Redistribution of VirtualBox guest additions granted for Arch Linux!

Mikos · 2007-02-01 13:46:58

Hello,
if you don't know VirtualBox, it is powerful x86 virtualization solution which has been recently opensourced (under GPL) and which beats VMWare Workstation in terms of performance and user interface. I have already created PKGBUILDs for it (virtualbox-svn and virtualbox-modules-svn).

There is only one problem with opensource edition of VirtualBox: installer for Linux and Windows guest additions hasn't been opensourced and Windows guest additions can be build only on Windows (and GPL-licensed binaries aren't provided).

So after conversation with VirtualBox developers on #vbox IRC channel, I have asked them to grant permissions for redistribution of proprietary binary VBoxGuestAdditions.iso for Arch Linux. And it has been granted!

There is evidence:

Date: 2007-02-01 14:12  
From: Michal Krenek (Mikos) <m.krenek@gmail.com>
To: info@virtualbox.org

Hello,
after conversation with achimha on #vbox IRC channel, I have been told
that I can ask you for permissions to redistribution of
VBoxGuestAdditions.iso (extracted from VirtualBox proprietary binary
packages and also if it will be accessible directly in future) with
OSE edition of VirtualBox in Arch Linux distribution
(http://www.archlinux.org).

So do you grant these permissions (as specified above)?

Thanks,
Michal Krenek (Mikos)

Date: 2007-02-01 14:21  
From: Achim Hasenmueller <hasenmueller@innotek.de>
To: Michal Krenek (Mikos) <m.krenek@gmail.com>

Hi,

we hereby grant you permission to redistribute our
VBoxGuestAdditions.iso from the binary packages on www.virtualbox.org
with Arch Linux.

Best regards,
Achim Hasenmueller

--

** Besuchen Sie uns auf der CeBIT vom 15.-21.3.2007 in Hannover **
           ** Im Linux-Park - Halle 5 - Stand G57/3 **

 ** InnoTek at CeBIT Hannover: Linux Park Hall 5 - Booth G57/3 **


Kind regards / mit freundlichen Gruessen / Cordialement,
    Achim Hasenmueller

InnoTek Systemberatung GmbH
fon: +49 7151 60405-0 (fax: -111)
hasenmueller@innotek.de
http://www.innotek.de
Germany

Place of Incorporation/Firmensitz: Weinstadt
Register Court / Registergericht: Stuttgart HRB 264652

So you can expect from me virtualbox-additions-bin PKGBUILD soon... and there can be official VirtualBox packages in 'community' repo (if some TU want it) too!

Last edited by Mikos (2007-02-01 13:51:18)

Pierre · 2007-02-01 14:57:45

Thanks for asking InnoTek about this. At the moment VirtualBox is quite experimental. But I think once it will build on Arch64 I`ll put it into [community].

SchaduwBlink · 2007-02-01 15:39:40

Hi,

I never heard of this software before. Can you provide infomation on how it comparea with other virtualization software, like: qemu, the new kernel virtualization in 2.6.20 (can it also use this kernel module?), zen, ... and other popular virtualization software?

Thanks.

Mikos · 2007-02-01 15:59:13

SchaduwBlink wrote:

I never heard of this software before. Can you provide infomation on how it comparea with other virtualization software, like: qemu, the new kernel virtualization in 2.6.20 (can it also use this kernel module?), zen, ... and other popular virtualization software?

It is _much_ faster than qemu + kqemu (and also than kvm from 2.6.20) and similar in speed and features to VMWare Workstation (in some cases also faster than VMWare Workstation). It is also much faster than Xen in full virtualization mode (Xen in paravirtualization mode is maybe slightly faster, but it is usefull only for Linux guests, not Windows). Also you don't need recent processors with hardware virtualization support (Intel VT or AMD-V) like in case of kvm or Xen to run Windows guests. And it has really nice Qt GUI :-)

EDIT: You can find more information here: The VirtualBox architecture. VirtualBox also supports hardware virtualization (like kvm or Xen), but it isn't used by default, because hardware virtualization is in fact _slower_ than software virtualization approach.

Last edited by Mikos (2007-02-01 16:07:56)

Tatey · 2007-02-02 01:38:31

This looks like a fantastic piece of virtualisation software. I'm going to check it out.

Mikos · 2007-02-02 05:39:06

I have uploaded new versions of my virtualbox-svn and virtualbox-modules-svn PKGBUILDs to AUR, be sure to use these (not old version). Also virtualbox-additions-bin PKGBUILD is now in AUR.

Mikos · 2007-02-02 13:39:50

VirtualBox PKGBUILDs in AUR updated again.

I have to disable experimental dynamic RAM allocation, because 'recompiler' must be also recompiled, but if you have GCC 4, prebuild object files are used (which aren't compiled with dynamic RAM allocation support, so it gives you error when you try to start virtual guest).

So we must wait for GCC 4 fixes in VirtualBox to have dynamic RAM allocation support also in Arch Linux packages (it should be fixed sometime this month).

once · 2007-02-03 02:42:06

virtualbox simulate smp? like vmware supported 2 cpus.

Mikos · 2007-02-04 19:10:50

once wrote:

virtualbox simulate smp? like vmware supported 2 cpus.

