What is a virtual machine?

A virtual machine (VM) is a software implementation of a computer that runs on another computer. This way, allowing multiple operating systems to run on the same physical machine. It provides a virtualized environment for running applications, which are isolated from the host operating system and other VMs.

How a virtual machine works?

A virtual machine works by using a hypervisor, also known as a virtual machine monitor, to virtualize the underlying hardware of a physical computer. The hypervisor creates virtual devices and emulates their behavior. This way, it can to provide a virtual environment for the operating system and applications running within the VM. The VM communicates with the hypervisor, which in turn communicates with the physical hardware. So it allows the VM to access physical resources such as CPU, memory, and storage. This allows multiple VMs to run on the same physical machine. Also, each one with its own operating system and applications, without interfering with each other.

What are the advantages of using a virtual machine?

Some advantages of using a virtual machine include:

• Isolation: VMs provide a layer of isolation between the host operating system and applications. Therefore, reducing the risk of contamination or system instability.
• Cost-effectiveness: VMs can be a cost-effective solution for running multiple operating systems and applications on the same physical machine. This way reducing the need for multiple physical computers.
• Portability: VMs can be easily moved between physical machines, making it easier to migrate to new hardware or to recover from a failure.
• Compatibility: VMs can run older or incompatible applications, allowing them to continue to be used even on newer hardware or operating systems.
• Test environment: VMs are available to create a safe and controlled environment for testing new software or configurations without affecting the host operating system

Disadvantages of working with virtual machines

Some disadvantages of working with virtual machines include:

• Performance: VMs can have lower performance compared to running directly on physical hardware, as they must share the physical resources of the host machine.
• Resource utilization: Running multiple VMs on a single physical machine can consume a large amount of resources. Especially memory and storage.
• Complexity: Virtualization can introduce additional complexity to an IT environment, requiring specialized knowledge and skills to manage and maintain the virtual infrastructure.
• Licensing costs: Some virtualization platforms and operating systems have additional licensing costs that can add to the overall cost of implementing virtualization.
• Security: VMs can be vulnerable to security threats just like physical computers. Therefore, additional security measures may be required to secure the virtual environment.

What are the requirements for Windows to run virtual machines?

The requirements for Windows to run virtual machines are:

• A 64-bit processor with Second Level Address Translation (SLAT)
• At least 4 GB of RAM
• At least 64 GB of free hard disk space
• Hyper-V and Containers Windows features enabled
• Windows 10/11 Pro or Enterprise (64-bit) version 1909 or later
• A GPU with WDDM 2.0 driver for GPU acceleration (optional)

What is Hyper V, the virtualization module for windows?

Hyper-V is a native hypervisor from Microsoft that provides virtualization technology for creating and running virtual machines on Windows operating systems. It allows multiple operating systems to run on a single physical machine. In the same way, providing isolation and security for each virtual machine and enabling efficient utilization of hardware resources. With Hyper-V, users can create and manage virtual machines. Also configuring virtual switches, storage, and network interfaces, and monitor virtual machine performance and resource usage. It is available as a feature in Windows 10/11 Pro and Enterprise editions.

What are the most used virtualization software?

The most widely used virtualization software are:

• VMware vSphere
• Microsoft Hyper-V
• Citrix XenServer
• Oracle VirtualBox
• Red Hat Virtualization (RHV)
• Proxmox Virtual Environment
• KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine)
• AWS (Amazon Web Services)
• Google Compute Engine
• Alibaba Cloud Elastic Compute Service (ECS)

They are certainly the most popular. However, we will highlight those most commonly used in Windows environment. Previously, we talked about Hyper V. Therefore, we will start with Virtual Box.

Oracle Virtual Box

VirtualBox is a free and open-source virtualization software for x86 and AMD64/Intel64-based computers. It allows users to run multiple operating systems on a single physical machine. Also, each one in its own virtual environment. Moreover, providing isolation and security for each virtual machine. VirtualBox provides a user-friendly interface for creating, configuring and managing virtual machines.

In addition, including support for storage and network interfaces, and can be used for a wide range of purposes including software development, testing, and personal use. It can run on various host operating systems including Windows, macOS, Linux, and Solaris, and supports a wide range of guest operating systems including Windows, Linux, and BSD distributions.

