Install VirtualBox. Download and install VirtualBox here. The instructions below were testing with VirtualBox 4.3.18 on OS X 10.9.5. Download Ubuntu. Download the Ubuntu Server 14.04.01 LTS iso image. Setting up the Virtual Machine (VM) You can configure your virtual machine (VM) using the VirtualBox graphical program, but it's quicker to set.
In this project, we will get started on our Robot Operating System (ROS) programming journey by installing Ubuntu. Ubuntu is a popular distribution (i.e. flavor) of the Linux operating system and is fully supported by ROS, the most popular framework for writing robotics software. If you have a Windows PC (I have Windows 10), I recommend you install a VirtualBox first and then install Ubuntu in the Virtual Box. I’ll show you how to do all that below.
The process for installing Ubuntu has a lot of steps, so hold on tight, don’t give up if something goes wrong, and go slowly so that you get your installation setup properly. Let’s get started!
Here are the project requirements:
- Install Ubuntu
- Install Virtual Box
- Install Ubuntu on VirtualBox
- Learn Important Linux Terminal Commands
The following components are used in this project. You will need:
- Windows PC that has the required processor, memory, and hard drive space
Download the Ubuntu Image
Check Ubuntu Releases to find the latest version of Ubuntu that has long term support (LTS). As of this writing, the latest release is Ubuntu 18.04.3 LTS (Bionic Beaver).
Click on the latest release of Ubuntu, and download the 64-bit PC (AMD64) desktop image (.iso file).
Before installing Ubuntu, you need to install Virtual Box. Virtual Box extends the capabilities of your host computer (i.e. your laptop or desktop PC) by enabling you to install and run an operating system in a new environment on top of your current operating system (Windows 10 in my case). The environment the new operating system will run in is known as a virtual machine (or guest).
Install VirtualBox
Let’s download VirtualBox. Go to VirtualBox downloads.
Select the platform package for Windows hosts to download the executable (.exe) file.
Detailed installation instructions for all operating systems (Windows, Mac OS, Linux, and Solaris) can be found in the instruction manual. Let’s go through the steps.
Double-click on the executable file.
Click Next to begin the installation process.
Click Next to install the VirtualBox in the default location.
Click Next to choose the default features.
You will see a warning about network interfaces. Ignore it, and click Yes to proceed.
You are now ready to install VirtualBox. Click Install to proceed.
Click Yes to allow the software to make changes to your device.
Click Install again.
Click Finish to run VirtualBox.
You can optionally delete the original executable file for VirtualBox (the one with the .exe extension). You don’t need it anymore.
Create a Virtual Machine
Now that VirtualBox is installed on your computer, we need to now create a new virtual machine.
Click the New button in the toolbar.
Type in a descriptive name for your operating system. You can stick with the default machine folder. The machine folder is where your virtual machines will be stored.
Also, select the operating system that you want to later install (Linux in this case).
Click Next to proceed.
The default memory size for me is 1024 MB. That is not enough. Raise it to 6470 MB, and then click Next to proceed.
Make sure “Create a virtual hard disk now” is selected, and click Create.
Select “VirtualBox Disk Image (VDI)”, and click Next.
Choose a Fixed size virtual hard disk so that you have better performance, and click next.
You can stick with the default hard disk space (10GB as of the time of this writing) or go with something like 50 GB. I went with 50 GB. I also prefer to save my hard disk on my D drive (which has more space than my C drive). Then click Create.
Double-click on the left panel where it says “Ubuntu 18.04.” A startup window will appear.
Click the Folder icon next to Empty and select the Ubuntu image you downloaded earlier in this tutorial. It is a .iso file. You can make sure that your .iso file is somewhere in your C drive (doesn’t have to be on your Desktop). Then click Start to proceed.
You might get an error that looks like this.
Click Close VM.
Enable Virtualization Technology on Your Computer
The error above arises because virtualization technology is disabled on your computer by default. We need to enable it. Let’s do that now.
Go down to the search area on your computer in the bottom left of your screen, and searched for “Advanced Startup”.
Click “Change Advanced Startup Options.”
Click Restart Now.
Click Troubleshoot.
Click Advanced Options.
Click UEFI Firmware Settings.
Click Restart to change the UEFI Firmware Settings.
Click F10 BIOS Setup.
Press the right arrow to go to System Configuration.
Scroll down to Virtualization Technology.
Press Enter to select Enabled.
Press the down arrow and then Enter to select Enabled.
Press F10 to save and exit.
Press Enter on Yes to save the changes.
Your computer will reboot.
Double-click on the VirtualBox icon to start it.
Click on the left panel of the window to start the Ubuntu virtual machine. Or you can just click Start in the toolbar.
You should see the Ubuntu window appear.
Install Ubuntu
Click on “Install Ubuntu” to install Ubuntu.
