Oracle VirtualBox 7.0 is here – just watch out for the proprietary Extension Pack
- Reference: 1665507609
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2022/10/11/oracle_virtualbox_7/
- Source link:
The new [1]version adds remote control of VMs hosted in the cloud and support for encrypted VMs too – although for now, that is only available from the command line. The GUI has been streamlined, with better integration of help and error messages and the ability to easily tweak settings such as the number of CPU cores during VM creation.
Some other changes in its integration with host OSes are less visible but should prove useful. On macOS, it no longer uses kernel extensions, relying entirely on the OS's built-in hypervisor tools – necessary as macOS 11 and later [2]deprecated support for third-party kernel extensions. There's also a preview version for Apple Silicon-based Macs. However, although version 7 will happily install on macOS 10.14, it won't run on it: 10.15 or newer is needed, so watch out if you still use Mojave.
[3]
For Windows users, VirtualBox's UEFI support now includes Secure Boot and emulation of TPM 1.2 and 2.0 chips, which will help with running Windows 11 in VMs. On Windows hosts, there's experimental support for running in session zero, meaning that VMs will be able to start without anyone logging in. On Windows, Virtualbox 7 uses DirectX 11, and on xNix it uses a new [4]DXVK driver for hardware 3D acceleration.
[5]Red Hat backs CNCF project, spills TEE support over Kubernetes
[6]Plop. That's the sound of a boot manager booting PCs off media they can't start from
[7]Linux kernel 5.19.12 'may harm' Intel laptop screens
[8]Canonical makes Ubuntu Pro free for up to five machines
The VirtualBox app itself is both small-f freeware and capital-F Free Software, and so are its optional Guest Additions, which enable host/guest integration. Many Linux distros include their own builds of the guest additions, but if you install them from VirtualBox itself, version 7 has preliminary support for automatically updating them in guests.
Of course, other hypervisors are available. Windows has Hyper-V, and if you use a more recent version of macOS than this vulture, there's [9]UTM . Committed open sourcerors may prefer to stick to KVM and tools that use it, such as GNOME [10]Boxes or [11]VMM (although VirtualBox is arguably more flexible than the former and easier to use than the latter). There's also the freeware-but-not-FOSS VMware Player. VirtualBox's big advantage is that it looks and works the same on Windows, Linux or macOS, and VMs can be freely moved from one OS to another.
[12]
The part to beware of is Oracle's Extension Pack, which [13]appeared with Virtualbox 4 and contains various features. Just that component is proprietary, and Oracle has a habit of [14]chasing users for site licenses . As the minimum [15]order is 100 units, that can get expensive fast. VirtualBox is completely functional without it, though, so avoid the Extension Pack and you're fine. ®
Get our [16]Tech Resources
[1] https://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/Changelog-7.0
[2] https://support.apple.com/guide/deployment/system-and-kernel-extensions-in-macos-depa5fb8376f/web
[3] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/virtualization&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2Y0XneKdUjYSNl@NOT8LoqwAAAIU&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[4] https://github.com/doitsujin/dxvk
[5] https://www.theregister.com/2022/10/10/confidential_containers_encrypted_k8s/
[6] https://www.theregister.com/2022/10/07/plop_boot_manager_boot_a/
[7] https://www.theregister.com/2022/10/06/intel_linux_gpu_laptop_displays/
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2022/10/06/ubuntu_pro_free/
[9] https://mac.getutm.app/
[10] https://wiki.gnome.org/Apps/Boxes
[11] https://virt-manager.org/
[12] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/virtualization&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44Y0XneKdUjYSNl@NOT8LoqwAAAIU&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[13] https://www.theregister.com/2008/02/12/sun_innotek_virtualization/
[14] https://www.theregister.com/2019/10/04/oracle_virtualbox_merula/
[15] https://shop.oracle.com/apex/f?p=dstore:product:15232779819688
[16] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Session 0
I had just this need about 10 years ago. I chose to run vbox headless as a Windows service. RDP was the console provider. It worked quite well.
Linux is the host for me these days. I keep some legacy Windows installs for legacy data access that may have been left behind in a Windows only proprietary format. Can't remember when I had to last fire one up. Maybe I should just to test. Then proceed to vbox7.
