Are there Virtual Machine Servers that you can install Virtual Machines on and then the clients can just fire up the OS (Windows, Mac, Linux) through the web browser?
That would be very efficient.
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5 Answers
I don't think there are many out-of-the-box products that will do what you want. The closest would be something from VMware. If you wanted to spend some time though, you could use a combination of Xen + libvirt + Virtual Machine Manager to achieve something close, but it's still limited to the desktop I believe.
It's also worth mentioning the potential security risk by having your hypervisor exposed through a web browser. If you have many machines running on your server, one exploit through the browser will expose all your VMs at once to an attacker. Your hypervisor/virtual machine server should be preciously protected because of this.
vmfarmsvmfarms
VMware's ESX pretty much does this by default although this feature has now been removed from ESXi and will not be available in future releases after V4.1 once the ESXi variant becomes the only one that VMware will update in future. Web based access to a remote guest console is trivially easy to provide for ESX but as others have said there are some serious security issues with this that limit its practical use.
HelvickVirtual Machine In Web Browser Mac
Helvick16.8k33 gold badges3232 silver badges5151 bronze badges
VirtualBox can be scripted, so it would be possible to include a web front-end command interface.
Microsoft's Virtual Server 2005 was ran exclusively from a web front-end, bit it has largely been supplanted by Hyper-V.
Hyper-V is scriptable via Powershell, I believe, so a web front-end would be possible but I think it would require making calls in a web-friendly language to then make Powershell calls.
VMware does have APIs for VBScript and Perl, and possibly Powershell. I'm not sure, but they may only apply to ESX.
-Waldo
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dyasnydyasny16.5k44 gold badges3939 silver badges5656 bronze badges
phpvirtualbox is providing this kind of interface: http://code.google.com/p/phpvirtualbox/
jlliagrejlliagre
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with 83 posters participatingATLANTA—Microsoft has announced that the next major update to Windows 10 will run its Edge browser in a lightweight virtual machine. Running the update in a virtual machine will make exploiting the browser and attacking the operating system or compromising user data more challenging.
Called Windows Defender Application Guard for Microsoft Edge, the new capability builds on the virtual machine-based security that was first introduced last summer in Windows 10. Windows 10's Virtualization Based Security (VBS) uses small virtual machines and the Hyper-V hypervisor to isolate certain critical data and processes from the rest of the system. The most important of these is Credential Guard, which stores network credentials and password hashes in an isolated virtual machine. This isolation prevents the popular MimiKatz tool from harvesting those password hashes. In turn, it also prevents a hacker from breaking into one machine and then using stolen credentials to spread to other machines on the same network.
The Edge browser already creates a secure sandbox for its processes, a technique that tries to limit the damage that can be done when malicious code runs within the browser. The sandbox has limited access to the rest of the system and its data, so successful exploits need to break free from the sandbox's constraints. Often they do this by attacking the operating system itself, using operating system flaws to elevate their privileges.
Credential Guard's virtual machine is very small and lightweight, running only a relatively simple process to manage credentials. Application Guard will go much further by running large parts of the Edge browser within a virtual machine. This virtual machine won't, however, need a full operating system running inside it—just a minimal set of Windows features required to run the browser. Because Application Guard is running in a virtual machine it will have a much higher barrier between it and the host platform. It can't see other processes, it can't access local storage, it can't access any other installed applications, and, critically, it can't attack the kernel of the host system.
In its first iteration, Application Guard will only be available for Edge. Microsoft won't provide an API or let other applications use it. As with other VBS features, Application Guard will also only be available to users of Windows 10 Enterprise, with administrative control through group policies. Administrators will be able to mark some sites as trusted, and those sites won't use the virtual machine. Admins also be able to control whether untrusted sites can use the clipboard or print.
Microsoft recognizes that this feature would be desirable on consumer machines, too, and not just for Edge. Other browsers such as Chrome would also benefit from this kind of protection. So too would Office's 'Protected Mode' that's used for opening documents from untrusted sources.
However, doing this has certain complexities. Currently, virtualized sites can't store persistent cookies, for example, because virtual machines get destroyed when the browser is closed. This may be acceptable for a locked-down enterprise environment, but it isn't a good fit for consumers.
There are also compatibility constraints. VBS installs the Hyper-V hypervisor. This requires a processor with hardware virtualization support, and it also requires I/O virtualization (such as Intel's VT-d) to protect against certain known attacks. This means that some systems in the wild won't support it. There are also software concerns; only one hypervisor can be installed at a time, which means that a machine that's running Hyper-V cannot also run VMware Workstation or Virtual Box, say, or software that uses virtualization behind the scenes, such as the Bluestacks Android-on-Windows software.
This virtualization also likely comes at some performance cost, although Microsoft is not saying just what that performance cost is right now.
Nonetheless, this use of virtualization to harden a system is an exciting move. Win 7 creator utility. Experimental and special-use systems such as Qubes OS have used virtualization in a similar way, but are far from mainstream offerings. Microsoft is uniquely positioned take this kind of capability mainstream.
