Running OpenSolaris 2009.06 in VirtualBox

The VirtualBox^TM software runs as an application in your operating system, providing an environment called a virtual machine. This environment enables you to install other operating systems as “guests” inside the virtual machine.

The following table describes the host operating systems the VirtualBox software supports.

Table 3-1 VirtualBox Hosts

Host Operating Systems	Supported Versions
OpenSolaris	All versions
Windows	Windows XP – All service packs Windows Server 2003 Windows Vista – 32-bit and 64-bit
Linux on 32-bit and 64-bit systems	Debian GNU/Linux 3.1 at minimum Fedora Core 4 at minimum Gentoo Linux Mandriva 2007.1 and 2008.0 OpenSuSE 10.1 at minimum Red Hat Enterprise Linux 3 at minimum SuSE Linux 9 at minimum Ubuntu 5.10 at minimum
Apple Mac OS X (Intel)	All versions

How to Download and Install VirtualBox for Use With OpenSolaris

Before running the OpenSolaris software inside your existing operating system, you need to install the VirtualBox application. After VirtualBox is successfully installed, you can run the OpenSolaris ISO image, or the Live CD, as a virtual guest. You do not need to burn a DVD to perform the installation.

Note - A minimum of 10 Gbytes of disk space is recommended to install the VirtualBox application and the OpenSolaris operating system inside VirtualBox.

Download the VirtualBox application for your operating system from the Sun Download Center at http://www.sun.com/download/.
Save the application to your desktop or to a local disk.
Download an OpenSolaris ISO image or order a free Live CD.
To download the ISO image or to order a free Live CD, go to http://www.opensolaris.com/get/.
For convenience, save the file to the same location that you stored your VirtualBox files.

Note - The ISO image requires approximately 685 Mbytes of disk space on your hard drive. The download can take several minutes.
Following the specific instructions for your “host” operating system, install the appropriate version of VirtualBox.
- For instructions on installing VirtualBox on a Windows or Macintosh (Intel) system, see How to Install VirtualBox on a Windows or Macintosh (Intel) System.
- For instructions on installing VirtualBox on a Linux system, see How to Install VirtualBox on a Linux System.
Configure VirtualBox, per the instructions in How to Configure VirtualBox For Use With the OpenSolaris Software.
Start OpenSolaris, per the instructions in How to Start OpenSolaris 2009.06 by Using VirtualBox.

How to Install VirtualBox on a Windows or Macintosh (Intel) System

Navigate to the downloaded VirtualBox installation files or folder.
For Macintosh, this is a .dmg image file.
To start the installation, double-click the VirtualBox installation file. Click Next or Continue.
Accept the license agreement. Click Next or Continue.
Choose a location to install the VirtualBox software. The available choices are Accept the Default Location and Modify the Location.
Note - To install both VirtualBox and the OpenSolaris image, you need a minimum of 10 Gbytes of disk space.
Click the Install button.
If prompted, enter your user password.
When the installation completes, click Close or Finish.

How to Install VirtualBox on a Linux System

Before You Begin

Download the latest version of VirtualBox, as described in How to Download and Install VirtualBox for Use With OpenSolaris even if your Linux distribution comes with a VirtualBox version pre-installed.

Note - The pre-installed VirtualBox software is usually the Open Source Edition (OSE), which might not be suitable for running with the OpenSolaris 2009.06 operating system.

Open a terminal window and become the root user.
```
$ su root
Password:
```
Navigate to the downloaded VirtualBox installation file.
Depending on your Linux distribution, start the installation process by using one of the following commands:
- On rpm-based systems, such as Fedora, SuSE, or Red Hat, type:
```
rpm -ihv filename
```
  where filename is the name of the downloaded installation file.
- On deb-based systems, like Debian, or Ubuntu, type:
```
dpkg -i filename
```
  where filename is the name of the downloaded installation file.
You might need to install additional packages to fulfill certain dependencies.
The installer searches for a precompiled kernel module. If no precompiled kernel module is available for your system, the installer attempts to compile and install a kernel module.

