysis and hope that one of my LQ colleagues -- that's you gentle reader -- can help me get un-stuck.

As of 1 July, 2014, are most of the wrinkles ironed out for mainstream use by end-users who need a few apps in the guest OS environment?

Do I understand things correctly?
Install VirtualBox onto your running Linux system along with all of its parts. Then configure your VM disk space and other resources. That done, treat your VM as if it were its own enclosure and spin the install media for your guest OS. Lastly, spin the install media for any apps that you want to run on the guest OS.

The devil is in the details. Specifically, getting networking, video, USB, audio and video to work as desired within the guest OS VM. I've also heard of required tinkering for mouse and keyboard use as one moves from host display to VM display. Not only must one deal with this for the guest OS, but also for the several apps one wants to run.
I have a heavy duty frankenstein workstation running Linux Mint-17 KDE. "Frankenstein" meaning that I gathered hardware and assembled my own mostly custom box. Most of the time, I'm only using one or two or of my i7 cores and 16 GB box so there are lots of cycles for a virtual machine or two.

Thanks in advance,
~~~ 0;-Dan

PS/ Everyone should understands that "guest OS" is a euphemism for that other pane-in-the-glass desktop OS.
 
Old 07-02-2014, 07:41 PM   #2
jefro
Moderator
 
Registered: Mar 2008
Posts: 21,921

Rep: Reputation: 3618Reputation: 3618Reputation: 3618Reputation: 3618Reputation: 3618Reputation: 3618Reputation: 3618Reputation: 3618Reputation: 3618Reputation: 3618Reputation: 3618
I may mis-understand. A VM has almost all hardware based on some real hardware or some unique vm written device. For most installs of a client, the hardware presented is that of the VM choice not the actual hardware. If you are using a copy protected commercial OS then you may need to read up on how it can be legally copied. Also the cpu may affect how the activation scheme works. Some vm's present the real cpu to the client. In time more hardware will be actual to the client.

Some i7's are very good at running vm's. In fact a few were designed just for this task. Yes, many modern computers have excess resources. It isn't as simple as ram or cpu's either. Hard drive access and backplane and network all may consume resources.

As for an install. You do install the vm. May have to configure permissions or run some config setup. Might need to add in some package or two. You then create a client machine. You can change that later to some extent. Then boot the client to the source and normal load. Once it is loaded they generally can be copied or moved easily just like any subdirectory and set of files.
 
2 members found this post helpful.
Old 07-02-2014, 08:42 PM   #3
frankbell
LQ Guru
 
Registered: Jan 2006
Location: Virginia, USA
Distribution: Slackware, Ubuntu MATE, Mageia, and whatever VMs I happen to be playing with
Posts: 19,257
Blog Entries: 28

Rep: Reputation: 6119Reputation: 6119Reputation: 6119Reputation: 6119Reputation: 6119Reputation: 6119Reputation: 6119Reputation: 6119Reputation: 6119Reputation: 6119Reputation: 6119
This tutorial looks pretty good.

The interface may have changed slightly since it was written, but it should be a good starting place.

A long time ago, I wrote a series of blog posts on installing CentOS in VirtualBox. It might help you. This links to the last post; it contains links to the previous ones.
 
1 members found this post helpful.
Old 07-03-2014, 05:43 PM   #4
SaintDanBert
Senior Member
 
Registered: Jan 2009
Location: "North Shore" Louisiana USA
Distribution: Mint-20.1 with Cinnamon
Posts: 1,767

Original Poster
Blog Entries: 3

Rep: Reputation: 108Reputation: 108
Quote:
Originally Posted by frankbell View Post
This tutorial looks pretty good.

The interface may have changed slightly since it was written, but it should be a good starting place.

A long time ago, I wrote a series of blog posts on installing CentOS in VirtualBox. It might help you. This links to the last post; it contains links to the previous ones.
Thanks, frankbell for your links and your blog post reference. While I'm going to deploy Linux as the host and that other OS as the guest, the process is likely very similar as you suggest.


Follow-up:
I found this article Windows-8 as Guest at the site of your 'Tutorial' link. Between the two, I might have what I need.

{I can't resist}... I'll be back ... {sorry}
with a report of my success or other news.

Regards,
~~~ 8d;-Dan

Last edited by SaintDanBert; 07-03-2014 at 05:48 PM.
 
Old 07-03-2014, 08:44 PM   #5
jefro
Moderator
 
Registered: Mar 2008
Posts: 21,921

Rep: Reputation: 3618Reputation: 3618Reputation: 3618Reputation: 3618Reputation: 3618Reputation: 3618Reputation: 3618Reputation: 3618Reputation: 3618Reputation: 3618Reputation: 3618
That's all right. Thanks for the update.
 
