How to setup virtualbox for .NET development

Question

I'm trying to make the jump to running my development tools in virtual machines and am wondering about any tips as far as setting up such an environment

Some specifics:

• I am using VirtualBox.
• My host pc is WindowsXP
• I am looking to install Vista in the VM.
• I will need VS 2008 with all the standard stuff that it comes with
• I will need room for CodeRush, Refactor Pro!, Testdriven.Net, ASP MVC and some other small add-ons
• I will be putting all of my code in a shared directory on the host computer so no code will be directly on the VM

Some specific questions that I have:

• How much room should I allot for the virtual hard drive? I set up 12GB for it on the first attempt but after a standard VS2008 install (which kept failing) I would have been left with only 500 MB
• How much base memory should I allot for the VM?
• Any other tips/tricks/advice? I'm not completely settled on any part of the process (though I'm pretty sure I would like to try Vista)

Answer 1

If you're having space difficulties, use Virtual PC instead. It's also free, just as fast as VirtualBox, and lets you use expandable disk images for the VM drive.

JSYK, Vista really sucks in a VM.

I find 1GB of memory allocated to the VM (for XP) to be adequate for development and testing. Using Vista, I'd double that.

Answer 2

I'm not entirely sure about VirtualBox but I've set up a lot of VMWare installations.

Disk space is the only real problem there since it's a pain to expand. However, if you set up 80G, it doesn't use all of that straight away; it expands as needed. Hopefully VirtualBox is similar, in which case allocate as much as you need. 80G is what I usually go for,

For memory, 1G is usually sufficient although you should check the minimum requirements for your development apps. VMWare grabs ALL of that from the host regardless of needs so you need to balance the host needs against your (possibly multiple) VMs.

One other hint, get rid of superfluous hardware in the VM. I always ditch the floppy, sound cards and everything not absolutely necessary to the purpose. For your development, you'll need network, CD/DVD. RAM and a disk, and probably not much else.

Answer 3

I'd go WindowsXP in the VM. Much lighter weight for memory and disk. 1-2Gb of memory would be fine for XP development, but I'd recommend more if you need to run Vista.

Answer 4

* How much room should I allot for the virtual hard drive? I set up 12GB for it on the first attempt but after a standard VS2008 install (which kept failing) I would have been left with only 500 MB

I think you are going to want at least 40-80GB to install Vista and all your development tools. It's always better to have more than less. You could always mount additional virtual disks if you run out of room (I forget if VirtualBox can do this).

* How much base memory should I allot for the VM?

The base should be 2GB. However, if you turn off all the uneeded things you can get away with less. Luckily this is easily changed in a virtual machine.

* Any other tips/tricks/advice? I'm not completely settled on any part of the process (though I'm pretty sure I would like to try Vista)

If you are going to use Vista you should turn off all uneeded services, indexing, system restore. Turn off all effects as well. Don't use Aero (although don't think it gets activated in a virtual machine).

As others have said Vista isn't a very good OS in a virtual machine. I have tried it in Virtual PC and Virtual Box and neither run well. Virtual Box is faster for me but I still would not use Vista. I would use XP pro in a Virtual machine. But if Vista works well for you that's great.