VMware vSphere

VMware vSphere is a comprehensive enterprise-class virtualization platform. It provides a centralized management solution for virtual infrastructure. Moreover, it is used for creating, deploying and managing virtual machines, networks, and storage resources. With vSphere, IT organizations can pool and allocate shared resources to virtual machines and application. With this in mind, enabling efficient utilization of hardware resources, high availability, and disaster recovery.

vSphere includes features such as live migration of virtual machines, storage and network resource management, and multi-hypervisor support, as well as a robust security model and a powerful API for integration with other management tools. It is widely used in data centers and cloud environments for virtualizing business-critical applications, and is available as a standalone product or as part of the VMware Cloud Foundation, a unified SDDC platform for deploying and managing a hybrid cloud.

Very well, in this way we have seen what Virtual Machines are. We also check what are the advantages and disadvantages of using them. We also learned how they work. Furthermore, we saw which are the most used ones, plus what you need to run them on Windows.

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Prerequisites

This method makes use of virtualization. For this reason it is necessary to have a processor that supports this technology. Additionally, it is essential to have Hyper-V enabled or to install VirtualBox.

How to download Multipass.

As mentioned above, this cloud-based installation is multi-platform. Therefore, the first thing you have to do is go to this link and download the executable file for Windows. Once you have downloaded the file, just run it as any Windows executable.

After accepting the license, it is necessary to select which hypervisor you will use. As mentioned, you can use either Hyper-V or Virtualbox.

Now the wizard offers to add Multipass to the path. This is very important because it allows you to run the instance without having to type in the full installation address.

Now select the installation location.

Then choose the components to be installed.

Once the previous step is completed, the installation will begin. Wait a few moments while the work is completed.

Running and configuring Multipass for Ubuntu.

Once the installation is complete, it is time to run Multipass for the first time. With this intention, go to the home menu and click on Multipass.

This action will launch Multipass. To launch the shell please right-click on the icon in the taskbar and click on Open Shell.

Immediately PowerShell will be displayed and the Ubuntu image will start downloading. This is an unattended process.

After retrieving the image, the wizard will ask if you wish to contribute information. Finally, the preparation of Multipass will begin.

Finally, Multipass has been successfully installed.

Some basic Multipass commands.

From now on, all that remains is to explore the new facility. First, you can update the list of available packages and their versions.

sudo apt-get update

The default password is ubuntu However, you can change it with the following command:

sudo passwd ubuntu

At the end of the day we have seen how to install Ubuntu on Windows 10 using Multipass. From now on, you can enjoy another alternative to use Ubuntu within Windows 10. I hope you enjoyed it. See you later!

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Prerequisites

• Vagrant requires virtualization software. It can be VirtualBox or VMware. In this case, we will use the default option which is VirtualBox. To find out how to use it, take a look at our tutorial.
• An SSH client for Windows 10. I recommend free, portable and lightweight Cmder

Downloading and Installing Vagrant

The installer can be downloaded from this link. Installation is as simple as any Windows app. Indeed, just follow the steps of the wizard and that’s it!

Once the installation process is complete, you can verify it by running the following command into a Command Prompt:

vagrant

If the console shows the available commands, then the installation is correct. If not, Vagrant was not installed or VirtualBox is not present.

Downloading the box.

The boxes are the virtualized environments corresponding to an operating system or software. Well, in this case we’ll use Ubuntu 16.04 Xenial.

As the image shows, to download the box you just have to copy the commands in a command line. But first, you must create a folder where the settings of the virtual machine will be saved. With this intention use the command:

mkdir

Now navigate to the newly created directory, using the command:

cd

Please note that these pre-configurations can be done from CMD. However, to connect the machine you have to use cmder.

Setting up Vagrant

It is then time to create the Vagrant file for the box. With this in mind, execute the following command:

vagrant init ubuntu/xenial64

Now it’s time to create the virtual machine. Please note that this process takes a while, as you must download it and then install the box. Please execute the following command:

vagrant up

Now, we have a clean and ready to work Linux environment. To access it, please run this command.

vagrant ssh

You can check the operation of the virtual machine by opening VirtualBox. The machine will be running with the generic name assigned. Likewise, the configuration assigned to the box is shown.

If you want to disconnect from the machine, please execute:

exit

However, the machine remains on. Therefore, to turn it off it is necessary to execute this command:

vagrant halt

Finally, we have seen how to install and configure Vagrant in Windows 10. Please note that to use the box again, just repeat the steps above. First, turn the machine on with vagrant up and then connect with vagrant ssh. All right, we’re done for the moment. If you have any questions, please let us know in the question section. I also invite you to join our group on Telegram. Bye!

