Fast virtual machine for windows. Windows Virtual PC is a virtual machine from Microsoft. Configure a virtual system

What do you think is the most best virtual machine?

I will not invent a bicycle and retell others. I'd rather suggest you read an article from Linux Format magazine. In which the experts did comparative review five popular virtual machines in the hope of finding the very ..., the best virtual machine. By the way, I highly recommend Windows to those who renounced and managed to escape from captivity.

• What is a virtual machine
• Why do you need a virtual machine
• How We Tested Virtual Machines
• Performance
• Functionality
• Compatibility and snapshots
• Desktop integration
• Graphics acceleration
• Verdict

What is a virtual machine

If simple language, without tediousness, a virtual machine is an operating system within an operating system.

Why do I need a virtual machine

In our case, a virtual machine is primarily a platform for checking programs. Among which, as you understand, there may be. Another virtual machine is used by hackers to test their own and others' Trojans, and other miracle files. Whichever group you belong to, you will still be interested in learning more about virtual machines and how they work.

How we tested virtual machines

First, we took a dual-core machine (due to budget constraints) with fresh Arc Linux. In addition to proprietary VMware (version 7.1.0 of Plauer and a 30-day trial period of Workstation 11), we used the official Arch packages, which closely follow the developer releases. Each machine had 2 GB of system RAM and 128 MB of video memory (256 MB if necessary).

We tested each candidate on different guest OSes: Mint 17.1 and Kubuntu 15.04 beta, as well as different versions of non-Linux OS under Windows name... To measure performance, we compiled the main Mint core, ran the SunSpider JavaScript benchmark, and played different games from our Steam library. To test the actual options, we ran them on an 8-core machine with 16GB of RAM and a 4GB Nvidia GTX, but then we were forced to return it.

Virtualization technology has fundamentally changed the computing landscape. We'd be embarrassed to say that this is a new invention (early mainframes used it as a means of providing resources), but a decade ago CPU innovations mean that you can only achieve near-native performance with x86 code. And now we manage to cram dozens of machines (easily copied and restored) into one building, and the work of data centers has become much more efficient. It is possible to simulate another architecture, say, ARM, which is convenient for embedded developers.

It's also a boon for ordinary users: getting to know a new OS doesn't have to be such a time-consuming exercise in constant fear of ditching your system. Even if you just want to test a new program, it's much safer to do it in a virtual machine instead of risking your current setup. Support for in-kernel virtualization (via KVM) and the Qemu emulator means Linux users no longer need to resort to proprietary tools.

In the olden days, Sun's VirtualBox (once owned by Innotek and now Oracle) was the only real option. But times have changed, so let's look at other virtualization applications as well.

Both VMware and VirtualBox use kernel-dependent modules that load to do their magic. VMware will need to compile them, which will require installing the kernel header packages and all the compiler hardware. You will then get an init script to load the specified modules, although it will be useless for Systemd users. If this is your case, you might want to create your own init file instead of running this script as root all the time (or seeing all the same error messages). At the time of this writing, the 3.19 series kernels required patching the VMware sources, but I hope this will be fixed by the time the magazine is published. VirtualBox packages are available in most distributions, so if you have a standard kernel you don't have to worry about anything.

Virt-Manager requires the libvirtd service to be running on your system before starting it, which will notify you with a kind message, and if you are using a fully functional desktop environment, it will do it for you; all you have to do is enter the root password.

Both VirtualBox and VMware Workstation are fairly straightforward, unless you want to be distracted by every option. But in VMware Player there are not so many options and you will get your car up and running very quickly. But if you're determined to make the most of these options, you'll need to install Guest Additions.

Linux Guest Additions for VirtualBox are much easier to install (the CD will start automatically) than VMware add-ons that require copying programs from an imaginary CD, changing permissions, and then running a script. Is it really 1999? But, having done all this, you will be rewarded with improved graphics and a number of additional features, which we will discuss next.

The easiest to use in our collection is Boxes, even if it only provides the bare minimum of Qemu / libvirt functions. VMware Player and VirtualBox come in second, followed by their paid rival (nominally, they are more difficult due to more options). Virt-Manager isn't particularly difficult to use, but it has enough of Qemu's maze of settings to overwhelm a newbie. In addition, the mechanism for managing storage is rather convoluted, especially if you are going to store your virtual disk in a non-standard location: then you first need to add the required directory as a "storage pool". However, all the necessary exotic modules will be provided by your own distribution, and in that case, why not take the risk.

Performance

Will they create a slow or nimble VM for you?

Hardware enhancements and paravirtualization technologies have made it possible to perform some tasks at speeds close to those of real hardware.

