How works Network and API to VirtualBox

VirtualBox is a high-performance, cross-platform virtualization engine for use on computers running Windows, Linux distributions and others. Designed for use on Intel and AMD x86 systems, VM VirtualBox can be deployed on desktop or server hardware. As a hosted hypervisor, it extends the existing operating system installed on the hardware rather than replacing it.

VirtualBox includes a hypervisor for the host platform, an application programming interface (API) and software development kit (SDK) for managing guest virtual machines, a command-line tool for managing guests locally, a web service for remote management of guests, a wizard-style graphical tool to manage guests, a graphical console for displaying guest applications on the local host, and a built-in Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) server that provides complete access to a guest from a remote client.

VirtualBox Architecture





VirtualBox API = VBoxMananger = CLI

VBoxMananger is the command line interface to VirtualBox, if put command VBoxMananger in the console, is possible see all commands to interact with VirtualBox API.



Command to list all VMs:


Is Possible creating VMs with command line, but is necessary have ISO to system operation that want install.

Step 1:


Step 2:


VBoxMananger is the tool that Vagrant use for sample to create environments.

VirtualBox Network

There are 3 types of network:

1. Nat with port forwarding
2. Bridged networking
3. Internal networking
4. Host-only networking

Nat Networking:

• Nat = Networking Address Translation
• Each VM has your own sub-network with your public IP
• Share the same resources that Host
• VMs cannot see each other
• IP, Gateway, DNS cannot be change

Bridged Networking:

• VMs and Host are in the same network
• VMs has access to physical network in the same way that Host
• Can be found in the physical network

Internal Networking:

• Isolated network
• Only VMs are within a private network
• Host can’t see the private network

Host-Only Networking:

• Hybrid between bridge and internal network
• Private Network to Host and VMs
• VMs can’t see external network
• Host has private IP to internal network

My Slides

In this post I put focus just on point that is difficult find people talk about (VirtualBox API and VirtualBox Network) and some times ago I needed study, so I tried put here somethings that was useful for me.

References:

• http://www.slideshare.net/Codemotion/pc-personal-cloud-42299995
• http://pt.slideshare.net/OracleHardware/oracle-vm-virtual-box-the-best-tool-i-ever-used
• http://pt.slideshare.net/leightonnelson/2012-374-nelsonppt
• https://www.virtualbox.org/manual/UserManual.html
• http://www.informit.com/articles/article.aspx?p=1627061
• https://www.virtualbox.org/sdkref/
• http://pt.slideshare.net/ClintonKitson/discovering-docker-volume-plugins-and-apps-using-virtualbox