Remote Virtual Machine

[geekman2]

I have one very powerful PC that I would like to use as a VM server, and then I have a netbook and a HP pavilion dv2000 laptop that I would like access the VMs. My ideal setup would be to have my main machine running Windows 7 and have two virtual machines running Windows 7 that would be accessed and used by the netbook and notebook across the network, this would allow the two mobile PCs to make use of the main PC's sizable resources while still being three different machines that can be used by three different people. The reason I want to do this is that I have a lot of people who want to use the computer, but only one that runs Windows, has Office, and is very powerful. Any help on this topic would be appreciated.

 

[Ztruker]

Problem: The VMs would not have office unless you could install it in each VM and that means a separate product key.

Also, each instance of Win 7 would need it's own product key since you can't run the same one in a virtual machine.

Other than that it sounds doable running Win 7 guests under Oracle VirtualBox. Just set the networks up as Bridged so they get their IP address from the same router, then setup port forwarding to a VNC server running in each VM. TightVNC is a good choice.

I don't think you will be very happy with the performance though. Even with Gigabit network adapters it will be slow.

It would be fun to try though.

 

[geekman2]

How do i do all that? Product keys and installtion problems Im already aware of.

 

[Ztruker]

High level:

Download and install Oracle VirtualBox.
Create two Win 7 guests under Vbox.
Set their adapters to be bridged so they get their IP address from the router.
Install TightVNC Server in each Win 7 guest.
Setup the router to forward a different port to each Win 7 guest IP.
Run a TightVNC client on the netbook and laptop.

Run TightVNC from the netbook and laptop and connect to one of the ports you setup in the router which will forward that connection to the correct Win 7 guest.

Sounds like a lot but if you take it step by step it's pretty straight forward. If none of this makes sense to you then you need to do some reading for both Vbox and TightVNC to understand how they work, then come back here with any questions as you go.

 

[pparks1]

You would have to install some virtualization software, for example VMWare Player, VMWare Workstation of Oracle Virtual Box. It's best to make an ISO file out of your Windows Installer and your Office installer. Then, create a new virtual machine, assign it RAM, hard drive space and processors, and then boot from the Windows ISO. Install your OS, provide a key, activiate it, patch it, put AV on it, install Office, enable remote desktop, and let the others remote desktop into it.

 

[Ztruker]

SMACK - that's the sound of my palm hitting my forehead. I never even thought of Remote Desktop. Definitely the way to go and much simpler to setup.

Edit: There is a good tutorial here: How to Enable Windows 7 to Make and Accept a Remote Desktop Connection

Edit#2: I just tried this for the first time and it works but it's slow. I don't think it will give you the performance you are looking for. I'm typing this via Remote Desktop from my Win 7 Pro web server to my daily use Win 7 Pro desktop. It works, but it's laggy. The above tutorial is excellent for this.

Now to see if I can get here from my XP laptop.

 

[canberraplanner]

So if I try to install Office and Win7 on a virtual PC hosted on my fully licensed host PC, with my existing keys, I will get an activation error?

 

[Ztruker]

Definitely with Win 7, not sure about Office but I believe so.

An alternative would be to just enable Remote Desktop on the good computer and have the netbook and notebook RDT in as needed. The problem is when they connect, you lose control of your desktop.

 

[Fred Garvin]

I have one very powerful PC that I would like to use as a VM server, and then I have a netbook and a HP pavilion dv2000 laptop that I would like access the VMs. My ideal setup would be to have my main machine running Windows 7 and have two virtual machines running Windows 7 that would be accessed and used by the netbook and notebook across the network, this would allow the two mobile PCs to make use of the main PC's sizable resources while still being three different machines that can be used by three different people. The reason I want to do this is that I have a lot of people who want to use the computer, but only one that runs Windows, has Office, and is very powerful. Any help on this topic would be appreciated.

I don't understand the logic behind the configuration you're proposing. What are the resources the netbook and laptop need access to? Is it just file shares? It sounds like you're thinking that a virtual machine is going to speed up old client computers, which it won't. If anything, the laptop and netbook are going to run slower since they're communicating over a network rather than through a local bus.

 

[UsernameIssues]

.......... Product keys and installation problems Im already aware of.

I suggest that you try setting all of this up for free (using the 30 day trial period for Windows 7 and MS Office) to see how things go before you invest in product keys.

@Forum members,
Please feel free to contradict that "trial period" advice if you have knowledge that the EULAs disallows this type of setup/testing.

@geekman2,
Hopefully, you have at least one quad core CPU in the host.
You can restrict/assign cores:
VM1 gets CPU 0
VM2 gets CPU 1
Leaving the host the full use of CPUs 2 and 3

Or try:
VM1 gets CPU 0 & 1
VM2 gets CPU 3 & 4
Leaving the host to share time slots across all 4 cores

And if you have twin quad cores - well

It is up to you to decide if the performance of the VM setup is acceptable.

