Share VirtualBox OS With Multiple Ubuntu Users

[bhaigh]

I have an Ubuntu install with user accounts for myself and my wife. I installed VirtualBox and Windows XP on my side. How can I let my wife have access to the same virtual Windows XP?

[snappy46]

You could create a directory under home that you both have access to and put your vdi file in there. Now you should both be able to access that virtual Window XP. I use to do the same for vmware and it worked fine.

To make sure that you and your wife have access to the directory just create a new group with you and your wife in it. Give that group you just created full access to the newly created directory under home.

Hope this help

[Gotit]

You could create a directory under home that you both have access to and put your vdi file in there. Now you should both be able to access that virtual Window XP. I use to do the same for vmware and it worked fine.

I tried to do just that but when logging in as the user that did not create the .vdi file it does not show in Virtualbox. I try to add it using the Virtual Disk Manager and it errors out saying the Disk is already registered.

I created the /home/shared directory as root and shared it. As root I gave the folders and files within it both read and write ability to "other users".
Any thoughts on what else I need to do?? Thanks.

[Gotit]

OK, I stumbled across the solution via trial and error

The solution was simply to create a new virtual machine on my wife's login and give it a different name (XPV). When I got to the part about a new or existing hard drive I selected the existing VXP MV from my login and finished the new set-up. This causes a new .xml file to be created in ~/.VirtualBox/Machines/YourVMname folder. This .xml file holds the config settings for the VM you are running.

So, on my login when I select the VXP I get my VM setting for the XP.vdi file and when my wife logs in she selects XPV and gets her setting for the same XP.vdi!!

Cool stuff!!!

[jacw]

Are there issues if you happen to both be accessing the image at the same time? For example, if on the same machine, you switch users without logging off? Is it important if doing this to choose NTFS rather than EXT3 when creating the XP image?

[Gotit]

Hmmm... good questions.
I would think two people running the same .vdi file at the same time (via log-in switching I guess) would pose some problems.

As far as the format goes (NTFS vs EXT3) I didn't specifically specify this any place when I created my XP VM. In the VM set-up I simply selected XP from the list of OS types.

Perhaps someone else can help out more on on this.

[jacw]

Yes. When you install WinXP it is the WinXP install process that asks the format type. I was wondering if there was any difference in the ability to share based on that format but after some searching around I am not sure. Typically though, you can have multiple users logged in to XP at any time if Fast User Switching is enabled. Also, I have seen but never tried one of these devices that allows multiple users to access a single machine at the same time by plugging in an extra monitor and keyboard.

[Gotit]

Well, I finally got around to checking out how VB XP works for multiple Ubuntu user log-ins on the same system. Basically, it doesn't.

When I'm logged into Ubuntu and open the VB XP drive and then switch Ubuntu users to my wife's log-in (without me logging out of Ubuntu or having closed/logged out of the VB XP drive) and try to access the VB XP drive it shows as unavailable. I guess this shouldn't come as much of a surprise since the VB XP drive is really just a file in the /shared_directory/.VirtualBox/VDI folder and it's not a read only file.

[blur xc]

You could create a directory under home that you both have access to and put your vdi file in there.

How do you put your .vdi file there? I moved it from the command line, but then vbox told me it was missing and didn't give me any option to point it to the new location that I could find.

Thanks,
BM

[Gotit]

How do you put your .vdi file there? I moved it from the command line, but then vbox told me it was missing and didn't give me any option to point it to the new location that I could find.

Thanks,
BM

When you moved your drive.vdi it's new location became unassociated in VB and now you need to tell VB the new location. You do this by removing the old association and establishing the new location as follows:
First make a copy of your drive.vdi as a back-up.

Then give this a try (it's looks worse than it really is )
1. Move your drive.vdi to its new location
2. Launch VirtualBox
3. Pop-up message that the virtual hard disk is no longer registered click "Check"
4. "Release" the unregistered drive (will have a yellow caution sign)
5. "Remove" the unregistered drive [this removes the link, doesn't delete the drive.vid] (from the old location)
6. Select "Add"
7. In the pop-up browse to the new location/drive.vdi
8. Select the drive.vdi
9. On Virtual Disk Manager screen click "Refresh"
10. OK and close
11. On the main VirtualBox screen select the virtual machine for the associated drive.vdi
12. Settings > Hard Disks (it will probably be blank)
13. Click the "add" icon (little disk with a +)
14. your drive.vdi should show up
15. Click OK
You should now be able to launch your virtual machine.
Let us know how it turns out. Remember, as long as you have your "drive.vdi" you haven't lost any data.