This page helps you to choose and install a hypervisor into your personal computer. Note that if you rather run you course specific machine from a USB, you can skip this and proceed to download page.

Requirements

You must have enabled virtualization (VT-x or AMD-v) from your BIOS. Please refer to Getting Started for details.
You can run it on:
Linux

Virtualbox:

  • Ubuntu 16.04, 14.04 LTS or 18.10
  • Debian 9
  • Oracle Linux 6 or 7
  • Redhat 6 or 7
  • Fedora 28 or 29
  • SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 12 ja 15
  • openSUSE
VMvare Player or Pro:
  • Ubuntu 15.04+
  • Red Hat Enterprise 6+
  • CentOS 7.0+
  • Oracle Linux 7.0+
  • openSUSE Leap 42.2+
  • Suse Linux 13+

MacOS
  • VirtualBox: MacOS 10.12 or newer
  • VMware Fusion: MacOS 10.11 or newer
Windows
  • Windows 7 Home, Pro, Enterprise or Education
  • Windows 8 / 8.1 Home, Pro, Enterprise or Education
  • Windows 10 Home, Pro, Enterprise or Education
  • Windows 10 S is not supported
  • windows 2008 Server R2 or newer

Hypervisors for Windows have almost identical host OS support. You can consider this list valid for both VirtualBox and VMware Player/Pro.

 You need to choose one of:
VirtualBox

Free hypervisor, developed by Oracle Corporation. Supports Linux, MacOS and Windows platforms.
Versions 6.0.10 or newer are supported.
VirtualBox Homepage
Wikipedia

VMware Fusion

Licensed hypervisor developed by VMware for Intel based Macintosh computers.
Versions 11.0 or newer are supported.
VMware Fusion Homepage
Wikpedia

VMware Workstation Player

Limited-use version of the VMware Pro, developed by VMware. Free for non-commercial use. Supports Linux and Windows platforms.
Versions 15.1 or newer are supported.
Vmware Workstation Player Homepage
Wikipedia

VMware Workstation Pro

Licensed and full-featured version of the VMware Player. Supports Linux and Windows platforms.
Versions 15.1 or newer are supported.
VMware Workstation Pro Homepage
Wikipedia

Hardware Requirements

Almost any recent computer will be sufficient. Please note that some course specific virtual machines may have greater than the default requirements listed here. If so, your course Moodle page should have information about it. You can also look into the details of each downloadable image in the download page to check the resource requirements.

  • 4 GB RAM (2 GB allocated for a VM)
  • 64-bit x86 CPU with VT-x or AMD-v capability
  • 16 GB free disk per VM

Show me the requirement details

Processors

All 64-bit x86 Intel and AMD processors that have been released after 2011, except:

  • Intel Atom processors based on the 2011 “Bonnell” micro-architecture (e.g. Atom Z670/Z650; Atom N570)
  • Intel Atom processors based on the 2012 “Saltwell” micro-architecture (e.g. Atom S1200, Atom D2700/D2500, Atom N2800/N2600)
  • AMD processors based on the “Llano” and “Bobcat” micro-architectures (e.g. code-named “Hondo”, “Ontario”, “Zacate”, “Llano”)

To our knowledge, you cannot buy a new x86 PC any more that would not have virtualization support. Just don't buy those ARM based PCs and you should be fine. On the other hand, if you already have an old PC, you can't lose anything except little of your time to just try installing a hypervisor.

RAM

Standard virtual machines we use, are allocated 2 GB memory each. If you are running MacOS or Windows, you definitely want to have at least 2 GB for your host OS. You could get away with just 1 GB RAM left for your Linux host OS, but we'll make the 4 GB RAM as the absolute minimum. Recommended memory is 8 GB RAM, to use web browser and some other applications while the virual machine is running.

Disk Space

We quote you a value of 16 GB for each virtual machine so that you would not run out of disk space. The true disk consumption is much less, as each virtual machine comes with dynamically expanding virtual harddrives - they only need as much disk space as they contain actual data. Most of them need as little as 4 GB after being imported to your hypervisor.

Unless your PC is full games, we don't expect disk space to be an issue.

Non-standard Course Virtuals

Some courses might require more resources than our standard allocates. If so, your teacher will inform you of those, and you can also find non-standard resource requirements listed with the downloadable images.

I Want Something Else

Other hypervisors should also be able to run these virtual machines, but we provide support only for hypervisors listed in this page. You are of course free to use whatever hypervisor you feel most comfortable with - provided that you can import OVA (version 2) images from the download page. If you experience issues using unsupported hypervisor, you need to resolve them on your own with the resources you are able to find on the Internet.

USB disk alternatives for some courses can be found in the download page. They allow you to boot your machine into a course specific OS instance when you need to do course related work. Downside is that you do not have access to your own operating system at the same time. Note also that this alternative cannot quarantee that your hardware would be fully supported.

Installing the software to your OS could be an option. You need to ask your teacher if a list of required course specific software exists, and if it does, you need install and configure them directly into your PC. If this option is available and you choose it, these pages cannot offer you anything useful. Please note that your teacher is not obligated to provide you with personalized IT support and may decline to solve any issues you encounter when refusing to use the provided virtual machine.

Choosing a Hypervisor

The choice is yours, but the table below might help you pick one.

