TechAirlines: Technology Tips

Do you need to run multiple operating systems? Is multiple booting not for you? How about the easiest way to run multiple operating systems? Virtualization!

There are a few virtualization options out there, one in particular is Sun VirtualBox.

The main window of VirtualBox 3.1.0

On November 30, 2009, the next major version of VirtualBox, 3.1.0, was released featuring dozens of bug fixes and several new features, particularly the new Teleportation (live migration) feature, 2D video acceleration, and greatly improved Snapshots.

I previously conducted some speed tests with VirtualBox and VMware. With VirtualBox 3.1, the performance may have improved, so let’s see how it scores with Ubuntu 9.10 and Windows 7 RC Build 7100.

Installation Time

Ubuntu was given 512 MB of RAM.

Installing VirtualBox Additions to Ubuntu

Windows 7 was given 1024 MB of RAM.

Windows 7 Build 7100 inside VirtualBox

How long did they take to install? I started the stopwatch from the moment I clicked the final “Install Now” button to the point Ubuntu required a restart and Windows 7 got up to the point where users name the computer.

Installation Times of Ubuntu 9.10 and Windows 7 Build 7100

The install times are around the same as it would be on a physical computer.

Boot Times

A fast startup is always important. This is the area where virtualization falls when compared to physical computer installations.

Boot Times of Virtual Ubuntu and Windows 7 RC from the point the VirtualBox Splash disappears to the point the login page shows up

Shutdown Times

Closing the VirtualBox window is the same as pushing the power button on your physical computer. Shutting down properly is important to prevent possible data loss. The speed of this inside VirtualBox is not bad.

Shutdown times of Ubuntu and Windows 7 RC inside VirtualBox

Guest Additions

Virtualization software typically come with “Guest Additions” which is installed on the guest system that allows resolution changes, mouse integration so users can easily switch back and forth between host and guest without having to hit keyboard buttons (Right Ctrl for VirtualBox), as well as improved performance.

Because 3D Acceleration requires modification of Windows components, in order for 3D to work properly, users need to install VirtualBox Guest Additions in Safe Mode (guest Windows OS). From VirtualBox User Manual:

For Direct 3D acceleration to work in a Windows Guest, VirtualBox needs to replace Windows system files in the virtual machine. As a result, the Guest Additions installation program offers Direct 3D acceleration as an option that must be explicitly enabled.

Also, you must install the Guest Additions in “Safe Mode”; see Chapter 13, Known limitations for details.

Teleportation

A really interesting new feature introduced with Version 3.1 not found anywhere else is “Teleportation” or “Live Migration”, which allows you to transfer a running virtual machine to another host.

Teleporting requires that a machine be currently running on one host, which is then called the “source”. The host to which the virtual machine will be teleported will then be called the “target”; the machine on the target is then configured to wait for the source to contact the target. The machine’s running state will then be transferred from the source to the target with minimal downtime.

Teleporting happens over any TCP/IP network; the source and the target only need to agree on a TCP/IP port which is specified in the teleporting settings.

I haven’t been able to try this myself as I do not have two computers on the network with a fairly similar CPU. Learn more about Teleportation and how to use it in the User Manual.

Graphics

Unlike VMware unfortunately, VirtualBox does not meet the requirements (DirectX 9 3D Shader Model) to support Windows Aero yet. But also unlike VMware, VirtualBox is free, which is a huge deal breaker.

The 2D Video Acceleration improves performance of videos playing within the virtual machine, which is a great addition to VirtualBox. However, the performance will still be slow if your host graphics card is not very powerful.

3D Video Acceleration and Direct 3D allows some 3D games to be played, however the performance, as expected, is still quite slow especially if your host graphics card is weak.

Performance

As with all virtualization software, performance of operating systems will be significantly worse than it is on a physical computer. However, the performance of guest systems inside VirtualBox is by far the best of all virtualization software I have tried, even VMware sometimes.

Ubuntu’s performance was actually near perfect with little or no lag in my experience with it today. I can’t say the same for Windows 7 unfortunately.

There will still be the occasional times where you may get a message like, “VirtualBox has stopped working”.

In addition, I could not get the Windows Experience Score for Windows 7 RC because it kept triggering an error when checking memory status, time out, or an “unknown error”, something that never occurred in previous versions.

Errors like this consistently came up on Windows 7 RC in the new version of VirtualBox

VirtualBox Comes With a Box Full of Settings

You can fine tune each guest system from how much RAM it has to use to the number of processors it has (maximum is how many your host has).

VirtualBox Settings System Tab

Settings are disabled when the guest system is “turned on”. While the reason behind this is clear, some settings, such as USB probably does not require the OS to be turned off. It is a bit annoying to have to shut down the OS just to have a USB drive go through to the guest system.

Shared Folders Needs Clearer Instructions

Shared folders allow you to share one folder in your host system as a network drive in the guest system. This allows you to share files between the two. Unfortunately, except in the long User Manual, there aren’t any clear instructions on how to use this.

First, set up the Shared Folders in the Shared Folders tab of the settings window. This part is straightforward.

The confusing part is how to access the folder inside the guest.

Windows-Map Network Drive:

\\vboxsvr\sharename

Linux-Terminal Commands:

sudo mkdir sharename
sudo mount.vboxsf sharename ~/sharename

On Windows, you need to go to Map Network Drive in “Computer” or “My Computer”. On Linux, you need to use the Terminal. Replace “sharename” to whatever you named the folder while setting it up.

The "sharename" in the example above would be "MySharedFolder". No spaces allowed.

Seamless Mode

Seamless mode allows you to run guest applications like they are part of your host. Unfortunately, unlike VMware, the window borders remain native to the guest, so unless both have the same theme, it looks a bit strange, like Windows XP Mode of Windows 7. In addition, the guest taskbars will be placed on your desktop.

In Seamless Mode, guest OS windows can operate alongside host windows. The desktop is hidden.

Note that all guest windows are taken as one host window. Therefore, if you switch to one window, all the others come to the top as well.

When moving seamless windows, I experienced a dragging window with the desktop background that would be there showing. In addition, Windows 7 Desktop Gadgets would be slightly messed up with seamless on.

Snapshots

Snapshots are similar to Windows Restore Points, only better and easier to use. You can create a snapshot anywhere and easily restore that snapshot with one click.

VirtualBox Snapshot Manager

Even though the manager did improve slightly from previous versions, I still found it a bit difficult to use. Learn how to use Snapshots in the User Manual. The following screenshot if from Sun Microsystems showing the branches of snapshots.

Branches of Snapshots. Credit: Sun Microsystems

If you’re looking for something free to run multiple operating systems at the same time, I highly recommend you give VirtualBox a try.

VirtualBox 3.1.0 Rating:

Performance: 4
Features: 5
Ease of Use: 4
Value of Money: 5
Appearance: 5

Final Rating: 4.5

VirtualBox Home Page
Supports Windows, Mac, Linux, and Solaris

Note: Each guest OS requires shared RAM with the host therefore you must have enough RAM to support all guest systems at once along with your host. Reasonably powerful hardware is also required.

Are you new to virtualization? What do you think of this new version of VirtualBox? Leave your thoughts in the comments. I’ll love to hear about your experiences with the Teleportation feature as I have not been able to give this a try for myself.

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