How to share a VirtualBox virtual machine with users of the computer

Question

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?

Solution 1

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:

• Locate the virtual hard drive of the shared machine in a directory where different users have appropriate permissions.
• Create virtual machines on the different accounts, using that same virtual hard drive.

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).

• On the other user's account(s), create similar machines, but use the hard disk image in the shared directory: /home/yourusername/shared_folder/machine_name.vdi (depending on the diskimage you created)

Solution 2

it's easier to just set file permissions for particular VM for user group.

I doesn't matter where it is, you don't have to delete and redo anything.

In my case it was in my \home\ folder and I just set file permissions to read/write for user group where the other user was.

Then log in as this other user, enter Virtualbox > Machine > Add and navigate to vmdk (or other format) file of this particular VM.

No issues. No idea why you need to create new VM.

Comments

[Panther]

Share it how ? As long as the VM is running users should be able to connect to it via ssh, vnc, etc.

[Panther]

you need to be more specific. You can configure the VM to start at boot. As long as the VM is running, users have many ways of accessing the machine, ssh, ftp, http, samba, vnc, shared directories ...

[Panther]

Not a good idea for multiple users to boot the VM at the same time.

[Panther]

Not a good idea for multiple users to boot the VM at the same time.

[Panther]

Not a good idea for multiple users to boot the VM at the same time.

[Jacob Vlijm]

@bodhi.zazen , NONO! but I assume it is on one machine, not at the same time!

[Panther]

See the comment I made. Have user 1 make a VM, have the VM automatically boot, and connect to the VM via VNC or SSH or whatever.

[aastefanov]

not at the same time. i mean he wishes to add it for multiple VirtualBoxes not at once.

[Fat Mind]

the question said to share the VM on the same computer . this will enable him to run it on all the user accounts but not in the same time . after the first user open it if some one tried to open the VM he wont be able to get the lock on the VDI file so they will get an error . but if they opened it in diffrent times it will be ok

[Jacob Vlijm]

@user246185 Perfect! It was indeed how I read your question at first, but then I had to exclude the theoretical possibility that you would (try to) run them from more accounts at the same time.

[Wildcard]

Is there any safeguard that would prevent multiple users from running the VM (their individual VMs using that drive) at the same time?