Sun (now Oracle) VirtualBox: an observation
OK, I recognize and appreciate the tremendous contributions of open source software. I really do. I use it every day and have done so for many years. I person from the word go a Linux. But I work for a Windows shop. All Windows, all the time. So, to fill my time sheet to get paid, or all change tracking in a Microsoft 2007 proposal document to follow, I have to run Windows, as the company the I for work 100% Windows software used for your business.
I will accept. And make sure I can fill my time sheet, and track all these changes in MS Word documents, I run Windows in a virtual machine.(By the way, I did also use open Office, for years, but OO isn't 100% compatible with MS Word.Es is not always too fast with changes track, and I can not count have wasted hours I try to do something other than the dog dinner of an OO presentation look when displayed in MS PowerPoint.)
Back to the question: for my virtual machine, I used to use to VMWare, but I switched over to Sun (now Oracle) VirtualBox some years ago.In general I quite happy with VirtualBox.Ich the latest run patched version of Windows XP in it; it has 2-D hardware acceleration, sound, virtual networking, etc so that you can say in fact that you are on a virtual machine if you use it.
However...
Today I ran it the one apparently persistent, long-lasting bugs in VirtualBox, which threatens to derail my productivity for at least a few hours.Here is the background: I created the VirtualBox VM that I am currently with about 3 years.At that time it seemed like a fixed 10 GB virtual disk drive C: XP in VirtualBox use a good idea, if I it building war.Fragen not why it seemed like a good idea at the time.
How my virtual disk C: turns out though, in the three years I have used this virtual disk image, successive software installed and upgrades have completely until to the edge gefüllt.Ich noticed that my automatic SP2 upgrade to MS Office 2007 fail kept because not enough space on the device available needed a larger virtual drive pay.
After a pretty extensive search I found what apparently had found experience this problem else to exactly the richtige.Jemand a fix, and then took the time to write it, use other (thanks, Nick!) here is the link that nicely described how to copy a virtual system disk on a larger virtual system disk.
http://www.modhul.com/2008/10/21/re-Sizing-a-VirtualBox-Virtual-Disk-Image-File/
Oh, and here is the catch:
How is that a catch you questions?Well, it turns out that it has a bug or two in VirtualBox for years which can (usually not apparently) prevent that a user delete snapshot files in virtual machine.
Yes, I use snapshots, why not me?Snapshots roll back to a previous instantiation of your VM.Nehmen can specify we, your Windows VM gets a virus.No problem: Roles took back you to the snapshot a few weeks.No more virus.Now patch against that particular virus.
Conclusion: I am now not able to successfully my small virtual drive c on a larger disk copy because the resulting copy, in fact, is wonky.
Now, I clearly say: I'm not gedacht.Es complain about Sun's maintainer (now Oracle) is free software, I am grateful to %s.keeping is an excellent Produkt.Ich generally from the perspective of being a developer and maintainer remind me of free software (see this previous LJ articles a description of one mean FOSS packages): create and manage open source software is a royal pain in the kazoo.
Working with limited resources, and everything you always seem to hear is complaints.
Let me therefore say "thanks, VirtualBox developer and maintainer for us this far."I am sure that you already haben.Ich will much kazoos to like to find out a Meatball surgery approach, to me from this latest catch 22.Und then I have the solution to write.