The loss of floppy image support in the GUI (version 5 was that?) Did curtail my use of it somewhat.
Hobbyist versus industrial demand I guess!
I use VirtualBox at home and one of the things that I have been noticing is that I have to make sure to update the Extension pack to keep the version in sync whenever a VirtualBox update comes through the regular channels. Failure to do so causes some weird behaviour.
Just the other day, after forgetting to update it, newly created VMs fail to start with very unhelpful error code, although existing ones continue to run fine. Updating the extension pack, makes the problem go away.
I would think that if there are compatibility issues, Oracle could build in an auto disable of the extension pack, plus a message to update it.
Did they break sound and/or microphone support again?
Every single major revision has broken that, and you usually have to wait for the 2nd point release for a working fix. That's what drove me to finally install & learn KVM, as I needed a working microphone for the covid era, and even before that when I first started working from home.
The extension pack "contains features like guest USB 2 support ... " but "VirtualBox is completely functional without it"
Somehow I don't see this as a true statement. A VM without USB support seems crippled, to me.
Re: Did they break sound and/or microphone support again?
IIRC you get basic USB 1.0 support without the extension pack - so, transfer rates roughly on a par with a Pace Linnet 1200/75 modem, and support for HID-class mouse/keyboard peripherals at least.
USB
It seems you may not need the extension pack for USB 2, as that's included now in the open source base package, so we've taken that reference out for now. We're double checking.
Don't forget to email corrections@theregister.com if you spot anything wrong.
C.
Re: USB
Yeah now that you mention it, I think it's USB2 in the basic product, and the extension pack adds USB 3...? Can't be bothered to check though, sorry. Currently distracted by having to deal with a car battery that's deader than corduroy flares.
Re: USB
The [1]extension pack section in the instructions doesn't mention USB and the [2]USB section in the instructions doesn't mention the extension pack.
[1] https://www.virtualbox.org/manual/ch01.html#intro-installing
[2] https://www.virtualbox.org/manual/ch03.html#settings-usb
Re: USB
[1]Changelog :
Devices: The EHCI and XHCI USB controller devices are now part of the open source base package
[1] https://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/Changelog
completely functional without it
Were that true, there wouldn't be much point in installing it (the extension pack).
Since I always end up installing it this would appear to be, at least for me, untrue.
-A.
my beef
Irrespective of it's (lack of) FLOSS credentials, VirtualBox always worked best for me.
For the first attempt, it simply worked on hardware that had no special VM capabilities. Like older Pentium 4 chips.
Then just for the fact that it virtualises the display. In many ways that's enough on it's own.
Things might well have changed since, but I last tried VMWare at a time when they changed their free offering to require you to access the guest desktop via a browser Java plugin. Slightly later I observed that Hyper-V only supported a GUI via RDP. I never got KVM to work with a GUI. VirtualBox always did the right thing, i.e. render it in a window on the host OS, whilst also offering full-screen AND the (rather astonishing) seamless mode.
So, if you want a free Virtual Machine manager that serves you the guest OS's GUI in a window (if that's what you want), well it works pretty well. I've stuck with it with very few regrets. I can't tell you if competitors do it better now, but I shall definitely be trying V7.
-A.
"watch out if you still use Mojave"
Bugger, that's the last usable one.
Legacy systems
I'd really like to use it on Win7 Home, because, well, Win7 Home. But not possible.
Too high risk
Yeah no thanks. I would rather pay money for a commercial product than trust Oracle's "open source" booby traps. Having to be afraid that Oracle will come knocking on your door for a stupid amount of money is not worth the risk.
That they track all their downloads by IP, and if they can identify you, they will send their rabid attack dogs at you. Doesn't matter if it was a thoughtless mistake. Doesn't matter if you're not actually using it. Be ready to cough up $~10k
Much better off using KVM or QEMU, or commercial.
Re: Too high risk
There's no risk of getting caught if you don't break the rules.
Admittedly, living without USB2 support in your VM can be annoying, but it isn't risky .
Oracle License
Just remember to uncheck the "first born child" and "immortal soul" sub-paragraphs in page 347 of the EULA