Oracle VM VirtualBox 7.0.x on Debian Linux: Complete Guide.

Oracle VM VirtualBox It is a powerful virtualization product x86 and AMD64/Intel64 for business and home use. VirtualBox is not only an extremely feature-rich and high-performance product for business customers, but it is also the only professional solution that is freely available as a software open source under the terms of the General Public License GNU (GPL) version 3VirtualBox is a full-featured, general-purpose virtualizer for x86 hardware, targeting servers, desktops, and embedded use.

Currently, VirtualBox runs on hosts Windows, Linux, macOS and Solaris and supports a wide number of guest operating systems, including but not limited to Windows (NT 4.0, 2000, XP, Server 2003, Vista, 7, 8, Windows 10, and Windows 11), DOS/Windows 3.x, Linux (2.4, 2.6, 3.x, 4.x, 5.x, and 6.x), Solaris and OpenSolaris, OS/2, OpenBSD, NetBSD, and FreeBSD.

VirtualBox is actively being developed with frequent releases and has an ever-growing list of features, supported guest operating systems, and platforms it runs on. VirtualBox is a community effort supported by Oracle which ensures that the product always meets professional quality criteria.

Oracle VM VirtualBox Features

Reduce IT costs
Low-cost, open-source, cross-platform desktop virtualization software reduces IT operational costs by reducing the number of desktop and server configurations required.

Executable on any desktop
IT teams can simplify development environments by running the same solution on any x86 host operating system. They also support a wide range of operating system versions in virtual machines. Supported host operating systems include Windows, Linux, and macOS.

Easy to adopt
An easy-to-use graphical user interface (GUI) and a powerful command-line interface allow developers to work with multiple operating systems on the same system. Development teams can consolidate workloads using VirtualBox to support massive workloads of up to 32 virtual CPUs.

Easy and quick implementations
By using Vagrant boxes with VirtualBox, IT teams can quickly provision development virtual machines with preconfigured Oracle software and automate production deployment.

Oracle Cloud with a single click
The built-in GUI makes it easy for developers to import and export virtual machines in standard OVF format, whether on-premises or in the cloud. With Oracle Cloud Infrastructure, developers can upload or unload a virtual machine with a single click.

Simplify testing
Software quality assurance teams can simplify their environment and reduce resources by using a single physical device to test software across multiple platforms and operating system versions.

Improve customer service
Support teams can quickly resolve issues by easily recreating different customer environments on a single system.

Run legacy applications on new hardware
IT teams can extend the lifespan of legacy applications by using VirtualBox to run them on modern hardware.

Create multi-level demos on a single device
Sales teams can easily demonstrate complex, multi-tiered solutions to prospects using preconfigured environments with multiple virtual machines and network topologies on their laptop.

Secures access to restricted applications
VirtualBox makes it easy for IT administrators to distribute desktop images of critical restricted applications to remote workers when a VPN connection is deemed insufficient. It helps organizations increase security with role-based restrictions for data sets within these applications.

Provides secure and encrypted workspaces
VirtualBox secures remote connections to restricted applications with 256-bit encryption keys and ensures that users cannot download or store data on remote devices. IT administrators can avoid the cost and time of refactoring restricted applications while addressing compliance for remote application access.

Basic package
The base package, licensed under GPL v2, enables developers to easily develop and test cross-platform applications using key Oracle VM VirtualBox features, including:

• Hosts and guests across platforms
• Live migration of virtual machines between hosts
• Up to 32 virtual CPUs
• OVF format support

Advantages of Oracle VM VirtualBox

Reduce complexity and costs
IT administrators can reduce the number of systems and configurations required in their environment by using Oracle VM VirtualBox to support multiple operating systems and versions on a single device. They support legacy applications on new hardware and provide remote workers with secure access to restricted applications without having to redesign applications.

Increase developer productivity
Developers use VirtualBox to deliver code faster by testing applications across different operating systems and versions on the same desktop they use for development, and then automatically deploying their virtual machines to production environments.

