Virtualization

[arinlares]

I just graduated high school in June, and am getting a job after the summer, and will be getting a laptop (more than likely a Vista laptop, can't find XP anywhere). I want to use Ubuntu, and heard what some people were saying about the ease to install on a partitioned laptop, but a recent mistake with Wubi made me think otherwise (don't ask, i've talked it over with the guys at the Ubuntu forum). So, I started to consider the merits of virtualization. Because, to my knowledge, Vista isn't compatible with open-source installers (for such programs as GIMP, Blender, and Inkscape, to name a few programs I hope to use), I've figured that I can use a virtual machine, export to a useable format for another program, and email to myself for download and use in Windows. I don't think I'm the only person with this idea, and am looking for a way to use Windows and Linux side by side (i've looked into Co-Linux, but don't think it's for me). Will Ubuntu (or Xubuntu), being run in Virtual Box, run into any/many performance issues? I'm considering Xubuntu because of it's smaller size and lower resource use.

[b2bwild]

You can use VMware..all you need is RAM because it will get divided..
well VMware isnt free, and about my experience Linux is better at Virtualization
you can use kernel-xen too, if you cant get VMware
it works fine for me

[arinlares]

i've been looking into virtual box, been doing research on it.

[HROAdmin26]

Pretty much same thread.

VMWare Server is free, has been for some time, and runs very well.

As for moving files between OS's, you can mount a Windows share inside Linux, or install NFS support inside Windows.

[arinlares]

yeah, i've heard about VMWare Server being free. Due to how new I am at using Linux, though, I am, ashamedly, afraid of messing up an NTFS partition (even through the ubuntu install, even though I've heard it's easy). Mostly, I want to use virtual Ubuntu because of my fear of the unknown, and, as mentioned in the thread you linked to me, HRO, I don't want to re-boot my computer to get/move the files. basically, I want Xubuntu to be the workhorse I can call at any time, and put away at my convenience, instead of rebooting the computer to do something in Blender, moving the file to the Windows document folder, and rebooting into windows. Emails take maybe a minute to be sent (i can paste the code from the file into an email, and send it that way, to be recompiled in the Windows machine). But, i still need to know, will virtualization affect the guest OS' performance?

[kopete]

Try to get a 2nd computer to install Linux on. If that is not an option, you can use VirtualBox (for e.g.), but imho, it is not the best option to be just starting out. There are many things to learn while using Virtual programs and most of the time, a beginner will run into snags. It's inevitable. It's really cool and everything, but you have to do things like matching up kernel headers and installing the right packages etc.

I think these are the best options in order of preference and ease of use:
1) separate computer - boot up a Linux LiveCD and install it
2) restricted to only one and current computer? - dual or multi-boot. (Have fun. It is best to copy/move precious files onto a separate hard drive. Hard drives are cheap nowadays so I suggest doing this for sure. Grub is probably the best boot loader to use when you dual/multi-boot. Many people use this and that will make it a little easier to find support and troubleshoot any problems you come across.
3) Virtualbox (I don't know how this compares to VMWare but VB is free) - this will eventually be the most preferred and best way but is still in infancy as far as I'm concerned and the newbie will run into problems since they need to do everything they would do in a normal boot setup but with the added issues of Virtualization. So, you are dealing with guest OS's, the host and installing what is needed to make things work.

I am just a newbie so this is only for ideas. Perhaps, someone else will think it's perfectly fine to jump right in with a Virtualization program.

[arinlares]

Well, i'm actually watching videos where somebody is doing what I want to do. they did it with no problems (though all they did is set up the VHD, and install the system). I don't mean to contradict anybody, but aside from a lack of desktop effects on the Ubuntu-guest end, they aren't having any visible issues. Later, I intend to dual-boot, or even have a dedicated Linux computer, but for now, all I want is quick, easy, cross-platform file transfer (sorry, probably sound like a Windows fanboy).

[arinlares]

It's been three days since my last post in this thread, so I don't think it's a double (and I want to bump it, sorry, mods). One question I didn't have answered in my thread (or maybe I never asked), is whether or not Ubuntu will suffer in performance as a guest, without desktop effects. Will it become unstable? Will it be be sluggish or slow (if I meet the reccomended requirements for the system)? And, probably the most important question: Will running Ubuntu in a virtual machine have an effect on the progams I run in Ubuntu?

[tobywan]

arinlares, I too, am brand new to the forums. I am aslo fairly noobish with Linux, in general. But I have been doing one type or another of end-user/breakfix support on everything from Apple ProDOS to Windows Vista for almost 2 decades.

Something to keep in mind, is that most brand name computers come with some amount of warranty & tech support. However, they typically will only honor that warranty assistance if the computer is 100% original factory configuration, and that includes the OS.

If you can afford to do so, here's what I would recommend:
o- purchase a separate portable hdd, and an external drive case, with internal & external I/O to match your original hdd and portable, respectively.
o- replace the original hdd with the spare, and install the OS and apps of your choice on that drive
o- install your factory hdd in the external case
o- use the empty space on your now-external, original hdd as a place to back up your persnal files.

Advantages:
o- you have a backup drive!
o- you maintain the warranty on your investments
o- any time you develope symptoms that are not immediately apparent as being hard drive or data related, you can easily reinstall the orig hdd back into the system. (if the symptom then persists, it cannot be caused by the data on the other hdd & vice versa.)

Disadvantages:
o- $$$ (but really not that much, considering how steadily storage prices have been dropping)

Just a thought.
Good luck with your new system, school, and "life the universe and everything."