What spec machine for Virtualbox?

[fiza]

For those who have followed the steps here http://www.edugeek.net/forums/how-do-you-do/95325-virtualbox-image-programming-classes.html to create a virtual environment for their students to do their programming stuff. What spec should the host machines be?

We are currently running them on OptiPlex 755 machines with 4GB RAM in the host. Sometimes the virtual machines wont start up at all. Not sure if its the age of the machines ie reliability or the actual spec is not good enough.

[Steve21]

I've run it on most specs, even 2GB machines run it fine as long as you're not overspeccing the VM inside. How much you giving the VM of the HOSTs?

 

Steve

[fiza]

1GB of RAM and the image itself was 17GB I think.

 

Edit: I made the VM HD 25GB immutable.

Edited March 26, 2015 by fiza

[Steve21]

Shouldn't be a problem, normally let it have 2GB on 4GB machines with Win7 as they shouldn't be doing much outside of it when it's running, but should still run

 

Is it erroring or just being slow?

 

Steve

[fiza]

Shouldn't be a problem, normally let it have 2GB on 4GB machines with Win7 as they shouldn't be doing much outside of it when it's running, but should still run

 

Is it erroring or just being slow?

 

Steve

 

It just doesn't run sometimes. Students will click on the shortcut and nothing starts although you get the hourglass sometimes but then nothing appears. Happens to random machines.

 

- - - Updated - - -

 

I posted about the problem previously

 

http://www.edugeek.net/forums/thin-client-virtual-machines/149101-virtualbox-wont-start.html

[Steve21]

Oh take it your kids aren't moving around at all?

 

We found there was an issue where once one kid uses a machine it'll like lock the config file to their username, and if someone else logs on it wouldn't load... Wonder if I can find my fix for that

 

Steve

[fiza]

Oh take it your kids aren't moving around at all?

 

Steve

 

They tend to go back to the same machine each time due to the seating plans. As it happens occasionally it might be the config file locking when they don't go back to the same machine. Currently only a couple of classes using it but this will pick up from Sept.

Would appreciate a copy of your fix please.

[Steve21]

They tend to go back to the same machine each time due to the seating plans. As it happens occasionally it might be the config file locking when they don't go back to the same machine. Currently only a couple of classes using it but this will pick up from Sept.

Would appreciate a copy of your fix please.

 

Aye had the same kind of thing, all working fine, then suddenly bam entire new class won't work haha

 

Lemme see if I can dig it out of my archive, as was at last school one sec.

 

Steve

[Steve21]

Hmm the only two bits I can find off hand were these:

 

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Environment
VBOX_USER_HOME (REG_SZ) set to "C:\TestVMs\"

Give "C:\TestVMs\" full-control for students

 

I think the top one you can ignore as it was my testVM that I put in a weird folder which then didn't exist on their machines

 

Pretty sure it'll be the full-control (was testing) but modify rights should work. (Obviously changing TESTVM to whatever your machine folder is)

 

As I'm sure when they run the VM the first time it creates a file as their user (some weird XML config), and as such another user couldn't edit it when they try to load it so it breaks as access denied.

 

Will continue digging though as might be more as was ages ago we did it

 

Steve

Edited March 26, 2015 by Steve21

[fiza]

Hmm the only two bits I can find off hand were these:

 

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Environment
VBOX_USER_HOME (REG_SZ) set to "C:\TestVMs\"

Give "C:\TestVMs\" full-control for students

 

I think the top one you can ignore as it was my testVM that I put in a weird folder which then didn't exist on their machines

 

Pretty sure it'll be the full-control (was testing) but modify rights should work. (Obviously changing TESTVM to whatever your machine folder is)

 

As I'm sure when they run the VM the first time it creates a file as their user (some weird XML config), and as such another user couldn't edit it when they try to load it so it breaks as access denied.

 

Will continue digging though as might be more as was ages ago we did it

 

Steve

 

Just checked the folder that holds the VMs and "users" only has read/execute access.

[Steve21]

If you know a machine that was broke, I'd be tempted to change it to FC for a minute, then just test it as another student just to see. But will try to dig some more stuff out and see if it was that or something else.

 

Steve

[fiza]

If you know a machine that was broke, I'd be tempted to change it to FC for a minute, then just test it as another student just to see. But will try to dig some more stuff out and see if it was that or something else.

 

Steve

 

Currently no machines reported as not working as any that were previously we just re-imaged. As its Easter break next week I will go to the IT room and log on as various student test accounts and see if I can break it myself. If I can then I will give the folder FC.

[Steve21]

Currently no machines reported as not working as any that were previously we just re-imaged. As its Easter break next week I will go to the IT room and log on as various student test accounts and see if I can break it myself. If I can then I will give the folder FC.

 

If it is the same issue we had, it should literally be logon StudentA run it (works) logoff, logon StudentB run it (breaks). Give FC and repeat and same bit works

 

But as I said will keep digging for other bits, got so much junk/notes etc haha

 

Steve

[fiza]

If it is the same issue we had, it should literally be logon StudentA run it (works) logoff, logon StudentB run it (breaks). Give FC and repeat and same bit works

 

But as I said will keep digging for other bits, got so much junk/notes etc haha

 

Steve

 

Doesn't look like its the same issue as I have just tried it. Logged on as Student A, ran VBox, logged off. Logged on as student B, ran VBox, it still works!

Tried that several times.