14 DAY TRIAL // Originally developed by Sun Microsystems, Oracle VM VirtualBox enables desktop and laptop computers to simultaneously run multiple operating systems, allowing users to get the most out of their PCs.
VirtualBox is an alternative to more costly virtualization solutions like Parallels Desktop for Mac and VMware Fusion. The software can be used without restrictions under the Personal Use and Evaluation License (PUEL).
VirtualBox is free to download and use on Mac OS X, Linux and Windows, and supports an extensive range of host and guest operating systems.
According to Oracle, “the popularity of Oracle VM VirtualBox is evidenced by its more than 26 million downloads.”
As of December 6, 2010, Oracle offers VM VirtualBox 4.0.0 Build 68572 Beta 1, which boasts new settings/disk file layout for VM portability, support for Open Virtualization Format Archive (OVA), a redesigned user interface with guest window preview alongside a new display mode with downscaled guest display, as well as support for more than 1.5/2 GB guest RAM on 32-bit hosts, these being just a few of the general enhancements.
As far as guest additions go, Oracle mentions support for copying files into the guest file system, and 2D Video acceleration (multimonitor support). Additionally, Shared Folders can now be marked as being auto-mounted on Windows, Linux and Solaris guests.
Oracle also took care of the bugs in VirtualBox’s DirectSound backend which now allows VMs to be audible when another DirectSound application is active, including another VM.
A Mac specific change is also mentioned - Apple DMG image support for the virtual CD/DVD.
According to Oracle, VM VirtualBox delivers the following benefits:
- Multiple operating systems on one desktop - Cross-platform guests and hosts including Windows, Linux, and Oracle Solaris, and Mac OS X as a host - Teleportation of running virtual machines between hosts without interruption - High performance - Support for massive workloads of up to 32 virtual CPUs - OVF format support
The VirtualBox PUEL allows you to use VirtualBox free of charge for personal use, and / or for product evaluation. Academic use of VirtualBox is also permitted free of charge by the PUEL.
“Oracle VM VirtualBox provides high performance, support for a large number of virtual appliances available in the OVF format, multi-platform application development and testing, 2D/3D graphics acceleration, and cutting-edge features—including the ability to teleport a running virtual machine between hosts,” Oracle states. “Available as open source, Oracle VM VirtualBox boasts of a large, vibrant user community.”