Note - For the installer to be able to build the kernel module, you need to have basic build utilities, such as gcc, make, binutils, and kernel header, installed. Typically, these utilities are part of the standard installation of your Linux system. If the utilities are not present, the installer will not be able to build the kernel module. In this case, you will need to install the build utilities and manually start the kernel module compilation by running the /etc/init.d vboxdrv setup command as the root user.
Add the current user to the vboxusers group.
1. In a terminal window, type:
```
sudo usermod -G vboxusers -a username
```
  where username is the name of the current user.
2. To apply the changes, log out and then log back in.
To start the VirtualBox application, open a terminal window and type VirtualBox, then press Enter.
Accept the license agreement to continue.

How to Configure VirtualBox For Use With the OpenSolaris Software

Before You Begin

If you have an OpenSolaris 2009.06 Live CD, boot your host operating system and then insert the Live CD.

Start VirtualBox by using one of the following methods:
- On Windows, click the Start button, and select VirtualBox from the list of programs.
- On Linux, open a terminal window, type VirtualBox, and press Enter.
- On Mac OS X, open Applications in the Finder and double-click VirtualBox.
On the first start of VirtualBox, type your registration information, then click Confirm.
The main VirtualBox window is displayed.
Click the New icon on the left side of the VirtualBox window.
Click Next in the popup that is displayed.
Type a name for your virtual machine.
From the drop-down list, select OpenSolaris as the operating system. Click Next.
Select the amount of Random Access Memory (RAM) to allocate to the OpenSolaris installation inside VirtualBox. Click Next.
Note - If you have 2 Gbytes or more of memory on your system, for optimum performance, choose 1 Gbyte. 512 Mbytes is the recommended minimum size. See Step 6c.
Add a Virtual Disk Image (vdi) by selecting a name or by adding a new name to the list.
For the initial installation:
1. Select New and click Next.
2. Accept the default Dynamically Expanding Image and click Next.
3. Accept the default name, or type a path and name, and allocate space for the image.
4. When you have completed the settings, click Next.
5. To create the disk image, click Finish.
When the initial Virtual Disk Manager GUI is displayed, with your new vdi file selected, click Next.
In the Summary screen, click Finish.
The main VirtualBox window opens. Your virtual OpenSolaris machine is displayed in the left panel and is ready to use as a virtual machine.
In the Details tab, click the CD/DVD-ROM link.
Check Mount CD/DVD Drive, then do one of the following:
- If you are using the OpenSolaris Live CD, select Host CD/DVD Drive, then close the Settings screen. You are done.
- If you are using a downloaded OpenSolaris ISO image, select ISO Image File, then proceed to the next step.
In the drop-down list, select the downloaded OpenSolaris ISO image.
If the ISO image does not appear in the list, add the image as follows:
1. Click the Select icon from the drop-down list.
2. Click the CD/DVD Images tab.
3. Click the Add icon.
4. Navigate to the downloaded OpenSolaris ISO image file, then click Open.
5. Click Select, then close the Settings screen.

How to Start OpenSolaris 2009.06 by Using VirtualBox

Start VirtualBox by using one of the following options:
- If you are running Windows, click the Start button. Then, from the list of programs, select VirtualBox.
- If you are running Linux, select VirtualBox from the System Tools menu on the GNOME desktop or from the System menu on the KDE desktop.
- If you are running Mac OS X, open Applications in the Finder and double-click VirtualBox.
Double-click your virtual machine icon, or select the icon and click Start.
If you do not have the ISO image on a CD, click the CD/DVD-ROM link, then verify that the OpenSolaris ISO image file is selected.
The GRUB boot menu, with three options, is displayed. Then, a SunOS^TM Release message is displayed. Finally, a list of languages is displayed.
When the list of keyboard layouts displays, press Enter to accept the English default. Or, type the number for your particular keyboard layout, then press Enter.
Note - If you attempt to click inside the VirtualBox window while your virtual machine is running, the cursor becomes trapped within the virtual desktop. To release the cursor, use the Host Key. The Host Key is located in the lower right corner of the VirtualBox window. By default, the Host Key is the right Ctrl key on a Windows or Linux system. On a Mac OS X system, the Host Key is the left Cmd key.
When the list of desktop languages is displayed, press Enter to accept the English default. Or, type the number of another language, then press Enter.
The application takes one to two minutes to load.
When the desktop screen is displayed, you are “in the box,” running the OpenSolaris 2009.06 software.
To install programs and save the configuration, install the OpenSolaris software on your virtual hard drive.
To install OpenSolaris 2009.06 on your virtual hard disk, click the Install OpenSolaris icon on the desktop.
For installation instructions, see Installing OpenSolaris 2009.06 From the Live CD.