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Oracle Virtualbox is a virtualization application that allows us to create virtual machines that simulate the behavior of a real computer within our system. It is widely known within professional and even home environments, because then we can test operating systems without having to install them on the hard drive.

Well, recently has seen the light version 6.1 and with it several important new features.

Virtualbox 6.1 is available – Features

For Linux the first novelty is that we will have support for Linux 5.4 that has recently been light. This feature guarantees that we will be able to use VirtualBox in many distributions. For example, those that frequently update the kernel for compatibility or philosophical reasons.

Another important aspect of this new version of VirtualBox is that it integrates more and better with the Oracle Cloud infrastructure. Now we will be able to import virtual machines from there and create several virtual machines without the need to re-upload them.

On the other hand, support for the EHCI controller has been improved which should translate into increased performance and efficiency. At the same time, now VirtualBox through vboximg-mount allows mounting the EXT2, EXT3, EXT4, FAT and NTFS file systems as read-only inside a disk image regardless of whether the host system supports it.

For the rest, we found many improvements in the graphical interface. For example, the options have been improved to make them clearer. Also, popups have been greatly improved.

Another important aspect of this version is that it considerably improves nested virtualization. Interesting for large scale solutions.

Where can I download it?

VirtualBox 6.1 is now available and can be downloaded from the project website. In the case of Linux, if you have enabled VirtualBox’s own repository, the update will arrive soon.

Also, you will find binaries for Windows and macOS. So you can install it from there.

If you want to know all the features that we bring this new version, I recommend this link.

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First, I recommend you read our post where we explain what Tails is.

Tails: the very secure Linux distribution

Dowload Tails from the project website

Go to the Tails download site. There you will see several options.

Choose the last option that is an ISO to be used from a Virtualbox. This isolates it from the host system.

Once you have chosen this option, a second page will open, where you can choose how you want to download the file. For speed and security, it is better to use the Torrent option.

You can read our post about Torrents to learn how to use it and download great clients to use it.

Then you can open VirtualBox and create a new virtual machine.

If you want more information about Virtualbox, check our post about this tool.

Running Tails in VirtualBox

After you have successfully created and initialized a new virtual machine, it will start loading the Tails image. The first thing we will see is a small menu where we will choose the first option to start loading the system.

The load of the system has been reasonably fast, understanding that the hardware chosen is not very good. So it was a pleasant surprise that it was fast.

Afterwards, a window will open where we will configure the language of the keyboard and of the distribution. Tails supports many so you should not be missing yours.

Then, press the Start Tails button. And the system will start.

The first thing we’ll see is an ordinary desk. The desktop environment is GNOME but with some modifications to make it a little more user-friendly. Depending on the speed of your internet connection, it will take some time to notify that the TOR network is ready.

Tails in Virtualbox: first impressions

The first thing is that the system is actually a little slower than others. But it is normal because of its high security layer. Besides, the hardware where you run it is not exactly good.

The other thing I like is that it is GNOME, that is, it is easy to use if you already have experience with other Linux distributions. Nothing strange, everything in its place.

On the other hand, it is a very complete system. Because it includes applications for working with images, audio, mail clients and others that make the experience as complete as possible. However, remember that the objective of distribution is to be anonymous and secure and this includes that hard disks cannot be accessed unless they are encrypted. That is, it is not for everyday use.

Of course, a fundamental aspect of any system is Internet browsing. We will do this with TOR web browser.

My experience has been good. The connection has quite good response times and I almost did not notice the direference with my usual connection.

One good thing is that many sites did not detect my location. This is fantastic.

As I said at the beginning, the fact of having by default tools like KeepPassXC makes everything easier and safer.

In short, the distribution works well but you have to have modern hardware to fully enjoy it. By relying on Debian and using GNOME it makes it easy to use and does not differ much from another system.

In addition, the applications that are installed by default make the disitrbution very complete without losing sight of its main focus.

On the other hand, Tails has particularities that you have to get used to as you use it.

Obviously, Tails is not for everyone, but if an escape valve to difficult situations in some countries where communication is intervened or if we want to avoid being victims of espionage by corporations.

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Downloading VirtualBox

To download the latest stable version of VirtualBox, we have to go to its official site, and in the Downloads section, go to the Windows hosts section to download the latest version.

Once downloaded the file, we run it to start the installation.

In the box will appear the features to be installed with the required disk space. Similarly, we can select the location of the installation.

Next, we will choose options regarding the direct accesses granted to the program.