Click “Continue” to save the keyboard layout. The default English one is fine.
Keep clicking Continue through all the prompts. The options you want selected as you go through the prompts are the following:
- Download updates while installing Ubuntu
- Erase disk and install Ubuntu
You will get to a point where you will need to set your time zone. It will be a big map of the world that should automatically detect your location.
Type in a computer name and pick a username and password. I select the “Log in automatically” option.
When installation is complete, click “Restart Now.”
When you reboot, you will go to the Ubuntu desktop.
If at any time you want to exit Ubuntu, go to File → Close. You will be given the option to save your machine state so that you can pick up where you left off the next time you login to Ubuntu.
Two additional notes….when you power up your VirtualBox, it is a good idea to go to Settings → Display and change your Video Memory to 128 MB. This will give you ample video memory.
Also go to Settings → System → Processor, and adjust the number of CPUs to 4.
If you at any point in the future run out of hard drive space for your virtual machine, you can move it to another drive (e.g. D drive) by following this article at Tech Republic.
Here are the complete settings on my Windows machine.
Getting Used to Ubuntu
Similar to the C drive in Windows 10, Linux has a file system (everything branches from the / symbol). You can find it by clicking the icon of the file cabinet on the right side of the desktop. It is the third icon down in the image below.
Click “Other Locations.”
Click “Computer.”
You will see all the files. For example, the path to the bin file is /bin
You can find popular software applications for download in the Ubuntu Software module. It is the sixth icon in the left-hand panel.
Linux Terminal Commands With the Ubuntu Command-Line Interface
We could certainly navigate around Ubuntu using the graphical user interface, but we would miss out on being able to run advanced processes for ROS. This is where the Terminal application comes in handy. The Terminal application is the Ubuntu command-line interface and is similar to the Command Prompt on a Windows 10 system. It enables us to use Linux terminal commands.
To open the Terminal, click the bottom left where you see those nine white dots and search for “Terminal” at the top.
Click on Terminal.
If you do a Google search for “common Linux terminal commands,” you should find some nice cheat sheets to use as a reference. Let’s try a few common commands below.
The following command retrieves a list of all the files and folders in the current directory.
If you want to change to the desktop, type:
If you want to get the path to the current directory, type:
To go up one directory, type:
To update the list of packages, type:
The sudo keyword enables you to run a command as an administrator.
At this stage, it would be useful for you to install htop, an interactive system-monitor process-viewer and process-manager. To install it, type the following command:
If at any point you want to remove it, you can type the following command:
To run, htop, you type:
You can reboot the system using the following command:
Finally, to shutdown the system, you type the following command:
Just like humans that can’t live without soul, computers are also in need of an operating system which makes their living. Unlike humans that they can’t change their souls, but computers can, but what better than adding a soul in it. From this, I mean of their operating system like if you are running Windows on your PC and you have used it for a while and you’re bored of that, you can easily install a new operating system in it via virtual machine like Ubuntu. So here’s how to install Ubuntu on VMware and install Ubuntu on VirtualBox and Install Ubuntu on VMware VirtualBox on Windows.
As Ubuntu is becoming more popular and widely spread, it has surpassed 20 million users actively installed Ubuntu and even might be suggesting others also to use Ubuntu. So, first of all, let’s see what is Ubuntu and why its one of the most popular operating systems than we will show you how to install Ubuntu on VMware and how to install Ubuntu on Virtualbox.
- Related:Install macOS High Sierra on VMware on Windows PC
Ubuntu is an operating system which is based on the open-source and free Linux distribution network. Ubuntu releases a new version of their software every six months with long term support (LTS) release every two years and because of its continuous updates, it has become one of the most popular operating systems and might tackle down Windows and macOS in a few next decade. The good thing is, Ubuntu is, it is available in three versions of core, server, and desktop, which is a Debian-based operating system.
What is VMware?
Whether you’re on Mac or Windows, a virtual machine is what you’ve probably heard of. There are couple of virtual machine apps. Out of those, there are two ✌ most working and powerful one. One of them is VMware, which has two kinds, probably a free and a paid one. The paid one which is VMware Workstation is definitely for business and more powerful use and the free one which VMware Player is definitely for personal use that will also work professionally. So there’s no difference in their work.
What is VirtualBox?
Virtualbox is a free open-source hosted hypervisor for x89 virtualization, which is developed by oracle corporation. As it’s one of top virtual machine app that will allow you to run multiple operating systems simultaneously or in other words, it allows you to run one operating system inside of another operating system. While it requires at least 4GBs of memory and more than 50GB space, but the more the better it will perform. Like with the 4GB’s of memory and 50GBs of storage, you can run a virtual machine which will work fine but for better performance and better results, having more resources will work better than usual.
