Sun xVM VirtualBox 1.6.4

[+Frank B. Subscriber²]

VirtualBox 1.6.4 (released 2008-07-30)

This is a maintenance release. The following items were fixed and/or added:

• AMD-V, VT-x: stability fixes
  
• Shared Folders: fixed host crash (Solaris host only, bugs #1336, #1646)
  
• Shared Folders: fixed BSOD when debugging with Visual Studio (bug #1627)
  
• Shared Folders: fixed BSOD when compiling on a shared folder (bug #1683)
  
• Shared Folders: several fixes/stability improvements
  
• SATA: fixed a race that could cause an occasional Windows guest system hang
  
• SATA: fixed spurious BIOS log messages
  
• Networking: fixed NIC tracing with NAT interfaces (bug #1790)
  
• USB: fixed crash under certain conditions when unplugging a USB device (bug #1295)
  
• Settings: fixed bug when converting 1.5.x settings
  
• RDP: fixed enabling the RDP server during runtime
  
• RDP: properly detect the rdesktop 1.6.0 RDP client
  
• RDP: fixed RDP crash (bug #1521)
  
• RDP: updated modified rdesktop client to version 1.6.0
  
• GUI: NLS improvements
  
• BIOS: added SMBIOS header to make Solaris and Vista recognize the DMI data
  
• ACPI: properly hide a disabled floppy controller
  
• VMM: small fixes to protected mode without paging
  
• VMDK: fixed handling of .vmdk images without UUIDs
  
• Windows hosts: fixed driver parameter validation issue in VBoxDrv.sys that could allow an attacker on the host to crash the system
  
• Windows hosts: installer now contains web service examples mentioned in the manual
  
• Linux hosts: properly deregister the Linux kernel module before uninstalling a Linux deb/rpm package
  
• Linux hosts: kernel module works now with Linux 2.6.27
  
• Linux hosts: fixed a typo in the vboxnet setup script for host network interfaces (bug #1714)
  
• Linux hosts: fixed usage of tar in installer (bug #1767)
  
• Linux hosts: fixed long guest shutdown time when serial port is enabled
  
• Solaris hosts: refuse to install in Sun xVM hypervisor dom0
  
• Solaris hosts: accept Solaris raw disks when for raw disk access
  
• Windows additions: made installation of shared folders more robust
  
• Windows additions: improved installation
  
• Linux additions: accept every user-defined guest video mode in /etc/X11/xorg.conf
  
• Linux additions: fixed startup order for recent Linux distributions (e.g. openSUSE 11)
  

Homepage

Download (for several Linux distributions, Mac OS X, Open Solaris, Solaris 10, Windows x86 and Windows 64)

[Avi]

Looks good. How does it compare to VMware Workstation or Microsoft Virtual PC 2007 (SP1)?

[+Frank B. Subscriber²]

Looks good. How does it compare to VMware Workstation or Microsoft Virtual PC 2007 (SP1)?

Speed-wise it's on par with VMware Workstation and faster than Virtual PC.

Operating system support: Much better than Virtual PC as well as better than VMware. Example: VirtualBox supports OS/2 as guest OS. VMware doesn't.

And: You can't beat its price - it's free, unlike VMware.

[thealexweb]

Looks good. How does it compare to VMware Workstation or Microsoft Virtual PC 2007 (SP1)?

This is miles better than Virtual PC, not sure about VMware Workstation.

[Salty Wagyu]

Thanks for the update, hope this one fixes the delay in accessing Shared Folders in a Windows XP guest OS to a Windows XP host OS.

[thealexweb]

I think it's improved since Sun bought it, anyone else?

[+Tantawi Subscriber²]

Thanks for the heads up!

[tsupersonic]

Damn it, I just installed this yesterday for Windows and Linux, now I have to do it again :pinch:

Thanks for the heads up, it's a great virtualization program and I prefer this over VirtualPC and VMware

[Lasker]

How is Virtual Box compare to VMware Fusion? in the Mac Platform.

edit: never mind, I downloaded and the first screen from the installer acknowledge this:

Currently, we are aware of the following restrictions:

• No support for Host Interface Networking

• No support for Internal Networking

• No support for audio input

• No support for VT-x/AMD-V (rarely required)

• No support for raw disk access

• The numlock emulation isn't implemented yet

• The VirtualBox kernel extension is currently accessible from all user accounts

Note that we are planning to address all known issues.

What a crappy application (N)

[+Tantawi Subscriber²]

Crappy on Mac may be, but for Windows, it's the best IMHO.

[thealexweb]

Crappy on Mac may be, but for Windows, it's the best IMHO.

+1

[Glowstick]

The Mac port is still in development. So don't expect wonders.

[dreamz Veteran]

Speed-wise it's on par with VMware Workstation and faster than Virtual PC.

Operating system support: Much better than Virtual PC as well as better than VMware. Example: VirtualBox supports OS/2 as guest OS. VMware doesn't.

And: You can't beat its price - it's free, unlike VMware.

the only thing that keeps me from switching from virtual pc is the lack of drag-and-drop functionality. true, virtualbox has shared folders, but they're not nearly as convenient.

[alisalem]

Been using it for a while now. Extremely easy to use and very fast.

[revvo]

And: You can't beat its price - it's free, unlike VMware.

Um, VMware server is free

[+Warwagon MVC]

the only thing that keeps me from switching from virtual pc is the lack of drag-and-drop functionality. true, virtualbox has shared folders, but they're not nearly as convenient.

True Drag and drops very handy. Could use shared folders, but thats a security risk.

[Sputnik.RU]

the only thing that keeps me from switching from virtual pc is the lack of drag-and-drop functionality. true, virtualbox has shared folders, but they're not nearly as convenient.

Same for me. Besides, since the last three releases I can't get the shared folders function make function as it should too. More users reported it in their forums... Pitty

[Mikee99]

Another major feature VirutalBox is missing is 64-bit guest support. They are working on it, and they will hopefully get that out there.

However, other than that, the USB support is awesome.

[Glowstick]

However no USB support in Solaris :|

Have to wait yet another release before I can stop dualbooting to sync my goddamned iPhone.

[Mikee99]

However no USB support in Solaris :|

:huh: They didn't add USB support for their own OS? WTF?

[Glowstick]

Sun bought InnoTek just three months ago. Before that, there wasn't even a Solaris version.

[Farstrider]

Thanks! Have downloaded and will be testing, it looks pretty neat! Thanks for the heads-up!

[PENGUINwithM4A1]

Hm, i used to use virtual box but now it wont load, it just sits on about 14000 mem. Running the x64 on XP =/

[LOC Veteran]

Off topic a bit, but which VM software will allow you to install Vista (either 32 or 64 bit) as a guest OS? (or whatever it would be called)