The fixed size option allows you to set a maximum size that will never change on the physical hard drive. It’s now up to you to choose between a dynamically allocated virtual hard drive or a fixed-size one. Select VDI as the hard disk file type, then click Next. Change the folder according to your needs, and select Linux / Fedora (64-bit) ( Figure B).įigure B Creating the new virtual machine in VirtualBox.Ĭlick Next then select the size of the memory (RAM) you wish to be allocated to the virtual machine ( Figure C).įigure C Setting RAM capacity for the virtual machine.Ĭlick Next, select Create a Virtual Hard Disk Now, then click Create. For our installation, we will call it QubesOS-vm. Open VirtualBox and choose Machine/New then choose a name for the virtual machine.
We also need to download the Qubes OS ISO file–stable release ( Figure A).įigure A The download options from the Qubes OS website.Ĭhoose your favorite way of downloading (direct download or via torrent), check the file hash when done, and you’re ready to install.
Here is a guide to install Qubes OS in VirtualBox, the host being a Windows operating system. Users without experience with Qubes OS should first go for a virtual machine installation to get the feel and really test it before installing.
It is recommended to have 16GB of RAM and 128GB of SSD free space. It also needs 64-bit Intel or AMD processor, 6GB of RAM and 32GB of hard disk free space. Qubes OS has very specific hardware requirements, in particular the need for IOMMU-based virtualization in the BIOS or UEFI.
To get the best of Qubes OS, it is, of course, better to make a full installation of it on a computer. Qubes OS also allows the user to simultaneously run multiple operating systems: Windows, Debian and Fedora. This way, if the user visits fraudulent websites spreading malware, he or she is still safe. SEE: 40+ open source and Linux terms you need to know (TechRepublic Premium)Īs an example, it is possible to quickly open a lightweight qube for Internet browsing, which will self-destruct when closed. To make it simple to understand, every qube is implemented as a virtual machine that is fully configurable by having specific purpose, nature and level of trust. It leverages Xen-based virtualization, which allows the user to create, use and delete easily isolated compartments called qubes. Qubes OS is a free open-source operating system that’s fully security-oriented. This Linux learning path will help you start using the OS like a proītop is a much-improved take on the Linux top command Image: Qubes Open source: Must-read coverage Qubes OS defines itself modestly as "a reasonably secure operating system." It might actually be one of the safest operating systems, often used by pros who are most concerned with computer security. You can now access all of the files stored in that partition in your VDI file.How to install Qubes OS as a virtual machine In this specific instance, you will most likely have only a single partition containing all of the files on the disk, so you would now mount Partition1 to gain access to it with 'mount /path/to/mountpoint/Partition1 /path/to/anothermountpoint'. Under this mount point, you will now see entries like 'EntireDisk', 'Partition1', etc.
Now you can mount the VDI file with 'sudo vdfuse -f /path/to/file.vdi /path/to/mountpoint'. If virtualbox-fuse is not currently installed, you will need to do that first: 'sudo apt-get install virtualbox-fuse'. You really don't want to allow write access to the Ubuntu root partition, for example.As far as accessing the guest drive in Ubuntu, you can use vdfuse to allow you to mount many different types of virtual hard disks in Linux. I don't know if installing the Guest Additions is necessary for sharing a host folder in your VM, but it certainly does make the entire process easier, just be careful what you are sharing and what access is permitted.