If you deploy virtual makers with VirtualBox, you’ll wish to take advantage of the shared folder function. Discover how this is performed in VirtualBox 7.
Image: Thapana_Studio/ Adobe Stock I utilize VirtualBox every day for the implementation of virtual makers. One function I routinely utilize is Shared Folders, that makes it simple to share files and folders in between visitor and host. By doing this, I can produce specific files and folders on my host and then share them with any virtual maker I produce. I can do this without having to copy/paste, drag and drop, or send via email.
SEE: 40+ open source and Linux terms you require to understand (TechRepublic Premium)
Sharing a folder between guest and host is much more efficient than any other technique of getting files to your virtual makers. Today, I’m going to walk you through the brand-new process of creating a Shared Folder in VirtualBox 7, the significant variation of VirtualBox that was launched in 2022.
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What you’ll need to utilize the Shared Folders feature in VirtualBox 7
To use this function, you’ll need a running instance of VirtualBox and a virtual machine to share a folder with. I’ll be demonstrating this with a Pop! _ OS host and a Linux Mint guest, but the procedure is comparable no matter what host-guest combination you use.
How to set up Guest Additions
The first thing you should do is set up Visitor Additions– otherwise, Shared Folders will not work. The installation of Guest Additions will differ depending upon the guest you’ve installed. With Linux Mint, the installation is as simple as this:
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- Start the guest.
- With the guest running, click Device|Insert Visitor Additions CD Image.
- When prompted, click Run.
- Type your sudo passwords.
- Allow the installation to complete.
- Restart the guest virtual device.
Some Linux guests won’t instantly discover runnable software application in the installed Guest Additions CD. For those, you’ll need to follow these steps:
- Start the guest.
- With the guest running, click Device|Insert Visitor Additions CD Image.
- Double-click the VBox_Gas icon on your desktop or open your file supervisor and browse to the directory site real estate the mounted CD.
- Right-click a blank spot in the file supervisor and choose Open In Terminal.
- When the terminal opens, provide the command sudo./ VBoxLinuxAdditions.run.
- Type your sudo password.
- Permit the setup to complete.
- Restart the visitor virtual machine.
You must now have Visitor Additions installed and working for your guest virtual device.
How to produce a shared folder
With your guest running, click Devices|Shared Folders|Shared Folder Settings. In the resulting window (Figure A), click + near the top right corner.
Figure A
The VirtualBox Shared Folders window.
In the next pop-up (Figure B), you’ll configure your shared folder. Figure B The Add Share pop-up is where you configure your shared folders. Here are the setup alternatives: Folder Path: The folder you
want to share on the host. Folder Name:
- A name you’ll provide the share. Mount Point: Where you desire the shared folder to appear on the visitor file system.
- Read-Only: If you desire the shared folder to be mounted as read-only.
- Auto-Mount: If you desire the shared folder to mount instantly.
- Make Permanent: If you want the shared folder to be immediately installed,
- even after a reboot. After setting up the share, click OK.
How to gain access to Shared Folders To gain access to Shared Folders, open the file supervisor on your visitor and
navigate to the directory you chose as the Mount Point for the Shared Folder. Double-click that directory and, when triggered, type your user’s sudo password. The file supervisor need to open to the Shared Folder, showing the contents discovered on the host. Streamline your virtual machine workflow If you utilize VirtualBox to release virtual machines, you need to take
benefit of this feature. This is specifically true
if you utilize these VMs for production or advancement purposes and require to share folders in between guest and host. Subscribe to TechRepublic’s How To Make Tech Work on YouTube for all the current tech advice for service pros from Jack Wallen.
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