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Oracle released today VirtualBox 7.0 as the newest stable series of its free, open-source, and cross-platform virtualization software for GNU/Linux, Solaris, macOS, and Windows systems.
Highlights of VirtualBox 7.0 include initial support for fully encrypted virtual machines via command-line (including the configuration logs and saved states), new 3D support based on DXVK for GNU/Linux, Solaris, and macOS hosts, Secure Boot support when using EFI boot, support for IOMMU devices (Intel and AMD variant), as well as support for virtual TPM 1.2 and TPM 2.0 devices.
The graphical user interface received numerous changes in VirtualBox 7.0, including improved theme support on GNU/Linux systems using the native engine, a new notification center where you can see all the info about errors and other core functionality, a new help viewer widget to more easily access the help manual, and a new virtual machine wizard to integrate the unattended guest OS installation.
The GUI also features a new utility similar to “top” or “resource monitor” that lists performance statistics like CPU usage, RAM usage, disk I/O rate, etc. of running guest VMs, a new option to disable the host’s screensaver, better mouse handling on multi-monitor setups on X11, reworked global preferences, machine settings and wizards, improved overall accessibility, and improved behavior of the virtual machine list.
The audio recording feature has been improved as well in VirtualBox 7.0 and OGG Vorbis is now used as the default audio format for WebM containers rather than Opus. On top of that, there’s a new “default” host driver type to make it possible to move virtual machines between different platforms without having to explicitly change the audio driver.
Among other noteworthy changes, VirtualBox 7.0 implements initial support for automatic updating of Guest Additions for Linux guest machines, along with the ability to wait for the guest VM to reboot when updating Guest Additions via VBoxManage and a new waitrunlevel sub-command in Guest Control to make it possible to wait for a guest VM to reach a certain run level.
The Linux Guest Additions screen’s re-size functionality has been revamped and there’s now basic integration with the guest’s desktop environments. In addition, this release moves the EHCI and XHCI USB controller devices to the open source base package, adds experimental support for guest debugging via GNU Debugger (GDB), and enhances cloud networking functionality, especially for local VMs.
VirtualBox 7.0 is available for download right now from the official website for various GNU/Linux distributions. If your distro is not listed there, I highly recommend using the universal binary installer for all distributions. Also, after the installation, don’t forget to download and install the Oracle VM VirtualBox Extension Pack for a complete virtualization experience.
Last updated 2 years ago