However, as it is, there is usually a definite drop in performance. Almost every configuration we tested on the guest desktop showed some kind of lag. But you get used to it, and you can turn off all sorts of beauty or turn on the appropriate neutralization mode, if you are worried about it.

We're not taking 3D performance into account here - that wouldn't be entirely fair, and it has its own category via the page. However, for day-to-day tasks using Terminal, you are unlikely to notice much of a difference between our candidates. Experiments with kernel compilation have shown that VirtualBox lags far behind in the competition. The SunSpider JavaScript benchmark test confirmed this conclusion: both tasks completed 20% slower than the others. Disk I / O (especially if you have an SSD) and network traffic were fast for all of our candidates. Ultimately VMware secured the edge by supporting newer Intel processors.

Functionality

What does each candidate have to offer?

All of our candidates are designed for different use cases, and therefore each has its own, individual benefits. Of course, the presence of some standard functions is certainly implied: for example, it is customary to include the ability to create snapshots, support for Intel VT-x and AMD-V processor extensions, and flexible configuration of virtual hardware. All of this is offered by everyone, but some applications are capable of more heroic feats.

It should be noted here that Gnome Boxes and Virt-Manager are only interfaces to Qemu (via the libvirt abstraction layer). And Qemu is essentially a processor emulator that can provide virtualization over KVM, but it is a whole world nonetheless.

So, let's take a look at our candidates separately.

Gnome Boxes ★★

When called from the command line, Qemu supports many options, most of which are missing in Gnome Boxes: its goal (implemented) is simplicity and clarity appearance and work. Through its user-friendly wizard interface, you can set up a virtual machine in literally three clicks - just point it to the appropriate ISO. Boxes abstracts the difference between a virtual machine and a remote machine, and you can connect to both via VNC, SPICE (which allows audio to work over the network), or OVirt.

Gnome boxes

Boxes does not offer much control over your virtual machine over the network, but it does at least, provides all the NAT wizardry you need to keep your virtual machine communicating with the world. Other candidates successfully set up NAT, network bridges, or host-only networks, and all this can be very convenient in certain circumstances.

Virt-Manager ★★★★

Virt-Manager (aka Virtual Machine Manager) offers significantly more Qemu features (but again, not all). He seems to have gone overboard with his list of supported operating systems x86, in particular from the Linux family.

Virt-Manager

Leaving that aside, Virt-Manager makes it relatively easy to configure a machine of any complexity - you can add any hardware, including multiple network interfaces. In addition to KVM VMs, Virt-Man-ager is able to leverage Qemu / libvirt support for Xen guests and LXC containers. Optionally, it can also poll guest resources and thus provide very nice graphs (like the ones in the Performance section on page 25, which takes about 30 seconds after Windows startup 10). In addition, Virt-Manager leverages Qemu's recently added USB 3.0 support.

Compatibility and snapshots

Is it possible to move virtual machines between real ones?

Sometimes it is necessary to move VMs between hypervisors. All our programs can import machines stored in the Open Virtual Appliance (OVA) format, which is simply a tar archive with a VMDK (VMware) disk image, and virtual hardware data. VirtualBox allows export to this format, but also has its own - Virtual Disk Image (VDI), and also copes with all the rest.

The qemu-img command can be used to convert formats. Of particular note is his beloved QCOW2 format, which allows multiple system snapshots to be stored internally using the excellent Copy On Write (COW) trick.

Boxes, Virt-Manager, VirtualBox, and VMware Workstation support system snapshots, keeping different states of their VMs. VMware Player allows you to have only one snapshot per machine in addition to its current state. So deep regression testing is ruled out.

VirtualBox and VMware Workstation are also capable of "cloning" VMs, and this effective method system snapshots: data is written to the corresponding clone only if its state is different from that of the parent. VMware allows the VMDK guest image to be mounted to the host, which is also convenient, although the same trick can be done by converting to a raw disk image and using standard Linux tools and arithmetic to calculate the partition offset.

VirtualBox ★★★★

Originally a desktop virtualization client, VirtualBox is still probably the go-to tool for many. This program has a clear structure that makes it easy to set up a virtual machine, and many useful options... In addition to limiting the number of CPU cores that the guest OS has access to, VirtualBox allows you to specify a limit on the guest's CPU utilization as a percentage. VirtualBox also supports video recording, so you can record a Windows manual for your YouTube channel.

Virtualbox

It can import any virtual disks, but only offers support for host USB controller 2.0, and even then only if you install the proprietary Oracle extension pack. The distributed clipboard and drag-and-drop options (in one or both directions, as you wish) are quite handy. VirtualBox provides convenient indicators for network and disk I / O and for CPU utilization.

