14 DAY TRIAL // Sun Microsystems has released a new version of VirtualBox, the company’s virtualization program that allows users to create virtual machines / environments for guest operating systems. Although version 3.0.10 has somehow been pulled from Sun’s website, the file is still available for download. Our guys were also able to grab the release notes before Sun re-posted version 3.0.8 as the latest available.
As the official release notes show, version 3.0.8 delivered one security fix, addressing a vulnerability that allowed to execute commands with root privileges. X11-based hosts received support for additional function keys on Sun keyboards, while Mac OS X hosts saw two fixes: one for a problem starting headless VMs without a graphical session (on Snow Leopard) and one for listing host-only adapter names with trailing garbage (attached VMs won't start).
According to the changelog for VirtualBox 3.0.10 Build 54077 (now pulled from Sun Microsystem’s site), Mac-specific changes include fixed memory leaks and a resolved redraw problem in a dual-screen setup. VMM changes include:
VMM: guest SMP stability fixes; VMM: fixed guru meditation with nested paging and SMP guests; VMM: changed VT-x/AMD-V usage to detect other active hypervisors; necessary for Windows 7 XP compatibility mode (Windows & Mac OS X hosts only); VMM: guru meditation during SCO OpenServer installation and reboot (VT-x only); VMM: fixed accessed bit handling in certain cases; VMM: fixed VPID flushing (VT-x only); VMM: fixed broken nested paging for 64 bits guests on 32 bits hosts (AMD-V only); VMM: fixed loading of old saved states/snapshots.
Unlike Parallels Desktop or VMware Fusion, VirtualBox is free to download and use for anyone packing the necessary hardware. The software is a feature-rich, high-performance product for enterprise customers. Available as Open Source Software, VirtualBox is licensed under the terms of the GNU General Public License (GPL). Use the first link below to download the latest version of Sun Microsystem’s VitrualBox, or the second link to grab the VirtualBox Software Development Kit.