07.19.07
Posted in Uncategorized at 11:38 am by Michael
I was reading about various virtualization solutions today and saw that VirtualBox has a Mac OS X version available. I downloaded the newest version, 1.4.1 beta 2. I installed it, and configured a standard ubuntu server. Installation is dead simple, and the look of the program is nice. About the same as Parallels 3. I like the wizards they use to create a new virtual machine as well as the virtual disk manager, that’s a nice touch. For a free product it’s very polished and nice looking.
Installing Linux was just as easy as it is on Parallels, with the same issues I’ve had with the kernel in Ubuntu Server edition. I figured out how to fix that on Parallels and the same thing applies here, simply install the generic kernel after you install the base OS and you’re good to go. VirtualBox doesn’t support Intel’s VT-x technology, so it doesn’t run quite as nicely as Parallels. As a matter of fact it pegs my CPU usage at close to 100% while any disk activity is happening. This is not a good sign for hardcore use. The performance difference between VirtualBox and Parallels is noticeable. VirtualBox is lacking some functions on OS X, including host networking. Due to VMware and Parallels I’ve come to expect certain functions and features from a virtualization solution, and that puts VirtualBox at a disadvantage.
VirtualBox has potentional to be a good competitor but it lacks performance and features that others have. Reading their website one of the best features they offer in the closed-source version is a built-in RDP server. That is a very interesting and useful feature. That could seriously hurt VMware and Parallels both if VirtualBox can only catch up on the other features. The high cpu usage issue I had would make running multiple virtual machines too much of a strain on a system. I’m optimistic that if they can get their features in line with the competition they will be a major player in the virtualization arena. I’m looking forward to the next release, but I am not going to be using VirtualBox on a regular basis yet.
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07.09.07
Posted in Mac, Parallels Desktop, Ubuntu at 5:32 am by Michael
I had some major issues again using the Server Edition of Ubuntu 7.04 to install a new virtual machine in Parallels 3. Ubuntu Server seems to have some things enabled in the server kernel that Parallels just doesn’t like. I also ran into a problem trying to use more than 512 megs of ram for the virtual machine. Hopefully this gets sorted out in the next update to Parallels, since I prefer to use 768 megs of ram for my virtual machine.
I used the latest version of the Ubuntu Server iso to install. I am assuming anyone using this install method is at least at an intermediate level of using Linux, so I’m not going to hold your hand too much. I am using Parallels 3 build 4128, and have done this install successfully 5 times now. I configure the virtual machine to use 5 gigs of hdd space, and 512 megs of ram. I run through the server install as normal, choosing the “install to hard drive” option at boot. The screens are pretty easy to handle, the hardest part is partitioning the drive, and you can just choose the “guided” option for that if you aren’t as picky as I am. As a note anything over 3 gigs of space should work for a virtual machine, I happen to use 5 gigs so I have some room to play with. I have a linux server that I can connect to over the network if I need more space than that.
Once the install finishes it will prompt you to reboot. Allow it to reboot but press the stop button on the virtual machine once it starts to load grub. Then go to Edit->Virtual Machine on the Parallels menu. On the virtual machine configuration editor, choose Options on the left, then click the “Booting” tab on the right. Look for the “Boot Sequence” section and select “CD-ROM, Hard Disk, Floppy” so it will boot from the iso again. This is important because you want the virtual machine to boot from the cdrom so you can get a shell and install the generic kernel instead of the server kernel. After you’ve changed the boot sequence setting, click “OK” and then boot the virtual machine with the green play button.
At this point parallels should boot the cd again. Choose “Rescue a broken system” from the menu and hit Enter. It should boot into rescue mode, it will ask you a couple of questions, similar to the install process. If you’re in the US and using english, you can pretty much just press enter at every prompt, until it asks about disks. On a guided or typical ubuntu install under Parallels the root filesystem should be /dev/sda1. Choose that one, and hit Enter. On the next screen select “Execute a shell in /dev/sda1″
Once you are at a shell, verify you have network by sending a ping to google or yahoo. You can’t do these next steps without your network working, since we’ll be using the network to update and install packages. We start with an update and upgrade, to get all the newest versions of installed packages.
aptitude update && aptitude -y upgrade
After this is complete, you want to install the generic kernel.
aptitude -y install linux-generic linux-image-generic
If everything goes smoothly and you have a decent internet connection, this process should take less than 20 minutes. After that, simply remove the packages for the server kernel.
dpkg -l | grep linux-image
This will show you the exact version of the server image you have installed. Use it in the next command for the last package if your version isn’t the same as mine.
aptitude remove linux-server linux-image-server
aptitude remove linux-image-2.6.20-15-server
Assuming you didn’t run into any problems, type “exit” to return to the rescue menu. Choose the reboot option, then stop the virutal machine with the red stop button. Go back to Edit->Virtual Machine on the Parallels menu, select “Options” on the left, then the “Booting” tab on the right. Change the boot sequence back to “Hard Disk, CD-ROM, Floppy”
Boot the Virtual Machine and it should get you to the login prompt. After you are logged in, install whatever software you would normally on your server setup.
A note, if you are using an actual cd instead of just having Parallels connect to an iso you downloaded to your mac, it may be necessary to choose Solaris 10 as your operating system for the initial install and “fix” phase. There have been reports of the cd emulation not working otherwise. Simply set your OS Type to Solaris, and the OS Version to Solaris 10 when you first configure the virtual machine. Use the process outlined as above, and once you are ready to boot the system, edit the virtual machine configuration again. Set your OS Type to Linux, and the OS Version to Ubuntu Linux.
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07.03.07
Posted in Uncategorized at 11:43 am by Michael
I sent this to consumerist.com already but I’ll make a post here about it as well. Apple replaced my macbook last week. They took the smashed up pieces of my old one in trade for a brand new one. I’m very happy now, Apple has regained my loyalty. Some people call me a sellout, but I really like the product, my only issue was the service. Now that they’ve corrected the mistake, I’ll gladly convert friends and family. They were very nice and polite, and didn’t require me to remove my video or sign anything at all to make the replacement happen. They even transferred my applecare warranty from the old macbook to the new one. Although it took 6 months to happen, I am happy with the resolution of this issue.
Every flame is just proof that jealousy is an ugly beast. I got flamed for making the video, and I’m getting flamed for getting my issue resolved, and I’m even getting flamed for saying I might actually try a letter instead of a sledgehammer next time I have an issue. I still refuse to associate with the asshat fanboys who tried to make this personal, but Apple did right by me in the end, so they deserve my loyalty.
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