Shared Folders of VirtualBox

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VirtualBox 3.0 makes simple data exchange between host and guest systems possible through so-called shared folders. This article will show how to access such shared folders.

Prerequisites

The shared folders feature is supported by the following guest operating systems:

  • Windows (2000 or later)
  • Linux
  • Solaris

So that shared folders can be used, the respective guest extensions must be installed (such as: Guest Additions for the Windows XP Guest System or Guest Additions for the Debian 5.0 Lenny Guest System).

Shared Folders in the Windows Guest System

The following steps show how shared folders are setup (VirtualBox OSE 3.0.6 will be used in the example):

When using net use, the desired drive letter must be specified first (e: in the example) and then the name of the share (composed of '\\vboxsrv\' and the name of the folder).

net use e: \\vboxsrv\foldername

Shared Folders in the Linux Guest System

The steps for creating shared folders are the same as for Windows guests. The connection is subsequently made using the following command:

mount -t vboxsf [-o OPTIONS] sharename mountpoint

Additional Information


Foto Werner Fischer.jpg

Author: Werner Fischer

Werner Fischer, working in the Knowledge Transfer team at Thomas-Krenn, completed his studies of Computer and Media Security at FH Hagenberg in Austria. He is a regular speaker at many conferences like LinuxTag, OSMC, OSDC, LinuxCon, and author for various IT magazines. In his spare time he enjoys playing the piano and training for a good result at the annual Linz marathon relay.


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