Installing a virtual machine (VM) is useful for various purposes, such as testing software or setting up in an isolated environment separate from the main OS. The VM can also help the user run old software that does not work with the new operating system, or examine the program for performance.
General Provisions About Virtual Machines
A virtual machine is a computer emulated by software. It can be said that it is one computer inside another or software that emulates the behavior of hardware. Installing a virtual machine is the best alternative to buying a new physical computer, cheaper at times and often more convenient. A virtual hard disk is a file on real media, part of the RAM, processor, and peripherals used together.
In virtualization terminology, a real computer is called a host, and a VM is called a guest. For example, the MacBook Air host is running MacOS High Sierra, and the guest machine is installed under Windows, Linux, or another version of macOS. You can put as many cars as the host can withstand.
This year, according to developers, the three main leaders in the field of virtualization:
- Parallels Desktop
- VMware Fusion
- VirtualBox
However, most have come to the conclusion that Parallels Desktop is the best choice for Mac owners. This is the easiest way to install a virtual machine with access to Windows applications on a Mac. The software has competitive prices and excellent performance. At the same time, VM is easy to install and use. Two other applications work well in Win. VirtualBox is absolutely free, which makes it useful for any experimentation.
Platform selection and comparison
Comparing software products is not always an easy task, especially when it comes to virtual machines. In order for it to be successful and in future the device works efficiently on an inexpensive platform, each product is tested manually to understand what it offers. Below are the criteria that you pay attention to when evaluating guest machines:
- Operating Systems - Whether the VM runs on Mac, Windows, or both. This option is especially important for Mac users who need to run Win, so they are the largest group interested in virtualization. Windows users when installing guest operating systems pay attention to versions other than Win.
- The speed and ease of installing a virtual machine on Windows 7 and other operating systems using software. Installing an operating system is a lot of work, each software does it at a different speed. Before choosing a VM, they study information on which media Windows can be installed from, how smoothly the process goes and whether the necessary drivers are installed automatically.
- Application launch speed. If the user uses virtualization to access the application, he wants the launch process to be smooth, simple and responsive. Ideally, this process should not be slower than starting your own application.
- Quality customer and technical support. Sooner or later, any software issues and problems arise, the user will need help, communication with the developers or the support team through several channels, including email, chat and phone. A clear and detailed knowledge base on all questions asked should have positive answers.
- The price issue. Not everyone will be willing to spend money on virtualization software; a free option will be desirable for many.
Here is a brief overview of the cost of applications in 2018:
- Parallels Desktop Home - $ 79.95;
- VMware Fusion - $ 79.99
- Parallels Desktop Pro and business - $ 99.95 per year;
- VMware Fusion Pro - $ 159.99
Installing a VirtualBox virtual machine is completely free.
Applications for VM Devices
If even the user is satisfied with his Mac, but there are several Windows applications that he would like to run (and there are no analogues on the Mac), a virtual machine is required. Or, if the PC owner is happy using Windows, but he is interested in learning about Mac or Server 2008, learn all the intricacies of systems. In this case, you can install macOS or Server 2008 on the VM. If the user’s business depends on an application that runs only on older versions of the operating system, and updating the application is not possible, you can install the OS on a virtual machine.
When the user needs to try a new application, but he is worried that installing it may violate the integrity of the current working computer, install on the VM, which in this sense is safe. Even if the virtual machine fails, the working computer will not be affected.
If a developer wants to make sure that the application runs on different OS or on old versions of the current system, he will need to install a MAC virtual machine or other OS, virtualization makes this convenient.
When web developers need to see how their sites look in browsers running on different operating systems, you can use virtualization. Or some users like to research new software and operating systems, but they cannot install them all due to the lack of the required number of PCs. You can run as many virtual machines as you need. And it’s very easy to switch between them.
Best Choice: Parallels Desktop for Mac
Parallels Desktop 13 for Mac is a fast virtualization application for macOS. It is designed for the average user, has a competitive price, has excellent support and makes it easy to install the Windows platform. There are several paid versions, starting at $ 79.95, which can be purchased at the Parallels store.
Parallels Desktop makes installing Windows easier than its competitors. After installing the virtualization software, you must install Win. With other VMs, this is potentially complex and time consuming, but not with Parallels. VM developers have made the implementation process as simple as possible:
- The ability to install Win from any medium, including a USB flash drive. None of the competitors supports installing a VM from a flash drive.
- Simplifies the launch of Win applications. By clicking on the Parallels icon, you can launch Windows applications from the Start menu, taskbar, or as usual.
- Provides bypassing the Windows interface. You can run applications in the same way as Mac programs in your own window. Therefore, you do not need to see the Win desktop or the Start menu. Parallels calls it “Coherence Mode.” It can place Win desktop icons in Mac space. When you right-click on a document or image in Win, Parallels Desktop launches Windows applications at almost natural speed.
- Allows you to run other operating systems. You may need to run macOS in a virtual machine. This can be useful if you need to test a new application without compromising your main machine. Or if the user has an application that works only on an older version of OS X. For example, a 16-bit program that is no longer supported.