Simplifies software distribution
Solution providers can scale their business by distributing their applications within a VirtualBox virtual machine to easily support their customers on any operating system and version.

Oracle VM VirtualBox History

VirtualBox was initially offered by «Innotek GmbHH» de Weinstadt – Alemania, bajo una licencia de software privativo, pero en enero de 2007, después de años de desarrollo, surgió VirtualBox OSE (Open Source Edition) under the GPLv2 license. Currently, there is a proprietary version, Oracle VM VirtualBox, which is free for personal or evaluation use only and is subject to the VirtualBox Personal Use and Evaluation License (PUEL). And the Open Source version, VirtualBox OSE, which is free software, is subject to the license. GPL.

Sun Microsystems acquired Innotek GmbH in February 2008.

Oracle Corporation acquired Sun Microsystems in January 2010 and rebranded the product to "Oracle VM VirtualBox«

Oracle VirtualBox 7 to help developers.

The latest version of the world's most popular free, open-source, cross-platform virtualization software can help DevOps engineers and distributed teams increase productivity and reduce operational complexity and costs for their organizations.

The latest release is packed with new features. These include integration with Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI), improved 3D support, an automated virtual machine (VM) builder, and full VM encryption. The new features will help organizations simplify the management of their virtual machines and accelerate the deployment of applications in the cloud and on-premises.

This is important because while the adoption of cloud-native development technologies is steadily increasing, many DevOps teams continue to rely on virtual machines as a core part of their toolset.

Virtual machines provide agility, flexibility, and scalability during development, but DevOps teams can struggle to realize the full value of their virtual machines and virtualization management software due to the challenges of configuring virtual machines for the cloud, managing multiple physical systems, ensuring secure encryption, and working across different operating systems and development platforms. With Oracle VM VirtualBox 7, we've eliminated this complexity and directly addressed each of these challenges.

“Oracle VM VirtualBox has been the foundation of a solution, providing a significant level of security against attackers, as it is isolated from the customer intranet and the Windows operating system.” “The enhancements in VirtualBox 7 will help us continue to provide a unique and highly secure solution to our customers. Advanced 3D support, which can help improve modern 3D integrations into websites and standalone applications, delivers performance far superior to competing offerings.”

Reduce operational costs and securely accelerate application deployment

VirtualBox runs a wide range of operating systems on a single device simultaneously and helps simplify the export and import of virtual machines to and from the cloud.

VirtualBox 7 helps customers securely accelerate application deployment while simplifying the management of their virtual machines on-premises and in the cloud. Key new features in Oracle VM VirtualBox 7 include:

OCI Integration: Enables organizations, for the first time, to centrally manage their development and production VMs running locally and on OCI instances using any operating system that supports VirtualBox, including Microsoft Windows, Linux, and macOS. A single button or command exports a VM from a local device and runs it on OCI, or imports a VM from OCI to the user's local device.

Improved virtual machine monitoring and management: Provides organizations, for the first time, a centralized way to monitor and manage their VirtualBox virtual machines on OCI and on-premises. The improved GUI simplifies monitoring and management of virtual machines on OCI and on-premises devices by providing a comprehensive, centralized dashboard that graphically displays the resources used by each virtual machine. It also provides direct console access for virtual machines running on OCI and improved context-sensitive help.

Automated VM Builder: Allows organizations to accelerate the time to create and run a VM by automating and standardizing VM creation using the unattended installation feature or open-source Vagrant boxes. This helps customers save significant time and launch a new virtual machine in less than a minute. Standardizing virtual machines also helps reduce errors and improve productivity by ensuring everyone is using the same configuration and ecosystem.

Full VM Encryption: Enables organizations to use 128/256-bit AES encryption for VM data, logs, and configuration files without impacting performance. This capability provides the same encryption solution for all supported guest VMs and enables customers to create and share secure VMs on Windows, Linux, macOS, and Oracle Solaris much more cost-effectively than with competing solutions. Additionally, encrypted VMs can be securely shared using USB devices or the cloud.

