in this post we’ll be going through with detail how to set up a hypervisor and install operating systems on virtual machines

Prerequisites

Software Needed

• Hypervisor Software: in this guide i used Oracle VirtualBox but there are other software such as VMwareWorkstation or Proxmox
• ISO Files: all can be found on their respective sites 1
  • EndeavourOS
  • Fedora Desktop
  • Ubuntu Desktop
  • Ubuntu Live Server
• Hardware Requirements:
• At least 8 GB of RAM
• 20 GB of disk sapce per virtual machine
• Processor with virtualisation support

Step-by-step Guide

Step 1 : Set up your hypervisor

1. Install VirtualBox:

• Download and install VirtualBox

2. Enable Virtualisation

• Ensure virtualisation suport is enabled in BIOS settings

3. Create a New Virtual Machine:
   • Open VirtualBox and click New.
   • Enter a name (e.g.,Frieza).
   • Select the type of OS and the version
   • Allocate RAM (recommend at least 2 GB)
   • Create a virtual hard disk (20 GB recommended)

Step 2 : Installing The Operating Systems

Fedora Installation

1. Attach the Fedora ISO:

   • Create Virtual Machine with atleast 2 GB of ram, 20 GB virtual hard disk and 2 processors
   • Select fedora as Operating System

2. Boot and Install:

   • Start the VM. Fedora’s installation screen will appear
   • Select Install Fedora and follow the prompts
   • Set up partitions, user accounts, and time zone
   • Complete the installation and reboot
   • open up terminal and update the system using

   bash
   
   sudo dnf upgrade -y
   

EndeavourOS Installation

1. Attach the EndeavourOS ISO:

   • Create Virtual Machine with atleast 2 GB of ram, 20 GB virtual hard disk and 2 processors
   • Select EndeavourOS as Operating System

2. Start the Installer:

   • Boot the VM and choose Start Installer from the boot menu
   • Follow the guided installation to set up partitions and a user

3. Post-Installation:

   • After installation, perform a system update:

     bash
     
     sudo pacman -Syu
     

Ubuntu Desktop Installation

1. Attach the Ubuntu Desktop ISO:

   • Create Virtual Machine with atleast 2 GB of ram, 20 GB virtual hard disk and 2 processors
   • Select Ubuntu as an Operating System

2. Boot and Install:

   • Start the VM and choose Install Ubuntu.
   • Follow the graphical installer to configure partitions, users, and preferences.
   • Reboot after installation.

Ubuntu Live Server Installation

1. Attach the Ubuntu Live Server ISO:

• Create Virtual Machine with atleast 2 GB of ram, 20 GB virtual hard disk and 2 processors
• Select Ubuntu as an Operating System

2. Start Installation:

• Boot the VM and select Install Ubuntu Server
• Follow the text-based installer to configure the system

3. Post-Installation Tasks:

   • Update the system:

     bash 
     
     sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade
     

   • Install essential tools (e.g., OpenSSH):

     bash
     
     sudo apt install openssh-server
     

Step 3: Configuring and Testing the Virtual Machines

1. Set Up Networking:

   • Choose NAT or Bridged Networking based on your needs.

   • Test internet connectivity in the VM by running:

     bash
     
     ping google.com
     

2. Take a Snapshot:

   • After the installation, take a snapshot to save the VM’s clean state.

Step 4: Troubleshooting Common Issues

1. Virtual machine is slow or unresponsive

   • Ensure you allocate enough RAM and CPU cores to the VM.
   • Enable hardware virtualization AMD-V in your BIOS
   • Disable unnecessary background processes on the host system

2. Virtual machine cannot connect to the internet

   • Check the network adapter setting in your virtualization software (e.g., set it to NAT or Bridged).
   • verify that the VM’s network settings (e.g., IP address, DNS) are correct.
   • Test with ping google.com inside the VM to confirm connectivity.

3. Virtual machine fails to boot from ISO

   • Ensure the ISO file is properly attached as a virtual optical disk.
   • Verify the ISO’s integrity by checking its checksum.
   • Set the correct boot order in the VM settings (ISO as the first boot device).