VirtualBox supports SMP on host system, not SMP guests. But SMP guest support is being worked on. Btw. 64-bit support is nearly completed, soon you will be able to run VirtualBox on 64-bit systems too (and of course also 64-bit guests). Also dynamic allocation of guest physical RAM is now supported (but it is still experimental and disabled in PKGBUILD because it doesn't work with GCC 4.x... but full GCC 4.x support will be completed soon too). Also support for shared clipboard (between host and guests) is being worked on and should be completed soon.

kozaki · 2007-02-04 19:54:47

Thank you Mikos

linuX-gamers.net has published a comparison of Virtualbox vs Qemu+kqemu performances :
http://www.linux-gamers.net/smartsectio … -qemu.html

About 64bits support, here's what's visible on http://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/User_FAQ :

VirtualBox does not yet support 64-bit hosts. This is actively being worked on. (And no, you can't install the 32-bit version on a 64-bit host.)

Mikos · 2007-02-04 21:27:46

kozaki wrote:

linuX-gamers.net has published a comparison of Virtualbox vs Qemu+kqemu performances :
http://www.linux-gamers.net/smartsectio … -qemu.html

Interesting, but they didn't say if they used dynamically expanding image or fixed-size image in VirtualBox for Windows installation. I think that they have used dynamically expanding image, which is slower in disk access (read and write) than fixed-size image. VirtualBox with fixed-size image would be IMHO faster than qemu+kqemu even in disk read and write speed.

kozaki wrote:

About 64bits support, here's what's visible on http://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/User_FAQ :
VirtualBox does not yet support 64-bit hosts. This is actively being worked on. (And no, you can't install the 32-bit version on a 64-bit host.)

This FAQ is for latest binary packages of VirtualBox, in SVN version 64-bit support is (from what I know) nearly completed (it should IMHO already build on 64-bit systems, but I am not sure about it).

cactus · 2007-02-08 08:52:45

qemu uses (default) dynamically expanding images as well, in their qcow format.

kozaki · 2007-02-08 17:36:24

Well I'm used to test live CDs & DVDs with qemu+kqemu, on Arch & Mandriva Linux.
2day I started latest Mandriva One 2007 (Gaming DVD) on vbox ; this *was* actually much more confortable than with k+qemu.
- On the latest with 256 to 512 Mo I frequently have to wait dizains of seconds just for the (kde) menu to react on clic. Many Live distros were barely testables because of that annoying+++
- On Virtualbox with 512 Mo (16 Mo for the graphics) there's a bit of lag (not as fast than native) but it's not annoying, only noticeable.
The choice is more than clear to me.

Anyway I'll check again with new qemu 0.9 & kqemu of course. As qemu allows me to test / install x86_64 OS, which vbox can't (yet ?)

Romashka · 2007-04-04 14:42:18

Mikos wrote:

Hello,
if you don't know VirtualBox, it is powerful x86 virtualization solution which has been recently opensourced (under GPL) and which beats VMWare Workstation in terms of performance and user interface. I have already created PKGBUILDs for it (virtualbox-svn and virtualbox-modules-svn).
There is only one problem with opensource edition of VirtualBox: installer for Linux and Windows guest additions hasn't been opensourced and Windows guest additions can be build only on Windows (and GPL-licensed binaries aren't provided).
So after conversation with VirtualBox developers on #vbox IRC channel, I have asked them to grant permissions for redistribution of proprietary binary VBoxGuestAdditions.iso for Arch Linux. And it has been granted!

Could you add Arch Linux support to additions package too, and either ask them permission to include it in modified additions ISO, or make them include it in official ISO?

Mikos wrote:

So you can expect from me virtualbox-additions-bin PKGBUILD soon... and there can be official VirtualBox packages in 'community' repo (if some TU want it) too!

Yet another problem is that AFAIR binary virtualbox package is not allowed to be distributed, just downloaded from their site, so full-featured (not OSE) virtualbox version is not allowed to be in community.

Arch Linux

#1 2007-02-01 13:46:58

Redistribution of VirtualBox guest additions granted for Arch Linux!

#2 2007-02-01 14:57:45

Re: Redistribution of VirtualBox guest additions granted for Arch Linux!

#3 2007-02-01 15:39:40

Re: Redistribution of VirtualBox guest additions granted for Arch Linux!

#4 2007-02-01 15:59:13

Re: Redistribution of VirtualBox guest additions granted for Arch Linux!

#5 2007-02-02 01:38:31

Re: Redistribution of VirtualBox guest additions granted for Arch Linux!

#6 2007-02-02 05:39:06

Re: Redistribution of VirtualBox guest additions granted for Arch Linux!

#7 2007-02-02 13:39:50

Re: Redistribution of VirtualBox guest additions granted for Arch Linux!

#8 2007-02-03 02:42:06

Re: Redistribution of VirtualBox guest additions granted for Arch Linux!

#9 2007-02-04 19:10:50

Re: Redistribution of VirtualBox guest additions granted for Arch Linux!

#10 2007-02-04 19:54:47

Re: Redistribution of VirtualBox guest additions granted for Arch Linux!

#11 2007-02-04 21:27:46

Re: Redistribution of VirtualBox guest additions granted for Arch Linux!

#12 2007-02-08 08:52:45

Re: Redistribution of VirtualBox guest additions granted for Arch Linux!

#13 2007-02-08 17:36:24

Re: Redistribution of VirtualBox guest additions granted for Arch Linux!

#14 2007-04-04 14:42:18

Re: Redistribution of VirtualBox guest additions granted for Arch Linux!

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