Recently, I have been writing about using virtualisation in order to run our AstroDMx Capture for Linux on other operating system such as Windows 10 and macOS; platforms, currently onto which the software has not yet been ported.
I have given detailed instructions on setting up an Oracle VirtualBox system on a Windows 10 or a macOS computer. The instructions are downloadable as a PDF file HERE.
Because the concept of virtualisation is not familiar to most people, and that many people have not used Linux; there is an unjustified mystique about setting up and running virtual machines, and another unjustified mystique about using Linux as the operating system running in the virtual machine. I describe both of these mystiques as being unjustified. The unfortunate consequence of the idea that you need to be some sort of computer wizard to use virtualisation and then to use Linux in a virtual machine, leads to hesitation and unwillingness to give it a try.
If you do give it a try, you will succeed and then you will be able to explore any operating system you like from within the comfort and total safety of a virtual machine. Moreover, you will be able to run our AstroDMx Capture for Linux on your own computer without having to give up your familiar operating system.
To create a virtual machine on your computer you need to install a piece of software. You do this just as you would any other program on your operating system. The program is called a Hypervisor and the one I have been writing about recently is Oracle VM VirtualBox.
A Hypervisor is computer software that enables a user to create and run one or more virtual machines simultaneously. Another name for a hypervisor is a virtual machine monitor (VMM).
A key function of a hypervisor is that it provides isolation, which means that a Guest OS cannot affect the Host OS or any other Guest OS, even if it crashes.
A Type 2 or hosted hypervisor is installed as a software application on a Host operating system, such as Windows, macOS or Linux. Oracle VirtualBox is an example of a Hosted Hypervisor.
A Guest operating system is the operating system that you install onto the hypervisor.
If the Guest operating system is to be, for example, Lubuntu, then you will have to go to the Lubuntu website and download the Lubuntu iso file. This is the file that VirtualBox will use to install Lubuntu into the virtual machine. One advantage of using a virtual machine is that has an extra layer of security. Another advantage is that you will be able to run software that will not run on the Host operating system. This adds enormous flexibility to what you are able to do with your computer.
Once you have installed a VirtualBox virtual machine you will wonder what you were ever worried about. It is a simple process and is not beyond the capabilities of any ordinary computer user.
You don’t have to have a very high spec computer in order to run VirtualBox. Here are the basic requirements:
Any AMD or Intel CPU
At least 512 MB of RAM (You need whatever your Host OS needs plus what the Guest OS will need)
Then all you need is the curiosity to give it a go and discover new horizons in your astronomical and general computing.
