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I would like to install a minimal 64bit Ubuntu 12.04 server virtual machine to basically be able to use a terminal to run 64bit code alongside my 32bit Ubuntu 12.04 gnome session on my 64bit virt-enabled laptop. Where can I find the installation instructions for the best option to achieve my goal? VirtualBox? VMWare? Something else?

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  • Use virtualbox cause its the best virtualization software in the market and Open-source. May 13, 2012 at 7:56
  • well you could just install vmware and install using thst
    – gnnfgnfgn
    Apr 7, 2013 at 18:47

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Where can I find the installation instructions for the best option to achieve my goal?

VMWare Player (or Workstation)

From personal experience, I can tell you that VMWare Player will almost certainly work for you, given that you have this scenario:

  • Intel/AMD 64-bit Processor with Virtualization (VT) extensions
  • 32-bit Linux Host
  • 64-bit Linux Guest

Try VMWare Player, and it will let you know what the problem is if it can't do what you want. (I couldn't find official instructions with a quick Google Search.

VirtualBox

Virtualbox also has a similar feature since version 2.1, with similar requirements. From Chapter 3 of the Virtualbox manual:

  • VirtualBox supports 64-bit guest operating systems, even on 32-bit host operating systems, provided that the following conditions are met:

    1. You need a 64-bit processor with hardware virtualization support (see the section called “Hardware vs. software virtualization”).

    2. You must enable hardware virtualization for the particular VM for which you want 64-bit support; software virtualization is not supported for 64-bit VMs.

    3. If you want to use 64-bit guest support on a 32-bit host operating system, you must also select a 64-bit operating system for the particular VM. Since supporting 64 bits on 32-bit hosts incurs additional overhead, VirtualBox only enables this support upon explicit request.


Hope this helps!

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  • Nicely put VirtualBox, in other words: You can do it, but you shouldn't. I think that applies for all virtualization solutions on the market.
    – LiveWireBT
    May 13, 2012 at 13:15

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