[SUGGEST] Integration with Xming

[Diego]

It will be great if you integrate Xming inside VirtualBox, and not only to comunicate with VirtualPCs, also with real computers or VirtualPCs in other separated servers. Features are almost the same, so one program to do both jobs will be great.

Cheers

[Michael Thayer]

What sort of integration did you have in mind?

[Diego]

To answer that, i will tell my situation.

I have a dualcored linux server with no VirtualM at the moment and no Monitor/mouse/keyboard. My desktop is currently in Windows XP with an Athlon1700+.

I will like to see in VirtualBox the feature to remotely control it, with all its features like Seamless mode, snapshots, etc.

I can do this for only one VM only when i have it necessarily fully configured with an Xserver and use in windows Xclient. But i can not see the boot process, or the console.

By the same way it will be great if a multiplatform implementation of Xclient comes with VirtualBox to also control the entire server, with all the features (seamless mode, etc.) Maybe not exactly an Xclient or vnc, becouse thoose depends on a complete Xserver, but another solutio (more complicated to me), could be a graphic driver for linux which capture the output and send it to a remote VirtualBox. Also this driver could work like an extra video card, at the side of the real card.

With this remoted controlled VM, could come a new linux distro with VB on it and remotelly boot a Virtual Machine on a more newage technology computer and let this old computers be usefull again.

Cheers

[Technologov]

That's a little bit too complex.

Can you explain again please, in *simple* English ?

-Technologov

[Diego]

That's a little bit too complex.

Yes, but a Virtual PC is complex to me, and you have made it very well and easy. I trust on you that you will continue improving VirtualBox in the best way. ;)

*simple* English

mmm, is hard to me, i am from Argentina, i talk in english but is not my mother language. Lets see,...

I dont "know" how VirtualBox manage VGA rendering in the virtual machine, but i think, that any process can be replicated to another computer, so VirtualBox could replicate its VGA rendering to another VirtualBox instance.

But what features do we win?

• Networked Boot. Using the Host-Computer resources, and not the client resources.
• Centralization. One computer serving many VM to others low-end clients.
• Save Energy. All the clients will be only On when a user is on it. And when a user comes to one computer, the VM doesn't need to reboot again, just continue from the pause.

Somebody could think on it like a VNC-server, but a VNC server sends screenshots over the network, and only works on the X-server and not the console or boot process.

About Xming on VirtualBox. As i have said. I dont know how VGA rendering is done by VirtualBox, but ... using Other programs like Xming, to connect to the internal Xserver, could be faster becouse it doesn't need to use the VB-VGA renderer virtualization, and it could be completely disabled of virtualization.

If the VGA-renderer can be disabled when the VM still working, the VM could take less resources, i think. Maybe doesn't work like that.

I think that all of that still being *Complex* English. :P Sorry

[Michael Thayer]

If I understood correctly, what you want is basically what our VRDP feature already does. Have you looked at the user manual and the section "Alternative front-ends; remote virtual machines"? (Chapter 7 in my version of the manual).

[Technologov]

Additionally, there might be a license problem with Xming: ​http://blue-gnu.biz/content/xming_another_example_misunderstanding_libre_licenses

[Diego]

Yes, VRDP is quite what i was saying, i think, i miss this part of the Manual. Sry.

But i can not avoid to see that RDPclient is not implemented inside VirtualBox, and remote users need access to the server.

I was thinking more on a lab for teaching linux and OSs to students with a centraliced host (VRDP), and they shouldn't have access to the server, but they could run VM if allowed by the admin. Also, multiple RDP conn. to the same VM looks cool, but for teaching propose, in need to not allow the others clients to use wrap the mouse and keyboard.

VRDP and Remote USB can solve most of the needs (a VirtualBox-like interface to VRDP will be needed for me), but what about cdrom, sound card, serial/parallel port, etc. My electronics students will need serial and parallel port on the clients to work on the remote VM.

Also some VM on the labs could be automatically stoped when the last user disconnects. And started when the first connects withouth needing to have it running all the time.

Having VirtualBox to handle all of this client features (RDP, remote USB, cdrom, serial/parallel ports, etc.) in the same way as VirtualBox is used in the actual local mode, will be of big use in teaching labs.

Cheers.

[Technologov]

Update: There is a licensing problem with Xming, confirmed by FSF: ​http://www.linuxtoday.com/developer/2007111602126NWLL

[Technologov]

epsilon_da: This wish is now solved with "vboxweb" please look at it.

VBox team: please close this wish.

-Technologov