VirtualBox/Ubuntu 20.

04 LTS Installation
ECE 2620 - Computer Networks
Villanova University
Electrical and Computer Engineering
Instructor: Dr. Sarvesh Kulkarni, [email protected]
Installation instructions (August 20, 2020) by: Dr. Kyle Juretus, [email protected]
Instructions updated (February 5, 2021) by: Dr. Sarvesh Kulkarni, [email protected]

1 Objective
This document is a guide for
1. Installation of the VirtualBox Virtual machine on the Host OS (Windows / Mac OSX), and

2. Installation of Ubuntu 20.04 LTS as a Guest OS in VirtualBox.

2 Download Oracle VM VirtualBox Installation File

2. Select the download link for your operating system

1
3 Install Oracle VM VirtualBox
3.1 Oracle VM VirtualBox Installation on Windows
1. Double-click the downloaded .exe installation file
2. Follow the on-screen instructions to install VirtualBox

3. After completing the the installation, the final dialog box should indicate whether the instal-
lation was successful.

2
3.2 Oracle VM VirtualBox Installation on Mac OSX
1. Open the downloaded .dmg file
2. Follow the on-screen instructions to double click the VirtualBox.pkg icon

3. Follow the on-screen prompts to install VirtualBox at the location of your choosing.

3
4. After completing the installation, the final dialog box will indicate whether the installation
was successful.

4
4 Installation of Ubuntu 20.04 LTS in VirtualBox
1. Download the Ubuntu 20.04 LTS 64-bit ISO file from:
https://ubuntu.com/download/desktop

2. Start VirtualBox, and you will see:

3. Click ‘New’ to begin the setup of a new virtual machine (VM).

5
4. Configure the dialog box with the following settings for a Linux 64-bit installation. You may
choose to use a different name for the VM and the Installation Path.

5. Select the amount of memory (RAM) that should be allotted to the VM. Ubuntu recommends
that 1 GB minimum be allocated to the VM, but we prefer 4 GB minimum, 8 GB
ideal. You must leave approximately 8 GB for the host OS (i.e. Windows/OSX) to operate
satisfactorily.
So, for instance, if your system has 16 GB RAM, then you can allocate 8 GB for the VM,
leaving 8 GB for the host OS. Note that the VM will use this allocated RAM only when it is
running; therefore, when the Ubuntu VM is turned off, its entire memory allocation with be
returned to your host OS.
NOTE: Your host OS must have enough memory, or the performance of both
the VM and the host OS will suffer. Check your memory usage in task manager
(Windows)/activity monitor (Mac) to determine the amount of RAM that can be
allocated to VirtualBox. RAM-heavy applications such as Google Chrome should
be closed before starting the Ubuntu VM so as to leave more free RAM for the
latter. The memory allocation may be changed after configuration if you want to
experiment with different values.

6
6. Create a virtual ‘hard disk’ for the VM to utilize.

7. Configure this just-created virtual hard disk. Keep the default ‘VDI (VirtualBox Disk Image)’.

7
8. Select the hard disk type. ‘Dynamically allocated’ is recommended for our class. It will expand
storage space as and when needed, which will work fine in our case. ‘Fixed size’ offers better
performance, however, the hard disk size cannot be changed easily later if you start running
out of virtual hard disk space.

9. Select the size of the hard disk. Ubuntu recommends that you allocate at least 25 GB. The
hard disk file will default to your installation path chosen earlier.

8
10. The initial settings for the VM are all done and you will be presented with the following screen.
Click ‘Settings’ to make some additional configuration changes.

11. NOTE: If virtualization is not enabled, VirtualBox will not run and will produce the following
‘invalid settings’ error. If you see this error in regard to hardware virtualization, the virtu-
alization settings in your BIOS may need to be changed. Please contact the instructor for
assistance.

9
12. Go to the ‘System’ tab in ‘Settings’. If possible, increase the number of CPUs available to 2
or more.
NOTE: Leave at least 2 CPUs for the host OS to operate effectively or else both
the host OS and VM performance will suffer.

13. Under the Display tab, ensure 3D acceleration is not checked and increase the amount of video
memory available to 128 MB.

10
14. Return to the main screen. Click ‘Start’ to begin Ubuntu installation.

15. An ISO selection screen will pop-up, which is where you should select the Ubuntu ISO file
downloaded previously. Click the folder icon to add the ISO file if the file is not listed.

11
16. Click ‘Install Ubuntu’

17. Select ‘Normal installation’

12
18. Select “Erase disk and install Ubuntu” and then click ‘Install Now’. Don’t worry, this step
only erases the virtual disk that you created, not your main (physical) system drive.

19. Press ‘Continue’ to proceed with the disk partition formatting.

20. Follow the on-screen prompts to set the time zone, system name, and password. The Ubuntu
desktop will now show up.
21. Install the “guest additions” from VirtualBox: Devices → Insert Guest Additions CD image..

22. Restart the Ubuntu VM.

That’s all folks!

13