Open Source Recources

Virtual Box

Sun Virtual Box is a high quality open source virtualizer for x86 hardware, providing a versatility and modularity that other open source virtualizers simply cannot compete with. If you need to run multiple operating systems on a single system, then Sun Virtual Box will allow to do so with ease and at a very affordable price.

After its release in 2007, Sun Virtual Box quickly became the third most popular virtualizer for running Windows programs using a Linux operating system. It is no wonder that it attained such a following so quickly, as it is a very versatile virtualizer. To make the process of setting up your virtual machine a painless and quick process, Sun Virtual Box has a built-in file sharing protocol that makes sharing files between the host machine and the virtual machine as simple as designating shared folders. This drastically cuts down on the time spent rearranging your files so your virtual machine can access the ones that you want it to. Rather than storing virtual machine definitions relative to the local machine that it is run on, Sun Virtual Box stores its definitions entirely in XML removing the local machine’s hardware from the equation when determining the hardware that the virtual machine uses. This makes it a very simple process to transport a virtual machine from one computer to another. Sun Virtual Box also supports guest additions, which will improve the performance of a virtual machine by better synching its virtual hardware with that of the local machine. In this way a smoother interface can be attained, or the resolution of the GUI can be heightened.

The modularity of Sun Virtual Box is perhaps the cornerstone of its widespread use and popularity. You can control your virtual machine from any number of interfaces, whether you prefer to work at the command line or through a GUI. The designers even made it positively easy to swap out the standard interface for something you have cooked up at home, or to simply splice in another.

The full release version contains a plethora of useful features including USB support, USB over RDP, and remote desktop protocol support systems. These features make it possible to operate your virtual machines remotely, which will be particularly useful in an enterprise or business environment. This also makes technical support much simpler, as an IT agent can simply access your virtual machine remotely to fix any errors.

Sun Virtual Box may sound like a dream come true, but it is not without a few black marks on its record, small though they are. The learning curve for using this software is a little steep, though that can also be said for most other virtualizers on the market. It will take a fair amount of dedicated effort and trial and error in order to virtualize exactly what you want to. The good news though, is the Sun Virtual Box community is very supportive and helpful. If you get stuck on a problem asking a question in the forums is often all that it will take to point you in the right direction. This is also a resource intense package, as your local machine will need to dedicate a great deal of memory and processor power to emulate entirely unrelated components. On older machines this can result in performance issues, but the use of guest additions largely mitigates this problem.

Sun Virtual Box enjoyed a meteoric rise to popularity for a reason. This is a fully functional, versatile, and dependable virtualizer. If you are willing to put in the time to learn how to operate it, Sun Virtual Box will meet and exceed all your multi-platform needs.

http://www.virtualbox.org