VirtualBox and Virtual Machines

[NMGMarques]

Hi all.

 

Trying to test unRAID before commiting to buy it, but have an issue. I don't have a spare box on where to install it. The current box where I eventually plan to put unRAID is running all my server needs off of a Windows install at present. If unRAID can pull off everything I want, then I'll offload the data form that box and get unRAID on it.

 

With that in mind and since I have no spare physical box where to run it, I'm trying to test unRAID in either VMware ot VirtualBox. In both I am having issues. I have finally managed to boot unRAID in both Virtual Machines using plop boot manager. I can even create shares. However I can't get plugins to run (guess they won't save to the USB booted via plop) neither can I test the virtualization. Can anyone suggest any ideas to fully test unRAID?

[SpaceInvaderOne]

disconnect your harddrives you use for your windows computer. pop in a spare drive if you have one. Then boot it off a usb. that way you can do some proper testing.

I have never virtualised unraid so couldnt help you with that.

[ashman70]

If you want to test the virtualization of UnRaid, you are going to have to do it on a physical setup, I highly doubt you'll ever get it working inside of virtual box which is already a virtualized environment. As the other poster mentioned, disconnect everything from your windows server, pop in a drive or two and test out UnRaid that way, you'll be able to do more and get a better sense of its capabilities then what you are trying to do now.

[theone]

I have done (and am doing) it.

It is a bit complicated since unRAID v6.

You have to make a real USB drive (same as you will for regular unRAID) and pass it through to the virtual Machine.

 

BUT !!!! ...

 

In addition you need to create a VDI disk which will be mounted as an IDE drive (master) and will be identical to the USB drive.

unRAID will start booting off of the IDE drive - there is no way of USB booting in Virtualbox - and then once the operating system is copied into RAM it will continue to load from the USB drive that you passed-through.

If in the future you need to upgrade the unRAID OS you will need to change the files on the IDE drive.

 

BUT !!! ....

 

all the unRAID settings, ie: plugins, logs, etc... will be located on the USB drive.

You will be able to run it for only 2 months with the test license.

 

[NMGMarques]

I have done (and am doing) it.

It is a bit complicated since unRAID v6.

You have to make a real USB drive (same as you will for regular unRAID) and pass it through to the virtual Machine.

 

BUT !!!! ...

 

In addition you need to create a VDI disk which will be mounted as an IDE drive (master) and will be identical to the USB drive.

unRAID will start booting off of the IDE drive - there is no way of USB booting in Virtualbox - and then once the operating system is copied into RAM it will continue to load from the USB drive that you passed-through.

If in the future you need to upgrade the unRAID OS you will need to change the files on the IDE drive.

 

BUT !!! ....

 

all the unRAID settings, ie: plugins, logs, etc... will be located on the USB drive.

You will be able to run it for only 2 months with the test license.

+Thanks all for replying. I'll try to secure a spare drive and see if I can do it that way.

 

theone, I think I know what you mean. I read a post about using VBManage to create the drive, btu it didn't work for me. Can you please tell me how you went about creating the virtual drive? Maybe there  is something I am doing wrong?

[CHBMB]

I have done (and am doing) it.

It is a bit complicated since unRAID v6.

You have to make a real USB drive (same as you will for regular unRAID) and pass it through to the virtual Machine.

 

BUT !!!! ...

 

In addition you need to create a VDI disk which will be mounted as an IDE drive (master) and will be identical to the USB drive.

unRAID will start booting off of the IDE drive - there is no way of USB booting in Virtualbox - and then once the operating system is copied into RAM it will continue to load from the USB drive that you passed-through.

If in the future you need to upgrade the unRAID OS you will need to change the files on the IDE drive.

 

BUT !!! ....

 

all the unRAID settings, ie: plugins, logs, etc... will be located on the USB drive.

You will be able to run it for only 2 months with the test license.

 

theone, have you tried setting it up with the same config and file distribution as I used in KVM?  Might work.  All my files are located on the virtual disk I boot from...

 

Have a look here, might be useful.