It is software that allows you to create and run virtual machines on Windows, macOS and Linux
Few days ago Oracle announced the release of the new version of VirtualBox 7.0, the free x86 and AMD64/Intel64 virtualization software for servers, desktops, and embedded applications and of its most interesting news full compatibility with el VM encryption, new Direct3D acceleration, Secure Boot and TPM 1.2 and 2.0, making it easy to install Windows 11 without hacking the registry.
For those who do not know about VirtualBox, they should know that this it is a free software, as well as its optional additions for guests, that allow host/guest integration. Many Linux distributions include their own versions of Guest Additions, but if you're installing them from VirtualBox, version 7 has preliminary support for automatically updating them on guests.
Main new features of VirtualBox 7.0
The new version of VirtualBox toadds remote control of virtual machines hosted in the cloud and support for encrypted virtual machines, although, for now, this function is only available from the command line.
In addition to this, it is also noted that the GUI has been simplified, with better integration of help and error messages and the ability to easily change settings such as the number of CPU cores during VM creation.
Other changes to its integration with host operating systems are less visible, but should prove useful. On macOS, it no longer uses kernel extensions and relies entirely on hypervisor tools operating system built-ins, which is necessary because macOS 11 and later have removed support for third-party kernel extensions. There is also a preview version for Mac based on Apple Arm Silicon. However, while version 7 installs without a problem on macOS 10.14, it doesn't work on it: version 10.15 or later is required, so be careful if you're still using Mojave.
For users of Windows, VirtualBox UEFI support now includes secure boot and TPM 1.2 and 2.0 chip emulation, which will make it easier to run Windows 11 in virtual machines. It's weird to think that people can't meet the security requirements of Windows 11 on their physical hardware, but they can with just a few clicks in VirtualBox.
Programs that depend on specific hardware do not work correctly in a virtual machine. For example, games or applications that require GPU rendering may not work properly. Additionally, applications based on timers less than 10 ms, including concert mixing applications and high-precision timers, may experience runtime issues in a virtual machine.
On Windows hosts, there is experimental support for running in session zero, which means that the virtual machines will be able to start without anyone signing in. On Windows Virtualbox 7 uses DirectX 11 and on xNix uses a new DXVK driver for hardware 3D acceleration.
Finally, if you are interested in knowing more about this new version, you can consult the details In the following link.
How to install VirtualBox on Linux?
For those who are interested in being able to install this new version of VirtualBox on their distro, they can do so by following the instructions we share below.
If they are Debian, Ubuntu and derivative users We proceed to install the new version, we do this by opening a terminal and executing the following commands in it:
First we must add the repository to our sources.list
sudo sh -c 'echo "deb http://download.virtualbox.org/virtualbox/debian $(lsb_release -sc) contrib" >> /etc/apt/sources.list.d/virtualbox.list'
Now we proceed to import the public key:
wget -q https://www.virtualbox.org/download/oracle_vbox_2016.asc -O- | sudo apt-key add -
sudo apt-get -y install gcc make linux-headers-$(uname -r) dkms
After that we will update our list of repositories:
sudo apt-get update
And finally we proceed to install the application to our system:
sudo apt-get install virtualbox-7.0
While for those who are Fedora, RHEL, CentOS users, we must do the following, which is to download the package with:
wget https://download.virtualbox.org/virtualbox/7.0.0/VirtualBox-7.0-7.0.0_153978_el9-1.x86_64.rpm
wget https://www.virtualbox.org/download/oracle_vbox.asc
In the case of The OpenSUSE package for your system is this:
wget https://download.virtualbox.org/virtualbox/7.0.0/VirtualBox-7.0-7.0.0_153978_openSUSE153-1.x86_64.rpm
wget https://www.virtualbox.org/download/oracle_vbox.asc
After that we type:
sudo rpm --import oracle_vbox.asc
And we install with:
sudo rpm -i VirtualBox-7.0*.rpm
Now to verify that the installation was done:
VBoxManage -v
In the case of Arch Linux they can do the installation from AUR, although they require enabling some services for Systemd, so it is recommended that they use the Wiki to be able to carry out the installation.
sudo pacman -S virtualbox