By the way, in the article "" we talked in detail about how to install and properly configure the VirtualBox virtual machine.

VMware Player ★★★

The free offering from VMware has come a long way since its introduction in 2008. The most remarkable thing is that this is no longer a player: it is more than capable of creating a high-quality virtual machine for you.

VMware Player

In addition to supporting a number of network configurations (NAT, bridged, host-only, etc.), it offers very nice network traffic shaping options, which is quite handy if you are testing latest version say a DDoS client or see how many malware you can hang Windows XP on your virtual machine until it bursts. VMware also supports USB devices 3.0, and installing the guest tools will allow for shiny graphics, shared clipboard and shared directories. Player is somewhat inferior when it comes to snapshots (it only allows you to take one), but we criticized it in the previous section.

VMware Workstation ★★★★★

There is a non-free version of VMware Player (VMware Player Pro), but we decided that for this Comparison it would be more appropriate to use a higher quality Workstation instead. This app provides many additional features for developers, including the ability to group virtual machines into a kind of virtual phalanx so that you can make them go live at the same time with one click.

VMware Workstation also offers support for new commands for modern Intel processors, and also allows you to configure machines with virtual CPUs up to 16 GB and 64 GB of RAM. However, Workstation is heavily focused on integrating with the rest of the (rather weighty) VMware suite, and will therefore look more appropriate in an enterprise environment.

Desktop integration

Will they clash with your color scheme?

Some users love the perfect harmony of the interfaces of the virtual machines and their corresponding hypervisors with the host desktop, while others are only confused.

VirtualBox uses Qt4, which is especially infuriating on the Qt-based Arch Linux desktop, where Qt5 is used all over the place, but this is just a bit of a niche flaw. Boxes pairs perfectly with Gnome 3, which is to be expected; Virt-Manager and VMware use GTK3 and are also perfect with it.

All of our candidates allow us to switch the virtual machine to full screen mode, and luckily, they all allowed us to switch back with the appropriate keyboard shortcut.

The Unity modes in VMware (no, this is not a way to make everything ubuntu-like) and Seamless in Virtual-Box stand out especially - both display application windows directly from the guest on the host desktop. This is very good for Linux VM (excluding potential confusion between guest and host windows), however trying to run
the preview was not very successful; Windows 7 with the Aero interface turned on was also not a pleasant experience.

All of our candidates support running the guest in full screen mode and can be configured to change resolution when the window is resized. Suitable hotkeys are provided to exit this script. The drag-and-drop capability on VMware machines is very convenient, which is why VMware wins this category.

Graphics acceleration

Can software rendering problems be avoided?

Any of our candidates would serve you great if you just wanted to set up a virtual machine without going to do anything graphics-intensive.

But if you need 3D acceleration, you need to take VMware or VirtualBox. Once you get the hang of installing the Guest Additions (including the misleading, double-negative VirtualBox question that tries to turn you away from its experimental WDDM support, like the Windows 7 Aero interface you need), you can enjoy 3D acceleration in VirtualBox and in two VMware clients.

Boom boom, Maxwell's silver hammer hit the, uh, hive. He died shortly after this screenshot was taken in Don’t Starve.

VirtualBox allows you to allocate up to 256 MB of system RAM to a virtual video card, and VMware up to 2 GB. Note that these gigabytes do not come from your actual graphics card, so often you won't see much improvement over 256MB. VirtualBox also provides 2D acceleration for Windows guest, which should help speed up video rendering, screen enlargement, and color correction, although this depends a lot on host configuration - this setting won't have much impact on a fast machine. Windows VM probably won't run Battlefield 4 or Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor (so we're very lucky to have these ported to Linux) when it's all down to 11, but beyond older or less demanding games will do just fine: we spent a good hour playing the popular indie game Don't Starve, completely forgetting our Comparison.

Everything worked better on VMware than on VirtualBox, but perhaps it was a more advantageous configuration - on Arch Linux we used the most recent proprietary Nvidia driver, which could determine the preponderance of one over the other.

Verdict

Virtualization is a long and complex topic for Comparisons. If you want to run 3D games, you won't even look at Gnome Boxes or Virt-Manager, and unless you do better in VirtualBox than we do, you will choose VMware as your hypervisor. But then again, this technology is by no means as mature as the native DirectX 11 format. You might even have better luck with games in Wine [Ed .: - Or not.] With some experimental performance patches. We're not really crazy about VMware licenses, especially the one that makes you pay after a 30-day trial, but for some, the enterprise-level features in Workstation will be a blessing. In particular, if using vCenter Converter from VMware, you virtualize the machine with one click - ideal if you want to test something new on your current system.

