VirtualBox Manager is the user interface for Oracle VM VirtualBox. You can use VirtualBox Manager to create, configure, and manage your virtual machines.
This section describes the main features of the VirtualBox Manager user interface. Subsequent sections and chapters describe how to use VirtualBox Manager to perform tasks in Oracle VM VirtualBox.
When you start Oracle VM VirtualBox, the VirtualBox Manager window is displayed.
Figure 1.2, “VirtualBox Manager, Showing Welcome Screen After Initial Startup” shows VirtualBox Manager the first time you start Oracle VM VirtualBox, before you have created any virtual machines.
Figure 1.3, “VirtualBox Manager Window, After Creating Virtual Machines” shows how VirtualBox Manager might look after you have created some virtual machines.
The main components of the VirtualBox Manager window are as follows:
The machine list. The left pane of the VirtualBox Manager window lists all your virtual machines. If you have not yet created any virtual machines, this list is empty. See Section 1.7.1, “The Machine List”.
The Details pane. The pane on the right displays the properties of the currently selected virtual machine. If you do not have any machines yet, the pane displays a welcome message.
The toolbar buttons on the Details pane can be used to create and work with virtual machines. See Section 1.7.2, “The Details Pane”.
Help Viewer. A window that displays context-sensitive help topics for VirtualBox Manager tasks. See Section 1.7.4, “Help Viewer”.
The list of virtual machines in the left pane is called the machine list.
The following methods can be used to control and configure virtual machines in the machine list:
Right-click on the virtual machine name, to display menu options.
Click on the Machine Tools menu, to the right of the virtual machine name. See the section called “Machine Tools”.
Click a button in the toolbar in the Details pane. See Section 1.7.2, “The Details Pane”.
The Details pane shows configuration information for a virtual machine that is selected in the machine list. The pane also includes a toolbar for performing tasks.
The Details pane includes the following:
A toolbar at the top of the Details pane contains buttons that enable you to configure the selected virtual machine, or to create a new virtual machine.
The toolbar includes the following buttons:
New. Creates a new virtual machine, and adds it to the machine list.
Add. Adds an existing virtual machine to the machine list.
Settings. Displays the Settings window for the virtual machine, enabling you to make configuration changes.
Discard. For a running virtual machine, discards the saved state for the virtual machine and closes it down.
Show/Start. For a running virtual machine, Show displays the virtual machine window. For a stopped virtual machine, Start displays options for powering up the virtual machine.
A summary of settings is shown for the virtual machine.
You can change some virtual machine settings, by clicking on the setting in the Details pane.
Note
If a virtual machine is running, some settings cannot be altered. You must stop the virtual machine first in order to change the setting.
Virtual machine settings can also be changed using the Settings button on the VirtualBox Manager toolbar.
The virtual machine settings on the Details pane are organized in sections that correspond to those used in the Settings window. See Chapter 3, Configuring Virtual Machines.
Click the arrow icon to hide or show each section.
The virtual machine display is shown in a small window.
You can use the Preview window to check if your virtual machine has finished booting up.
Click the arrow icon to hide or show the Preview window.
Notification messages may be shown in a sliding panel on the right of the Details pane, called the Notification Center. Click the warning triangle to show the notification messages.
Most system messages that do not require user interaction are displayed in the Notification Center, including task failure alerts.
The progress of some tasks can be observed and stopped using the Notification Center.
VirtualBox Manager provides two types of user tools, to enable you to perform common tasks easily.
Global Tools. These tools apply to all virtual machines. See the section called “Global Tools”.
Machine Tools. These tools apply to a specific virtual machine. See the section called “Machine Tools”.
In the left pane of the VirtualBox Manager window, click the Menu icon in the Tools banner located above the machine list. The Global Tools menu is displayed.
A drop-down list enables you to select from the following global tools:
Welcome. Displays the VirtualBox Manager welcome message. The VirtualBox Manager toolbar is also included, to enable you to get started with using Oracle VM VirtualBox. See Figure 1.2, “VirtualBox Manager, Showing Welcome Screen After Initial Startup”.
Extensions. Displays the Extension Pack Manager tool. This tool is used to install and uninstall Oracle VM VirtualBox Extension Packs. See Section 2.5.1, “The Extension Pack Manager”.
Media. Displays the Virtual Media Manager tool. This tool is used to manage the disk images used by Oracle VM VirtualBox. See Section 5.3, “The Virtual Media Manager”.
Network. Displays the Network Manager tool. This tool is used to create and configure some types of networks used by Oracle VM VirtualBox. See Section 6.11, “Network Manager”.
Cloud. Displays the Cloud Profile Editor tool. This tool is used to configure connections to a cloud service, such as Oracle Cloud Infrastructure. See Section 1.16.5, “Using the Cloud Profile Manager”.
Activities. Displays the VM Activity Overview tool. This tool is used to monitor performance and resource usage of virtual machines. See Section 1.20, “Monitoring of Virtual Machines”.
The Pin icon is used to keep the Tools banner visible as you scroll down the entries in the machine list.
In the machine list in the left pane of the VirtualBox Manager window, select a virtual machine.
Click the Menu icon to the right of the virtual machine name. The Machine Tools menu is displayed.
A drop-down list enables you to select from the following machine tools:
Details. Displays the Details pane for the selected virtual machine. See Section 1.7.2, “The Details Pane”.
Snapshots. Displays the Snapshots tool. This tool enables you to view and manage snapshots for the virtual machine. See Section 1.11, “Snapshots”.
Logs. Displays the Log Viewer tool. This tool enables you to view and search system logs for the virtual machine. See Section 1.21, “The Log Viewer”.
Activity. Displays the VM Activity page of the Session Information dialog. This dialog enables you to view and analyze performance metrics for the virtual machine. See Section 1.20, “Monitoring of Virtual Machines”.
File Manager. Displays the Guest Control File Manager tool. This tool enables you to manage files on the guest system. See Section 4.8, “Guest Control File Manager”.
The Help Viewer is a window that displays context-sensitive help to assist you in completing common VirtualBox Manager tasks. You can display the Help Viewer in the following ways:
In a VirtualBox Manager wizard or dialog, click Help to display the relevant help topic.
In VirtualBox Manager or from a guest VM, do either of the following:
Select the Help, Contents menu option.
Press the F1 button.
The keyboard shortcut used to access the Help Viewer can be configured in the Preferences window.
The Help Viewer has the following features:
Navigation tools. The left hand pane contains the following navigation tools:
Contents. Displays the help topic location in the Oracle VM VirtualBox documentation.
Search. Enables you to search the documentation for help topics.
Bookmarks. Enables you to bookmark useful help topics.
Tabbed browsing. Help topics that you have visited are displayed in tabs in the main window pane.
Zoomable topics. Zoom controls enable you to enlarge help topic details.
Printing. Help topics can be printed to PDF file or to a local printer.
VirtualBox Manager includes wizards that enable you to complete tasks easily. Examples of such tasks are when you create a new virtual machine or use the cloud integration features of Oracle VM VirtualBox.
To display a help topic for the wizard, click the Help button.
Some wizards can be displayed in either of the following modes:
Guided mode. This is the default display mode. Wizards are shown in the conventional manner, using a series of pages with descriptions to guide the user through the steps for a task.
Expert mode. This display mode is designed for more advanced users of Oracle VM VirtualBox. All settings are displayed on a single page, enabling quicker completion of tasks.
Click the button at the bottom of the wizard window to switch between Guided mode and Expert mode.