Unsupported: Creating a KVM Bridge Virtual Machine on Zorin OS with a Dell Optiplex in a VirtualBox Windows Device Environment
In this article, we will cover the process of creating a KVM bridge virtual machine on Zorin OS with a Dell Optiplex, running in a VirtualBox Windows device environment. Although this setup is not officially supported, it can be useful for a variety of reasons, such as a home lab or for convenience.
Prerequisites
- A Dell Optiplex system running Zorin OS
- VirtualBox installed on the Zorin OS system
- A Windows installation media or ISO file
Creating the KVM Bridge Virtual Machine
To create the KVM bridge virtual machine, you will need to use the command line. Open a terminal and enter the following commands:
sudo apt-get install qemu-kvm libvirt-bin virt-manager
This will install the KVM and libvirt packages, as well as the virt-manager graphical management tool. Once the installation is complete, you can use virt-manager to create the virtual machine.
In virt-manager, click on the "Create a new virtual machine" button. Select "Import existing disk image" and browse to the location of your Windows installation media or ISO file. Then, follow the prompts to complete the virtual machine creation process.
Configuring the KVM Bridge Virtual Machine
After the virtual machine has been created, you will need to configure it to use a KVM bridge. This will allow the virtual machine to access the network directly, rather than through NAT.
To do this, open the virtual machine's settings in virt-manager and go to the "Network" tab. Select "Bridge" from the "Device model" dropdown menu, and then select the appropriate bridge from the "Bridge" dropdown menu. Finally, click "Apply" and "OK" to save the changes.
Running the KVM Bridge Virtual Machine in VirtualBox
Now that the KVM bridge virtual machine has been created and configured, you can run it in VirtualBox. To do this, you will need to create a new VirtualBox machine and attach the KVM virtual machine's disk image as the primary hard disk.
In VirtualBox, click on the "New" button to create a new virtual machine. Give it a name and select "Microsoft Windows" as the operating system. Then, set the memory size and create a new virtual hard disk. On the "Hard Disk" page, select "Use an existing virtual hard disk file" and browse to the location of the KVM virtual machine's disk image.
Once the virtual machine has been created, you can start it and it will boot from the KVM virtual machine's disk image. You will now have a Windows device environment running on your Dell Optiplex system with Zorin OS, using a KVM bridge for network access.
References
This article covered the process of creating a KVM bridge virtual machine on Zorin OS with a Dell Optiplex, running in a VirtualBox Windows device environment. Although this setup is not officially supported, it can be useful for a variety of reasons. By following the steps outlined in this article, you should be able to create and configure a KVM bridge virtual machine and run it in VirtualBox, providing a Windows device environment on your Zorin OS system.
Note: This article is for informational purposes only. The author and publisher are not responsible for any damages or losses that may result from following the instructions in this article.