TTC Shelbyville – Technical Blog

It's not where you are at today, it is where you are going tomorrow. ~Steve Mallard

Archive for September 12th, 2009

Virtualbox 3.0.6 Review

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Sun Microsystems Virtualbox 3.0.6 is the latest virtualization application from Sun.   Computer users are beginning to see the development and use for multiple operating systems on a single computer.  In today’s world cloud computing and virtualization are two of the fastest growing technologies.  VirtualBox supports Linux, MAC and Windows.

Benefits of Virtualization

  • Power Cost Savings
  • Hardware Cost Savings (Multiple computers on a single physical computer)
  • Development of applications (Running Server OS on Client OS)
  • Quick Recovery Time (recover vdis allowing users to return an operating system in minutes)

Features of 3.0.6

  • Browse your virtual machines and inspect their settings (Remote Desktop)
  • Start virtual machines in headless mode
  • Pause/resume VMs
  • Save the state of running VMs
  • Terminate VMs (hard power off or ACPI)
  • Remote control your VMs using the integrated RDP Web Control
  • Multiple processor support (32 – Growing – Currently 64 bit supports one processor only)
  • Shared Folder Support
  • USB Support
  • Multiple Networking Features
  • 3D Graphic Support

Installation

The installation of VirtualBox is fast and easy.  You should take into consideration the amount of RAM on the host computer including hard drive capacity and CPU speed.  The installation of 3.0.6 was on an HP Pavilion Laptop with 3GB or RAM, 160 GB Harddrive powered by a dual core AMD 2 Ghz processor.  This independent installation reviews the install of Microsoft’s Windows Server 2008 committing 25 GB for hard disk space and 1 GB of RAM.

The installation of an operating system onto the VirtualBox application reguires being familiar with common settings of operating systems and having the ISO or DVD of the other operating system.

By clicking on New, you are walked through an excellent wizard that guides you through the basic setup of the operating system you are installing.   During this walk through, it is important to give yourself plenty of hard drive space for growth and a balanced amount of memory to keep your host computer and virtual computer responsive.  (You can adjust these settings later)   An added benefit is when testing beta software (OS), you can later begin to take away or add to memory to test the computer’s responsiveness.

Installation of VirtualBox
VirtualBox OneVirtualbox Two

VirtualBox ThreeVirtualBox Four

Installation of Windows Server 2008

VirtualBox Wiz OneVirtualBox Wiz TwoVirtualBox Wiz ThreeVirtualBox Wiz FourVirtualBox Wiz Five

Settings

Ready for SettingsSettingsSettings OneSettings Two

Virtualbox makes it easy to select your settings.  One of the most important areas is the number of processors, USB (add a filter to use USB on the Virtual Computer), Networking and pointing to the ISO or DVD in order to load the operating system.

Operating System Loading/Loaded

To use the mouse, click on the Virtualbox screen (it will then be captured).  To release it, hit the right ctrl key.

Loading OSWindows 2008 LoadingWindows 2008 Loading HDWindows 2008 Loading Files

Server 2008
Notes:  Follow the installation recommendations for the operating system you are installing.  You must protect virtual computers with updates, firewalls, correct permissions and anti-virus software.

VirtualBox is by far the best free virtualization program on the internet.  VirtualBox allows you to take computing to a new level by offering the technology that allows you to expand your network at a minimal cost and to use virtualization for servers, compatibility with other operating systems and to research different operating systems before they hit the market.   VirtualBox is hands down an excellent application for home and enterprise users.

How Powerful is 7

Resources

What is a Virtual Machine?

VMWare

VirtualBox

Microsoft Virtual PC

Microsoft’s Virtualization Website

Windows 7 Beta – Installing and Testing on VirtualBox

Installing Windows 7 on Virtual PC vs. VirtualBox

How to Network Virtual Operating Systems in Sun’s VirtualBox

Answers to Licensing Questions for Sun Micro’s VirtualBox

How to Optimize VirtualBox on Your Windows PC

Learn How to Set Up USB and Networking Options in VirtualBox

How To Connect to VirtualBox using Remote Desktop Connection

VirtualBox Configurations for running Three Operating Systems on a PC

VirtualBox: How to Expand Your Servers with Virtualization

VirtualBox on this Blog.

WordPress articles on VirtualBox and Virtualization

Written by TTC Shelbyville IT Department

Saturday, September 12, 2009 6:31 pm at 6:31 pm

Windows 7 File Copying

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Windows 7 file copying is crazy fast and there are three places to monitor the progress.

File Transfer

Written by TTC Shelbyville IT Department

Saturday, September 12, 2009 4:53 pm at 4:53 pm

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