We haven't covered the ton of command line tools that come with all of our candidates, but they are, along with more than plentiful documentation. You can use them in your scripts when you go all the way with virtualization by pushing a host of virtual machines out of a secure command line environment. Perhaps hackers will prefer to work directly with Qemu, while those looking for a simple free open source solution will be happy with Gnome Boxes.

Bubbles look good if you don't see the effort involved in rendering them.

But there is only one winner (a draw is a rare exception), and this time it's Virt-Manager - well, we couldn't afford to win VMware. Virt-Manager lets you harness most of Qemu's power without resorting to lengthy command line spells. Virtual machines can be paused, reconfigured, moved, and cloned — all without much hassle. The only thing it lacks is support for graphics acceleration, but who knows, maybe it will appear. VMware Player and Gnome Boxes tied for second place as they both scored high for their simplicity, and we love the Boxes icon, which depicts a tesseract (or hypercube, or cube-cube, whatever you like).

Virt-Manager ★★★★
All managers would do so well.

VirtualBox ★★
Once the only solution, now on the sidelines.

VMware Player ★★★
Fast and convenient, but the license failed.

VMware Workstation ★★
Fast and full featured, but not free.

Boxes ★★★
The simplest way install and configure a VM.

One operating system - virtual - inside another operating system, but already a real one - this is an ideal find for those who like to test third-party software as well as different versions and assemblies of operating systems.

It is safe, it is interesting, moreover, it is even useful for development. VirtualBox is perhaps the only well-known software representative that provides these features.

It is free, simple and straightforward to use, even for novice users. How do I install a virtual Windows operating system using VirtualBox? We will consider this issue below.

Step 1. Create a virtual computer

There will hardly be any problems with downloading and installing VirtualBox, it can be freely downloaded from official website of the developer, and it is installed as standard.

The launched program will open with a welcome window, where you need to click the command - "Create".

The window that appears will provide you with a choice of operating systems supported by the program. Select the required version, set the name to the virtual computer. We press "Forward".


We indicate which system we are creating:

Correct Windows work XP will be provided with 512 MB of RAM, but for Windows 7 it is better to allocate 800-900 MB.

It is impossible to enter the red section of the scale, thereby giving the virtual computer more than half of the hardware potential of the physical computer. We press "Forward".

In the next window for selecting a hard disk, select the option to create a new hard disk.

In the next window, it is better for beginners to choose the storage format - fixed disk, since it works a little faster than dynamic. We press "Forward".

This figure will also be taken from the memory of the physical hard disk, therefore, it is necessary to select the optimal amount, which will be enough for the purposes of the virtual computer, and this will not be at the expense of physical memory.

For Windows XP, you can allocate 5 GB, and for Windows 7 - about 15 GB. Here, using the browse button visible at the end of the first line, select the directory of the physical computer where the virtual hard disk will be placed.

Choose a better place on a non-system disk. The "New" command will start the process of creating a hard disk for the virtual computer, after which you can admire the parameters of the newly created virtual computer.

Step 2. Install the operating system on the virtual computer

The virtual computer is created and you can install the operating system on it. Click the "Run" command.

We select either the boot disk of the operating system located in the physical drive, or the disk image. You can set the path to the disk image using the browse button at the end of the line. We press "Continue".

A familiar menu will open in a separate VirtualBox window Windows installations... Further steps are no different from the process of installing Windows on a physical computer.

The concept of a virtual machine (from the English. Virtual Machine) means a software or hardware system that emulates the hardware of a certain platform (guest platform), executing programs for the guest platform by means of the host platform.

Also, a virtual machine can virtualize a certain platform, creating on it independent, isolated environments for operating systems and programs.

Virtual Machine for Windows 7 - we offer you an overview of popular programs.

To put it simply, a virtual machine provides an opportunity on one real, physical computer, to create several virtual computers, install various operating systems, programs, etc. on them.

This technology came to the general public from the world of server infrastructure, where virtual machines are used to create maximum server load and reduce equipment downtime.

Virtual machines are used to solve a range of tasks such as:

1. Optimization of the use of server resources.
2. Information protection, as well as limiting the capabilities of some programs, the so-called sandbox idea.
3. Research into new computer architecture or software.
4. Emulation of various computer architectures (for example, to emulate Sony's PlayStation game console).
5. Creation of malicious code.
   For example, the SubVirt rootkit, created in 2006 by Microsoft Research (MSR), created a virtual working environment, in which the user's operating system was placed along with antivirus, firewall and other software (software) designed to protect the PC.
   At the same time, the rootkit itself remained outside and therefore did not fall into the field of action of antiviruses, giving the attacker remote control over the virtual machine.
6. Modeling computer networks.
7. Software testing and debugging.

