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Innotek VirtualBox is a general-purpose full virtualizer for x86 hardware. Targeted at server, desktop and embedded use, it is now the only professional-quality virtualization solution that is also Open Source Software. Some of the features of VirtualBox are: Modularity, virtual machine descriptions in XML, guest additions for Windows and Linux and shared folders. The following workshop describes how to install VirtualBox (OSE) on OpenSuse 10.3 and to install a WindowsXP guest addition.
You have the choice between the following two versions:
- The full VirtualBox package is available in binary form free of charge. This version is free for personal use and evaluation.
- The VirtualBox Open Source Edition (OSE) is the one that has been released under the GPL and comes with complete source code. It is functionally equivalent to the full VirtualBox package, except for a few features.
Please see the this page for more details. Step 1: Installing Virtual Box (OSE) on OpenSuse 10.3
It is not so difficult to install and to run VirtualBox on an OpenSuse system. To get the necessary packages just add the OpenSuse Build Service – VirtualBox in the Community Repositories using YaST.
The next picture shows what kind of packages you should install. You will later find the tool in your Suse menu under “System”.
It is now important to accomplish the next steps to get the system running properly. We will first recompile VitrualBox kernel modules and to start the kernel module by using the following command:
/etc/init.d/vboxdrv setup
You can later start and stop VirtualBox using these commands:
/etc/init.d/vboxdrv start
/etc/init.d/vboxdrv stop
You also need to add your users who would like to work with virtual guest systems to the “vboxusers” group. Please use YaST the configure it like described bellow or to use the command line.
Step2: Installing a WindowsXP guest system
In step 1 we have learned how to install and configure VirtualBox. Its now time to get the “Guest System” running. We will use the “New Virtual Machine Wizard” to install it. This wizard will guide you through the steps that are necessary to create a virtual machine.
First off all we need to allocate the base memory (RAM) and the hard disk image to be used as the boot hard disk of the virtual machine. We will create a new hard disk using the “New” button.
You can now select the type of virtual hard disk image you want to create. We will use a “Dynamically expanding” image. Add the “Image File Name” and select the size of the virtual hard disk image in megabytes. You are now able to use the drop-down list to select an existing hard disk image.
You will now see a new virtual machine entry in you VirtualBox. Please double check the details and configure all components to your needs. Make sure to mount a CD/DVD-ROM with you in stallion CD (Windows XP) to be ready for the next step.
Select the virtual machine and press the “Start” button. The “First Run Wizard” will help you to perform the steps necessary for installing the WindowsXP operating system. Select the type of media you would like to use for the installation. You can use a Floppy or CD/DVD device but also image files.
After this you are able to install the operation system like you did several times before on Windows machines.
Step 3: Preparing desktop, network and shared folders
First of all we should setup OpenSuse to start the VitualBox automatically after rebooting. Just run the following commands from your console as root:
chkconfig vboxdrv on
chkconfig vboxnet on
You may have notice that VirtualBox just supports screen resolutions 1024x786 by default, but we would like to use the whole desktop (for example 2048x1024). In this case we have to install the “Innotek VirtualBox Guest Addition” on our guest system. Just click on Devices – Install Guest Additions and run the wizard. After the installation you will be able to run Linux and Windows application on the same desktop and to use the clipboard for both operating systems. I recommend shifting the Linux menu panel to the top and leave the Windows XP side bar at the bottom of the desktop (see picture below). You are now able to start the “Seamless Mode” by using the Right-Ctrl - L key combination. You can always go back to windowed mode by pressing Right-Ctrl - L key again.
Shared folders provide an easy way to exchange files between the host and the guest. Much like ordinary Windows network shares, you can tell VirtualBox to treat a certain folder as a shared folder, and VirtualBox will make it available to the guest operating system as a network share.
To share a folder with a virtual machine in VirtualBox, you must specify the path of the folder to be shared on the host and chose a “share name” that the guest can use to access it. From Linux VirtualBox's menu, go to Devices - Shared Folders to add/remove the folders in the Linux system that you would like to share with the Windows XP. From the command line, you can create shared folders using the the VBoxManage command line interface. Use the following command:
VBoxManage sharedfolder add "VM name" -name "sharename" -hostpath "C:\ShareFolder"
or use the following command to get a more detailed explanation:
VboxManage --help
In the WindowsXP guest, shared folders are browseable and are therefore visible in Windows Explorer. So, to attach the host’s shared folder to your Windows guest, open Windows Explorer and look for it under “My Networking Places” -> “Entire Network” -> “VirtualBox Shared Folders”. By right-clicking on a shared folder and selecting “Map network drive” from the menu that pops up, you can assign a drive letter to that shared folder.
Alternatively, on the Windows command line, use the following:
net use x: \\vboxsvr\sharename
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