- Easy installation of a virtual machine on Ubuntu. Various Linux distributions can be installed with one click.
- Unlike VMware, Parallels offers free support for its products, which is available via Twitter, chat, Skype, telephone (Click-to-Call) and email within the first 30 days after registration.
Analogs for Windows Users
Parallels Desktop may be useful for Mac users, but it does not work on Windows. But VMware Fusion and VirtualBox do their job well, although each has its own unique advantages. They are the winners of the 2018 user rating.
Installing Vmware and VirtualBox virtual machines is well suited for a business or enterprise with an IT team. But these products are a little more complicated at the installation stage for the average user. VirtualBox is the only free option; it attracts many users with just this factor.
If a user is looking for a high-quality virtualization solution that works not only on a Mac, then VMware Fusion is the best option. It works equally well on Mac, Windows, and Linux. He has a whole range of additional technical products designed for servers and corporate markets. This is a great choice for a business with its IT department.
Installing Windows on a VMware Fusion virtual machine is a bit more complicated than with Parallels Desktop. VMware cannot run successfully on Macs released before 2011, and Win cannot also be installed using a USB drive. Working options are a DVD or a disk image file. Therefore, you will need to first download the Windows files from the Microsoft website.
For Mac users running Windows on VM, there is a Unity View, which is similar to Coherence mode in Parallel. It allows you to run applications:
- Directly from the Mac user interface
- using the dock;
- Spotlight search
- right-click context menu.
And launches them in its own window, without seeing the Windows user interface.
Cost VMware is competitive. The standard version of VMware Fusion ($ 79.99) is pretty much the same as Parallels Desktop Home ($ 79.95), but things get different when a user switches to Pro application versions. For VMware Fusion Pro you need to pay a one-time payment of $ 159.99, and the annual subscription for Parallels Desktop Pro costs $ 99.95.
VirtualBox Open Source Project
VirtualBox is the only virtualization option that is provided absolutely free. This makes it attractive to many, although you have to sacrifice performance and compromise on technical support. It is community based and not powered by Oracle, which manages the project. The advantages of VirtualBox are its price and ability to work on multiple platforms. The software is geared towards a technical audience because its interface is a bit more complicated.
Installing a virtual machine on Windows 7 is more complicated than with Parallels Desktop and VMware Fusion because of the manual process. VirtualBox does not have the ability to easily install, like other applications. As with VMware, you must download the disk image from the Microsoft website.
Drivers are not installed automatically either. Although the installation process is not very complicated. In the "Devices" menu, select "Insert the image of the guest add-on C" and from there launch the VBoxAdditions application to install all the drivers. After restarting the virtual machine, a complete set of screen options appears. Including when working in full screen mode "Windows".
Windows performance is acceptable, although to a lesser extent than Parallels or VMware. This is due to the fact that the default memory allocated by VM is 2 GB.
Creating the first machine in VMware Workstation
To create a VM, you must have a computer or laptop with sufficient resources to run at least one virtual machine. The most important resource is memory. If the physical machine does not have enough memory, then you should not add another VM to its equipment. The minimum amount of RAM that is needed is 2 GB. You will also need media for the OS, which is hosted on a VM based on Windows 7.ISO. Use a physical CD or DVD as needed. Using ISO is the easiest way. The installation procedure for VMware Workstation is quite simple. During the installation process, it is sufficient to accept most of the default values.
When installing and configuring a virtual machine, several features are taken into account:
- The selection of components to install. If the user is not a programmer working with Visual Studio, then the plugins that the installer offers do not need him.
- The advanced keyboard utility can be useful if the user’s layout is not English.
- For the rest of the configuration, all default values apply.
- After installation is complete, VMware Workstation is launched to create the first VM. To do this, click "Create a new virtual machine" on the home page or select the "New virtual machine" option in the file.
Creating a guest machine:
- Select the Typical creation method.
- Select a medium, such as Windows 7.ISO.
- The VM starts a process called Easy Install on the guest machine, which performs the OS installation. It is only necessary to provide information about the computer name, license and administrator password. You can install Windows 7 without a key and activate later.
- Indicate the name of the virtual machine that will identify it among all VMs and the path where it will be stored.
- Provide additional information regarding the guest hard drive, namely the maximum VM media size. If the "Allocate all disk space now" checkbox is selected, then 60 GB of disk space will be used to create the VM. Otherwise (by default) the virtual disk will occupy only a few megabytes and will increase in size as soon as the user starts adding data to the VM. The advantage of preallocating disk space is that a fixed place is attached to the media when the VM is running.
- Once the VMware virtual machine setup program is complete, the Easy Install process starts and installs the OS.
- The final step is to install VMware tools. They will provide useful features such as automatically moving the mouse pointer in the guest machine and file sharing between the physical computer and the guest VM.
Install VirtualBox on a guest OS
If you need the performance and convenience of a VM, you can install VirtualBox Guest Additions in Win. And if the host is weak, it is recommended that you install XP on a virtual machine. Guest add-ons are features that make VirtualBox more powerful. Some examples of features added by guest add-ons are listed below:
- The best screen resolution - allows you to work in full screen mode.