We bring to your attention a brief overview of the most popular virtualization programs.

Virtual Machine for Windows 7: Virtual Box

Oracle virtualization software for Linux, Mac OS X, MS Windows, etc.

The program is quite popular and below we will consider not everything, but only its key advantages:

Free.

Cross-platform.

Support for 64-bit guests on 32-bit host platforms. To do this, the host platform must support virtualization technology at the processor level.

Support for audio devices and various types of networking.

The ability to create a chain of backup states (backups), to which you can return in case of problems with the guest system.

Russian-language interface.

Important! The shortcomings of the program are not significant, but for the sake of objectivity of the assessment, they should also be mentioned - VirtualBox is poorly compatible with Win 95/98 OS (the system is slow) and Mac OS X (sound problems).

As you can see, the shortcomings of the program are not significant and are rather nominal.

Windows 7 virtual machine: Xen

Virtual Machine Monitor (Hypervisor), developed at the University of Cambridge and distributed with the open source source code(GPL license).

Using paravirtualization technology (PV mode), Xen achieves very high performance by emulating real hardware platforms.

The peculiarity of the PV-mode is the absence of the initial moment of computer boot (imitation of the BIOS code, bootloader) and the guest OS kernel starts immediately in the desired mode, like ordinary programs.

It is worth noting that Xen can be compared to enterprise-grade software due to its rich functionality.

Advantages:

Free.

Cross-platform.

High performance of running virtual machines, which is very close to the performance of real systems.

The ability to migrate running virtual machines between physical hosts.

High degree of support for emulated hardware.

The disadvantage of the program is, perhaps, one - its relative complexity, in comparison with similar software from other companies.

Virtual Machine for Windows 7: Virtual PC

Initially this program was developed by Connetix for Mac OS back in 1997. 4 years later, a version for Windows was released.

Later, in 2003, the rights to the program were acquired by Microsoft Corporation, and in 2006 the program became free.

In the future, Virtual PC did not receive development and currently contains the functionality of 2007.

Advantages:

Free.

Simple, user-friendly interface.

Flaws:

The program works only in the Windows environment, but is incompatible with Windows 8 and higher.

The program, unlike Virtual Box, is not compatible with AMD processors.

Virtual Machine for Windows 7: VMware Player

A product from the largest American developer of virtualization software Vmware.

Vmware products are primarily aimed at the corporate segment of the market, therefore full version programs - VMware Workstation - paid.

The license price is about $ 250. For non-commercial use, the manufacturer offers a program with limited functionality VMware Player.

It is worth noting that the limitations generally apply to software developers and IT specialists; the program is quite functional to perform the tasks of an ordinary user.

Advantages:

Free.

Fast.

Simple, user-friendly interface.

ThinPrint technology allows you to print any document opened in the guest OS without installing additional drivers.

Working with multiple monitors in the guest OS.

File exchange between guest systems using Drag & Drop technology.

Flaws:

Limited functionality of the free version.

Installing Windows 7 x64 on VirtualBox (virtual machine)

Virtual machine for Windows 7: multiple operating systems on one machine

Sometimes it becomes necessary to get a second computer on which you can install a different operating system or safely test programs. A virtual machine will help you with this task. In this article, we will look at what a virtual machine is, why you need a virtual machine, how to install and configure a virtual machine.

Virtual machine- a program that emulates a real (physical) computer with all its components (hard disk, drive, BIOS, network adapters etc.). An operating system, drivers, programs, etc. can be installed on such a virtual computer. Thus, you can run several more virtual computers on your real computer, with the same or a different operating system. You can easily exchange data between your real and virtual computer.

Why do you need a virtual machine

Not every PC user needs a virtual machine, but power users use one quite often. A virtual machine is used for various purposes and tasks:

• Installing a second / different operating system;
• Software testing;
• Safe launch of suspicious programs;
• Computer network emulation;
• Launch applications that cannot be launched from your operating system.

For clarity, I will give a few examples.

The operating system Windows 7 can be installed on your real computer, and Windows XP, Windows 8 or Linux can be installed on the virtual machine.

If you need to select a program (for example, a video player), you need to install several similar programs, and determine which one you like best. Whatever clutter your computer, test the programs in a virtual machine.

I often use a virtual machine when I write an article on the site. Before writing a material, I personally check everything. When I do a software review, I have to install a lot of different programs, which creates unnecessary garbage in the system. And bad data encryption or hiding can backfire. Better to be safe and experiment on a virtual computer.

