diff --git a/vm-ubuntu-26.04/README-create-vm-using-iso-installer-for-ubuntu-desktop.md b/vm-ubuntu-26.04/README-create-vm-using-iso-installer-for-ubuntu-desktop.md new file mode 100644 index 00000000..0157cde8 --- /dev/null +++ b/vm-ubuntu-26.04/README-create-vm-using-iso-installer-for-ubuntu-desktop.md @@ -0,0 +1,73 @@ + + +# Creating a VM using VirtualBox and an ISO disk image with an Ubuntu Desktop Linux 26.04 installer + +In the initial boot menu, the default choice "Try or Install Ubuntu" +should be highlighted. Press return to continue. + +Choose your language. Click Next button. + +In "Accessibility", I usually do not change any of the defaults. You +might want to. Click Next button when ready to continue. + +Select your keyboard layout. Click Next button. + +In "Internet connection" screen, you will likely see the default +choice as "Use wired connection", and there is a greyed-out +unselectable choice "No Wi-Fi devices connected". This is the case +even if the host system has no wired network connection, only Wi-Fi. +The reason you see these choices is that as far as the VM is +concerned, it detects only a virtual wired Ethernet adapter, created +by VirtualBox, and does not see the host system's physical Wi-Fi +device. This is normal. Click the Next button to proceed. + +In "Try or Install Ubuntu", select "Install Ubuntu". Click the Next +button. + +In "Type of installation", select "Interactive Installation". At +least, that is what these instructions are written for. If you want +to try an Automated installation, feel free to do so, but don't expect +the steps to be documented here. Click the Next button. + +In "Applications" window, select "Default selection", and click Next. + +In "Optimise your computer" window, I leave the boxes unchecked, and +click Next. + +In "Disk setup" window, select "Erase disk and install Ubuntu", and +click Next. Note that it is only the new virtual disk you created for +this VM that is going to be erased and written over, _not_ the entire +file storage of the host OS. + +In "Encryption and file system" window, I check "No encryption", but +you may choose otherwise. Click Next. + +In "Create your account" window, enter your own name (if you wish -- +feel free to use pseudonyms if that floats your boat), desired system +name, user name, and password. I prefer to uncheck the box next to +"Require my password to log in", as my host system is intended to keep +the computer secure with requiring a password to log in, with screen +lock after a timeout if you desire. Repeating that for the guest OS +is just annoying to me. Click Next button to continue. + +In "Select your timezone" window, click on the map your approximate +location, or edit the contents of the text boxes labeled "Location" or +"Timezone". Click Next to continue. + +In "Ready to install" window, click "Install" button. + +Installation can take several minutes. Be patient. Eventually you +should see a window titled "Installation complete". Click the +"Restart now" button. + +If in a boot screen you see the message "Please remove the +installation medium, then press ENTER:", just press return to +continue. + +Proceed to the section titled [Installing open source P4 development +tools on the +VM](README.md#installing-open-source-p4-development-tools-on-the-vm). diff --git a/vm-ubuntu-26.04/README-create-vm-using-iso-installer.md b/vm-ubuntu-26.04/README-create-vm-using-iso-installer.md new file mode 100644 index 00000000..e5d46736 --- /dev/null +++ b/vm-ubuntu-26.04/README-create-vm-using-iso-installer.md @@ -0,0 +1,142 @@ + + +# Create VM using ISO installer + +Host OS versions these instructions have been tested with: ++ MacBook Pro M3 - Apple Silicon / arm64 processor + + macOS 26.4.1 + + VirtualBox 7.2.6 + +## Finding the Linux installer image you want + +Download the `.iso` file that installs the version of Linux that you +are interested in. An Internet search for terms like these works for +me. You should only pay attention to search results that are on the +ubuntu.com web site. + ++ If your system has a 64-bit Intel or AMD CPU + + Search terms: Ubuntu 26.04 amd64 + + Names of files I found on 2026-Apr-23: + + `ubuntu-26.04-desktop-amd64.iso` ++ If you have an Apple Silicon Mac: + + Search terms: Ubuntu 26.04 arm64 + + Names of files I found on 2026-Apr-23: + + `ubuntu-26.04-desktop-arm64.iso` + +An installer for Ubuntu Desktop leads to fewer steps you need to do in +order to get a GUI Desktop. As of 2026, Ubuntu releases Ubuntu +Desktop installers for both amd64 and arm64 systems. If you want a +system with a GUI desktop, there is little reason to install from an +Ubuntu Server installer first. + + +## Creating a new VM + +Start VirtualBox. While there are command line ways to do all of this +with VirtualBox (I believe), I have never used those. The VirtualBox +GUI takes a few minutes to use when creating a new VM, and installing +the VM takes the computer a while longer. I estimate around 30 to 45 +minutes total time to create a new VM where you install Linux from an +`.iso` file. + +A nice thing about VirtualBox is that once you create a VM for the +operating system you want, if you have enough free disk space to keep +around that original VM (which I typically include "base OS" somewhere +in its name), it is very quick (30 seconds or less) to create a copy +of the base OS VM, and then install a bunch of software on that copy. +As long as you leave the original base OS VM there, it will not +change, and you can create