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Initial config

Install

Partition

Take the original kimsufi install (and may be reinstall OS if the default is bizarre) for root and add the rest after booting in your distro. Mine is:

parted -l
Model: ATA WDC WD2002FAEX-0 (scsi)
Disk /dev/sda: 2000GB
Sector size (logical/physical): 512B/512B
Partition Table: msdos

Number  Start   End     Size    Type      File system     Flags
 1      2097kB  21,0GB  21,0GB  primary   ext4            boot, type=83
 2      21,0GB  21,5GB  536MB   primary   linux-swap(v1)  type=82
 3      21,5GB  2000GB  1979GB  extended                  lba, type=0f
 5      21,5GB  53,7GB  32,2GB  logical   ext4            type=83
 6      53,7GB  85,9GB  32,2GB  logical   ext4            type=83
 7      85,9GB  1999GB  1913GB  logical   ext4            type=83

Kernel and boot system

Begin to install the openSUSE kernel (as I will use VirtualBox, I install it and this pulls the dedicated kernel). Setup the boot system, discard the OVH boot module and try rebooting. If it works, you made a great step forward :-).

To allow openSUSE kernel booting see Kimsufi-kernel-and-boot-setup-3.

OVH boot was on /dev/sda2 (swap), so I installed YaST one on root (/dev/sda1).

Network

Network config is special, with nothing configured in YaST. I previously tried to configure YaST and did lose the network... so better not touch anything (YaST do not change anything by default).

In addition, there are *two* network interfaces (on a hosted server that stay alone!), HW adresses 00:30:48:be:e8:0a and 0b.

cat /etc/resolv.conf
nameserver 127.0.0.1
nameserver 213.186.33.99

route -n
Table de routage IP du noyau
Destination     Passerelle      Genmask         Indic Metric Ref    Use Iface
0.0.0.0         188.165.211.254 0.0.0.0         UG    0      0        0 eth0
127.0.0.0       0.0.0.0         255.0.0.0       U     0      0        0 lo
169.254.0.0     0.0.0.0         255.255.0.0     U     0      0        0 eth0
188.165.211.0   0.0.0.0         255.255.255.0   U     0      0        0 eth0

cat /etc/sysconfig/network/ifcfg-eth0
DEVICE=eth0
BOOTPROTO=static
IPADDR=188.165.211.22
NETMASK=255.255.255.0
ONBOOT=yes
STARTMODE=auto
GATEWAY=188.165.211.254
 (no eth1)

Software system

Add the basic stuff. That is mostly:

  • keep the ovh repositories (probably the fastest mirror for me),
  • add Packman for any multimedia package

then patterns

  • base system and better base system
  • xterm tools
  • yast qt
  • yast X11
  • system xwindows (enough to launch GUI apps through ssh)
  • network admin
  • VirtualBox (done for the kernel)

may be next (?)

  • remote desktop
  • virtutils ?
  • virtviewer ?

Automatic starting

Automatic starting using /etc/init.d/vboxes is installed by openSUSE and doc may be found in http://www.amiryan.org/2009/11/04/virtualbox-init-d-service-autostart-script/. The config file syntax is not described anywhere, so I had to find it and it's not obvious, see below.

First create the file /etc/sysconfig/vbox, then:

/etc/sysconfig/vbox
# Virtual box machines to autostart
# Example to start 2 machines
# VBOX_AUTOSTART="MachineName1;username MachineName2;username2"

# VBOX_AUTOSTART=""

To make it work, you have to set the user name with a ";" (semi-colon) between machine name and user name, and no space after and before the "="!

Machines are installed as user in "/home/user/VirtalBox VMs" - this space in the name and mixed uper/lower case is extremely unpleasant. However it's possible to rename the folder (and the machines name) with mv, launch VirtualBox, remove the old machine and add the new machine, you can as well change the name right now.

When, I say "machines", I mean only the VirtualBox machine description file. The virtual disks are on /home/user/machines-virtuelles/, with a folder /home/user/isos to hold dvd isos from distributions.

Do not forget to allow vboxnet as a service in YaST.

Network config

You only need "host only network", all the dialog will be done through the host. For this you have to configure network interfaces in the "File/Preferences/Network" global VirtualBox menu (GUI) - then only in the virtual machine setup.

The vmnet0 network used to be on the form 192.168.50.x, now it seems to be 192.168.56.xxx. Gateway (host) is 192.168.0.1 and first virtual machine is 192.168.56.101 (default). This can be setup in the dhcp preferences in the GUI menu.

SuSEfirewall2

See with YaST.

Start the firewall automatically - do not forget to allow ssh! Add eth0 as external and vboxnet0 as DMZ (custom - from memory I think the interface name used to be vmnet0, is now vboxnet0 - can be changed in the setup).

Masquerade networks, forward 32022 to nemo 22 (ssh server access), and if you have only one http and smtp server, forward 80 and 25.

With this config, the virtual machine should access the net.

Manual use

To use it interactively, if you logged as the virtualbox user with ssh -X -C, you can simply launch "VirtualBox" to get the GUI, but you can't logoff without stopping the virtual machine... Notice you can't get the GUI if you come from root with su, for example, you have to log in directly (may be there are solutions, but I don't know them).

You can start the vm with:

 VBoxHeadless -startvm s-r

for short use or

 nohup VBoxHeadless -startvm s-r &

or

 systemctl restart vboxdrv.service

for permanent use

To stop the machine nicely:

 VBoxManage controlvm s-r acpipowerbutton

The list of running machine:

 VBoxManage list runningvms

Attention: this list only the machines owned by the current user (even if you call it as root).

For backup purpose, hibernation is better:

 VBoxManage controlvm <name> savestate

and restart:

 VBoxManage controlvm s-r startvm

Change the network:

 VBoxManage modifyvm s-r --nic1 hostonly
 VBoxManage modifyvm s-r --hostonlyadapter1 vboxnet0

"1" is the network/interface number. Then restart the vm

Infos:

 VBoxManage list vms --long

VRDP access

You have to install the extension pack to get vrdp, do not take in account the fact that a rdp button exist anyway.

For example:

 VBoxManage extpack install Oracle_VM_VirtualBox_Extension_Pack-4.2.16-86992.vbox-extpack

To see what is installed:

 VBoxManage list extpacks

And be warned that non compatible packs are installed anyway, but not usable, so you may have to remove them or replace them:

 VBoxManage extpack install --replace Oracle_VM_VirtualBox_Extension_Pack-4.2.16-86992.vbox-extpack