Download VirtualBox 7.1.12 – Latest Features and Updates

Exploring VirtualBox: A Comprehensive Overview and Latest Updates

VirtualBox stands out as a robust virtualization platform tailored for both enterprise environments and home users. It caters to a variety of applications, including server, desktop, and embedded systems. Unique among virtualization solutions, VirtualBox is the sole professional-grade option that remains fully open-source. This versatile software supports a multitude of host operating systems, such as Windows, Linux, macOS, and Solaris. Notably, it accommodates an impressive array of guest operating systems, including various Windows versions (from NT 4.0 through 11), several Linux distributions (from 2.4 to 6.x), as well as others like DOS, OS/2, OpenBSD, NetBSD, and FreeBSD.

Key Features of VirtualBox

Modularity: VirtualBox’s architecture is designed with exceptional modularity, featuring clear programming interfaces and a client/server framework. This design allows users to manage virtual machines through multiple interfaces simultaneously. For instance, one can initiate a virtual machine using the GUI while simultaneously operating it from the command line or even remotely. Additionally, the inclusion of a full Software Development Kit (SDK) means that developers can create new interfaces for VirtualBox without needing to modify the source code.
XML-Based Configuration: All configuration settings for virtual machines are stored in XML format, ensuring they remain independent of the host system. This capability allows for effortless migration of virtual machine definitions across different computers.

VirtualBox 7.1.12 Release Notes

The latest version of VirtualBox, 7.1.12, introduces several enhancements and critical fixes. The following changes have been addressed:

VMM: Resolved a Guru Meditation error encountered when operating a nested virtual machine.
NAT: Corrected an issue preventing the startup of VMs with lengthy names (see issue on GitHub: GH-16).
Linux host: Fixed a potential kernel panic linked to bridged networking on machines using the ixgbe driver with recent kernel versions.
Windows Host: Addressed a Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) that occurred when closing the VirtualBox GUI after uninstalling the host package (GitHub: GH-38).
Windows Host: Enhanced overall driver installation processes.
Windows Host: Added support for exposing AVX/AVX2 instructions to the guest when Hyper-V is utilized (GitHub: GH-36).
Recording: Fixed an issue where recording caused the Windows guest machine to fail to start when enabled in Display Settings (bug #22363).
Linux Host and Guest: Included additional support fixes for kernel version 6.16.
Linux Guest Additions: Resolved an error where ‘rcvboxadd status-kernel’ incorrectly reported status for guests running kernel versions 3.10 and older.
Linux Guest Additions: Fixed an issue hindering VBoxClient from starting on guests using kernel versions 2.6 and older.
Linux Guest Additions: Corrected a problem that generated a warning in the system log due to incorrect udev rules.