copies of it whenever you want to try +experimenting with it. Did you accidentally mess up the state of some +VM's system-wide configuration files, or install some weird +combination of software that seems to conflict with each other? You +can abandon that VM image, deleting it whenever you no longer find its +contents useful, and create more clones of the original base OS VM for +further experiments. + +In the VirtualBox GUI window: + ++ Click the button "New" ++ In the window that appears, give a unique name to your VM, + e.g. "Ubuntu 26.04 base OS". ++ To the right of the "ISO Image" text box, click the down-arrow icon + and if you do not see the `.iso` installer file you downloaded, + click "Other..." and find it. ++ I prefer to _uncheck_ the box "Proceed with Unattended + Installation", and these instructions will assume you are doing so, + too. ++ Click on the ">" symbol to the left of "Specify virtual hardware" to + specify the amount of RAM, number of virtual CPUs, and hard disk + space you want. + + In 2026, I rarely want to create a VM with less than 8 GBytes + (8192 MBytes) of RAM. I typically select 4 processors. + + With VirtualBox, changing the RAM available to a VM, or its number + of processors, after you create it is quick and easy, either + increasing it, or decreasing it. Simply shut down the VM, select + the VM in the GUI, click "Settings", change the RAM/number-of-CPU + settings, and start the VM image again. As long as your host OS + has enough free RAM, VirtualBox can use it for the running VM + image. Thus, you do not need to think too hard when choosing the + initial RAM size while creating the VM image. ++ Click on the ">" symbol to the left of "Specify virtual hard disk" + to specify the size of the virtual disk. + + I typically specify 60 GBytes of disk space. I do _not_ click the + "Pre-allocate Full Size" check box, since then it would + immediately create a file that was 60 GBytes in size. If you do + not check that box, VirtualBox creates a disk image file that is + only as large as it needs to be to store the files currently + existing within the VM's file system, not the full size it might + grow to later. + + Leave the other settings as: VDI format for disk image, and the + boxes unchecked next to "Use an Existing Virtual Hard Disk File" + and "Create Virtual Machine Without a Virtual Hard Disk". + + I believe it is possible to increase the disk space allocated to + the VM later, but I have not personally done so, and you will not + find instructions to do so here. It is definitely more steps than + changing the RAM size later. It also might be possible to + decrease it later, but only if you can find and run the proper + utility programs in the guest VM to shrink its files into a subset + of the available physical disk space. It is thus more important + to think of the maximum disk space you expect to use within the + VM, _or_ copy files out of it to another system to free up disk + space during the lifetime of that VM. Fortunately you can pick a + large size, and choose the option not to preallocate it all when + the VM is created. It might be easier to create a new VM and copy + files from the old one to the new one vs. increasing the disk + space available to an old one. ++ Click the "Finish" button. This closes the window you were working + on, and a new VM image with the name you gave it has now been + created. It does _not_ have the OS installed yet. ++ Select that new image and click on the button "Settings". ++ Click "General". + + Under the "Features" tab, change "Shared Clipboard" to + "Bidirectional". ++ Click "Display". + + Under the "Screen" tab, change "Video Memory" from 16 MB to 32 MB. ++ If you want to create a shared folder on your host OS that is + readable and writable from the guest OS, too, click "Shared Folder". + + Click on the icon that looks like a folder with a "+" symbol on it. + + Change "Folder Path" to choose the host OS folder you want to share. + + Check the box for "Auto-mount". + + If you want the guest OS to only be able to read this folder, but + not write to it, check the box for "Read-only". + + Click "OK" button. ++ Back in the main settings window for the VM image, click the OK + button. + + +# Common steps for starting any VM image, including a new installer one + ++ Select the VM image and click the "Start" button. ++ If the text is uncomfortably small for reading, select the + VirtualBox menu item View -> Virtual Screen 1 -> Scale to 200%. + Adjust the scale choice to your reading comfort. + + +# Creating a VM using VirtualBox and an ISO disk image with an Ubuntu Desktop Linux installer + +Follow the steps +[here](README-create-vm-using-iso-installer-for-ubuntu-desktop.md). diff --git a/vm-ubuntu-26.04/README.md b/vm-ubuntu-26.04/README.md new file mode 100644 index 00000000..3a9a9c17 --- /dev/null +++ b/vm-ubuntu-26.04/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,19 @@ + + +# Introduction + +Ubuntu 26.04 was released on 2026-Apr-23. The open source P4 +development tools have not yet been updated and tested working on +Ubuntu 26.04. Be patient. Ubuntu 26.04 includes more recent versions +of GCC and other build tools as the default versions, and some P4 code +requires changes in order to compile successfully when using the new +versions. + +In the mean time, Ubuntu 22.04 and 24.04 are actively supported, and +you can find instructions for installing the open source P4 +development tools on Ubuntu 24.04 +[here](../vm-ubuntu-24.04/README.md).