So when I finally decided to set up some VMs for my own use, my criteria were straightforward: I wanted a broadly supported, performant, free virtualization solution that was open source. There is quite a range of options out there, e.g. Xen and OpenVZ. I decided to give Sun’s VirtualBox a try and have been nothing but impressed so far:

I’ve found VirtualBox easy to install, quite fast, attractive and easy to use.

Installation

Installation on Ubuntu 9.04 was fairly simple following this guide. You add the VirtualBox repository, install the package, and follow the configuration wizard. I didn’t have to do anything special kernel-wise that the installation guide mentions. One thing they leave out: you need to add your user to the vboxusers group. Easy enough:

The manual describes installing on a wide range of other platforms, and there are plenty of tutorials out there as well.

First steps

After VirtualBox is installed, you need to create a VM and then install an OS on it. Click “New” in the top left of the VirtualBox window and follow the wizard. You might run into an issue in this process (only annoyance I’ve encountered so far) when selecting the OS Type and Version. For me the OS options in the drop down show up as very light grey on white until you hover over them:

Not a critical issue, you can see the options by hovering down the list.

After you’ve followed the wizard to create the VM and provided it with storage space and other resources, you’ll end up at the VirtualBox main screen. At this point, select the VM you just made and click settings. Then go to CD/DVD-ROM on the left and check “Mount CD/DVD Drive”. If you have an actual install CD/DVD you want to use, select Host CD/DVD Drive. You can also just download the ISO for the OS you want to install and select ISO Image File:

After selecting your drive or ISO for installation, save the settings and start the VM. A new window will open displaying the output of the running VM. If all goes well, you should be shown the installation menu for the CD or ISO you’ve mounted.

Miscellaneous

• You can take snapshots of your VMs in case you need to roll back to a known safe state. When the VM is turned off, go to the Snapshots tab to take new snapshots, review current ones, and roll back if needed.
• Once you click on the VM window your output is sent to it alone. To get back out and interact with your own desktop, press the right CTRL key (configurable). Or install VirtualBox Guest Additions (see below) and not worry about this at all!
• Your VMs (and assorted configuration info) are stored in ~/.VirtualBox:
  
• Installing VirtualBox Guest Additions is quite helpful. Aside from graphical improvements, after it’s installed you don’t have to click inside a VM to get focus. You just move your pointer into the VM and it has focus. Move out and the host GUI has control again.

Resources

• Homepage
• Screenshots
• Installation on Ubuntu 9.04
• Manual (very well done)