Step 1: Download and Install Ubuntu
To create a Linux VM,download UBUNTU. You can then choose the 32-bit or 64-bit versions depending on your computer’s architecture. In general, 32-bit architecture is faster than a 64-bit equivalent, but 64-bit enables you to assign much more resources to the system. Often, you’ll select 64-bit for its ability to scale. Simply pick the one that meets your needs.
Step 2: Install the VirtualBox
Download VirtualBox and the Oracle VM VirtualBox Extension Pack that comes with it. Go through the install steps and go with the default values when prompted. Provide permissions to your antivirus and firewalls to run VirtualBox. You may also have to select the folder for installing VirtualBox.
Step 3: Create a Virtual Machine
- After installing VirtualBox, double-click on the icon to open it.
- Following this, name your VM according to a corporate naming convention.
- Next, select Linux in the type and Ubuntu in the version dropdowns. Remember to select 32-bit or 64-bit, based on what you’ve downloaded.
Now, allocate resources for your VM. The Virtual BOX will ask you to select the memory you want to provide for your VM. This can be a bit tricky. Make sure to add enough memory for your VM and at the same time, leave sufficient for your host OS. If you have many VMs, allocate only the minimum needed to run each at first. You can increase as needed later once you know your resource overheads.
Similarly, create a virtual hard drive for your VM. Decide how much hard drive space your VM needs and choose accordingly. Often, the minimum requirement is between 8GB to 15GB.
Next, select VirtualBox Disk Image (VDI) as the hard disk type.
Step 4: Start the Virtual Machine
To start the VM, click the Start button. When starting the first time, you may see some warnings and errors. Disregard them for now, most are logging missing resource information. Next, you’ll be asked whether you want to try or install Ubuntu. Go with the install option and a wizard will take you through the installation process.
On the first screen, select the two checkboxes and click Continue. On the next screen, select the “Erase disk and install Ubuntu” option. This will only erase the contents of the virtual hard drive you created earlier, and it won’t affect the host OS. Click the Install Now button on the bottom right-hand corner.
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