- Automatic resizing of the device window.
- Seamless mode - the guest OS merges with the host OS.
- A shared clipboard between the host and the guest OS.
- Improved guest OS performance.
- Drag and drop items between the guest and host OS.
Setting up Windows VirtualBox Guest Additions is extremely easy. The user does not need to download the Oracle VirtualBox Guest Additions CD. All you need to do when the Windows VM is running, go to Devices-> Insert Guest Additions CD image. This will mount the VBox Guest Additions CD for installation.
Execution algorithm:
- Insert the VBox Guest Add-ons CD.
- Open My Computer or My PC and the Guest Additions CD.
- Find the executable file in VBoxWindowsAdditions and double-click on it to start.
- Click on the executable file for the architecture (amd64 or x86) to install VirtualBox Guest Additions on Windows.
- Launch the VBox Guest Add-ons Installer for Windows.
- Leave the default settings and follow the steps of the explorer to install guest add-ons. The installer will automatically prepare and install them.
- After installation is complete, the guest OS is rebooted.
Complete home server setup guide
Works on Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, iOS, and the router. Please note that there are no guest add-ons on the host machine. If the guest OS is Windows (7, 8.X and 10), then the operating system on which VirtualBox is installed can be any. This is ideal when the host system is Linux and you need access to Windows for special tasks.
The installation procedure for the VirtualBox virtual machine:
- Install VirtualBox - Windows 7/8/10, Ubuntu / Debian.
- Install the VirtualBox extension package - the host for Linux and Windows.
- Install guest OS on Virtual Box - Ubuntu Server.
- Install VirtualBox Guest Additions - guest of Windows / Linux.
- Update VirtualBox Guest Add-ons - Windows or Linux.
- Configure VirtualBox virtual folder - Windows and Linux.
- Install the VirtualBox virtual machine - Windows Guest / Ubuntu Guest.
- Set access to a USB port on a virtual machine - Windows and Linux Guest.
- Set up your home server on VirtualBox - Ubuntu Server.
Bitrix Environment: Available Packages
Bitrix24 is the only collaboration platform with task and project management, CRM, contact center and site builder features. It can be deployed in the cloud or hosted on a local network. Integrated software provides a set of important business tools that span processes and offers a unified work platform where users can easily collaborate.
To implement the Bitrix24 versions, they use free virtual servers configured to work optimally with the platform, which allow you to get the most out of the version in a fully protected virtual environment.
When installing the Bitrix virtual machine, use:
- CentOS 7 x86_64 operating system (automatically updated).
- NGINX + Apache2NGINX compiled with nginx-push-stream-module support.
- PHP 7.0MySQL5 with InnoDBAnsible 2.2 support.
- Built-in firewall (iptables), IP address obtained through DHCP or configured manually.
- The mail server agent is configured with a UNIX-shaped management menu with basic commands.
- Sphinx Connection Wizard.
- Additional packages: geoip, catdoc, poppler, man, strace.
- Easy to configure email client (msmtp).
- Installing Linux on a virtual machine.
- VMware Edition v 7.0.1 (760 MB).
- Operating Systems: Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP, Mac OS, Linux, web browser (regardless of OS), Windows 2000, Windows 8, Windows 10.
Enabling Hyper-V Windows 10
Each business version of Windows 10 includes a full-featured Hyper-V virtualization platform. If the PC meets the technical requirements of the installation, you can create a virtual machine, for example, to test software and services, without risking the daily performance of the host machine.
Before using Hyper-V, enable the feature using the control panel dialog box. Begin by confirming that the computer supports Hyper-V. A business version of Windows 10, Pro, or Enterprise must be installed on the computer.
Windows 10 Home does not include support for Hyper-V. Hyper-V requires 64-bit Windows. CPU and related equipment must meet certain requirements. Adequate physical hardware is needed for the VM. At a minimum, this means that at least 4 GB of installed RAM (8 or 16 GB is recommended for more serious work with Hyper-V).
You also need enough unused local storage to fully install Windows, applications, and checkpoints. It should be borne in mind that 32 GB is enough. Based on these requirements, you can connect Hyper-V. In the search field, enter “Enable or Disable” the Windows components and click on the top result. This opens the control panel dialog box. Next, scroll down to the Hyper-V entry and turn on the full feature set.
Algorithm for installing a Hyper-V virtual machine:
- Close the Windows Features window and restart the computer.
- Open the Hyper-V management console and create a virtual machine.
- At the end of the recommendations of the explorer, they reboot the PC, install programs for the desktop and start again with all the settings and preferences.
The VM will run slower than the host machine on which it is hosted. Software emulation of a computer cannot have the same performance as the computer on which it works, because the host shares with the guest only part of its CPU, RAM and disk space.
Companies creating VMs spend a lot of time setting up their software so that Windows runs as close to standard speed as possible and the results are impressive. However, for each host machine, the speed of the guest OS depends on the specific physical parameters of the computer.