A warning sign will indicate that when continuing with the installation, the connection to the network will be reset and therefore we will disconnect from the Internet. A warning sign will indicate that when continuing with the installation, the connection to the network will be reset and therefore we will disconnect from the Internet. As it is a temporary situation, press yes to continue the installation.

Finally, we are ready to install VirtualBox

The installation wizard will start and you just have to wait for it to do its job.

Windows will ask for authorization to install the USB drivers, press yes to continue

Finally, the installation has concluded and only remains to run the program.

Setting a virtual machine on VirtualBox

At the moment of launching the program, a welcome box will jump, from where we are going to configure a virtual machine. With this in mind, press New to open the installation wizard.

In the following box, the initial configurations of the window machine must be placed. As the name we will give it, the folder to use, the type of operating system and which version will be installed. In this particular case, we select as name lubuntu, in type Linux, and in version Ubuntu (64-bit).

Next, we will allocate the amount of ram memory for the virtual machine. As Lubuntu is a very light system, 1024 MB will be enough to run it.

In the following boxes we are going to configure everything related to the hard disk. Select the default option to create a new virtual hard disk.

Choose which type of hard disk wants to install

Next, we choose the storage mode between dynamically allocated and fixed size. Select what you want according to the system.

Finally, it only remains to assign the size of the virtual hard disk.

Setting storage to load an ISO image of the OS to run.

When the configuration of the virtual machine has finished, we will see a dashboard with all the configurations. In order to successfully boot the new machine, we need to click on storage.

Once there, we need to follow the next route: Storage devices>Empty>Optical Drive to choose the location when iso is located

After all, the machine is ready to start. Just press Start in the manager and wait while the process starts. Finally, we can see how Lubuntu is running on Windows 10 through VirtualBox.

In conclusion, I would like to say that VirtualBox is an excellent tool in order to run virtual machines on Windows 10. Please note that it does not have full compatibility with Hyper V, so if you have it already installed, there will be operational problems. For this reason, we recommend uninstalling Hyper V before installing VirtualBox.

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Recently was published the last stable version of Virtualbox loaded with many new features. There are so many that many are tempted to update as soon as possible, so today I’ll help you with that.

1. Upgrade the system

It is always advisable to have the operating system updated, with it, you will have the security patches installed in an easy way and you will obtain a more stable and secure system. So do it.

:~$ sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade

Now we can continue.

2. Add the Virtualbox repository

One way to keep Virtualbox up to date without any problems is to add your repository. As I always say, this is the best in many cases, especially in this one where the application is important.

So, let’s do it.

First, edit your source list to add the following lines. On Ubuntu.

:~$ sudo nano /etc/apt/sources.list/

On Linux Mint 19:

:~$ sudo nano /etc/apt/sources.list.d/official-package-repositories.list

deb https://download.virtualbox.org/virtualbox/debian bionic contrib

Save and close the file.

The second step is to add the GPG public key to ensure that the downloads are safe.

:~$ wget -q https://www.virtualbox.org/download/oracle_vbox_2016.asc -O- | sudo apt-key add -

And that’s it.

3. Install Virtualbox 6 on Ubuntu 18.04 /Linux Mint 19

Now all that’s left is to update the APT cache.

:~$ sudo apt update

Then, install Virtualbox 6.

:~$ sudo apt install virtualbox-6.0

Now, you can launch it from the main menu.

4. Using Virtualbox

When you run Virtualbox 6, the first thing you’ll see is the following.

On that screen, you can create a new virtual machine; import or export one; or simply go to the preferences.

And that’s it.

5. Install Virtualbox 6 extension pack

Finally, it is recommended to install extensions pack to enjoy further extend the power of Virtualbox. To do so, run:

:~$ wget https://download.virtualbox.org/virtualbox/6.0.0/Oracle_VM_VirtualBox_Extension_Pack-6.0.0.vbox-extpack

And then, install it.

:~$ sudo VBoxManage extpack install Oracle_VM_VirtualBox_Extension_Pack-6.0.0.vbox-extpack

That’s all.

Conclusion

Virtualbox is a reference in the area of virtualization, especially if you are amateur or novice in it. Installing Virtualbox 6 in Ubuntu 18.04 or Linux Mint 19 is something simple as you could see.

Share this post with your friends and happy holidays.

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VirtualBox is a free Oracle application that allows you to virtualize various operating systems in our Linux distribution. Although it is also available for Windows, its potential is discovered in Linux. In addition, it supports many versions of Windows including the popular Windows XP.

