Running VM from external drive on multiple devices.

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--lxj--
Posts: 2
Joined: 1. Aug 2019, 22:05

Running VM from external drive on multiple devices.

Post by --lxj-- »

Hi All,

Apologies, i'm a bit of a newbie to this and struggling to do something i think is probably very simple.

I have an external ssd that i'm trying to run all of my VM's off. I have created a linux VM and that runs fine but the issue i'm having is how i open that same VM on my other profiles and devices. Virtual box is installed in all locations.

Cheers,

J
scottgus1
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Posts: 20965
Joined: 30. Dec 2009, 20:14
Primary OS: MS Windows 10
VBox Version: PUEL
Guest OSses: Windows, Linux

Re: Running VM from external drive on multiple devices.

Post by scottgus1 »

If your guest is arranged in the standard all-in-one-folder arrangement that Virtualbox likes (guest .vbox file, guest drive file, logs folder, snapshots folder all in the one guest folder) then all you should need to do is plug in the external drive on the other hosts then double-click the .vbox file on each host.The guest will register and be ready to run.

Fully shut down the guest each time you intend to take it to a new host.

If you have windows hosts, the external drive letter may change between plug-ins rendering the guest unstartable. Note the drive letter when the guest was registered, and be familiar with how to set it back .
socratis
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Joined: 22. Oct 2010, 11:03
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Re: Running VM from external drive on multiple devices.

Post by socratis »

--lxj-- wrote:struggling to do something i think is probably very simple ... Virtual box is installed in all locations
Can be simple or a nightmare, depending on your setup. If by "all locations" means Win/Linux/OSX hosts, then you're looking at the nightmare scenario. Besides the problems with the hard drive letters that 'scottgus1' mentioned, another couple of issues that you might run into are the Bridged adapters and the Shared Folders. The first one is going to be 99% different, the latter may vary depending on the host.
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