Old 07-03-2014, 08:51 PM   #6
frankbell
LQ Guru
 
Registered: Jan 2006
Location: Virginia, USA
Distribution: Slackware, Ubuntu MATE, Mageia, and whatever VMs I happen to be playing with
Posts: 19,257
Blog Entries: 28

Rep: Reputation: 6119Reputation: 6119Reputation: 6119Reputation: 6119Reputation: 6119Reputation: 6119Reputation: 6119Reputation: 6119Reputation: 6119Reputation: 6119Reputation: 6119
Glad I could help.

I've run VirtualBox on both Windows and Linux. The VB interface is the virtually (you will pardon the expression) the same on both.

Last edited by frankbell; 07-03-2014 at 08:53 PM.
 
Old 07-04-2014, 02:57 PM   #7
jefro
Moderator
 
Registered: Mar 2008
Posts: 21,921

Rep: Reputation: 3618Reputation: 3618Reputation: 3618Reputation: 3618Reputation: 3618Reputation: 3618Reputation: 3618Reputation: 3618Reputation: 3618Reputation: 3618Reputation: 3618
Ouch!
 
Old 07-04-2014, 03:24 PM   #8
SaintDanBert
Senior Member
 
Registered: Jan 2009
Location: "North Shore" Louisiana USA
Distribution: Mint-20.1 with Cinnamon
Posts: 1,767

Original Poster
Blog Entries: 3

Rep: Reputation: 108Reputation: 108
I was in grad school for Computer Science in the late 70's. IBM did this huge research project. Their conclusion? "Virtual memory systems run best with lots of physical memory."

Things don't change but that they remain the same.

Thanks for all the discussion.
~~~ 0;-Dan
 
Old 07-04-2014, 03:30 PM   #9
SaintDanBert
Senior Member
 
Registered: Jan 2009
Location: "North Shore" Louisiana USA
Distribution: Mint-20.1 with Cinnamon
Posts: 1,767

Original Poster
Blog Entries: 3

Rep: Reputation: 108Reputation: 108
Quote:
Originally Posted by frankbell View Post
Glad I could help.

I've run VirtualBox on both Windows and Linux. The VB interface is the virtually (you will pardon the expression) the same on both.
With a Linux host and a win-7 guest,
  • Will it matter whether I use "Home Premium" or "Professional" as the guest?
  • Will it matter if I use 32-bit vs. 64-bit guest?
    NOTE -- My Linux host is 64-bit everything.
This is somewhat rhetorical as I'll use what I have, but I'm curious about the technical considerations as I learn this virtualization topic.

{COMMENTARY}
It would be wonderful if I could simply point VirtualBox™ at an existing win-dose partition and say RUN_WITH_THIS. That would make conversion from dual-boot to virtual simple and straight forward.
{/COMMENTARY}

Regards,
~~~ 0;-Dan

Last edited by SaintDanBert; 07-04-2014 at 03:31 PM.
 
Old 07-04-2014, 08:32 PM   #10
frankbell
LQ Guru
 
Registered: Jan 2006
Location: Virginia, USA
Distribution: Slackware, Ubuntu MATE, Mageia, and whatever VMs I happen to be playing with
Posts: 19,257
Blog Entries: 28

Rep: Reputation: 6119Reputation: 6119Reputation: 6119Reputation: 6119Reputation: 6119Reputation: 6119Reputation: 6119Reputation: 6119Reputation: 6119Reputation: 6119Reputation: 6119
Quote:
Will it matter whether I use "Home Premium" or "Professional" as the guest?
It shouldn't matter as far as VB is concerned. As far as Windows will know, it's installing to a blank HDD. All the installation dialogs you will see are the same ones you will see if you installed to bare metal. You will get the features of whatever version of Windows you install.
 
1 members found this post helpful.
  


Reply


Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is Off
HTML code is Off



Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
VirtualBox Web Service started by default installation catkin Linux - Software 1 04-20-2012 08:49 AM
[SOLVED] No sound in KDE when started by startx while working fine when started by kdm/gdm arj1singh Ubuntu 2 12-14-2010 11:55 AM
VirtualBox:Sporadic problems when 'VBoxHeadless' is started in background. MheAd Linux - Virtualization and Cloud 0 04-23-2010 03:39 AM
Started nautilus as root....problems started Chaosbringer SUSE / openSUSE 0 11-05-2008 03:00 AM
Windows user, want to get started in Slackware, seeking all kinds of advice Zaelryn Slackware 49 07-07-2005 01:34 PM

LinuxQuestions.org > Forums > Linux Forums > Linux - Desktop

All times are GMT -5. The time now is 02:12 AM.

Main Menu
Advertisement
My LQ
Write for LQ
LinuxQuestions.org is looking for people interested in writing Editorials, Articles, Reviews, and more. If you'd like to contribute content, let us know.
Main Menu
Syndicate
RSS1  Latest Threads
RSS1  LQ News
Twitter: @linuxquestions
Open Source Consulting | Domain Registration