virtualbox.org

What is the road map for a 64-bit version of VirtualBox on MacOS X? Snow Leopard is about a month away, so I just want to know what to expect.

I am running Ubuntu x64 under Virtual Box 3.0.4. I would assume that this would indicate that Virtual Box 3.0.4 is a x64 virtulation application.

I decided to take a look at the files:

Typing file /Applications/VirtualBox.app/Contents/MacOS/VirtualBox gives:
Indicating this is clearly a 32-bit application.

Doing the same on /Library/Extensions/VBoxNetAdp.kext/Contents/MacOS/VBoxNetAdp
Which indicates the kext is both 32-bit and 64-bit.

As long as the drivers support 64-bit this should be good for Snow Leopard, though it would be nice to have the core application to be built in 64-bit as well.

hawkmage wrote:I am running Ubuntu x64 under Virtual Box 3.0.4. I would assume that this would indicate that Virtual Box 3.0.4 is a x64 virtulation application.

Linux != Mac OS X. It's like saying "this program runs on Windows", while you don't even run Windows. These Operating Systems can't be compared. Yes, there is a 64 bit build for Linux and Windows, but Mac OS X is currently 32 bit only, so no 64 bit build exists yet. I'm sure the devs will release a version when Snow Leopard is released.

Sasquatch wrote: Linux != Mac OS X. It's like saying "this program runs on Windows", while you don't even run Windows. These Operating Systems can't be compared. Yes, there is a 64 bit build for Linux and Windows, but Mac OS X is currently 32 bit only, so no 64 bit build exists yet. I'm sure the devs will release a version when Snow Leopard is released.

I understand the difference in OSs. I run Linux, OS X, Solaris, Windows and support them all on a daily basis. I never said I was using Ubuntu x64 as the host OS I am running Ubuntu x64 as a guest under VirtualBox on OS X 10.5 Leopard. The kernel of OS X 10.5 is 32 bit but you can run x64 application on it without any issue. Also for the majority of the Mac hardware out there OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard will still start up with a 32 bit kernel by default. In OS X the only limitation you have in running in either 32 or 64 bit kernel mode is that the kernel extensions need to match the kernel, the application can be either 32 or 64 bit.

I am actually running x64 guest under the 32bit version of Windows Vista and OS X 10.5. As long as the CPU and chipset supports hardware virtualization and the host OS allows it you can run a 64 bit guest under a 32bit host. Most Intel Mac hardware support hardware virtualization so you can run 64 bit guests using VirtualBox.

hawkmage wrote:

Sasquatch wrote: Linux != Mac OS X. It's like saying "this program runs on Windows", while you don't even run Windows. These Operating Systems can't be compared. Yes, there is a 64 bit build for Linux and Windows, but Mac OS X is currently 32 bit only, so no 64 bit build exists yet. I'm sure the devs will release a version when Snow Leopard is released.

I understand the difference in OSs. I run Linux, OS X, Solaris, Windows and support them all on a daily basis. I never said I was using Ubuntu x64 as the host OS I am running Ubuntu x64 as a guest under VirtualBox on OS X 10.5 Leopard. The kernel of OS X 10.5 is 32 bit but you can run x64 application on it without any issue. Also for the majority of the Mac hardware out there OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard will still start up with a 32 bit kernel by default. In OS X the only limitation you have in running in either 32 or 64 bit kernel mode is that the kernel extensions need to match the kernel, the application can be either 32 or 64 bit.

I am actually running x64 guest under the 32bit version of Windows Vista and OS X 10.5. As long as the CPU and chipset supports hardware virtualization and the host OS allows it you can run a 64 bit guest under a 32bit host. Most Intel Mac hardware support hardware virtualization so you can run 64 bit guests using VirtualBox.

And can you tell me something I don't know? What do you take me for, an idiot? Your post that I quoted earlier was way off-topic too.

The original question was "What is the road map for a 64-bit version of VirtualBox on MacOS X?". How is pointing out that even in the current version of OS X at the time 10.5, being 32 bit you can still run a 64 bit guest under Virtual Box "way off-topic"? It may not have been an answer to the exact question but it is a common misconception that you can only run a 32 bit application or Virtual Machine on OS X running the 32 bit kernel.

"And can you tell me something I don't know? What do you take me for, an idiot?" You may have know everything I mentioned but in my initial post you missed the point that I said I was running a 64 bit OS under VirtualBox not running VirtualBox under a 64 bit OS. Because your misinterpretation you accused me of not knowing that Linux isn't OS X. Also this being a public forum I was mentioning these facts for the other readers in addition to replying to your accusations. You said that "Mac OS X is currently 32 bit only", I will agree that that is true for the kernel but 64 bit applications were available in OS X 10.5 like XCode.

You may have been having a bad day but please be sure of what is being said before flaming someone based on what you think they said.

hawkmage wrote:please be sure of what is being said before flaming someone based on what you think they said.

Which is really hard if someone posts something with a completely different subject.

hawkmage wrote:It may not have been an answer to the exact question but it is a common misconception that you can only run a 32 bit application or Virtual Machine on OS X running the 32 bit kernel.

Really? Then how come other Hosts have been able to do the same, with their full 32 bit kernels? It's in the changelogs when it was first introduced, it's in the Manual for requirements to run 64 bit Guests and it's in the VirtualBox FAQ. What more proof do you need? There is no misconception, only the problem of users asking the question before they even read a thing.

hawkmage wrote:I will agree that that is true for the kernel but 64 bit applications were available in OS X 10.5 like XCode.

And this is not true for VB on Mac before 3.0.6. The only reason you can run 64 bit Guests on it, is due to your hardware using the exact same way as you would use when running it on Windows, Linux, Solaris or whatever OS you want.

I've checked your post history today and I'm not very fond of it to be honest. Most of them make the whole topic confusing because you switch to a different subject that is the opposite of the problem or question or has nothing to do with it. You also kicked a topic of more than 18 months old, why the hell would you do that? It's bad etiquette.