Gitlab 2-2-4 Virtual machine installation

This lesson walks through downloading Ubuntu and installing it on a virtual machine using Oracle VirtualBox. It is the recommended setup so you can follow the rest of the GitLab course in a clean, isolated Linux environment regardless of your host operating system.

Downloading the prerequisites

  • Go to Google, search for Oracle VirtualBox, click the first result, then the big Download button and pick Windows host (if you are on Windows).
  • You also need the Ubuntu ISO image. Search Ubuntu download, click the first link, then the green Download button at the bottom right.

Once both are downloaded, install VirtualBox. The wizard is very simple: click Next, Next again, optionally remove the Start Menu Entries and the shortcut, click Next, then Yes and Install. Wait a few minutes; when the installation is finished, click Finish.

Creating the VM and installing Ubuntu

In VirtualBox, create a new virtual machine named Ubuntu. Choose Linux as the type and Ubuntu (64-bit) as the version. On the next step, allocate memory: at least 4 GB of RAM is recommended for the VM to run smoothly. Then create a virtual hard disk, leaving the default settings, and allocate around 40 GB of disk space (more or less depending on your needs).

Before starting the VM for the first time, attach the Ubuntu ISO. Go to Settings > Storage, select the empty optical drive under Controller, click the disk icon, choose Virtual disk file, locate and select the Ubuntu ISO, then click OK. Click Start. The VM boots on the ISO. Choose Install Ubuntu, press Enter, pick your installation language (here English), click Install, leave the keyboard layout on QWERTY (or yours), and click Continue.

Choose to install third-party software (for graphics support) and continue. Confirm the disk wipe — only the virtual disk is affected, nothing is removed from your host machine. Pick your timezone (e.g. Paris), enter a username such as user1, choose a password, click Continue. Wait for the installer to finish, then click Restart when prompted. Your Ubuntu VM is ready. See you in the next video.