ZFS and Virtualbox

Below are step by step instructions on setting up Virtualbox on Solaris10 and using zfs to clone.

Setup:

Solaris 10u8b5 installed on machine with 4 gig RAM and duo core processor.
Downloaded Latest Virtualbox from here: http://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/Downloads to /opt

Step 1: Install Virtualbox.

1. cd /opt
2. tar -xvf VirtualBox-3.0.4-50684-SunOS.tar
3. pkgadd -d VirtualBoxKern-3.0.4-SunOS-r50684.pkg
4. pkgadd -d VirtualBox-3.0.4-SunOS-r50684.pkg

Step 2: Setup zfs filesystem. This machine only has one hard drive so we make a zfs filesystem under UFS.

1. cd /export/home
2. mkfile 30000m vpool

Create SWAP space under ZFS: (Use roughly double the physical RAM)

1. zfs create -V 10gb vpool/swap

Create the ZFS vpool

1. zpool -f create vpool /export/home/vpool

Create an area to put the GOLDEN image:

1. zfs create -V 15g vpool/GOLDEN_IMAGE/

Step 3: Get a GOLDEN image from net10-bambi.

1. cd vpool/GOLDEN_IMAGE/
   #ftp <golden image repository>
   usual password.
2. cd /export/vm_images/GOLDEN_images
3. bin
4. get Windows7_x86_b7229_vb_GOLDEN.vdi.tar.gz
5. bye
6. gunzip Windows7_x86_b7229_vb_GOLDEN.vdi.tar.gz
7. tar -xvf Windows7_x86_b7229_vb_GOLDEN.vdi.tar

(Ideally at this point you should create a VM and point to the GOLDEN image, start the VM and update the GOLDEN with any patches/updates etc you need. Then stop the VM.)

Step 4: Cloning.
Ok we have the GOLDEN image now we can clone.
First we snapshot the GOLDEN image:

1. zfs snapshot vpool/GOLDEN_IMAGE@golden

Then we create an area for TEST_IMAGE

1. zfs create vpool/TEST_IMAGE

And then we clone:

1. zfs clone vpool/GOLDEN_IMAGE@golden vpool/TEST_IMAGE/disk_image1
2. zfs clone vpool/GOLDEN_IMAGE@golden vpool/TEST_IMAGE/disk_image2
3. zfs clone vpool/GOLDEN_IMAGE@golden vpool/TEST_IMAGE/disk_image3

Change the uuid of each disk:

VBoxManage internalcommands setvdiuuid /vpool/TEST_IMAGE/disk_image1/Windows7_x86_b7229_vb_GOLDEN.vdi

VBoxManage internalcommands setvdiuuid /vpool/TEST_IMAGE/disk_image2/Windows7_x86_b7229_vb_GOLDEN.vdi

VBoxManage internalcommands setvdiuuid /vpool/TEST_IMAGE/disk_image3/Windows7_x86_b7229_vb_GOLDEN.vdi

Each of these disk_images is very small and only grows as the VM is used.

Step 5: Create VM.
This has been covered in previous emails/blogs so I wont cover it again. Basically just create your VM's, select "existing disk" and point it to one of the disk_images in Step 4.