I have a computer with Ubuntu 14.04, with several user accounts. In one of those accounts, I have a virtual machine in VirtualBox. I would like to share that virtual machine with the other users of the computer. How can I do it?
I have a computer with Ubuntu 14.04, with several user accounts. In one of those accounts, I have a virtual machine in VirtualBox. I would like to share that virtual machine with the other users of the computer. How can I do it?
The idea
To make a VM available from different user accounts on one computer (not having it running at the same time), you need to set up a few things:
How it can be done
Create a shared folder, in your personal home folder, for you and other user(s):
Make other users member of the group yourusername
(the easiest way is to install gnome-system-tools and use the users and groups
-section.
Manage groups > choose_yourusername > properties > add_other_users
(detailed instructions here to mange users, and here to create a shared folder)
Change the permissions of the folder; right-click on in nautilus. In the permissions tab, change the group permissions for group yourusername
to read & write
.
Change the permissions for the files in the folder similarly (the button down in the nautilus properties window).
Create a virtual machine in VirtualBox. Do not use the default directory for a disk, but browse to the shared folder and save the disk image there. If you have an existing VM, delete it, delete its folder in ~/VirtualBox VMs
as well, but keep its disk image, and move it to the shared folder first, then create a new VM, using the existing image as a harddisk. (if you try to relink the disk image in your existing VM, VirtualBox will complain the UUID already exists).
/home/yourusername/shared_folder/machine_name.vdi
(depending on the diskimage you created)