[SOLVED] This immutable VM setup ok?

[kebabbert]

I would like to try this scenario for me and my girl friend. How to do that? I have to use immutable drives? As of now, both of us had different WinXP Virtual Machines each using several GB.

I want have one base WinXP VM that can not be written to. All our data will be stored in indivdual VMs. As I have understood it, I can get this by having one immutable base WinXP VM. And then I create other data VMs? How shall I configure this scenario? Are the data VMs write through?

When I create one base immutable WinXP, then my girlfriend I both use it. But then we will use the same uuid, so I can not do this. I dont really understand. How to configure this scenario? One base immutable winXP. And then?

(BTW, I have my winXP base in OVF format. If I import it, it is written as an vmdk file. Not VDI. But I can only clone VDI files, not vmdk files? Or?)

[vbox4me2]

Keep it simple, use 2 immutable VM's and store your work on a NAS or some shared folder outside the VM space.

[kebabbert]

Why would I use two immutable drives? One for my GF, and one for me? Can we not share one immutable WinXP image?

[vbox4me2]

Ofcourse you can, but I would not have my wife near my workstation

[kebabbert]

I am using ultra thin clients and OpenSolaris. She can not do anything to my server (quad core PC). The server just sends bitmaps to the client, and the client sends keyboard and mouse to the server. There is no processing done in the client. It has no CPU nor RAM. It just shows pictures. Totally safe. Like a mouse or a keyboard. It uses 4Watt and weighs 0.38kg. Fanless. MTBF is 22 years. Can not be upgraded. I just upgrade the server CPU if I need more power. When I need another workstation, I just grab another Sunray and plug it into the router and create a user. Done. One Quad core CPU can drive 20 sunray clients that do normal office work. One large x4800 server with eight CPUs can drive several hundreds of office users. Why use 100s of PCs? Just one fat server, and some ultra thin clients! Other thin clients typically have a 1GHz CPU, 256 MB RAM and an embedded OS like Windows CE or Linux on a harddisk. You have to upgrade them (more RAM), and patch them, etc. Just like a very very weak PC. But SunRay are different, they only use my server's CPU. Nothing is stored on the SunRay. If I need more power, I just upgrade my server and all SunRays are immediately upgraded.
http://www.oracle.com/us/products/serve ... 036088.pdf


Anyway. I want one base virtual machine that both my GF and I use. And I want her to be able to install any software she needs. The same for me. Then I should have one immutable virtual machine, and two... differencing discs? Or does it suffice to make two snapshots on the immutable base VM? How should I configure this? If you can advice me, I read the syntax myself.

[vbox4me2]

One imm. VM disk would be enough, just make some batchfiles to switch to/from imm. mode in case you want to keep installations. I wouldn't recommend snapshots.

[kebabbert]

Ok thank you.

I will make one immutable disc. And then create a new VM based on the immutable disc. The new VM will automatically be a Differencing Disk. Then I shut off the new Differencing Disk and make it
VBoxManage modifyhd --autoreset off
so all my changes will be permanent. Now I read from one base and all changes will be stored into individual differencing disks.

Here are more info:
http://alan.lamielle.net/2010/05/10/vir ... ks-in-os-x
http://microsoft.realdolmenblogs.com/po ... alBox.aspx