Sun VirtualBox

Sun VirtualBox is a small-footprint, high-performance, virtualization platform that installs and runs just like an application on your existing Windows, Solaris OS, OpenSolaris, Mac OS X, or Linux "host" OS. It lets you create multiple virtual machines into which you can install whatever "guest" OS you need. So the same computer can run multiple operating systems and applications at the same time.

VirtualBox came through Sun's acquisition of innotek GmbH of Stuttgart, Germany in February 2008.

First, it supports a wide range of host platforms and an even larger range of guests. So you can run anything from the latest Microsoft Vista, Solaris OS, OpenSolaris and Ubuntu releases down to old Windows 98, OS/2 or DOS on your cool new Apple laptop. Second, it is incredibly small, compact and efficient (less than 20Mb download), it doesn't require that you wipe out your existing system, and it is incredibly fast. Your guest platforms will run at near-native speeds. Last but not least, it has been designed to be expanded upon. APIs are exposed at every level, including Web Services, which encourages an eco-system of VirtualBox based solutions.

And one more thing, Sun VirtualBox is Enterprise-class and Open Source.

VirtualBox binaries are available for download under the PUEL (Personal Use and Evaluation License). This allows anyone to download and use the product free of charge in compliance with those terms.

For organizations that want to deploy across the business, Sun offers Sun VirtualBox Enterprise Subscriptions which includes a Sun Software License Agreement and Premium Service Plan.

VirtualBox source code is freely available and licensed under GPL2 as the Open Source Edition.

Yes, we tend to meet at VirtualBox.org.

From here you can join forums, download code, get IRC info, report problems and view the status of issues. You can also join the community and help improve VirtualBox.

Yes, the GUI can display in many languages. However, the User Manual is only available in English.

• 32- or 64-bit Intel or AMD x86 CPU 1.5GHz or faster.
• 512 MB minimum available memory (1 GB recommended).
• Disk Space 30Meg + storage for guests.

The About box says which x.y.z version you're running, but for even more info you can:

• run VBoxManage -version from the command line
• check the Log file for a vm (from the VirtualBox Console, select a recently run vm and Machine...Show Log

The default Networking mode for VirtualBox is to use NAT (Network Address Translation). This works fine when your vm is a client platform but it means the guest is not visible on the external network, and so can't easily be used as a server.

If you are running your guest as a server of some sort you should configure the Virtual Machine to use Host Interface networking, rather than NAT. This allows you to assign an externally addressable address to the guest.

VirtualBox runs on Windows, Linux, Macintosh, Solaris OS and OpenSolaris hosts and supports a large number of guest operating systems including but not limited to Windows (NT 4.0, 2000, XP, Server 2003, Vista), DOS/Windows 3.x, Linux (2.4 and 2.6), and OpenBSD.