Sharing a folder between Windows host and linux guest

If you are a Linux user and have Linux installed in the Virtual Machine (Virtual Box) then you preferably want to share a folder between your windows host machine and the Linux guest machine. This tutorial will guide you how you can share a folder and your data between two systems.

First you need to have GuestAdditions installed on your guest machine.




1. Go to settings in VirtualBox.



2. Now select Shared Folders and click on the Add Shared Folder (or press Ins)



3. New window will open.



Select other and select the path for the folder to be shared with the linux guest machine. (let us say we have shared a folder named sharedhost and check the box auto mount in present.

All this has to be done in the host side.

4. Now start the Linux machine.

5. Open terminal, get root access and type:

#mkdir /mnt/sharedguest

sharedguest will be present in the mnt folder.

6. Now type:

#mount -t vboxsf sharedhost /mnt/sharedguest

This line you have to enter every time you login into the system. Else we can add this line to rc.local file so that it initializes on every restart.
For that type:

#gedit /etc/rc.local

now add

#mount -t vboxsf sharedhost /mnt/sharedguest

before

touch /var/lock/subsys/local

it should look like this



now restart the machine and check the mnt > sharedguest.

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Installing VBoxGuestAddition in Linux

These days i have been working on Linux and found some difficulties in installing VBoxGuestAdditions on the Linux guest machine. So this tutorial will help out the starters who has installed the linux on their virtual machines.


Few features i have noticed after installing the GuestAdditions are:

It enables the mouse pointer integeration in the virtual machine, ie, you do not have to click on the screen of the virtual machine to capture the mouse.

It enables the full-screen mode.

Using the following steps one can easily setup the GuestAdditions

1.open the Linux VirtualMachine (Redhat Linux in my case)

2.Go to devices and select Install Guest Additions.



3. Now you will see a CD like folder on the desktop.



4. Now open terminal from Applications > Accessories > Terminal ( Applications > System Tools > Terminal (in some linux ))



5. Now type

for Ubuntu type : sudo su - or sudo -i
for Fedora and redhat type : su -

6. Enter the root password.

7. Type

cd /media/VBOXADDITIONS_4.0.0_69151/

VBOXADDITIONS_4.0.0_69151 is the name of folder in step 3

8. Type for redhat : sh ./VBoxLinuxAdditions.run

it will look like this :

[root@localhost VBOXADDITIONS_4.0.0_69151]# sh ./VBoxLinuxAdditions.run

Type for fedora : ./VBoxLinuxAdditions.run

9. It will now install the GuestAdditions

Verifying archive integrity... All good.
Uncompressing VirtualBox 4.0.0 Guest Additions for Linux.........
VirtualBox Guest Additions installer
Your guest system does not seem to have sufficient OpenGL support to enable
accelerated 3D effects (this requires Linux 2.6.27 or later in the guest
system). This Guest Additions feature will be disabled.


Building the main Guest Additions module [ OK ]
Building the shared folder support module [ OK ]
Doing non-kernel setup of the Guest Additions [ OK ]
You should restart your guest to make sure the new modules are actually used

Installing the Window System drivers
Installing X.Org 7.1 modules [ OK ]
Setting up the Window System to use the Guest Additions [ OK ]
You may need to restart the hal service and the Window System (or just restart
the guest system) to enable the Guest Additions.

Installing graphics libraries and desktop services componen[ OK ]
[root@localhost VBOXADDITIONS_4.0.0_69151]#

Exit the terminal and restart the system to see the changes.

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