MarcB wrote:
> I used VMWARE-Server before in Gutsy, and see that it is not in the repo
> anymore.
>
> So I would like to check if a valid other virtualisation product is
> available that covers my needs.
>
> I need to run 2 applications in Windows that are (to my knowledge) not
> available in Linux.
> - Sunnybeam, to read out data from my solar panels
> - Marmitec home automation
>
> The virtualisation must make it possible to access USB, discs, CD/DVDs
> and the serial ports of the PC.
>
> So what virtualisation product would best suit my needs ?
> - VMware server (this worked before)
> - VMware player (I have a Wxp image with my applications installed)
> will this have access to my HW and run my applications like
> in VMware server ?
> - Virtualbox (does it give me access to the PCs HW ?
> - XEN (probably of no use for me because my CPU does not have special
> virtualisation support
> - Others that give full access to my HW ???
>
Short answer.....
Buy an el cheapo used computer.

I have not had, as you say, 'FULL' access to my hardware since DOS.
Windoze does it's level best to obfuscate the hardware.

Vive la Windows.

NOT!!!

Bill Baka

On Sun, 27 Apr 2008 21:58:55 +0200, MarcB wrote:

>I used VMWARE-Server before in Gutsy, and see that it is not in the repo
>anymore.

I use VirtualBox on several machines. I run XP in Ubuntu on one and
Ubuntu in XP on two others. It appears to work both ways so far with
8.04.

The XP VM even survived the update from 7.10 to 8.04. After the
update the XP VM still works. I was very happy to see that my XP VM
still worked fine in 8.04. I just have it there as a test, so I wasn't
really concerned about it breaking, but it's OK, and that's great.

http://virtualbox.org/

On 2008-04-27, MarcB wrote:
> I used VMWARE-Server before in Gutsy, and see that it is not in the repo
> anymore.
>
> So I would like to check if a valid other virtualisation product is
> available that covers my needs.
>
> I need to run 2 applications in Windows that are (to my knowledge) not
> available in Linux.
> - Sunnybeam, to read out data from my solar panels
> - Marmitec home automation
>
> The virtualisation must make it possible to access USB, discs, CD/DVDs
> and the serial ports of the PC.
>
> So what virtualisation product would best suit my needs ?
> - VMware server (this worked before)
> - VMware player (I have a Wxp image with my applications installed)
> will this have access to my HW and run my applications like
> in VMware server ?
> - Virtualbox (does it give me access to the PCs HW ?
> - XEN (probably of no use for me because my CPU does not have special
> virtualisation support
> - Others that give full access to my HW ???
>

I have used both VMWare Server and Virtualbox. I prefer VMWare
Server, but Virtualbox works fine, too. If the VMWare product is no
longer in the repos, you should be fine with Virtualbox. I know it
allows access to all of the hardware you requested, though I do not
see any switches in there for access to the USB, I am sure it does it.

Poke around the website, I am sure you can get all of the info you
need.

--
Joe - Linux User #449481/Ubuntu User #19733
joe at hits - buffalo dot com
"Hate is baggage, life is too short to go around pissed off all the
time..." - Danny, American History X