Virtual Box

*2017.01.11 If you're installing a new OS on a virtual machine, be sure Virtual Box is up to date... versions change frequently and it's good to use the latest one before setting up new systems.

When creating a virtual machine in virtual box, I specify the OS type, version and bit type. I start with 2048MB of memory... this is easy to adjust later on. For the hard disk file type, choose VMDK (Virtual Machine Disk). This is VMWare's format, but it sounds like it's the most cross-platform. Also may help with backups, and split the disk image into smaller sizes... all great features! Go with dynamically allocated, and then you'll also have the option to split files. 16GB is a good place to start. (6.4GB minimum needed for Xubuntu). Trying out encrypting home folder for virtual... may not apply to anything in /c.

If installing to a virtual machine, avoid allowing the installation to download and apply updates automatically. Disconnect from the internet. To be sure: Virtual Box -> Devices -> Network -> Disconnect Cable. That way you can apply the updates whenever you want to clone and re-run the setup scripts.

Consider implications of using LVM with disks

For VirtualBox, you'll need a "Host-only Adapter" in order to access the machine. When the VM is powered off, add another network interface:

Virtual Box -> Devices -> Network -> Network Settings...
Adapter 2 -> Enable Network Adapter
Attached to: Host-only Adapter
Name: vboxnet0

Then, when the machine is powered on, do:

#find all adapters... should be a new one that is unconfigured
ip addr
#enp0s8 for me
sudo vi /etc/network/interfaces
#add new section for interface, adapting from lines already there

# The local network interface
auto enp0s8
iface enp0s8 inet dhcp

sudo /etc/init.d/networking restart
#check for new ip with:
ifconfig

If you want to connect to the machine from outside of your local machine, you'll want to set up port forwarding. Back on "Adapter 1", toggle "Advanced" and click the "Port Forwarding" button. Add a new rule:

- Host IP: blank
- Host Port: 8822
- Guest IP: 192.168.56.101
- Guest Port: 22

Also be sure to open up 8822 (or whatever you choose) in the firewall:

 sudo ufw allow 8822

Start the system back up.

on ubuntu server 16.04.1 needed this:

sudo apt install build-essential

may need to do this if running before ansible:

sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade

#Virtual Box -> Devices -> Insert Guest Additions CD image... -> Download sudo mount /dev/sr0 /media/cdrom sudo /media/cdrom/VBoxLinuxAdditions.run

Eject Guest Additions form guest OS file browser, or:

sudo umount /media/cdrom

#restart Guest OS #can now resize screen too

#can do this sooner, but it won't work until now: enable clipboard sharing, bidirectional. Devices -> Shared Clipboard -> Bidirectional

#this requires proprietary oracle guest additions: Virtual Box -> Devices -> Shared Folders -> Shared Folders Settings... -> Add icon Choose "Folder Path": /c Check "Make Permanent"

It's best not to configure any external media until you are working on a cloned system. e.g. if you might want access to DATA drives, set that up later

http://askubuntu.com/questions/252853/how-to-mount-a-virtualbox-shared-folder-at-startup#252865

*2015.11.07 15:37:14 when cloning a VM using VMDK with multiple files, the clone does not preserve that setting (lumps everything back in to one big file)

research command line options... maybe there is a way to clone and preserve there:

VBoxManage createhd --filename /space/vdis/ubuntu9.10.vmdk --size 10000 --format VMDK --variant Split2G -remember

*2015.11.05 23:52:35 discovered that VMDK is a better format for disk images... allows image file to be broken in to smaller (2GB) pieces... this allows the image to be copied to a FAT32 system: http://superuser.com/questions/360517/what-disk-image-should-i-use-with-virtualbox-vdi-vmdk-vhd-or-hdd http://www.vmware.com/pdf/esx3_backup_wp.pdf

When it comes time to migrate between platforms (VMWare vs Virtual Box): http://kb.vmware.com/selfservice/microsites/search.do?language=en_US&cmd=displayKC&externalId=2053864

*2016.05.01 08:38:00 #virtualbox

mkdir -p /c/virtual_box/installs cd /c/virtual_box/installs

[snip virtualization-hypervisor.txt]

#In preferences: File->Preferences...->Network->Host-only Networks->Add icon (right)->vboxnet0

#Add Extension Pack File->Preferences...->Extensions

#change Default Machine Folder to be: /c/virtual_box/

#or external drive: /media/charles/DATA/virtual_box

It worked to boot directly from external drive (may be slower than host)... If you use an image often, it would be good to keep it local

*2015.11.07 18:32:32 difficulty getting USB to work on guest VMs... tried the version from Oracle even... hmmm... punting and mounting the device as a shared file for now (if needed)

*2015.10.25 08:27:32 Still using VirtualBox... good enough!

For sharing files, it should be possible to have a shared folder between host and guest... have done this on OS X... maybe requires extensions?

However, it is also possible to just use rsync. This requires SSH to be installed on guest, which is probably a good thing to enable anyway for Ansible

*2015.10.28 07:33:07 links http://xubuntu.org/getxubuntu/ Get Xubuntu « Xubuntu https://www.google.com/search?client=ubuntu&channel=fs&q=virtualbox+share+files&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8#channel=fs&q=virtualbox+network+connect+to+guest virtualbox network connect to guest - Google Search http://askubuntu.com/questions/52147/how-can-i-access-apache-on-virtualbox-guest-from-host apache2 - How can I access Apache (on VirtualBox guest) from host? - Ask Ubuntu http://www.slideshare.net/powerhan96/networking-between-host-and-guest-v-ms-in-virtual-box Networking between host and guest VMs in VirtualBox https://www.virtualbox.org/manual/ch06.html Chapter 6. Virtual networking http://askubuntu.com/questions/366742/how-to-share-the-files-from-host-to-guest-in-virtual-box-host-ubunutu-guest-ubu 12.04 - How to share the files from Host to Guest in virtual box? Host-ubunutu/Guest-ubuntu - Ask Ubuntu https://www.google.com/search?client=ubuntu&channel=fs&q=ubuntu+allow+ssh&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8 ubuntu allow ssh - Google Search https://help.ubuntu.com/community/SSH/OpenSSH/Configuring SSH/OpenSSH/Configuring - Community Help Wiki

Virtual Box ​

on ubuntu server 16.04.1 needed this: ​

may need to do this if running before ansible: ​

http://askubuntu.com/questions/252853/how-to-mount-a-virtualbox-shared-folder-at-startup#252865 ​

*2016.05.01 08:38:00 #virtualbox ​

Virtual Box

on ubuntu server 16.04.1 needed this:

may need to do this if running before ansible:

http://askubuntu.com/questions/252853/how-to-mount-a-virtualbox-shared-folder-at-startup#252865

*2016.05.01 08:38:00 #virtualbox