Virtual Machine Overview

There are many different programs for creating and managing virtual computers. Now we will look at 3 of the most popular programs.

VirtualBox virtual machine

- a free virtual machine on which you can install all the most popular operating systems. VirtualBox supports Windows, Linux, FreeBSD, Mac OS.

VirtualBox supports both 32 and 64 bit operating systems. VirtualBox supports working with virtual computers created in the paid VMware Workstation program.

Setting up and working with VirtualBox is very convenient and simple. The program is quite efficient and stable.

VirtualBox has broad functionality, specific interface and is completely free. VirtualBox is the best virtual machine for home use.

VMware virtual machine

VMware - the most famous and widespread virtual machine. VMware is usually used for work by large sites or corporations.

VMware comes in two flavors: Workstation and Player. VMware Workstation is a great but paid virtual machine. VMware Player is a free stripped-down version of VMware Workstation.

VMware Workstation supports work with 32 and 64 bit systems, USB 3.0, installation of various operating systems.

VMware Workstation is by far the best virtual machine used by large companies, but its cost makes it less popular with ordinary users.

Microsoft Virtual PC

Microsoft Virtual PC Is another free virtual machine. It has wide functionality and a user-friendly interface, but it has one big drawback - it only works with Windows operating systems. It cannot run Linux or Mac OS.

Summing up, I would like to note that VirtualBox is best suited for home use. Next, we'll look at how to install and configure the VirtualBox virtual machine.

Installing the VirtualBox virtual machine

Of the virtual machines discussed in the previous section, VirtualBox is the best choice. We will now look at how to install VirtualBox, and the next section will describe how to configure it.

Download the latest version of the program from the official website. Download program

We launch the installer and see the welcome window. Let's move on to the next stage.

At the second stage of installation, you can see all the components of the program that will be installed and the directory in which the program will be installed. You can change the installation directory, but I recommend installing all the components. You may not need all the components now, but if you need them in the future, you need to install the virtual machine again. Go ahead.

Here you need to note where you want to place the program shortcuts.

At the next stage, a warning will appear that during the installation, your computer will be temporarily disconnected from the network. If you are downloading something important from the Internet, then wait until the download is complete and only then click the “Yes” button in the installation window.

Then you will be told that if you are ready to start the installation, then click the "Install" button, and if you want to change any parameters, then go back. Click “Install” and wait for the installation to complete.

During the installation process, pop-up windows may appear that say “Install software for this device?” We press the button “Install”.

Installation is complete. Click the "Finish" button. The virtual machine will automatically start after the installation is complete.

Let's move on to creating and configuring.

Creating a VirtualBox virtual machine

To create a virtual machine, in the VirtualBox program window, click on the "Create" button (in the upper left corner).

At the first stage, you need to enter the name of the machine to be created and select the type of operating system. For example, we will create a virtual machine running Windows 7. Let's go further.

The second step is to set the amount of RAM that will be allocated to the virtual machine. You need to choose based on the needs of the operating system. The system requirements for Windows 7 indicate that you need at least one gigabyte of RAM. I indicated 1.5 GB. Windows XP requires less RAM. In general, we take the minimum that is indicated in the characteristics of the operating system + a small margin. At the same time, keep in mind that you cannot give a virtual machine more than half of the computer's RAM, of course, if you do not have very powerful computer which has 8 or more gigabytes of RAM.

You can connect a virtual hard disk to a virtual machine. Let's create it. We mark the item “Create a new virtual hard disk” and click on the button “Create”.

Now you need to specify the type of hard drive. If you do not know the formats that are described there, leave it as it is and click “Next”.

Next, you need to specify the format for storing data on the virtual hard disk. A dynamic virtual hard disk can expand, but a fixed one has a strictly defined size. See how it is more convenient for you.

We indicate the name of the virtual hard disk and its size. Click “Create”.

Setting up a VirtualBox virtual machine

Let's get acquainted with the settings of the virtual machine. Click the "Configure" button in the upper left corner of the program.

The settings window will appear. By changing the settings, you can change various parameters of the virtual machine (for example, the amount of RAM, the boot order of devices, enabling 2D acceleration, etc.)

All settings are divided into several sections. The current version of the program has 9 sections. We will not go over each section in detail. Visually, you will master the settings much faster than reading unnecessary text. At the same time, by hovering over any item of the settings, a window will appear in which it will be described why this or that parameter is needed. I will briefly describe what functions can be found in each section.