So, as it is a larger version, it is full of new features, highlighting that it incorporates the support for the 4.20 kernel. So, this new version will have a long way to go. Also, many people prefer not to update the kernels so aggressively.

Equally important is that VirtualBox 6.0 supports VMSVGA in the Linux and X11 Additions. As a result, you will notice a significant improvement in the execution of graphical effects on the systems.

On the other, hand Mac users also get some affection and that is that it incorporates the initial support for Guest Additions. Without a doubt, this is great news for Apple system users.

Another important new feature is that the user interface has been changed to make it easier to use. VirtualBox 6.0 also incorporates a new file manager enabling the user to control the guest file system and copy files between host and guest.

VirtualBox 6.0: others features

Of course, as it is a major update, there are many changes, some of them I have already mentioned, but there are others. Here are some:

• Implemented support for exporting a virtual machine to Oracle Cloud Infrastructure.
• User interface: greatly improved HiDPI and scaling support, including better detection and per-machine configuration.
• Major rework of user interface with a simpler and more powerful application and virtual machine set-up.
• Added support for surround speaker setups (as used by Windows 10 Build 1809).

In addition to many other novelties that are not considered “major”. These are only bug fixes and other details. You can read all the changes here.

So, you can download VirtualBox 6.0 for Windows, Mac OS, and Linux. Just go to this site and follow the instructions.

Conclusion

As a conclusion,

I can say that VirtualBox 6.0 is good news for those who like to virtualize. For example, we have used it many times for our articles so we are partying.

On the other hand, it is a major version with many new features, if you want stability, I recommend you wait for the maintenance versions.

Please share this article with your friends.

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Recently, a Russian vulnerability researcher and exploit dev published detailed info about a zero-day vulnerability in VirtualBox. His explanation includes a step-by-step guide on exploiting the bug. The bug is present on the software itself, allowing all the platforms to be vulnerable.

Using the bug, an attacker would easily escape the virtual environment and reach the Ring 3 privilege layer – a layer for running code from most user programs with the least privileges.

How the vulnerability works

According to Sergey Zelenyuk who identified the bug, shows details on how the bug can be leveraged on virtual machines configured with the “Intel PRO/1000 MT Desktop (82540EM)” network adapter in NAT mode. It’s the default setup of all the guest systems for accessing external networks.

According to a technical write-up by Zelenyuk, the network adapter is vulnerable that allows an attacker with root/admin privilege to escape to the host Ring 3. Then, using existing techniques, the attacker can escalate privileges to Ring 0 via /dev/vboxdrv.

The researcher describes the mechanics in detail, showing how to create the necessary conditions for obtaining a buffer overflow to abuse and escape the virtual confinement.

100% Reliable

The exploit Zelenyuk wrote relies on the 2 conditions. Although not impossible, an attacker has to chain another vulnerability for granting them increased privilege on the host system.

Here’s a demo he showed.

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It’s a lot simpler and easier to use. This tool allows any inexperienced and general Linux users to enjoy the full advantage of virtualization technology.

It’s also a great alternative to the VirtualBox. Are you interested in other VirtualBox alternatives? Check them out!

Why use GNOME Boxes

There are a number of reasons you should consider adding GNOME Boxes into your arsenal.

First of all, it’s a virtualization software that allows you running other systems on the same hardware. You won’t have to install the OS natively in your system. That’s also the sole purpose of VirtualBox. However, because of the simplicity, you don’t have to go through all the detailed system specification for the virtual OS.

In addition, you can also use it for managing remote systems over the network. That’s a powerful thing if you’re working on a corporate environment.

Installing GNOME Boxes

Run the following command(s) according to your Linux distro –

• Ubuntu

sudo apt update
sudo apt install gnome-boxes

• Debian

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install gnome-boxes

• OpenSUSE

Get GNOME Boxes.

• Fedora

sudo yum install gnome-boxes

• Arch Linux

Get GNOME Boxes.

Using GNOME Boxes

Before proceeding further, you may need to make the following tweaks to your system so that GNOME Boxes run perfectly, without any problem.

At first, install the following packages –

• qemu-utils
• libvirt-bin

Then, run the following commands in a terminal –

sudo nano /etc/libvirt/qemu.conf

# Add the following lines in the file, save and close
group=kvm

sudo usermod -a -G kvm $USER

After the installation is complete, start GNOME Boxes –

From the top-left corner, click “New” button for adding a new virtual system.

You can also add a virtual system from an image file.

If you want, you can customize the settings for the virtual system as Boxes will allocate space to a minimum level (enough for running the OS).

Enjoy!

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