Light Linux for trying VirtualBox, advice sought

[Ninho]

Since VirtualBox won't work on my main Linux OS (as seen in another thread, and VB bug #2986) I'm thinking of setting up a dedicated partition and installing as small as possible a version of Linux on which I could try Virtual Box without much ado.

What distribution would you advise for such a test, and what type of installation without having to carry gigabytes of unneeded stuff ? I'd hardly need more than an X-Windows based light desktop and probably a browser. I prefer adding needed things to a light installation than removing unneeded from a fat one.



Thanks for advice !

[Sasquatch]

There are a few options already mentioned here on the forums. One of them is to run Ubuntu JeOS, which you can install from the Ubuntu Server install disc. You can then install all the needed packages for your X-server. Be aware of the kernel it wants to install first or when upgrading to a newer one. It seems that it wants to install Linux-virtual instead of Linux-generic.

[TerryE]

Yes, that's because JeOS is a minimal server build optimised for VM appliance use. However, swap out the kernel and you can also use it as a minimal host.

[greenpossum]

Ubuntu Server is pretty light. It's so light that you don't even get ssh server, you have to install that. The main thing is that as it's a CLI server, you won't get X libraries unless you ask for them.

[TerryE]

AFAIR, if you install VBox onto an ubuntu server, then it will pull the necessary X libraries.

[sej7278]

you can use any distro's minimal install, it won't be so minimal after you install virtualbox as all the x11/qt dependencies will be pulled in.

i've never been a fan of xubuntu, don't think thats at all minimal.

i'd say fedora10 or centos5.2 as you have rpm's for fedora9/rhel5 that work.

[greenpossum]

AFAIR, if you install VBox onto an ubuntu server, then it will pull the necessary X libraries.

Simple way around it, don't install Vbox from the Ubuntu repos. I installed with dpkg -i sunvbox.deb and didn't pull in any X11 libraries. Worked fine for me when playing around with IPCop in Vbox. Naturally you can't use the GUI, but have to use the CLI or VRDP.

OTOH I could be remembering wrong, and it did pull in the X11 libraries, but not the X server, which we don't want since it's a CLI server. But that's as minimal as you can get in the circumstances. If you don't run the GUI version, you are only paying for a little extra disk space and not memory footprint.

[TerryE]

You don't have to start the X system do you? I have a VM that I use for OpenOffice development. When I want to do full product build (which take a hours given that there's a few millions lines of code), I stop the X system. I only have it running when I want to do OOo testing.

[Ninho]

Thanks to all ! I decided for the MiniMe 2008 stripped down version off PCLOS, with KDE. I realise this is not as slim as what some of you have been suggesting, but it suits me well since I'm not an advanced Linux user who could go well without some point and click support.

Using the 'any distro' installer, VB 2.10 installed without a hickup and I'm now familiarising with it. Ultimate goal is to be able to run an installed Windows system from the raw disk, if I can manage to do it (a similar setting but using VMware used to work fine for me but for some obscure reason after the previous HD passed away I was not able to redo it)

Anyone having satisfactory experience with simlar things - running an installed OS from the raw disk ?

--
Ninho

[TerryE]

Yes, if you search the forums you will find this discussed many times. There is even a stick on the subject at the head of the Windows Guests forum.