How to Install Linux Virtually Project Number 28

How to install Linux on a windows machine using virtual box?
Authors:
Syed Asadullah Hussain Bukhari
Syed Muhammad Mohsin Kazmi

Linux is a free Unix-type operating system originally created by Linus Torvalds with the assistance of developers around the world. Developed under the GNU General Public License, the source code for Linux is freely available to everyone. Apart from being free it is a very useful operating system especially for students due to its user friendly GUI and very productive applications.[9]. Our project was to install linux using virtual box to simplify the procedure of installing linux using its CD setup, which usually requires tedious mounting commands.

Introduction:

As Linux is a very useful quality operating system. So, its use is on a rise and more people want to try it. There are many ways to install Linux but each method has its limitations. We installed Linux virtually using virtual box. Virtual box installs Linux virtually on the host operating system and Linux can be run as an application while using the host operating system simultaneously. This method is very useful one and is quiet suitable for those users who want to install and use multiple operating systems on a single CPU without having conflicting problems.

Linux:

Linux is a very stable and secure operating system and is very suitable for engineering students. It has many features which give it an edge over windows and other operating systems. Its core features are its Stability, Security and its Compatibility with most of the machines and hardware. There are many different kinds of Linux operating system known as its distributions. The core functions in all these distributions are common and all of them are free. They only differ in their GUI and softwares. The most famous distribution these days is Ubuntu. It has a very user friendly GUI and is popular for its simplicity and efficient online help and support service. It is available free to download from [7] and can also be ordered online for free from [7] and its CD is recieved via post mail. We installed Ubuntu 8.04 on host operating system Windows Xp 2002 Service Pack 2 in this project using virtual box.

If someone decides that he wants to test and use Linux then a question may arise in his mind:

Which installation method to adopt?

The answer to this question is that there are many ways to do so:

• It can be installed using CD setup.
• It can be used via Live Run CD
• It can be installed virtually

First two methods have their limitations. Installing via CD setup requires hard to get and remember mounting commands, further this method has many complications. Second method requires high speed processor and memory which is highly uneconomical. So, the best method is to install Linux virtually using virtual box.

Virtual Box:

Virtual box is a virtualization software that installs guest operating systems on a host operating system virtually i.e., it allows the user to assign and divide physical resources among guest operating systems. Virtual box has many advantages over other virtualization softwares. It is also better because it is free and open source, it is compatible with most of the operating systems and machines, it can share files and folders between operating systems and can recover data in case of machine failure. It is capable of running multiple operating systems at a time that is why it is the best virtualization software. So, it is a very handy tool in testing new operating systems without having the worries of corruption in host operating system.

Installation procedure:

A detailed step by step explanation of installing Linux using virtual box follows:

We have installed Linux distribution Ubuntu 8.04 using virtual box. It is performed on a computer on which Windows Xp 2002 Service Pack 2 is already installed. First of all download Virtual Box from [4]. A video of how to download virtual box

This video can also be seen at(faster):
Virtual box download.

Installing Linux:

Installing Linux(Ubuntu) using virtual box comprises of following steps:

1. Installing virtual box
2. Creating new Virtual Machine using virtual box
3. Installing Linux(Ubuntu 8.04) using virtual box

Complete step by step explanation of above mentioned installation procedure can be seen in file attachment to this page which can be downloaded from files button at the bottom of this page.

Complete step by step installation procedure can also be seen at(Faster):
[http://www.scribd.com/doc/12685396/]

Hence Linux is installed using virtual box. By using above mentioned procedure.

Virtual box can also be used to install other operating systems and applications. Detailed information about virtual box and Linux can be seen in project technical report.

Links

1. Project Technical Report link

1. Project Presentation Link

References

1. Sun Microsystems
2. Virtual Box
3. Operating System Concepts Seventh Edition Silberschatz, Galvin, Gagne
4. Virtual Box Download
5. Ubuntu install screenshots
6. www.whatis.com
7. www.linux.org/apps/
8. [e-mail] Awasi Haider
9. www.foogazi.com
10. www.about.com
11. www.vmetc.com
12. Virtual Box Logo
13. Linux logo
14. Ubuntu applications for electronics engineers
15. Wikipedia
16. Dr. Junaid Qadir