Page 1 of 1

Install a type-1 hypervisor in VirtualBox.

Posted: 10. Jul 2019, 15:04
by hack3rcon
Hello.
Is it possible to install a type-1 hypervisor in VirtualBox? Can it work properly? Any special options must be selected?

Thank you.

Re: Install a type-1 hypervisor in VirtualBox.

Posted: 10. Jul 2019, 15:07
by scottgus1
Would be interesting to hear your results!
Virtualbox 6.0.0 is now able to pass the VT-x bit through to the guest, so it might work. So far it only works on AMD CPUs and there may be prerequisites in the host OS, I think. See here: Nested virtualization, VT-x/AMD-V in the guest: Success stories (and failures)

Re: Install a type-1 hypervisor in VirtualBox.

Posted: 10. Jul 2019, 18:21
by hack3rcon
Oh, why just AMD?

Re: Install a type-1 hypervisor in VirtualBox.

Posted: 10. Jul 2019, 18:23
by scottgus1
Seems only AMD's allow passing the VT-xAMD/V through a hypervisor into a guest OS for something else in the guest to use. Intels can't do it yet.

Re: Install a type-1 hypervisor in VirtualBox.

Posted: 10. Jul 2019, 18:28
by hack3rcon
Thus, servers with Intel CPU that running Xen or Oracle VM server, can't offer "Nested Virtualization" feature?

Re: Install a type-1 hypervisor in VirtualBox.

Posted: 10. Jul 2019, 18:51
by socratis
Not yet. AMD makes it much easier to do this and the developers managed to get that feature working on AMDs much faster compared to Intels, which require a lot more of work to get it going.

Re: Install a type-1 hypervisor in VirtualBox.

Posted: 12. Jul 2019, 12:32
by hack3rcon
Than you for your info. I guess Xen can do it with Intel:https://wiki.xenproject.org/wiki/Nested ... ion_in_Xen.
In your opinion, can I have any chance to install a type-1 hypervisor in VirtualBox?

Re: Install a type-1 hypervisor in VirtualBox.

Posted: 12. Jul 2019, 13:39
by scottgus1
Haven't the foggiest. Costs nothing but time to try if the hypervisor is free.

Re: Install a type-1 hypervisor in VirtualBox.

Posted: 12. Jul 2019, 13:41
by socratis
hack3rcon wrote:In your opinion, can I have any chance to install a type-1 hypervisor in VirtualBox?
Not really... not yet...

Re: Install a type-1 hypervisor in VirtualBox.

Posted: 14. Jul 2019, 18:29
by hack3rcon
What is the VirtualBox Virtualization engine? I guess Microsoft Hyper-V derived from Xen hyperbisor.

Re: Install a type-1 hypervisor in VirtualBox.

Posted: 14. Jul 2019, 22:37
by socratis
hack3rcon wrote:What is the VirtualBox Virtualization engine?
VirtualBox. It is its own virtualization engine.
hack3rcon wrote:I guess Microsoft Hyper-V derived from Xen hyperbisor
Where did that guess come from? When VirtualBox was out there as a virtualization solution, neither Hyper-V nor Xen existed, AFAIK.

Re: Install a type-1 hypervisor in VirtualBox.

Posted: 15. Jul 2019, 09:30
by hack3rcon
VirtualBox released by "Innotek GmbH" in 2007. The Xen Hypervisor is for 2003.
Microsoft Hyper-V inspired from Xen because:
1- It is free.
2- https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/researc ... alization/

Re: Install a type-1 hypervisor in VirtualBox.

Posted: 15. Jul 2019, 10:27
by mpack
? You have linked to a Microsoft site which is hosting that paper from a symposium which I guess Microsoft probably hosted/funded? However I see no evidence that it was a Microsoft paper or that it inspired anything. The first name on the paper, Paul Barham, seems to have more links to Google than to Microsoft.

The VirtualBox hypervisor engine was originally developed by Innotek, with some device simulations and BIOS from the QEMU project. Later Innotek was sold to Sun Microsystems who were in turn sold to Oracle some years later. Innotek were also at the heart of VirtualPC. Hyper-v is closed source, so I have no idea what if anything remains of VirtualPC in there.

I'd also point out that Microsoft are unlikely to be attracted to a project because it is free. They are attracted to projects which can allow them to control a gateway technology, which they can then license to others. They can't do that if the base code is open source.