XU64Base Scripts

I wrote these scripts to help me set up Xubuntu virtual machines (VMs). I prefer VirtualBox, and I am sharing these in the hope that it may save others some time.

My goal is to create a VM that can be used as a base Vagrant box. Out of my own needs, the box should support:

• Atom, for editing Github-flavored Markdown like this document
• Docker
• Google Chrome
• IDA Pro
• OCaml with OPAM, for developing with the CMU Binary Analysis Platform (BAP)
• Qira

Step -1: Preparation

I cache a copy of the current Xubuntu LTS ISO in ~/ISOs on all my machines. These scripts are tested against this ISO, though I believe these scripts should also work with other Ubuntu distributions as long as they are the same release.

Step 0: Create VM in VirtualBox

The script 0.sh creates and registers an empty VM with VirtualBox. Its defaults are chosen to be sane for being a base Vagrant box.

yourself@host$ ./0.sh ~/ISOs/xubuntu-14.04.1-desktop-amd64.iso [disk-size-in-GB]

After running this script, start your VM to install Xubuntu. You should follow the instructions printed by the script when interacting with the installer.

At this end of this step, you should have a VM with a fresh installation of Xubuntu, i.e., it has never been booted. Remember to take a snapshot as instructed by the script!

Step 1: First Boot

Boot the VM and login as vagrant with the password vagrant. Then run the script 1.sh.

vagrant@VM$ ./1.sh

The script is 100% automatic after the initial confirmation. When the script finishes, it will inform you to shutdown the VM and take a snapshot.

Step 2: Second Boot

Boot the VM and login as vagrant with the password vagrant. Then run the script 2.sh.

vagrant@VM$ ./2.sh

The script is 100% automatic. Its running time depends on your network connection and the size of your disk image. 10 minutes would be a good guess.

IMPORTANT: While you are waiting for the script to finish, edit versioning.json. Make sure you edit the name, description, and version settings. The version setting is a date string separated by dot used for vagrant box versioning.

When the script finishes, it will show you how to create a base box using the snapshot you have just created.

Step 3: (to be continued)