Sunday, February 3, 2013

What are the down sides of using a virtual machine instead of a host machine?

Q. Currently I'm using windows 7 and wanted to install Linux Mint. I thought of using a virtual machine because i don't want to reboot too much. So does the performance go down if i use a virtual machine? How much of the memory should i dedicate to the virtual machine?

A. It's OK to get a quick look at a different OS, but I wouldn't recommend it for long term use.
Your 'virtual machine' uses virtual hardware for important things like your sound and graphics card, so you'll never see it how it's supposed to be.

You'd be better of using a 'wubi' type install (called mint4win in earlier versions of Mint, but sadly not available in the latest version) Wubi installs the Linux OS inside a Windows folder and automatically adjusts your Windows boot loader. You do need to reboot to use it, but you get the full power of your system with the real sound and graphics card used - and obviously all the RAM too.

Ubuntu and a lot of it's clones can all utilise the 'wubi' method. It's the ideal way to run Linux for beginners. No partitioning or messing with boot loaders, which are the main sticking points for most newcomers. It's much faster than a 'live' CD and it uses your real hardware, unlike a virtual install

What is the best Virtual Machine for Linux?
Q. If I want to run Windows inside Linux, what is the best Virtual Machine software to use?

A. I thoroughly recommend VirtualBox 4.0 which has been recently released. Assuming you are working with Ubuntu see the tutorial below

HowTo Install VirtualBox 4.0 on Ubuntu
http://www.webupd8.org/2010/12/install-virtualbox-40-stable-in-ubuntu.html


LUg.

What type of operating system should I use?
Q. I'm interested in learning Python and downloading backtrack. I already have a virtual box installed on my hardware. Do I need to have a linux system installed first to run backtrack? Or is backtrack is self functioning? Do I need to have a linux system virtual machine created to download python? If so, what linux operating system is the best?

A. Python works pretty much anywhere. It's everything that is good about java without the nosebleed inducing syntax.

Backtrack is a linux distro with a lot of forensics applications and penetration testing utilities (other purposes may be punishable by law). Some of them do not work well or properly without direct hardware access, but many of them with work from a virtual machine.



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