Basic settings by section:

• General - machine name, OS type, clipboard, removable media;
• System - Basic settings of the virtual machine hardware: RAM, chipset, processor, acceleration, device boot order;
• Display - Video memory settings, number of monitors, 2D and 3D acceleration, connection to a remote display, video capture;
• Media - Hard disk controllers and their configuration;
• Audio - audio driver and controller;
• Network - configuring network adapters;
• Com ports - enable and configure COM ports;
• USB - Enabling the USB controller and configuring USB filters;
• Shared Folders - Create and manage shared folders.

If you make a mistake in the settings, the program will inform you about it. At the bottom of the settings window, the message “Detected wrong settings”. By hovering over the exclamation mark, you will see a pop-up panel in which you will learn what was done wrong and how you can fix it.

For an ordinary user, the first 3 sections of the settings are enough. If the virtual machine is running slowly, you can increase the amount of RAM or use more processor power.

After completing the settings, click the "OK" button. To start (turn on) the created virtual machine, you need to click on the "Start" button. Now we insert into the drive installation disk with the operating system, install and configure the operating system and your virtual computer is ready to use.

Conclusion

In this article, we examined what a virtual machine is, why you need it, how to install and configure a virtual machine. Installing and configuring a virtual machine is easy.

Virtualization allows you to encapsulate the internals of operating systems or parts of them within virtual hardware and software. In other words, create a virtual space that will be real, from the point of view of the operating system running in this space. This is exactly what virtual machines for Windows 7, Linux and Mac OS X do. Virtualization also allows you to simulate devices that are not on your computer at all.

Note: In a sense, virtual machines allow you to create a computer inside a computer.

There are two important aspects of machine virtualization:

• interaction between physical host (computer) and virtual host
• interaction between the operating system running in the virtual space and the hardware used

Virtualization software, namely virtual machines for Windows 7 (Linux, Mac OS X), is usually a common application or operating system service that allows you to create hosts. Any physical machine (computer) is called a host. Inside virtualization software, the operating system runs in a similar or identical real host called a virtual machine. For convenience, the operating system running in a virtual machine is referred to as a guest operating system.

In addition, there are different ways virtualization, on which not only the implementation of applications for creating virtual machines depends, but also the provided capabilities for guest systems. There is the usual emulation, in which hardware and software calls go through the middle layer. There is also para-virtualization, where part of the actions inside the virtual machine takes place on real hardware, while the other part goes through the intermediate layer. And also there is virtualization at the system level, when each guest system is loaded in a special kernel, which allows you to run only similar versions of the operating system.

Some of these methods can be performed on the fly, without significant changes to the real host and its operating system. Others require rebooting the host into a special instance of the operating system that supports virtualization. Others use dedicated hosts that support and are designed for virtualization at the hardware device level. The latter are also known as virtualization techniques on bare metal (although this is not entirely true, since some software kernel is still used).

Virtualization software that manages the creation and operation of virtual machines, as well as the allocation and limitation of the resources provided, is often referred to as a hypervisor. Some virtualization applications can also use special processor extensions to improve the performance of virtual machines. The presence of such extensions is called hardware virtualization support. Examples of this support are VT-X (Intel) and AMD-V (AMD) technologies.

What is not virtualization and virtual machine?

Some people like to call virtualization programs ( virtual machines) anything that creates a layer of abstraction between the operating system and some of the running processes. For example, there is Sandboxie, which allows you to isolate browsers from the system (see browser protection utilities). Some programs allow you to freeze the state of the system so that it cannot be changed. Others also allow you to use the so-called shadow mode, in which all programs run normally, but any changes are canceled when the computer is restarted.

Of course, all of these programs provide different benefits, but they are not considered virtualization technologies and are not virtual machines because they do not simulate system calls and they do not allow guest operating systems to run on top of the current system. Such programs only create additional layers of separation, mainly to increase the level of security. Continuing the topic of security, then ...

Why use virtualization and virtual machines?

If security comes first for you and this is the first thing you think about in any situation, then virtualization (using virtual machines) can certainly help you with this. But don't assume that virtualization is primarily used for security purposes. Its primary goals are testing, cost reduction, flexibility, legacy product support, and education. Increasing the level of security is just a nice bonus, which has many pitfalls of its own.

Note: Although virtualization allows you to isolate one operating system from another, there are still ways to get from the guest system to the main one.

What does it take to run virtualization technology and virtual machines?

The first thing to consider is the physical host. Depending on the type of virtualization software (virtual machines), completely different hardware and operating systems may be required. Virtualization does not imply any one solution that will run wherever you need it. Virtual machines need to be selected for the system (Windows, Linux, Mac), and for the hardware (hardware). In addition, the host must have the requisites.

