running Virtualbox on Genode

[Alexander Boettcher]

Hi,

On 28.08.2015 11:48, Vincent Digital wrote:
> I could now proceed to my next stage - basically to build a Genode system
> with NOVA micro-kernel, running Virtualbox with a Windows 7 VM.
> I have managed to make the "vbox_auto_win7.run" script - everything is made
> successfully and the output is a "vbox_auto_win7.iso" file.
> However, when I tried to use the "vbox_auto_win7.iso" file and put it onto
> a USB thumdrive to run. The result is that after boot-up, it just hang.

You should get the serial output of that machine in order to efficiently
debug and set up things.

> 
> The part that I am not sure are the "win7.vdi" and "overlay_win7.vdi"
> files. How are they linked to the vbox_auto_win7.iso file ?
> I have copied them onto the thumbdrive but is this correct ?

This particular run-script makes some assumption about the hardware
environment and is solely executed automatically by our test infrastructure.

The run script assumes that the test machine has a disk at a AHCI
controller and there the fourth partition contains a ext2 filesystem
with two files - namely the win7.vdi and overlay_win7.vdi.

Please read the beginning of vbox_auto_win7_share.run, which describes
roughly the expected state of the test machine, if you want to use the
vbox_auto* scripts. (The other way is to write your own run script
matching your desired hardware setup.)

> I have tried to understand the email exchange on
> http://sourceforge.net/p/genode/mailman/message/33496592/ discussion
> between Christian and Adrian.
> Does anyone have a blueprint on how I can create a "win7.vdi" using an
> existing Windows 7 DVD onto a "ext2" partition.

For creating a vdi just use a Virtualbox installation of your favourite
OS. Install and setup your VM using the normal Virtualbox tools. The
resulting vdi image you than copy at the right place in the ext2
partition of your test machine. The overlay vdi can be created as
described in vbox_auto_win7_share.run.

If all this is in place correctly, you may copy the resulting
vbox_auto_win7_share.run to your usb stick and boot it. The Genode
scenario on the USB stick than will read the vdi image from your AHCI
hard disk. In this setup changes to the VM are written to the overlay
vdi image - so that your original win7.vdi doesn't get changed/messed up
accidentally.

Hope it helps,

Alexander Boettcher.