Virtual Box installation tutorial

Introduction

Although installing Oracle VM VirtualBox is simple, setting up a virtual machine can be difficult for novice users. We'll walk you through the steps for both processes.

Installing VirtualBox

1. Go to www.virtualbox.org.
2. Click the big blue Download VirtualBox button in the middle of the page.
3. Select the platform package according to your host operating system. The VirtualBox setup file will begin downloading.
4. Once the download is complete, open the Setup file and follow the on-screen instructions.
5. Once VirtualBox is installed on your computer, open the program. You are now ready to create a virtual machine.

Creating a virtual machine

1. The process of installing an operating system on a VM is similar to installing an operating system on a regular computer. Start by gathering the installation disc or image file of the operating system you want to install.
2. Click New to open the Virtual Machine Creation window in VirtualBox.
3. Name your new virtual machine and select the operating system you will install from the Type and Version menus.
4. Next, you need to specify the amount of RAM allocated from the host machine to the guest machine (30G). You will see that the minimum recommended RAM is automatically selected during the setup process. However, you can change this value if necessary. While it is possible to physically increase the amount of RAM on the host system, it is not recommended because when the computer is running, there is no RAM left for the host system to use.
5. Select a virtual hard drive option, click Create, and follow the on-screen instructions. The guest system will use its virtual hard drive to install the operating system and other applications. Make sure you allocate space to the virtual hard drive accordingly. The most common format used for virtual hard drives is VirtualBox Disk Image (VDI).
6. After configuring the virtual machine parameters, the program will immediately close and return you to the main VirtualBox interface. Now, you can see your new guest machine in the left-hand menu. Double-click on it and do one of the following:
7. If you are using a disc to install your operating system on the virtual machine, insert the disc into the host computer's disc drive, then click the Host Drive drop-down menu and select the drive letter for the disc.
8. If you are installing your operating system from an image file, use the folder icon to place it in the appropriate host machine directory and run it.
9. Now click the Start button. VirtualBox will then start reading the disk or operating system image file.
10. Install the operating system and start the guest machine. You can start your virtual machine at any time by going to the VirtualBox home page on your host system and double-clicking its name in the left-hand menu.

Top 5 VirtualBox Uses

1. Running any operating system:

While VirtualBox can only be installed on compatible operating systems, it can run any operating system as long as the host machine has the required resources. This allows users to run applications that run on specific operating systems, even if they have a different operating system on their host machine. VirtualBox also allows you to set the type of virtual hardware that each guest operating system runs on. This allows users to install older operating systems such as OS/2 or DOS, even if the host system hardware is incompatible. Finally, users may use VirtualBox to run multiple operating systems simultaneously. This is useful for many applications, a few of which we will discuss below.

2. Install the software easily:

Vendors can use virtual machines to deliver turnkey software configurations directly to users. For example, installing and configuring an email server on a regular machine is a long and complex process. VirtualBox allows software service providers to prepare complex configurations (commonly known as appliances) and package them into virtual machines. This eliminates all the hassle of setting up an email server and makes it as easy as importing and running the machine in VirtualBox.

3. Ensuring redundancy and strong security:

A virtual machine is essentially a container that can be woken up, frozen, backed up, copied, and moved between hosts. Additionally, as mentioned earlier, VirtualBox’s snapshot functionality allows users to save the state of any virtual machine and revert to that state when needed. This allows users to experiment in a virtual computing environment as needed. Snapshots eliminate the need for lengthy backup and restore processes without compromising redundancy. This allows for easy resolution of critical issues, such as improperly installed software or a guest system infected with a virus. Users can create as many snapshots as they want, provided the host system has the required storage space. One of the key benefits of virtual machines is their security-isolated nature. This allows software testers, security professionals, and other users to take risks that they would normally hesitate to take on their host system. For example, users can test a firewall by exposing it to the latest cybersecurity threats without risking infecting the host system.

4. Multi-platform software development:

Virtual machines simplify software development and testing workflows across multiple platforms. For example, developing an application with versions for both mobile and desktop platforms can be done at a single endpoint using VirtualBox. This eliminates the need to transfer installer files between test devices. Virtualization also enables users to compile into different types of executables. Even in a multi-platform environment, users often need macOS to compile APP files and Windows to compile EXE files. This can be easily achieved on the same system using VirtualBox, while eliminating the need to dual-boot for each build.

5. Reducing infrastructure costs:

Modern, advanced computers use only a fraction of their processing power to run low-end system loads. Therefore, deploying VirtualBox on a large scale in a business environment with a relevant use case can help significantly reduce infrastructure costs. For software-based processes that do not require a lot of hardware resources, it is more cost-effective to deploy multiple virtual machines on a limited number of powerful hosts. This helps optimize bandwidth usage and reduce costs associated with employee endpoints.

Result

Virtual machines are steadily gaining popularity among personal and business users thanks to their efficiency and operational flexibility. Using VirtualBox to deploy virtual machines can reduce infrastructure costs, improve redundancy and security, enable easy cross-platform software development, and simplify remote deployment of software solutions.