VirtualBox and licensing
I wanted to clarify something I'd said in the past about VirtualBox. VirtualBox OSE (Open Source Edition) binaries are available via Fedora and other distributions are OSS via the GPLv2, but the binaries from virtualbox.org are Personal Use and Evaluation License (PUEL). Sun/VirtualBox.org does not provide OSE binaries. To clarify for less-technical folks, binaries are programs in executable code format (meaning your computer knows how to run it), vs. source code needs to be compiled.
The biggest difference I can see between the current OSE 3.0 release and the PUEL 3.1 binaries is USB support. OSE 3.0 lacks USB support, which for me isn't a big deal.
However, in researching the PUEL license, I've discovered I can just use the PUEL version. Prior to reading the license, this was my logic:
I use the OSE version for many business purposes so that I can run Windows XP that are unique for each customer (those that I need to join to their domain, or with software requiring Windows or Internet Explorer/ActiveX and so on). I also use the OSE for Quickbooks for my business needs (I use GnuCash for my personal needs, but I need to be able to quickly get my bookkeeper what they need and with Quickbooks I can talk the same language without having to learn too much accounting beyond the basics).
I was assuming my business purposes would not qualify as "Personal Use" or "Evaluation." I'm glad to find out I was wrong:
6. What exactly do you mean by personal use and academic use in the Personal Use and Evaluation License?
Personal use is when you install the product on one or more PCs yourself and you make use of it (or even your friend, sister and grandmother). It doesn't matter whether you just use it for fun or run your multi-million euro business with it. Also, if you install it on your work PC at some large company, this is still personal use. However, if you are an administrator and want to deploy it to the 500 desktops in your company, this would no longer qualify as personal use. Well, you could ask each of your 500 employees to install VirtualBox but don't you think we deserve some money in this case? We'd even assist you with any issue you might have....
So I can use the PUEL binary version for my business. I just can't deploy it en mass without a license (unless I'm an academic organization).
Bah, licensing issues are such a pain and a struggle. I try to walk the line and do the right thing, and only have things I've either legally paid for or where a license permits me to copy it and use it as I like.
So, without further delay, here is my script that I had to remove the PUEL version and install the OSE version that ships with Fedora:
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# removing PUEL version (really any RPM with the name virtualbox in it):
rpm --erase `rpm -qa | grep -i virtualbox`# installing OSE version:
# all combined:
yum -y install akmod-VirtualBox-OSE kmod-VirtualBox-OSE-PAE VirtualBox-OSE-guest VirtualBox-OSE
# Individual packages needed and their dependencies:
#yum -y install akmod-VirtualBox-OSE
## akmod-VirtualBox-OSE depends on VirtualBox-OSE VirtualBox-OSE-kmodsrc
#yum -y install kmod-VirtualBox-OSE-PAE
## kmod-VirtualBox-OSE-PAE depends on kmod-VirtualBox-OSE-kernelversion-PAE
## we don't appear to need kmod-VirtualBox-OSE (non PAE) or kmod-VirtualBox-OSE-kernelversion (non PAE)
#yum -y install VirtualBox-OSE-guest
## need the base package:
#yum -y install VirtualBox-OSE# Load the kernel modules:
/etc/sysconfig/modules/VirtualBox-OSE.modules
More importantly, here is my script to remove the OSE version that ships with Fedora and install the PUEL version:
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# removing OSE version (really any RPM with the name virtualbox in it):
rpm --erase `rpm -qa | grep -i virtualbox`# installing PUEL version repository:
rpm --import http://download.virtualbox.org/virtualbox/debian/sun_vbox.asc
cd /etc/yum.repos.d
wget http://download.virtualbox.org/virtualbox/rpm/fedora/virtualbox.repo#
# kernel-devel or kernel-PAE-devel is required with gcc and make to compile modules for kernel, and these need to be present before VirtualBox-3.1 is installed and tries to build modules.
yum -y install kernel-PAE-devel gcc make
yum -y install VirtualBox-3.1# If the kernel-devel or gcc aren't available at the time of VirtualBox install,
# then this must be manually run:
#/etc/init.d/vboxdrv setup
To be complete, here are my steps for installing VirtualBox on CentOS 5 and RHEL 5:
########################################################################
# removing OSE version (really any RPM with the name virtualbox in it):
rpm --erase `rpm -qa | grep -i virtualbox`# installing PUEL version repository:
rpm --import http://download.virtualbox.org/virtualbox/debian/sun_vbox.asc
cd /etc/yum.repos.d
wget http://download.virtualbox.org/virtualbox/rpm/rhel/virtualbox.repo#
# kernel-devel is required with gcc and make to compile modules for kernel, and these need to be present before VirtualBox-3.1 is installed and tries to build modules.
yum -y install kernel-devel gcc make
yum -y install VirtualBox-3.1# If the kernel-devel or gcc aren't available at the time of VirtualBox install,
# then this must be manually run:
/etc/init.d/vboxdrv setup
