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I wanted to test out Fedora 10 released just a couple days ago. Instead of dual booting, I tried Virtualbox to run another Linux distribution on my Ubuntu powered desktop.

The installation of Virtualbox requires downloading the OSE modules for the current Linux kernel. The installation of Virtualbox was straightforward. I have done it before. No sweat.

I went ahead and installed Fedora 10 without a hitch. No problems were encountered. I even figured out how to increase the display resolution from 800×600 to 1024×768.

Then, last night I saw a large red arrow pointing down on my menu panel. It means a Linux update is available. I clicked on it to initiate the update. It turned out to be a kernel update.

A reboot is necessary after each kernel update. After the reboot, Virtualbox no longer works. What happened! I realized the OSE module installed was for the previous kernel.

I searched for the new OSE module. It’s not available. I went to the message boards and saw this instead. It looks like the kernel module has to be recompiled each time a new kernel comes out.

The new OSE module is not in the repository. In the meantime, if you run Virtualbox and you just received a kernel update. Your out of luck for a few days. Not until a new Virtualbox OSE module is made available.

I wish Ubuntu fixes this issue. Each time a kernel upgrade is required, the Virtualbox OSE module should also be compiled and updated along with the kernel upgrade.

Installing Virtual Box in Ubuntu should be an easy endeavor. I have come across several how-to documents that were confusing to say the least. This document will try to simplify the steps involved in installing Virtual Box in Ubuntu 8.04 Hardy Heron. Ok, let’s get started.

1. First, determine the current Linux kernel you are using. Click on Applications > Accessories > Terminal. Type the command:

$ uname -a
Linux penelope 2.6.24-19-generic

The result shows I’m running the Linux 2.6.24-19 kernel.

2. Next, install Virtual Box using the apt-get command. Substitute your current Linux kernel for virtualbox-ose-modules-generic.

$ sudo apt-get install virtualbox-ose virtualbox-ose-source
virtualbox-ose-modules-2.6.24-19-generic

3. Add yourself to the vboxusers group using one of the 3 commands. Choose only one command. I ran the first one.

sudo gpasswd -a `whoami` vboxusers
sudo usermod -Gvboxusers -a `whoami`
sudo adduser $USER vboxusers

4. Log out of your desktop session by hitting CTRL-ALT-Backspace. When you log in, your group membership will be updated.

5. Congratulations. You have successfully installed Virtual Box.

To install another OS, refer to the documentation Using Virtual Box.

The screenshot below shows the gOS 3 running on my Virtual Box.