Introduction

Sun xVM VirtualBox is a collection of powerful virtual machine tools, targeting desktop computers, enterprise servers and embedded systems. With VirtualBox, you can virtualize 32-bit and 64-bit operating systems on machines with Intel and AMD processors, either by using hardware virtualization features provided by these processorsor even entirely in software, at your option. You can find a brief feature overview in chapter 1.3, Features overview, page 12; see chapter 12, Change log, page 149 for a detailed list of version changes. Virtualization basics With VirtualBox, you can run unmodified operating systems – including all of the software that is installed on them – directly on top of your existing operating system, in a special environment called a “virtual machine”. Your physical computer is then usually called the “host”, while the virtual machine is often called a “guest”. VirtualBox allows the guest code to run unmodified, directly on the host computer, and the guest operating system “thinks” it’s running on a real machine. In the background, however, VirtualBox intercepts certain operations that the guest performs to make sure that the guest does not interfere with other programs on the host. The techniques and features that VirtualBox provides are useful for several scenarios:

Chapter 1. Introduction

InnoTek VirtualBox is a family of virtual machine products targeting desktop computers, enterprise servers and embedded systems. Due to its modular architecture, VirtualBox can be deployed in any environment where x86 systems are to be virtualized on x86 systems. (With “x86″, we are referring to 32-bit CPUs from AMD and Intel as well as compatible CPUs from other vendors, plus 64-bit CPUs in 32-bit mode.) 1.1. Virtualization basics VirtualBox allows you to run unmodified operating systems — including all of the software that is installed on them — directly in a special environment on top of your existing operating system. This environment, called a “virtual machine”, is created by the virtualization software. The physical computer is then usually called the “host”, while the virtual machine is often called a “guest”. VirtualBox allows most of the guest code to run unmodified, directly on the host computer, and the guest operating system “thinks” it’s running on real machine. In the background, however, VirtualBox intercepts certain operations that the guest performs to make sure that the guest can cooperate with other programs on the host. The techniques and features that VirtualBox provides are useful for several scenarios: