I want to setup Slackware on Virtualbox and migrate all of that to a live server. This way any mistakes that happen, happen on the Virtualbox and I can keep local copies. Can anyone explain to me if this is viable and if so give some tips on how to achieve this?

I have just set up virtualbox on slackware, and installed fedora on it.
You can do it, and hardly have to migrate it. Everything question you want answered is up on Google. To the main machine it's just another process. But what is the server running?

The main benefit of a vm is it's limited nature - If a vm is running mail and someone succeeds in hacking the mail server, he only gets into a vm. I would not have thought logging to be an advantage of VMs, as they can not access much of the disk(s).

Not exactly what I was asking. Not sure I know how to ask my question better, maybe if I did google would be more helpful.

So I am running OS X on a macbook and I have a VPS server running Debian. I want to change that VPS over to Slackware. I want to do all the configuration, compile and setup on a Virtualbox version on OS X and migrate it all over to the VPS server.

I think what you are asking is:

* Create a VM.
* Test until satisfied.
* Convert the VM to a physical machine.

For converting the VM there are two basic options:

* Convert the VM partition using vboxmanage.
* Copy the VM files.

I have done both.

I have a removable drive caddy to prep new disks.

To convert the VM using vboxmanage:
(The first step is needed only if you are using a dynamic drive.)
vboxmanage clonehd dynamic.vdi fixed.vdi --variant Fixed
vboxmanage convertdd disk_image.vdi disk_image.img --format RAW

I use gparted to create the new partition on a new disk as well as a swap partition.

Then I use dd to copy disk_image.img to the new hard disk partition:

dd if=/path/to/disk_image.img of=/dev/sdX1

The second option requires mounting the VM from the host system which requires bridge networking and NFS. Then I insert my new disk into my removable drive caddy, create the partition, and copy files.

In either case, be sure to check the following on the new disk:

* /etc/fstab
* Delete /etc/udev/rules.d/70-persistent*

You will need a method to boot the system the first time. The Slacwkare DVD should suffice. Then install your preferred boot loader.

I have not provided a detailed check list, but hopefully you get the basic idea.

I was wondering if something like this would work?

https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php...kup_with_rsync

Transfer from a VM to a physical machine is the same as any system to system copy/clone. There are a few items you may need to fix but you'd have those in any clone to different hardware and disk size.

You could use G4U or Clonezilla or redobackup or gparted even to move some or all data.

Not sure I'd start with dd. Too much time. Try to start with file to file type images.