Ubuntu – How to install the VirtualBox version from Oracle to install an Extension Pack

installationvirtualboxvirtualization

I downloaded VirtualBox OSE from the Ubuntu Software Center but it seems that that version is limited. I prefer to have the complete version and don't really care if it's closed source or not.

Can I install it via a terminal or do I have to download something from a website?

I don't know how to install software I download from the web. So far I've only used the Software Center.

Best Answer

Prior to version 4.0, there were two versions of VirtualBox— one was open source, and the one that most Linux distributions shipped with was not. At this point, there should no longer be two separate editions and the "OSE" version is deprecated for versions of Ubuntu beyond 12.04.

However, the most recent version of VirtualBox is always available for the currently supported versions of Ubuntu, which is not always the case for the Ubuntu version. This will provide the latest bug fixes and features without having to wait for the packages to make their way downstream to Ubuntu.

Additionally, should you ever need support from Oracle themselves, they're more likely to give you the time of day if you're reporting from a version they released.

They provide a repository which you can add to your software sources. In other words, they build specifically with Ubuntu in mind. To add it, just follow the instructions:

# first make sure to remove your current virtualbox
sudo apt purge virtualbox

# next, add the repository to your sources
sudo add-apt-repository "deb http://download.virtualbox.org/virtualbox/debian $(lsb_release -cs) contrib"

# add public keys to verify downloads
wget -q https://www.virtualbox.org/download/oracle_vbox_2016.asc -O- | sudo apt-key add -
wget -q https://www.virtualbox.org/download/oracle_vbox.asc -O- | sudo apt-key add -

# now update to complete the process of adding the repository
sudo apt update

# install dkms if you haven't already
sudo apt install dkms

# install virtualbox; change version number as needed
sudo apt install virtualbox-5.0

One thing that's not included in the repositories, unlike it is in the Ubuntu repositories, is the Extension Pack. That means you have to manually download and install it. Since versions mismatch between the two repositories, you cannot use the Ubuntu one. Luckily, the process is to install the extension pack is fairly simple. You can find it on the normal downloads page and can be installed easily on the command line:

# make sure no VMs are running when you do this or it will fail
# and make sure to replace /path/to/ext-pack with the actual path to the downloaded extension pack ☺
vboxmanage extpack install --replace /path/to/ext-pack
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