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Now from either the '''Details''' or '''Snapshot''' window, start the VM by pressing on the green start button. {{attachment:34_Vbox_Snapshots_Start.png}} You should see the Ubuntu splash screen while the VM boots. {{attachment:35_Vbox_UbuntuSplash_1.png}} |
Windows VM Install & Setup
Download and install the VirtualBox application for Windows from VirtualBox
Download and install an unzip program for 7 zip files (.7z) from the windows app store if you do not already have one. The Winzip Universal application is one that will work.
Download the virtual disk image of the VM FStutorial_clone_2.7z image. Please note the compressed size of this file is ~30G and the uncompressed file size will be ~60G. The assumption below is there is enough free disk space in your Downloads folder to accommodate the compressed file.
Open the disk image file with the WinZip application.
For this application you select the Unzip tab and check the box next to the name of the image to unzip it.
Then you save the uncompressed disk image file FStutorial_clone_2.vdi to some location, i.e., where you have ~60G free space.
Please not that in the screenshots below the uncompressed disk image file was saved to a new folder "VirtualBox VMs" in the users home directory.
Open the VirtualBox application and select Machine -> New from the pulldown menu.
Fill in the parameters to name this new machine. Here it is named Ubuntu_FS_600_700b1_TutorialData but you can name it as you like.
The path to the folder under the users home directory with the disk image, VitrualBox VMs, is specified here as the destination to also save files related to running it.
Then click the Next button to continue and allocate memory to the VM.
While the VM can run with small amounts of RAM, speed and performance will increase with larger amounts of RAM. However, even if you have more than 16G of RAM on your host machine with more than 8G free to allocate to the VM, the recommendation is to start with no more than 8G allocated to the VM. This is because on some hosts, the VM may fail to initially boot when allocated more than 8G of RAM. If you do not have 8G of RAM free, then you can try running it with smaller amounts.
Click the Next button after allocating memory.
Select the VM will use an exiting disk image file and click on the folder icon to navigate to the subdirectory with the file FStutorial_clone_2.vdi
You should see something like this when navigating to the file,
Select "open" after locating the file.
VirtualBox will then show you info about the disk image, noting that this "storage device" is not yet attached to the VM for use.
Select "choose" to attach the disk image file to the VM. VirtualBox will then bring you back to the previous menu where you selected to use an existing virtual hard disk - showing the info for the now attached disk image file.
Note that the size listed for the disk image is not listed as 60GB but 107GB. Since this is a dynamic (not fixed size) VM, this means the maximum size the VM (disk image file on the host system) can grow to is 107GB. Or, since the image is initially 60GB, then 107 - 60 = 40GB of empty storage are initially available inside the virtual machine to use for work, data, further installation of packages, etc.
Click on the "Create" button to create the VM.
You should now see an entry for the named VM ("Ubuntu_FS_600_700b1_TutorialData" in the example above) in the top level VirtualBox menu. You should be able to click on the entry and see the information for how the VM is currently configured.
Many of the default settings used by VirtualBox are OK as is, but some changes need to be made for the VM to run (while others will improve the environment).
If you click on the "Settings" wheel icon at the top of the menu, additional settings by category can be viewed and changed.
Under General -> Advanced you can change the clipboard settings to bidirectional so you can cut and paste text between the windows host and the guest VM.
The description can be left blank.
Disk encryption can be left turned off.
Switching to the System tab, change the settings under the Motherboard tab to specify that a mouse is in use. Verify the other settings, e.g., 8 GB of RAM allocated.
Then select OK.
Now switch to the Processor tab.
Current multi-core Intel i7 and i9 chips afford the use of 4, 6, 8, 12 or 16 cores in consumer desktop machines including 16 cores in high end laptops. Please check the system CPU information reported by the OS on your machine to determine total number of available cores = physical cores + virtual cores (with virtual cores enabled by having hyper-threading turned on).
You can start with assigning 1/2 of all available cores to the guest VM assuming the host machine is not doing anything so computationally intensive that it in turn can make due with 1/2 the available cores. With an equitable split of CPU resources you can then allow the VM to utilize 100% of its "execution cap".
In the example below, a machine using an i7 chip with 4 total available cores assigns the full use of 2 cores to the VM (leaving 2 cores for the host machine).
The acceleration settings can be left as is.
Switching now to the Display tab, the video memory can be increased to the maximum, the monitor count left at 1, and the graphics controller set to VMSVGA.
The remote display settings can be left as is.
The video recording settings can be left turned off (as is).
Switching to the Storage tab, you can verify the information for the attached disk image, e.g., the starting size of the image is smaller than the maximum dynamic size.
Switching to the Audio tab, all settings can be left as is.
Switching to the Network tab, the setting can be left to NAT for the network connection on adapter 1. All the other adapter settings can be left as is.
Switching to the Serial Ports tab, all settings can be left as is.
Switching to the USB tab, the settings can left as is (enabling USB).
Switching to the Shared Folders tab, the settings can left as is.
Switching to the User Interface tab, the settings can left as is.
Now return to the main menu and check some of the changes to settings made above.
If you switch from the Details to the Snapshot view, the VM should report it is in its "current" or initial state with no snapshots.
Now from either the Details or Snapshot window, start the VM by pressing on the green start button.
You should see the Ubuntu splash screen while the VM boots.