So if you are going to run guest operating systems on top of your system, you will need additional resources to run them, such as CPU and RAM. For example, if your computer only has 2GB of RAM and you want to run the guest system on Windows 7, then you will have to severely limit resource usage on the real system for the virtual machine to function properly. Unless you're trying to run Windows XP with 256MB of memory, of course. However, if you have 16 GB of RAM, then you can run more than one guest system without feeling any lack of resources.

Pros: Easy to install and use.

Cons: Limited functionality. Doesn't support snapshots and directory sharing.

Virtual Machine for Windows 7, Linux and Mac OS X - VirtualBox

VirtualBox is another cross-platform virtual machine software for Windows 7 and higher, as well as Linux and Mac systems, currently owned by Oracle. VirtualBox is similar to VMware Player, but has more features, including a more advanced networking stack, unlimited snapshots, some OpenGL and DirectX support, and much more. The app is easy to install and just as easy to use. You can also use the command line for automatic deployment. VirtualBox also supports USB and shared directories. In addition, there is a portable version of VirtualBox. However, there are also disadvantages. You cannot take screenshots of guest systems. Disk management is somewhat confusing.

Audience: beginners and advanced users.

Pros: Easy to install and use, many features.

Cons: No support for screenshots, importing existing machines is difficult, not intuitive disk management.

VMware ESXi hypervisor for creating virtual machines

ESXi is a bare metal hypervisor with reduced functionality compared to ESX. The application requires a host and can be controlled from the console (the console is locked by default, but you can manually enable it). You will not be able to take screenshots or capture video from the screens of your virtual machines. Guest migration and cloning is done manually only. But, on the other hand, you get memory sharing to improve the efficiency of the use of RAM, powerful control and management, and access to the command line via SSH (when unlocked). You can also install VMware Tools to improve the performance of virtual machines. Para virtualization is also supported by ESXi.

Pros: Powerful, advanced virtual machine capabilities.

Cons: Requires a host and a lot of resources. Not easy to install and run.

Virtual Machine for Unix / Linux - Kernel-based Virtual Machine (KVM)

KVM supports virtualization only for UNIX-like operating systems (Linux). The application can be run on any hardware or in emulation mode, however, without processor extensions, the performance will be terrible. KVM is intended to be used over the console. But, it has a decent management interface that lets you start and stop virtual machines, take screenshots, and more. The interface is known as Virtual Machine Manager (VMM) and is also used to manage Xen virtual machines (see below). Support for local and remote control... There is a known conflict with VirtualBox, but it can be solved relatively easily

Audience: advanced users and professionals.

Pros: Full control and flexibility, very high performance, under the right conditions.

Cons: Only UNIX-like systems... Requires virtualization hardware extensions to run properly. Emphasis on the command line. Not easy to install and run.

Virtual Machine for Unix / Linux - Xen

Xen is another application for virtualizing UNIX-like operating systems (Linux). It must boot in its own kernel instance. The emphasis is on the command line. But, you can also use VMM. Officially, Xen has been supported by OpenSUSE for many years and has recently been added to the mainline kernel release. Xen can run in hardware-assisted or para-virtualized mode. However, for para-virtualization, Xen is highly problematic to install and run. In addition, Xen has limited support for cd-rom and network devices... It is also available as a bare metal virtualization hypervisor on a Live CD. There are numerous third-party extensions available to manage Xen.

Audience: advanced users and professionals.

Pros: Full control and flexibility, very good performance, built-in kernel support.

Cons: Only UNIX-like systems. Steam virtualization mode is buggy. Emphasis on the command line. Several command line utilities that can be confusing. Not easy to install and run. You must load your own kernel instance.

Other solutions for creating virtual machines

There are many other solutions not listed here such as Parallels Virtuozzo, OpenVZ, and VMLite-based VirtualBox. There are also a number of redesigned solutions, including examples of crossing virtualization and thin clients. Linux also has a huge number of modifications of its own. And don't forget about the cloud with your virtualization applications.

Nevertheless, if you are a novice user, then you should not chase the possibilities and colorful modifications. Otherwise, an attempt to create a virtual machine to run a couple of three programs can turn into several sleepless nights.

A few words about virtualization programs

This review will be useful not only for novice users, but also for experts. The listed products cover a wide range of virtualization technologies at all levels. All solutions described are free for personal use. Choose what you want or need, based on the available hardware, requirements for ease of setup and launch, as well as the availability of the required set of functions.

Typically, most people start learning about virtualization with VMware Player or VirtualBox. Linux users may prefer KVM and possibly Xen. Experienced Users might want to take a look at ESXi.