It allows users to install operating systems on virtual hard disks such as Windows, macOS, Solaris and Linux.Īs an example, you can run Windows and Linux on your Mac, run Windows server on your Linux server, or run Linux on your Windows PC while running your other existing applications.ĭisk space and memory are the only problems that you'll face when installing multiple virtual machines. These are not insurmountable obstacles, but they do complicate matters enough that I recommend replicating the package set and copying your home directory over.Oracle VM VirtualBox is a cross-platform virtualization application developed by the Oracle Corporation. However that guide assumes that the clone disk size is the same as the original disk size, and doesn't deal with the VirtualBox angle. Here's an Ubuntu installation cloning guide (also: Linux installation cloning thread with a generic Linux cloning guide).

It's also possible to clone the whole installation there are just a couple of files you'll have to change under /etc. See also How can I most easily migrate all my apps and settings from one Ubuntu install to another?. Your personal settings are in your home directory, you can copy it from one machine to another. The topic has come up on the Ubuntu Stack Exchange site: Is it possible to tell what packages I've installed that aren't in the vanilla install?, How do I duplicate a server's packages and configuration to another machine?. ( aptitude documentation, in particular search patterns) You can grab a copy of that list and install the same set of packages on another machine (after doing a basic installation of the same release of Ubuntu) with aptitude install $(cat package-list.txt) aptitude search -F %p '?installed !?automatic' >package-list.txt

The following command generates a list of all installed packages, excluding the ones that were pulled in automatically because of a dependency.

You have several options, ranging from installing the same set of packages to making an exact replica of your existing installation.

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