Help me Virtualise my old server in VBox

[7hr08ik]

1st thing 1st

I think this thread is in the right sub-forum, if its not I apologise.

*waves frantically at Linus and Luke*

 

Hello there guys, this is my first post. I'm a long time fan of LMG, and I have used the forums a few times to find help and advice. But this time I just can't find what I need, I think my Google-Fu is not strong enough.

 

HISTORY

 

I will start here.

Until recently I, like every respectable geek, had 2 main PCs. The gaming rig and the server.

• Rig 1 - Day 2 day, Gaming, etc
  • Windows 10
  • SSD - Windows
  • SSD - Games
  • HDD - #Stuffdrive
• Rig 2 - Media + Backup Server
  • LIAN LI PCB70B
  • Ubuntu
  • 9 HDDs
    • 1 - 500Gb - Ubuntu install and main downloads/sort + dump folders
    • 8 - BtrFS - 1-3Tb - Backups, Media, Music, everything

This way I had full network access to my entire library, all of my backups, and everything. Backups are run from within Windows and stored on the server.

I use Kodi for the media centre on both PCs. BtrFS was NOT setup in a pool (im just not that good) but i used it primarily for the built in compression, and long term data storage benefits.

My plan is to eventually upgrade the server to an UnRaid box and fully utilise its abilities.

 

Recently my life situation changed. I am living with friends and having 2 PCs running is out of the question.

 

 

THE PLAN

 

• Consolidate both PCs in to the Lian Li Tower case from my server.
  • There is more room, for all the HDD's, and cooling for everything.
  • Plus it has a hefty 1200w PSU.
• Run the rig as if it were still the main Windows gaming rig.
• Virtualise my entire Ubuntu server inside VirtualBox.
  • This way all of my full setup will still be accessible.
  • Everything over "the network", and the least amount of configuration (Inside the Ubuntu server at least)
• Run my PC as normal, but when I want to use the server, I just run the VBox VM, and crack on as normal. Or have it auto-boot with Windows.

 

THE PROBLEM

 

HOW DO I DO THIS?

 

All the drives from the server (ex Ubuntu) are formatted in BtrFS, Windows doesn't work with updated, fun, decent, future looking File Formats such as BtrFS.

So I think that as i'm not going to be accessing any of these drives from Windows itself, I should be able to use some form of hardware pass-through for the server drives, directly into the VM.

 

I've been trying my hand at Google-Fu combined with my own knowledge, I know I should be able to do it, with either the "Serial Ports" feature or through CMD using "VBoxManage" but I don't know how. I could play around with this, but last time I did such a thing, I wiped the encryption headers from a 3Tb drive. (Don't do trial and error without sleep people!)

 

THE ASK

 

Can anyone out there help me with this?

I know it should be doable.

I know what I want + need

• Re-build my rig into my Lian Li case
• Connect ALL drives
  • Not a problem I have enough SATA ports on my Mobo + HBA card.
• Build Ubuntu server in VBox. With the help of a dd img backup. (This I already have a guide for)
• Connect all server drives to the VBox server.
• Profit

Wouldn't this make a great video for luke?

[Zagna]

16 minutes ago, 7hr08ik said:

All the drives from the server (ex Ubuntu) are formatted in BtrFS, Windows doesn't work with updated, fun, decent, future looking File Formats such as BtrFS.

So I think that as i'm not going to be accessing any of these drives from Windows itself, I should be able to use some form of hardware pass-through for the server drives, directly into the VM.

Have you read this?

9.9.1. Using a raw host hard disk from a guest

That could be useful since you could just attach all your old disks but leave them without any drive letter in Windows and then give Virtualbox full access to them and have Ubuntu access them directly.

[7hr08ik]

Yeah, I have seen that. But how exactly would I go about doing it?

 

edit.

What im hoping for is someone to give me a set of instructions.

I'd rather have someone that know whats their doing give me help. Than go around the interweb getting mixed signals, and trying to fudge it together.

[mealto]

Good idea to consolidate, I like the idea. The safest way i find is to buy 1 new drive, preferably one much larger than your server drives. Add this to your new build, use software to copy over the entire drive, then you can pul the drive from your linux server to be re-formatted to be used in the new rig. 

 

This is the safest way in the long run. 

[BubblyCharizard]

why not use both the server and main rig as VM's in unraid?

 

Windows has more overhead before the virtualbox instance. I'd use both in unraid, and dedicate the CPU, GPU and RAM to each

[7hr08ik]

Curgently, money is an issue. This why I'm trying to figure out how to setup HDD Passthrough to vbox.

 

The drives are all btrfs, so windows won't assign drive letters for them. But they are recognised in Drive Management. This way I can use my server until I am able to buy unraid.

[Electronics Wizardy]

Id just use storage spaces in windows. No need for a vm here.

 

No reason to use unraid when you can use ubuntu or anouther distro

 

Id use hyper-v rather than virtual box. Its faster and built into the os.

 

Btrfs won't help you for data intregrity at all with single drives, it will just tell you if it happens. You can make a multidevice volume with mkfs.btrfs -d raid 10 -m raid 1 /dev/sdb /dev/sdc /dev/andsoon.

 

Normally hdd passthrough in a vm, and i have never had it work well. Id stay away from that solution.

 

[7hr08ik]

So basically I'm not gonna do it.

 

I Was hoping to be able to reuse my current btrfs drive without losing anything. I have no money for new drives. No room to copy and reformat. I was running an Ubuntu system but cannot run 2 computers currently.

 

:-(

[samiscool51]

7 hours ago, 7hr08ik said:

I Was hoping to be able to reuse my current btrfs drive without losing anything. I have no money for new drives. No room to copy and reformat. I was running an Ubuntu system but cannot run 2 computers currently.

depends

sometimes windows server doesn't like hardware changes and will crash on first boot trying to use hardware thats not their

i have had that doing what you are trying to do (using hyper-v to fo it, can't help, useless with vbox)

so long as your CPU core count and RAM amount is the same, it shouldn't crash on first boot