Hypervisor OS # Simultaneous VMs License
(see below)
VirtualBox ALL Unlimited (1 Free
VMware Fusion MacOS Unlimited (1 Required (2
VMware Player Linux, Windows 1 Free for non-commercial Use
VMware Pro Linux, Windows Unlimited (1 Required (2
  1. The amount of system resources in your computer limit the practical number of simultaneous virtual machines.
  2. Students of Turku University are licensed to use this product, when participating in a course provided by Department of Future Technologies. Others need take care of the licensing by themselves.

About Licenses

Turku University Department of Future Technologies (DFT) has acquired VMware licenses for all students of Turku University, who take part in any course offered by DFT. This license is valid for the duration of the course and does not allow other usage.

If the above condition does not apply - the course is not offered by DFT or you wish to use virtualization for your own purposes - your free alternatives are either VMware Player (for non-commercial use) or VirtualBox (free for any use).

Seriously, No Recommendation?

Nope. Seriously, we cannot even agree among ourselves. But while arguing, we managed to collect a few pros and cons:

Hypervisor Pros Cons
VirtualBox
  • Supports all OSes - you might have different kinds of devices, and using same in all of them can be nice.
  • No license concerns.
  • An extension pack needs to be installed for USB 2.0/3.0 (without it, USB 1.0 only) - but its free for personal and educational use and you only need to install it once.
  • Video memory limited to 128 MB (VMware allows 2 GB).(1
  • MacOS support can be sketchy.(2
VMware Fusion
  • Specifically made for MacOS. Given the MacOS issues VirtualBox has/had, this is more reliable option for Apple users.
  • Licensing(3
VMware Player
  • Simple and intuitive graphical interface, the most user-friendly for inexperienced users.
  • Allows only 1 VM to run at any given time - but for studying, you may not need more.
  • No snapshots - you cannot roll back if you accidentally mess up the VM.
VMware Pro
  • (tba)
  • Licensing(3
  1. This should not matter at all, unless a course for 3D graphics appears from somewhere.
  2. For example, with MacOS 10.15 VirtualBox had the tendency to crash until it was fixed by release 6.0.14.
  3. Unless you are attending a course offerend by Department of Future Technologies, you need to acquire a valid license.

Still not sure which one to choose?

If none of the pros and cons make choosing any easier, all we can suggest at this point is to flip a coin. Really, they all work for you - as long as your choice supports your OS. Alternatively, you could also talk to your friends who are taking the same course. It might make you feel more confident if you are using the same as your friends are. Or perhaps, during the first lecture, you could also ask if the teacher has any reason to favor one hypervisor over the others.

Installing the Hypervisor

Please select relevant instructions from below.

Linux
VirtualBox
  1. Navigate to the Linux specific download page.
  2. Follow the instructions therein to install.
  3. Navigate to generic download page and download VirtualBox Extension Pack
  4. Start up VirtualBox and using Tools button, open Preferences menu and then choose Extensions tab. Click add icon on the right of the Extension Packages field to browse to and choose the extension pack you just downloaded. Confirm to start the install and follow the hypervisor's instructions.

For installation issues, VirtualBox Installation Manual may provide answers. You can also try to see if our help page is of any use, or just contact us.

VMware Player & Pro
  1. Download VMware Player or Workstation Pro (make sure it is for Linux).
  2. After the download has finished, run the installer file with root permissions.
  3. Follow the installer's instructions.

For issues with installation, VMware's support site may prove useful. There's also our help page where you may find something useful, or at least how to contact us.

MacOS

Note that you need administrator privileges to install new software in MacOS.

VirtualBox
  1. Navigate to the download page.
  2. Download VirtualBox for OS X Hosts and VirtualBox Extension Pack.
  3. Double-click VirtualBox package to install.
  4. Installing requires administrative privileges. Enter your user name and password when prompted.
  5. Double-click Extension Pack to install.

Issues in downloading or installing Oracle VirtualBox? Visit their manual for further instructions.

VMware Fusion

If you are participating on a course arranged by the Department of Future Technologies, your teacher will provide you with the license key.

  1. Download VMware Fusion Pro from VMware's page. The VMware Fusion .dmg file is saved in your default download directory.
  2. After the download has finished, double-click the downloaded file to start the installer.
  3. Double-click on the VMware Fusion logo.
  4. Installing requires administrative privileges. Enter your user name and password when prompted.
  5. Wait for the initialization to complete and agree to the terms and conditions at the next prompt.
  6. Enter the license key or choose the trial option.

If you encounter isues while downloading or installing VMware Fusion, try first taking a look at VMware support site.

Windows
VirtualBox
  1. Navigate to the download page.
  2. Download VirtualBox for Windows Hosts and VirtualBox Extension Pack.
  3. Double-click VirtualBox package to install.
  4. Double-click Extension Pack to install.

In case there are problems installing online manual may be able to provide quick answers. Alternatively, check our help page for possible answers or to contact us.

VMware Player & Pro
  1. Download an installer for Player or Desktop Pro.
  2. After the download has finished, double-click the installer to run it.
  3. Follow the installer prompts to complete the installation.

Should you need help, VMware support site may provide you with help. If not, please visit our help page for information and contact details.

All Done?

Almost! Now you need to head to the download page and get a VM image for your course.