I would be interested in knowing how this works out for you. I've only had experience with XP hosting 3 XP VirtualBox VMs at the same time. Performance was much better than I expected - so I've used the same setup for many years. But my setup does not involve RDP/RDC connections to the VMs like you are considering.

 

[geekman2]

Thanks I'll try that out when I get the chance, but one question this setup wouldn't work if the laptops were out of my network would it?

 

[UsernameIssues]

There are ways to allow the laptops connect from almost any connection to the internet. Please tell us operating system the laptops are running and then maybe we can make a suggestion in that arena.

 

[canberraplanner]

So even if you have a Win7 Ultimate 64bit licence, you need to purchase another licence again to host a virtual machine :-(

 

[geekman2]

The laptops are running Ubuntu 11.04 and 11.10

 

[pparks1]

So if I try to install Office and Win7 on a virtual PC hosted on my fully licensed host PC, with my existing keys, I will get an activation error?

A single license copy of Windows 7, gives you the right to run the copy of the software on one PC only. Technically, your virtual machine is going to appear as a different machine and thus technically would require it's own license as the hardware that is virtualized will be different than your actual host computer.

With respect to Office, you are allowed to install Office on a desktop and a portable computer. So, technically it can be installed twice. However, running on a virtual machine isn't really considered a portable computer, so technically I think you would be in violation of the license agreement.

An alternative would be to just enable Remote Desktop on the good computer and have the netbook and notebook RDT in as needed. The problem is when they connect, you lose control of your desktop.

True, but if you were running 2 Windows machines as virtual machines, you would RDP into each one of them at a time and thus it would work.

So even if you have a Win7 Ultimate 64bit licence, you need to purchase another licence again to host a virtual machine :-(

Yes, this is correct. However, with Windows 7 professional or Ultimate, you get a free license for Windows XP Mode. So, you can download XP mode and run that free of charge as long as your host is Windows 7 or above.

Just because a virtual machine is virtaul, doesn't mean that you don't need a license. A virtual machine is a runnable OS just like any other. It requires appropriate licensing.

 

[UsernameIssues]

I use LogMeIn's Hamachi, but I mostly deal with Windows. Glance at haguichi for Hamachi on those laptops or look into remobo. It is my understanding that there is software available for those laptops that will let them connect to the MS Windows' Remote Desktop service as well as VNC software.

There are situations were the VPN tools cannot connect in a useful way. So I tend to install multiple ways to connect - mainly so that I can attempt to resolve any connectivity issues with my preferred method of connecting. I use TeamViewer and LogMeIn Free - which do not require a VPN connection. And MS's Remote Desktop Connection (RDC or RDP for short) and UltraVNC - both connect directly to LogMeIn Hamachi's static IP.

As I understand it, these VPN IP addresses are not able to be scanned for open ports from outside of the VPN network - so there is no issue with automated attempts at getting in via RDP or VNC and this RDP vulnerability was a non-issue from outside of your LAN or VPN. Having static VPN IPs solves some issues with remote connectivity and you don't have to open/forward ports on routers. I personally like static IP addresses inside a LAN too, but that is just me.

You should set the Windows firewall on each VM (and the host computer) to restrict VNC and Remote Desktop connections to a list of static IP addresses within your VPN network. You can also add the IP range for your LAN in case there is an issue with one of the VPN tools. e.g. VM2 is not joining the VPN. You can remote into VM1 or the host computer and then "remote" from there into VM2 using its LAN IP address or computer name to see if you can resolve the VPN client issue.

For one group that I support, I setup a rather generic headless file server. On the desktop of that file server is a folder containing VNC shortcuts to each computer on their LAN. If I cannot remote into a particular computer, I can usually remote into the file server and "VNC" to the other computer to restart it. Then remote into the desired computer directly. At times, it is the file server that I cannot connect to, but if I can remote into any other computer inside that LAN, I can try to "remote" into the file server from there. But there are times when I just have to get into the car and go replace a PSU :-(

There will be a slight performance hit when using a VPN tool for remote control vs, a direct connection; but for most setups, you will not notice it. I'm active in LogMeIn's forum for Hamachi users and a few people see terrible lags on pretty decent connections to the net. I've never experienced such an issue.

 

[UsernameIssues]

...and if your users can stand it, adjust the VMs to have a simple user interface:

 

[canberraplanner]

How much is Windows 7 for business? I would like to run a second hosted secure OS for my financial planning business that can be independently audited for security standard compliance.

 

[UsernameIssues]

If you are going to pay some entity for auditing services, then you might want to start by asking them what operating system they suggest. Perhaps they already have this answered in a FAQ on their website. W7 Pro is probably good enough, but they might want some other flavor.

As far as cost goes, Microsoft Store Online But if you are buying a new computer too, then the OEM versions of the W7 OS are much less.

Edit: W8 was supposed to read W7

 

[canberraplanner]

I thought newer would cost more? Intriguing...

Is it possible to get a free if not cheap hardware assisted virtual environment like Citrix?