Virtualbox

[andrewrost3241981]

I don't know if this is the correct section to post this in. If it belongs in a different section, I am fine with it being moved. I used to use Debian Linux as my sole operating system until I started my repair business, when I then switched back to Windows. Just a few days ago, I looked at Virtualbox and I am now in the process of switching back to Debian Linux, running whatever programs I can in Linux, and running my Windows operating systems virtually so that I can use whatever programs I have in Windows that will not run under Linux (I have tried WINE before and I think it is a joke). I considered using VMware but I don't think that I have the money for it right now. I have a few questions about using virtualbox:

1. I will be running Windows XP and 7 64-bit (and possibly Vista) virtually within Debian AMD64 testing. Do you know of any problems that might occur with this setup or have you encountered any problems with this type of setup?

2. I have 4GB of DDR2 533 RAM installed in my machine. My motherboard has four slots for memory, but it will support up to a maximum of 7GB (due to something with the motherboard, it will not recognize 8GB) of RAM. Do you think that 4GB is enough, or would it be worthwhile to upgrade to 7GB?

3. Do I need to buy a license to use virtualbox for commercial purposes? I have done some research, but I have not really found a clear answer to this question as of yet.

4. I would be installing the Debian Installation on a 250GB drive. I would also have XP, 7, and possibly Vista installed on the drive as virtual machines. How much hard drive space should I dedicate to each installation? How much memory should I dedicate to each OS?

5. I am trying to understand how external hardware will interact with a virtual machine. I have a film scanner that will only work under Windows (it does not have a Linux driver). Do virtual machines have problems interacting with external hardware?

6. Do you have any other things that I should know about virtualbox and virtual machines.

Thank you in advance for your replies.

 

[sjlplat]

1. I will be running Windows XP and 7 64-bit (and possibly Vista) virtually within Debian AMD64 testing. Do you know of any problems that might occur with this setup or have you encountered any problems with this type of setup?

There may be some issues with 3D rendering, as Virtualbox is somewhat limited. If you aren't running anything like that, then it should be pefectly fine.

2. I have 4GB of DDR2 533 RAM installed in my machine. My motherboard has four slots for memory, but it will support up to a maximum of 7GB (due to something with the motherboard, it will not recognize 8GB) of RAM. Do you think that 4GB is enough, or would it be worthwhile to upgrade to 7GB?

4GB should be plenty.

3. Do I need to buy a license to use virtualbox for commercial purposes? I have done some research, but I have not really found a clear answer to this question as of yet.

You can contact Sun directly for a commercial license. The free license is for personal use and evaluation only.

4. I would be installing the Debian Installation on a 250GB drive. I would also have XP, 7, and possibly Vista installed on the drive as virtual machines. How much hard drive space should I dedicate to each installation? How much memory should I dedicate to each OS?

Virtualbox has the ability to use dynamic disks. It only uses what you need. There is no need to set a static disk size.

5. I am trying to understand how external hardware will interact with a virtual machine. I have a film scanner that will only work under Windows (it does not have a Linux driver). Do virtual machines have problems interacting with external hardware?

Virtualbox seems to interact with USB quite well. I presume your film scanner is USB?

6. Do you have any other things that I should know about virtualbox and virtual machines.

Virtualbox has some problems with multiple monitor support. You can use multiple monitors, but seamless mode has some issues. There are some hacks to get seamless mode to work, but I haven't taken much notice of them.

 

[kagman]

Hey buddy whats up.. Ok i have used virtual box on a windows pc and a mac computer.. I will tell you what i know. Also i have used virtual computing for a long time and i love it.. Right now im using Windows server 2008 r2 with Hyper-v that is acting as my virtual server which hosts all my virtual computers.

Virtual box is opensource and free so you can use it. No need for a license.

4gb of ram is fine for now.. However you might end up getting more ram just in case you end up running several OS's at the same time.

You should use a second hard drive to store your virtual machines. This would be best on performance if you ask me to keep it that way. My virtual server has like 4 hard drives.. lol.. Will say this, depending on how many virtual computers you plan on having, hard drive space is very important.

Now for external hardware, that depends on virtual box. It might pass along usb devices like flash drives and stuff but scanners and or printers im not sure about. Virtual machines can only do so much.

My final advice is that no matter how many virtual machines you have, its always best to have a physical computer in your place running windows xp or another flavor of windows. reason being again is that a virtual computer does have limits. For example hardware testing like a scanner or even testing out a expansion card or trying to test out a video file and or gaming performance.

Not sure this helps you. If you want send me a PM. Perhaps others here can give you more information. Have fun with virtual box

 

[sjlplat]

Virtual box is opensource and free so you can use it. No need for a license.

It is only free for personal use and evaluation. Commercial use requires a commercial license. If you use the Open Source Edition then the PUEL does not apply.

From the PUEL:

This license applies if you download the full VirtualBox binaries from the Downloads page. It does not apply to the VirtualBox Open Source Edition (OSE), which falls under the GPL instead; see Editions for details about the differences between these releases.

In summary, the VirtualBox PUEL allows you to use VirtualBox free of charge

* for personal use or, alternatively,
* for product evaluation.

In addition, academic use of VirtualBox is also permitted free of charge by the PUEL.

If you do not belong to either category, you will have to purchase a commercial license. Do not hesitate to contact Sun Microsystems, Inc. in this matter.

 

[andrewrost3241981]

Thank you for both of your replies. You have answered a lot of my questions.

 

[kagman]

Hmm.. Well I have no plans on calling Sun. lol....

 

[kagman]

Andrew i sent you a PM..

 

[sjlplat]

Hmm.. Well I have no plans on calling Sun. lol....

I think you're probably fine. You're using the Open Source Edition, correct?

The commercial license would generally need to be used if a company were bundling Virtualbox with an application. There aren't a lot of instances in which a company would need the binaries for anything other than software development.

 

[andrewrost3241981]

I will make sure that I am using the open source version. I added virtualbox to my /etc/apt/sources.list and I am downloading it that way through synaptic package manager. I will make sure that it is the open source version before I start using it. Mainly I want to use it so that I can:

1. Get back to using Linux more (which I prefer over Windows)
2. Practice removing viruses in virtual machines.
3. Allow me to do things in my Windows virtual machines and shut down windows when necessary without having to shut down the entire computer (a BIG plus).

Right now I am on the Internet using the driver that allows my wireless card to work (it comes as part of the kernel), but it is much slower than a the rt2500 driver. However, I can't find the 64-bit version of the driver for Linux, so I might have to use ndiswrapper and the windows 64-bit driver to get my linksys card running faster.

 

[sjlplat]

Right now I am on the Internet using the driver that allows my wireless card to work (it comes as part of the kernel), but it is much slower than a the rt2500 driver. However, I can't find the 64-bit version of the driver for Linux, so I might have to use ndiswrapper and the windows 64-bit driver to get my linksys card running faster.

I had a lot of problems with Linux and my wifi adapter (a Netgear WNDA3100). There aren't a lot of options out there, but ndiswrapper works really well.