Application Guard will become available later this year in Insider builds of Windows, hitting a stable version some time in 2017.
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with 59 posters participating, including story authorMicrosoft's Windows and Apple's Mac operating systems have inspired truly prodigious amounts of adulation and horror on the part of computer users for about three decades now.
Those of us who love technology aren't likely to forget our first desktop operating systems. But the OSes of yore don't have to live only in your memories. While it might be difficult to fire up the first PCs you ever owned today, some computer enthusiasts have made it easy for us to relive what it was like to use them again with almost no effort at all.
If you want to be able to use all the features of an old operating system, you'll probably have to find the software and load it in a virtual machine. But there are a bunch of browser-based emulators that show you what the old OSes looked like and let you click on a few things. It's a lot easier, and it may satisfy your urge to relive the past. Here are a few such websites to fuel your technostalgia.
Dan - who started out as a modder for Morrowind, Skyrim, and Fallout New Vegas - has close to two decades of experience in the video game industry under his belt and his talk on Ten Principles for Good Level Design at the Game Developer's Conference 2013 is cu. Today we are talking to Dan Taylor, a professional level designer who has in the past worked for Eidos, Square Enix, Ubisoft, Rockstar (among others) on games such as Medal of Honor Heroes 2, Hitman: Sniper, or Shadow of the Tomb Raider.
Windows 1.0: It’s older than the World Wide Web
It's the very first version of the most widely used desktop operating system in history, released in 1985. I went to a lot of trouble to run Windows 1.0 in a virtual machine on a Windows 7 PC a few years ago, but you can live in the past right now by clicking on jsmachines.net, short for 'JavaScript Machines.'
The emulator is in black and white rather than color, and you can't save any changes, but you can use the mouse cursor and run the earliest Windows programs, like Reversi, Notepad, and Paint:
The simulation is 'configured for a clock speed of 4.77Mhz, with 256Kb of RAM and a CGA display, using the original IBM PC Model 5160 ROM BIOS and CGA font ROM,' the website notes. 'This PC XT configuration also includes a 10Mb hard disk with Windows 1.01 pre-installed.'
Mac OS System 7 on a virtual Mac Plus
This website lets you run Mac OS System 7, released in 1991, on a simulated Macintosh Plus, a computer introduced in 1986. As a nice touch, it runs the OS within an illustration of the physical computer:
Developer James Friend writes that this demo 'emulates a Mac Plus with a bunch of abandonware applications and games to check out.' The website is a bit sluggish and difficult to use, but it's fun to look at.
Windows 3.1: Windows gets a lot more window-y
Coder Michael Vincent's website provides a functional version of Windows 3.1 from 1992, which he says he made in 'JavaScript and strict XHTML 1.0, with AJAX functionality provided through PHP.' Vincent recommends using Firefox 2 or 3, but it worked fine for me in Chrome 33 and Firefox 26.
'The goal of this site is not to create an entirely complete mirror image of Windows 3.1, but rather keep the spirit and omit features when they are not justified by an effort to usability ratio,' he writes. 'For example, Notepad lacks a find and replace feature because it is not worth the effort. Where features do exist, every effort is made to present them in exactly the manner that they existed in Windows 3.1.'
This is one of the more functional browser-based emulators. You can use applications, open files, and even surf the 2014 Web on a browser (apparently one Vincent designed himself):
Mac OS 8.6: The classic Mac OS nears the end of its life
Released in 1999 and one of the last versions of the classic Mac operating system before it was replaced by OS X, you can find this old operating system at VirtualDesktop.org.
This one isn't totally usable. I couldn't resize or move windows, and not all of the icons are clickable. But the included functions work smoothly, and you can open enough applications and menus that it provides a nice look at a long-gone OS.
Virtual Machine In Web Browser Software
Windows 95: Start it up!
VirtualDesktop.org offers a bunch of other versions of Windows and Mac, including one of the most fondly remembered operating systems, Windows 95. This one also isn't totally functional, but it's worth firing up to see the first version of Microsoft's iconic Start menu:
Just for kicks, here's one other 'fully functional' version of Windows 95 that may provide you with a frustratingly familiar sight.
OS X 10.2: The classic Mac OS is retired
VirtualDesktop.org also comes through with one of the earliest versions of OS X, Jaguar. You can navigate through some of the system preferences, see an early version of the OS X dock, and start up Mail or Internet Explorer for Mac. Once again, if you want a fully functional version, you'll probably have to install a copy on a virtual machine.
Windows XP: A classic that’s regrettably still with us
We'll finish off with the operating system that just won't die no matter how old it is. Released in 2001, Windows XP still commands 29 percent market share, making it the second most widely used OS after Windows 7.
Our XP simulation comes courtesy of Total Emulator, a neat little website that isn't pretty but makes it easy to switch among Windows ME, 98, 2000, XP, and Vista:
So ends our nostalgia
That ends our brief tour of old Windows and Mac versions you can run in a browser. Sadly, as far as we can tell, no developers have made websites that emulate BeOS or OS/2, classic operating systems that went by the wayside. Any volunteers?
