VirtualBoxHost
Initial config
Install
Partition
Take the original kimsufi install (and may be reinstall OS if the default is bizarre) for root and add the rest after booting in your distro. Mine is:
parted -l Model: ATA WDC WD2002FAEX-0 (scsi) Disk /dev/sda: 2000GB Sector size (logical/physical): 512B/512B Partition Table: msdos Number Start End Size Type File system Flags 1 2097kB 21,0GB 21,0GB primary ext4 boot, type=83 2 21,0GB 21,5GB 536MB primary linux-swap(v1) type=82 3 21,5GB 2000GB 1979GB extended lba, type=0f 5 21,5GB 53,7GB 32,2GB logical ext4 type=83 6 53,7GB 85,9GB 32,2GB logical ext4 type=83 7 85,9GB 1999GB 1913GB logical ext4 type=83
Kernel and boot system
Begin to install the openSUSE kernel (as I will use VirtualBox, I install it and this pulls the dedicated kernel). Setup the boot system, discard the OVH boot module and try rebooting. If it works, you made a great step forward :-).
To allow openSUSE kernel booting see Kimsufi-kernel-and-boot-setup-3.
OVH boot was on /dev/sda2 (swap), so I installed YaST one on root (/dev/sda1).
Network
Network config is special, with nothing configured in YaST. I previously tried to configure YaST and did lose the network... so better not touch anything (YaST do not change anything by default).
In addition, there are *two* network interfaces (on a hosted server that stay alone!), HW adresses 00:30:48:be:e8:0a and 0b.
cat /etc/resolv.conf nameserver 127.0.0.1 nameserver 213.186.33.99 route -n Table de routage IP du noyau Destination Passerelle Genmask Indic Metric Ref Use Iface 0.0.0.0 188.165.211.254 0.0.0.0 UG 0 0 0 eth0 127.0.0.0 0.0.0.0 255.0.0.0 U 0 0 0 lo 169.254.0.0 0.0.0.0 255.255.0.0 U 0 0 0 eth0 188.165.211.0 0.0.0.0 255.255.255.0 U 0 0 0 eth0 cat /etc/sysconfig/network/ifcfg-eth0 DEVICE=eth0 BOOTPROTO=static IPADDR=188.165.211.22 NETMASK=255.255.255.0 ONBOOT=yes STARTMODE=auto GATEWAY=188.165.211.254
(no eth1)
Software system
Add the basic stuff. That is mostly:
- keep the ovh repositories (probably the fastest mirror for me),
- add Packman for any multimedia package
then patterns
- base system and better base system
- xterm tools
- yast qt
- yast X11
- system xwindows (enough to launch GUI apps through ssh)
- network admin
- VirtualBox (done for the kernel)
may be next (?)
- remote desktop
- virtutils ?
- virtviewer ?
Automatic starting
Automatic starting using /etc/init.d/vboxes is installed by openSUSE and doc may be found in http://www.amiryan.org/2009/11/04/virtualbox-init-d-service-autostart-script/. The config file syntax is not described anywhere, so I had to find it and it's not obvious, see below.
First create the file /etc/sysconfig/vbox, then:
/etc/sysconfig/vbox # Virtual box machines to autostart # Example to start 2 machines # VBOX_AUTOSTART="MachineName1;username MachineName2;username2" # VBOX_AUTOSTART=""
To make it work, you have to set the user name with a ";" (semi-colon) between machine name and user name, and no space after and before the "="!
Machines are installed as user in "/home/user/VirtalBox VMs" - this space in the name and mixed uper/lower case is extremely unpleasant. However it's possible to rename the folder (and the machines name) with mv, launch VirtualBox, remove the old machine and add the new machine, you can as well change the name right now.
When, I say "machines", I mean only the VirtualBox machine description file. The virtual disks are on /home/user/machines-virtuelles/, with a folder /home/user/isos to hold dvd isos from distributions.
Do not forget to allow vboxnet as a service in YaST.
Network config
You only need "host only network", all the dialog will be done through the host. For this you have to configure network interfaces in the "File/Preferences/Network" global VirtualBox menu (GUI) - then only in the virtual machine setup.
The vmnet0 network used to be on the form 192.168.50.x, now it seems to be 192.168.56.xxx. Gateway (host) is 192.168.0.1 and first virtual machine is 192.168.56.101 (default). This can be setup in the dhcp preferences in the GUI menu.
SuSEfirewall2
See with YaST.
Start the firewall automatically - do not forget to allow ssh! Add eth0 as external and vboxnet0 as DMZ (custom - from memory I think the interface name used to be vmnet0, is now vboxnet0 - can be changed in the setup).
Masquerade networks, forward 32022 to nemo 22 (ssh server access), and if you have only one http and smtp server, forward 80 and 25.
With this config, the virtual machine should access the net.
Manual use
To use it interactively, if you logged as the virtualbox user with ssh -X -C, you can simply launch "VirtualBox" to get the GUI, but you can't logoff without stopping the virtual machine... Notice you can't get the GUI if you come from root with su, for example, you have to log in directly (may be there are solutions, but I don't know them).
You can start the vm with:
VBoxHeadless -startvm s-r
for short use or
nohup VBoxHeadless -startvm s-r &
or
systemctl restart vboxdrv.service
for permanent use
To stop the machine nicely:
VBoxManage controlvm s-r acpipowerbutton
The list of running machine:
VBoxManage list runningvms
Attention: this list only the machines owned by the current user (even if you call it as root).
For backup purpose, hibernation is better:
VBoxManage controlvm <name> savestate
and restart:
VBoxManage controlvm s-r startvm
Change the network:
VBoxManage modifyvm s-r --nic1 hostonly VBoxManage modifyvm s-r --hostonlyadapter1 vboxnet0
"1" is the network/interface number. Then restart the vm
Infos:
VBoxManage list vms --long
VRDP access
You have to install the extension pack to get vrdp, do not take in account the fact that a rdp button exist anyway.
For example:
VBoxManage extpack install Oracle_VM_VirtualBox_Extension_Pack-4.2.16-86992.vbox-extpack
To see what is installed:
VBoxManage list extpacks
And be warned that non compatible packs are installed anyway, but not usable, so you may have to remove them or replace them:
VBoxManage extpack install --replace Oracle_VM_VirtualBox_Extension_Pack-4.2.16-86992.vbox-extpack