How to use the command 'vboxmanage-startvm' (with examples)

The vboxmanage-startvm command is used to start a virtual machine in Oracle VM VirtualBox. This command allows you to start a virtual machine with various options, such as specifying the UI mode, providing a password file or ID for encrypted virtual machines, and defining environment variables.

Use case 1: Start a virtual machine

Code:

VBoxManage startvm vm_name|uuid

Motivation:

• This use case is useful when you want to start a specific virtual machine.

Explanation:

• vm_name|uuid: Specifies either the name or UUID of the virtual machine you want to start.

Example output:

• The specified virtual machine will start and its console will appear.

Use case 2: Start a virtual machine with the specified UI mode

Code:

VBoxManage startvm vm_name|uuid --type headless|gui|sdl|separate

Motivation:

• This use case is useful when you want to define the UI mode in which the virtual machine should start.

Explanation:

• vm_name|uuid: Specifies either the name or UUID of the virtual machine you want to start.
• --type: Specifies the UI mode in which the virtual machine should start. Options include:
  • headless: Starts the virtual machine without a visible user interface.
  • gui: Starts the virtual machine with the GUI.
  • sdl: Starts the virtual machine with SDL (Simple DirectMedia Layer) graphical output.
  • separate: Starts the virtual machine in a separate window.

Example output:

• The specified virtual machine will start in the specified UI mode.

Use case 3: Specify a password file to start an encrypted virtual machine

Code:

VBoxManage startvm vm_name|uuid --password path/to/password_file

Motivation:

• This use case is useful when you want to start an encrypted virtual machine that requires a password.

Explanation:

• vm_name|uuid: Specifies either the name or UUID of the encrypted virtual machine you want to start.
• --password: Specifies the path to the password file containing the password for the encrypted virtual machine.

Example output:

• The specified virtual machine will start after providing the password from the specified password file.

Use case 4: Specify a password ID to start an encrypted virtual machine

Code:

VBoxManage startvm vm_name|uuid --password-id password_id

Motivation:

• This use case is useful when you want to start an encrypted virtual machine that requires a password ID.

Explanation:

• vm_name|uuid: Specifies either the name or UUID of the encrypted virtual machine you want to start.
• --password-id: Specifies the password ID for the encrypted virtual machine.

Example output:

• The specified virtual machine will start after providing the password associated with the specified password ID.

Use case 5: Start a virtual machine with an environment variable pair name value

Code:

VBoxManage startvm vm_name|uuid --put-env=name=value

Motivation:

• This use case is useful when you want to start a virtual machine with specific environment variables.

Explanation:

• vm_name|uuid: Specifies either the name or UUID of the virtual machine you want to start.
• --put-env: Specifies the environment variable pair in the format name=value.

Example output:

• The specified virtual machine will start with the specified environment variable set.

Conclusion

The vboxmanage-startvm command provides several options to start a virtual machine in Oracle VM VirtualBox. Whether you need to define the UI mode, provide a password for encrypted virtual machines, or set environment variables, this command allows you to customize the starting behavior of your virtual machines.