Enhanced 3D support on virtual machines: Enables organizations to take advantage of enhanced 3D capabilities for virtual machines, including DirectX 11/OpenGL support. This enables customers to run 3D applications, including conferencing and CAD software, with superior performance on VirtualBox virtual machines.

Improved Nested Virtualization Support: Enables organizations to take advantage of nested virtualization by running fully virtualized Microsoft Windows 10 and 11 virtual machines, which by default require Hyper-V. As a result, customers can now fully integrate with the latest versions of Microsoft Windows and take advantage of the full capabilities of the operating system while running Windows 10 or 11 on VirtualBox.

For those looking to install VirtualBox 7.0 on Fedora Linux, it's essential to understand the notable features and improvements in this release. Oracle's VirtualBox 7.0 is a leading open-source virtualization solution that offers a robust platform for creating and managing virtual environments. This iteration features a set of significant enhancements meticulously designed to meet the evolving needs of technology enthusiasts and professionals.

Install the necessary starter packages for VirtualBox on Debian

VirtualBox relies on several underlying tools and libraries to function optimally. To ensure a seamless virtualization experience, you must install these prerequisites.

Start by installing the development tools. This collection equips your system with a complete set of software development utilities, and to enable VirtualBox to efficiently interact with your system's kernel, install the Linux kernel headers:

$ sudo apt install build-essential linux-headers-$(uname -r)

VirtualBox 7.0 DEB repository on Debian Linux

Install the latest and official version of VirtualBox 7.0 using Oracle's dedicated Debian repository. This repository offers DEB packages explicitly optimized for Debian Linux.

Run the following wget command to import the repository:

$ sudo wget -O- https://www.virtualbox.org/download/oracle_vbox_2016.asc | sudo gpg --yes --output /usr/share/keyrings/oracle-virtualbox-2016.gpg --dearmor

Agregue la siguiente línea a su /etc/apt/sources.list. Para Debian 12 y versiones anteriores, reemplace ‘ ‘ con ‘ bullseye’, ‘ buster’ o ‘ stretch’ ‘bookworm’ . Para Ubuntu 22.04 y versiones anteriores, ‘reemplace ‘ ‘ con ‘ jammy’, ‘ eoan’, ‘ bionic’, ‘ xenial’,

$ echo deb [arch=amd64 signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/oracle-virtualbox-2016.gpg] https://download.virtualbox.org/virtualbox/debian bookworm contrib | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/virtualbox.list

Update and refresh the Debian 12 repositories:

$ sudo apt-get update

Using official repositories ensures that you receive timely updates and patches directly from the software vendor.

Install VirtualBox 7.0 on Debian Linux

With everything set up, you're now ready to install VirtualBox 7.0. Run the following command:

// Versión VirtualBox 6.1.50 en Abril 2024:
sudo apt-get install VirtualBox-6.1
// Versión VirtualBox 7.0.16 en Abril 2024:
sudo apt-get install virtualbox-7.0

You'll find a prompt to import the Oracle VirtualBox key during installation. This cryptographic key confirms the authenticity of the packages, ensuring you're installing genuine software. Always select "Yes" at this point to maintain the security and integrity of your system.

Installing software from verified and trusted sources is essential. This ensures the software's functionality and ensures the security of your system.

Enable and start the VirtualBox 7.0 service on Debian Linux

To ensure consistent performance of VirtualBox, it is essential to start the vboxdrv service and configure it to start automatically every time the system boots. This ensures that VirtualBox is always ready to go when you need it.

Run the following command to achieve this:

$ sudo systemctl enable vboxdrv --now
vboxdrv.service is not a native service, redirecting to systemd-sysv-install.
Executing: /lib/systemd/systemd-sysv-install enable vboxdrv

Install the VirtualBox 7.0 extension package on Debian Linux

He VirtualBox Extension Pack is an optional component that enhances the capabilities of your VirtualBox installation. It supports VirtualBox RDP, disk encryption, NVMe boot, and PXE for Intel cards. Install the same extension pack as your current version of VirtualBox.