Install Ubuntu on VMware & VirtualBox
Installing Ubuntu is probably easy and would take a few time like installing Kali Linux on VMware & VirtualBox. Whether you’re on a Windows or a Mac, we’ll do it completely done. There are a few ways you can install Ubuntu. The first option is to do a clean installation of Ubuntu instead of your actual operating system whether its Windows or Mac. The second option is to install Ubuntu beside Windows or Mac which will be dual-boot that isn’t really cool idea. Last but not least option is to install Ubuntu inside your actual operating system which would be installing Ubuntu on virtual machine or better say install Ubuntu on VMware or install Ubuntu on VirtualBox. This is a safe and interesting idea. So let’s start it.
- Related:Install Kali Linux on VMware & VirtualBox
Step One – Download Ubuntu ISO Image
To install Ubuntu on VMware VirtualBox on Windows, you’ll need to download Ubuntu ISO. Downloading it is pretty easy and it isn’t large too. The Ubuntu 19 is supported for maximum of 9 months while the Ubuntu 18.04 is supported until April 2023 but it’s only available for download in 64-bit.
Step Two – Install VMware or VirtualBox
Whether you’re installing on Mac or Windows, the installation process is nearly the same except a few minor changes and interface. Wherever you’re, installing Ubuntu works from this method. In other words, you can use these steps to install Ubuntu on Mac, install Ubuntu on Windows. The similarity is, they’ll be done on VMware or VirtualBox that there’s no difference in the app.
Fire up VMware or VirtualBox setup and proceed with the installation.
VMware Workstation Setup
Once it’s finished, let it open.
Step Three – Create a New Virtual Machine
Once it’s done, open the VMware or VirtualBox and let it work.
So when it’s there, press Ctrl + N to open the new virtual machine wizard. This key works on both VMware & VirtualBox.
On VirtualBox, write down the name of the virtual machine which is Ubuntu and without making changes to its location and OS type and version, assign 50 – 60% of the system’s memory and then select Create a virtual hard disk file now and click on Create.
Create Virtual Machine
On this window, enter 20GB of file size or more and click Create.
The virtual machine should be created on VirtualBox now.
Ubuntu Virtual Machine
When the new virtual machine wizard is there, simply press Next.
On VMware, select Installer Disc Image file and browse the Ubuntu ISO then hit Next.
Install Disk Image File
Now put a name, username and a password for the machine, then hit Next.
Next up, specify a name and where the machine files should be stored and click Next.
Name The Machine
Then specify a hard disk space of at least 20GBs or more and hit Next.
At the end, uncheck the “Power on this virtual machine after creation” and click on Finish.
Step Four – Configure Virtual Machine Settings
In order to install Ubuntu, we need to set up machine settings.
The machine is now created, so click on Edit Virtual Machine Settings.
Edit Virtual Machine Settings
Then specify 50-60% of your system’s memory and also processor then hit OK.
How To Get Ubuntu For Virtualbox
For the processor, increase the amount of the processor from one to two or more then hit OK on the settings window.
Increase Processor
On VirtualBox, click on Settings.
Then select the Display tab, and increase the video memory size to the maximum and also enable 3d Acceleration.
Increase Video Memory
Without closing the settings window, select Storage and click on the “Empty” disc icon and from the right side click on disc icon and click Choose a disk file.
In this screen, browse the Ubuntu ISO image and click on Open.
Select it
When the ISO file is selected, click on OK.
Step Five – Install Ubuntu on VMware & VirtualBox
Once the machine is completely set up, we can now Install Ubuntu on VMware VirtualBox on Windows pretty easily.
From the window, click on Power on This Virtual Machine on VMware & VirtualBox.
From this part, the installation is pretty much the same so you can install it whether you’re installing it on VMware on Windows, on VMware on Mac, or on VirtualBox on Windows or on VirtualBox on Mac.
Power on This Machine
The machine will start the installation soon, so wait for it until it’s complete.
How To Use Virtualbox Mac
Note: We’re installing Ubuntu 19.10, and when a newer version is released, you can probably install it with this tutorial, there will be no huge changes in it.
Once it’s installed, it will appear this window.
Ubuntu Installed
So click anywhere on the screen and the account will appear, click on Ubuntu and then enter your password then hit Enter.
After a few startup screen, the desktop of the Ubuntu will appear, so there you go!
Ubuntu Desktop Screen
The Ubuntu has now installed and that’s there anytime, anywhere. It works super smooth and superfine. The best thing is, it has installed VMware Tools already so there’s no more steps to take. However, on VirtualBox, you can install VirtualBox Guest Tool from the steps below.
How To Download Ubuntu On Virtualbox Mac
From here, you can try surfing, browsing and whatever you’ve in mind.
That’s it about Install Ubuntu on VMware VirtualBox on Windows . If there’s something remaining or would like to add or make some nice suggestions, we’re happy to hear.