Happy Friday, everyone! Following up on yesterday's post about Oracle VM VirtualBox being selected as the best virtualization solution for 2012 by the readers of Linux Journal, our Friday tip is about that very cool piece of software:

Question:
How do I move a VM from one machine to another with Oracle VM VirtualBox?

Answer by Andy Hall, Product Management Director, Oracle Desktop Virtualization:
There are a number of ways to do this, with pros and cons for each. The most reliable approach is to Export and Import virtual machines:

1. From the VirtualBox manager, simply use the File…Export appliance menu and follow the wizard's lead.
2. Move the resulting file(s) to the destination machine; and
3. Import the VM into VirtualBox.

This method will take longer and use more disk space than other methods because the configuration files and virtual hard drives are converted into an industry standard format (.ova or .ovf). But an advantage of this approach is that the creator of the virtual appliance can add a license which the importer will see and click-to-accept at import time. This is especially useful for ISVs looking to deliver pre-built, configured and tested appliances to their customers and prospects.

Thanks Andy!

Remember, if you have a question for us, use Twitter hashtag #AskOracleVirtualization. We'll see you next week!

-Chris