I have a windows Vista machine upon which VirtualBox is running ubuntu.
In ubuntu I am running a webserver at the address http://127.0.0.1:3000/
How do I access this address from my host machine (the windows box)?
ArghArgh
closed as off-topic by Gerald Schneider, Ward♦Jan 18 at 4:14
This question appears to be off-topic. The users who voted to close gave this specific reason:
- 'Questions on Server Fault must be about managing information technology systems in a business environment. Home and end-user computing questions may be asked on Super User, and questions about development, testing and development tools may be asked on Stack Overflow.' – Gerald Schneider, Ward
5 Answers
You can change your guest networking mode from NAT to Bridged. Just close your Ubuntu guest, go to the Settings page in VirtualBox, select the Network category and change the Attached to listbox from NAT to Bridged Mode.
Edit:
After following the above steps restart Ubuntu and the allocated IP will show on the welcome screen after load. i.e. In the welcome message it should say something like:
IP address for eth0: 192.168.1.3
Use this address in the browser bar of the host machine followed by the port your using. If its anything other than port 80. i.e. if you set it up to use port 666 then the address would be 192.168.1.3:666
Another way to find the IP is to connect to the HTTP server built into your router and look in LAN settings. Every machine on the network should be listed by host name and IP. On my router most others I've had, you can do this by typing 192.168.1.1 in the address bar. if that fails try same address at port 81. If that fails READ THE MANUAL.
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Alfonso Romero
Depends how you setup networking on the Ubuntu guest OS. If you set it up to use NAT and you have a DHCP server running on your network, then just run this:
on the Ubuntu box -- you'll see the IP address assigned to the Ubuntu guest.
Example:
Then just hit up http://10.0.0.2:3000
fsckinfsckin
Your Windows box and the Ubuntu box (whether they are physical or virtual doesn't really matter in this instance) both need to have an IP address on the same subnet so they can talk to one another via TCP/IP. You can assign an additional address to each OS using one of the private IP subnets (see RFC 1918). Once they both have an address on the same subnet, configure the web server to listen on the one you gave Ubuntu, and then use that IP in the browser within Windows to load it up.
The IP you have configured now, 127.0.0.1, is the loopback address for the local network interface. You would never use that address to access something on a different system, only to refer back to the same system you're on. When using a virtual system, treat it just like you would a separate computer from a networking standpoint.
Justin ScottJustin Scott8,26311 gold badge2222 silver badges3737 bronze badges
To solve your problem i sugest that you add a new network adapter and configure it as Host-only adapter.
Now you run the virtual box instance and then what fsckin sugested to see what is the ip of the new network.
This way you have a subnet with your computer and your virtual machine.
fampinheirofampinheiro
First of all, you need to do what Answer 1 says:
'You can change your guest networking mode from NAT to Bridged. Just close your Ubuntu guest, go to the Settings page in VirtualBox, select the Network category and change the Attached to listbox from NAT to Bridged Mode.'
Then, to get your ip address:
On your virtual machine, open a command prompt and do:
You will probably see a line that looks something like this:
There is also a line before that with
But you don't want that one! You want the 192 address. That's the address of your virtual machine on your local network. It should be accessible by any device hooked up to the same local network.
Now on your host machine, edit the file /etc/hosts(Not ~/etc)The name of the file is hosts (it's not a folder name)
add a line that looks like this:
192.168.43.96 myvm.nameofmywebsite.com
Now go to your host machine browser and type inmyvm.nameofmywebsite.com
Hopefully that will do it!
However, you may have a router that has security features that will get in the way of seeing your local address. What you can try to do is to use your cellphone's hotspot as your network. That works for me. Just remember when you change network on your host machine that you need to restart your virtualbox.
Andy WeinsteinAndy Weinstein
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How can I open a browser in my VM instance? And how safe/unsafe can this be?
The instance is a Ubuntu 16.04
The only way I know to access the VM is via the SSH button provided by google on the cloud console website.
I want to use it regularly, with pages visually displayed and mouse clicks. (Treat me as a newbie, I'm totally new on Linux and on VMs. I didn't even know there was another way of controlling the browser)
Context:
I need to download a huge amount of data from websites to my virtual machine on Google Compute Engine.
I know there are solutions on the web to transfer files from my machine, but my internet really sucks, it's not feasible.
I also know there are some commands like
wget
using copied cookies to download some files. Even though, I feel I'll be needing to use a browser, especially because I want to use a regular Google Drive interface to transfer my files if I need.
Knowing more about this helps, but the question is 'how to open a browser and navigate as if I was a regular newbie, with pages displayed and mouse clicks'.
Daniel Möller
Daniel MöllerDaniel Möller41.5k88 gold badges8787 silver badges119119 bronze badges
1 Answer
Install the desktop
Install VNC server
and then run
Nilo_DSNilo_DS
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