It's essential to determine the version of VirtualBox installed on your Debian system. This ensures compatibility between the main application and the extension. To find out your VirtualBox version, run:

$ vboxmanage -v | cut -dr -f1
7.0.16

Download the VirtualBox 7.0 extension package on Debian Linux

$ wget https://download.virtualbox.org/virtualbox/7.0.16/Oracle_VM_VirtualBox_Extension_Pack-7.0.16.vbox-extpack

(Asegúrese de reemplazar ‘7.0.x’ en la URL con su versión específica de VirtualBox).

Install the VirtualBox 7.0 extension pack

$ sudo vboxmanage extpack install Oracle_VM_VirtualBox_Extension_Pack-7.0.16.vbox-extpack

(Asegúrese de reemplazar ‘7.0.x’ en la URL con su versión específica de VirtualBox).

In this phase, Oracle presents the terms of your license. Write "and» and press Enter to indicate your acceptance and continue.

Confirm the installation of the extension pack

After installation, check the version of the built-in extension package. Do this with:

$ vboxmanage list extpacks

This command details the installed extension packages, highlighting their version numbers.

Add current user to the vboxusers group in Debian

For a perfect VirtualBox experience, your user account must be affiliated with the cluster vboxusers This association grants the necessary permissions to operate VirtualBox effectively. To add your user account to this group, run the following:

$ sudo usermod -a -G vboxusers $USER

(Replace $USER by your Linux user)

These changes require a system reboot. After logging back in, validate that your user is associated with the vboxusers group.

List all groups linked to your user account to determine if your user belongs to the vboxusers group with the following command:

$ groups $USER

(Replace $USER by your Linux user).

Upgrade VirtualBox 7.0 on Debian Linux

For optimal performance and security, it's essential to ensure your VirtualBox installation remains up-to-date. Regular updates address potential vulnerabilities, introduce new features, and optimize existing functionality. In Debian, you can manage these updates through the terminal.

To check for and apply available updates for VirtualBox, use the following command:

$ sudo apt upgrade

Information: Regularly updating your software, especially tools like VirtualBox, is a good practice to maintain system integrity and take advantage of the latest advances in virtualization technology.

Remove VirtualBox 7.0 from Debian Linux

There may be cases where you decide remove VirtualBox from your Debian system. Whether due to a change in requirements or any other reason, you can cleanly uninstall it using the following command:

$ sudo apt remove virtualbox-7.0

Starting VirtualBox 7.0 on Debian Linux

VirtualBox offers a simple command to launch the application for those familiar with the terminal and its efficiency. This method provides a direct route to taking advantage of VirtualBox's capabilities without having to navigate the graphical interface. To launch VirtualBox from the terminal, enter the following:

$ virtualbox

GUI method to start VirtualBox 7.0 on MX-Linux 23.2:

Navigate to the section Home/System/VirtualBox, opt for Show applications . Scroll through your apps until you find Oracle VM Virtualbox Clicking on it will launch the application.

To give you a better idea of what to look for, here's an image of the VirtualBox application search on Debian Linux:

Conclusion

This comprehensive guide has guided you through the intricacies of installing and managing VirtualBox 7 on Debian Linux. Oracle VM VirtualBox, the world's most popular open-source, cross-platform virtualization software, enables developers to deliver code faster by running multiple operating systems on a single device. IT teams and solution providers use VirtualBox to reduce operational costs and shorten the time required to securely deploy applications across on-premises and cloud environments.

References: https://www.oracle.com/es/virtualization/virtualbox/ , https://www.linuxcapable.com/how-to-install-virtualbox-7-0-on-fedora-linux/ and https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/VirtualBox and my audit.