Need help getting started with the VirtualBox virtualization software? A new book from Packt Publishing, VirtualBox 3.1 Beginner’s Guide by Alfonso V. Romero, might be useful to you.
I previously wrote up a brief preview of the book and today will be the first ever book review on TechAirlines.
At the end of the review, you will have the chance to win a copy of this book to add to your collection.
What’s Inside
- Download and install VirtualBox in a Windows/Linux environment
- Create your virtual machine on VirtualBox, using Ubuntu Linux Desktop/Windows XP as the “guest” operating system
- Share folders and pass information between the host and the guest operating systems
- Explore the Hardware 3D Acceleration feature available in Windows and Linux guests
- Revert the state of a virtual machine using snapshots
- Architect a virtual machine using fixed and dynamically expanding hard drive images and choose the appropriate hard disk controller
- Clone hard disks using the Virtual Media Manager
- Connect a virtual machine to the Internet and a local network using the default NAT mode
- Illustrations for using WordPress, Drupal, and File Server virtual appliances
- Set up a headless server and create, manage, and run virtual machines in that server from a remote PC
Table of Contents
Chapter 1: Getting to Work with VirtualBox (Free Sample Chapter)
Chapter 2: Creating Your First Virtual Machine: Ubuntu Linux
Chapter 3: Creating Your Second Virtual Machine: Windows 7
Chapter 4: Installing Guest Additions and Advanced Settings
Chapter 5: Storing Data in VirtualBox
Chapter 6: Networking with Virtual Machines
Chapter 7: Using Virtual Appliances
Chapter 8: Managing your Virtual Machines from a Remote Computer
Book Review
I found this book a very interesting read. Its goal is to assist users at getting started with deploying and managing a cost-effective virtual environment using the free VirtualBox software and the author does this very well. Rather than having page after page of paragraphs of text, the author provides a step by step guide to do everything complete with clear screenshots for many steps. What’s really great is that it literally goes through every single step, including pressing ‘OK’ buttons.
Chapter 4 - Installing Guest Additions and Advanced Settings: Activating the Seamless Windows feature (p. 128)
You don’t need to familiar with anything, not even how to install VirtualBox. This book teaches you everything.
I enjoyed reading Chapter 8, which covers how to manage virtual machines from a remote computer. I never knew about this and the author does an excellent job walking through all the steps including exactly what every command is and what each command does.
I like how the author occasionally stops and has a section called What Just Happened? and summarizes what we have just done in the past few steps. This helps sum up everything and I found this to be extremely useful. The following is the What Just Happened? section from Chapter 8 – p. 261:
What Just Happened?
It’s nice to know you can use an alternative GUI for your virtual machine, right? I mean, it would be an excellent alternative if you need to install several virtual machines in one or more host PCs and the users aren’t familiarized with VirtualBox because they just want to use the virtual machines. You could create a desktop shortcut for each virtual machines so the user could just double-click on the shortcut, and the VBoxSDL interface would pop up with the virtual machine screen. And you wouldn’t have to worry about the user messing up the virtual machines. How about that?
The book is quite easily written and easily understandable. It’s not boring or too formal, but written in an entertaining and engaging way. Personally, I don’t enjoy reading tutorials that are very formal. No “fancy words either”.
Rather than saying Don’t unplug anything until the operating system is installed. To install the operating system…, the author says But wait! Don’t start unplugging stuff yet! You first need to install the server oprating system, as I’ll show you in the following subsection… In my own opinion, the second example is much more interesting and keeps me interested and this is exactly what the author does.
Chapter 7 - Using Virtual Appliances: Using the TurnKey WordPress Virtual Appliance (p. 216)
Don’t be fooled by the title. This book covers much more than just the basics. It covers advanced skills such as remote management as well as useful tips and tweaks for the guest operating system. For example, Chapter 4 covers not only guest additions but also has a tutorial on enabling the Desktop Cube Compiz effect on the Ubuntu guest system.
The author covers just about every feature that is available in VirtualBox 3.1, from basic virtual machine management to Virtual Applicances such as Turnkey Linux WordPress.
Summary
Pros: Very detailed and easy to understand step by step guides from the basics to advanced tricks, complete with screenshots. Covers just about all features to unlock the full potential of VirtualBox. Engaging and somewhat informal. Extra notes and comments thrown in to help the reader comprehend the steps better.
Cons: A few typos here and there, such as having a header that says Time for Action – using OpenOffice.org but the tutorial under it is explaining how to install a trial of Microsoft Office 2007 (Chapter 3 – p. 98).
Verdict: VirtualBox 3.1 – Beginner’s Guide by Alfonso V. Romero is an excellent book for all users of this great free virtualization application, whether you’re just starting out with virtualization or you’re an advanced user who wants to dig deeper into the many possibilities of VirtualBox.
Giveaway
Now that you’ve read the review of this great book, wouldn’t it be great if you could get a copy of this book to add to your collection? Well, now you can!
Packt Publishing has generously decided to provide a copy of the e-Book version to not one but two lucky TechAirlines flyers.
How many chances does everybody get to win? Well, that depends on how many plane tickets you have. One plane ticket equals one entry. How do you earn plane tickets? Follow the instructions below.
Leave a Comment
Simply leave some kind words in the comments at the bottom of this post and you will receive one plane ticket.
Tweet About This Giveaway
Tweet about this giveaway with a link back to this post. You can use our pre-written tweet or write your own. Make sure a link to this post is provided. It is recommended but not required that you include a mention of @TechAirlines or your tweet might not be seen unless you leave a comment. You will receive one ticket if you tweet about the giveaway.
#GIVEAWAY @TechAirlines: #VirtualBox 3.1 – Beginner’s Guide from Packt Publishing. – http://techairlines.com/2604 #TechAirlines
Click here to tweet about this giveaway.
Leave a Comment Below This Review Mentioning Your Twitter Username
If you have tweeted about this giveaway, leave a comment mentioning your Twitter username. Doing this will provide you a total of 3 tickets. A comment like the one shown below is fine.
My Twitter username is TechAirlines and I have tweeted about this giveaway.
Register for an Account at our Forums
Register an account on the TechAirlines forums.
In order to earn a ticket for this, you must leave a comment using the same email address that is associated with your forums account.
Your comment does not need to include your forum username. At the end, I will be cross referencing all the email addresses in the comments with the email addresses of registered accounts at the forums.
Registering an account at the forums and leaving a comment using the same email address will provide you with an extra ticket.
Posting at the forums is not required for this giveaway (although it might for a future one).
Earn a Maximum of Four Plane Tickets
If you tweet about this giveaway, register for an account at the forums, and leave a comment (using your forums email and providing your Twitter username), you will receive four plane tickets, which means 4 entries!
Make sure you use a valid email address as I will be notifying winners by email.
At the end, everyone’s tickets will be thrown into Random.org and the two winners will be chosen and announced.
This contest will end sometime on June 11, 2010. Contest is not closed until it is officially announced here, therefore, even if it already is June 11th, if there is no note here, you can still enter.
This contest is now over! Winners are Creastery and Willie Ha! Congratulations to you two and thank you all for participating!
Good luck to you all!
My Twitter username is Creastery and I have tweeted about this giveaway. This giveaway is really attractive.
Woah, I didn’t see the word giveaway before.
Hehe. Now you do
Quick! The giveaway contest ends really soon!
Thanks for the chance to win. Great review.