{"id":463,"date":"2016-05-24T10:59:52","date_gmt":"2016-05-24T14:59:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/?page_id=463"},"modified":"2026-01-15T15:36:34","modified_gmt":"2026-01-15T20:36:34","slug":"virtual-machines","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/tech-support\/virtual-machines\/","title":{"rendered":"Virtual Machines"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>.top-post{border-style:solid;border-width:1px;border-color:#d6d6d6;position:relative;z-index:1;margin-left: 1em; max-width: 30%;float: right;background: #f4f4f4;padding: 1em 1em 0em 1em;display: flex;flex-direction: row;justify-items: center;justify-content: center;} .top-post img {margin-left: auto;margin-right:auto;display:block;} .top-post a, .top-post .news {margin:0px; padding:0px; background-color:#f4f4f4} @media only screen and (max-width: 800px) {.top-post{display: none;}}<\/style>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-319 alignright\" src=\"http:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-content\/uploads\/virtualbox150.png\" alt=\"virtualbox150\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" \/><br \/>\n<a href=\"#what-are-virtualmachines\">What are Virtual Machines<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"#support-virtualmachines\">Support: Getting Started and Getting Help<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"#about-course-virtualmachines\">About SCS (COMP) Course Virtual Machines<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"#current-list-virtualmachines\">List of SCS (COMP) Course Virtual Machines<\/a><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"what-are-virtualmachines\">What are Virtual Machines<\/h2>\n<div class=\"slideme\"><dl class=\"slideme__list\"><dt class=\"slideme__term\"><a href=\"#slideme-virtualization-terminology\" aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-controls=\"slideme-virtualization-terminology\" class=\"slideme__heading slideme__trigger\">Virtualization Terminology<\/a><\/dt><dd class=\"slideme__description\" id=\"slideme-virtualization-terminology\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><p><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>virtualization<\/strong> <em> &#8211; the underlying technology that allows a virtual operating system to be run as an application on your computer&#8217;s operating system<\/em>\n<li><strong>hypervisor<\/strong> <em> &#8211; the virtualization application (such as <strong>VirtualBox<\/strong> or <strong>VMware<\/strong>) running on your <strong>host<\/strong> computer that allows it to run a <strong>guest<\/strong> virtual operating system<\/em><\/li>\n<li><strong>host<\/strong> <em> &#8211; the computer on which you are running the <strong>hypervisor<\/strong> application<\/em><\/li>\n<li><strong>guest<\/strong> <em> &#8211; a virtual operating system running within the <strong>hypervisor<\/strong> on your <strong>host<\/strong> computer. The <strong>virtual operating system<\/strong> term is synonymous with other terms such as <strong>Virtual Machine<\/strong>, <strong>VM<\/strong> and <strong>instance<\/strong><\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><\/p><\/dd><dl><\/div>\n\n<p><strong>Virtual Machines<\/strong> are virtual computers running as an application on a <strong>host<\/strong> computer, such as your laptop. The <strong>Virtual Machine<\/strong> runs <em>on top of<\/em> your <strong>host<\/strong> computer&#8217;s operating system, using a virtualization tool called a <strong>hypervisor<\/strong>. This allows you to run any number of <strong>guest<\/strong> operating systems without impacting the operating system on your own <strong>host<\/strong> computer. For example, most of our courses use Virtual Machines built on the <em>Linux<\/em> environment. By taking advantage of <strong>hypervisor<\/strong> technology, students can continue to run their preferred operating system (Windows 11\/10, Linux, older <em>Intel based<\/em> macOS devices, etc.), and run the course Virtual Machine on their computer like they would any other application. <em>NOTE: Most hypervisors do NOT support the Apple M1 chipset. See <a href=\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/2021\/m1-mac-other-non-virtualization-devices\/\">this article<\/a> for details.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"support-virtualmachines\">Support: Getting Started and Getting Help<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/tech-support\/virtual-machines\/virtual-machine-technical-support\/virtual-machine-step-by-step-guide\/\">Virtual Machine Step-by-Step Guide<\/a><br \/>\n<em>Step-by-step tutorials that demonstrate how to set up Virtual Machines or your computer<\/em><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/tech-support\/virtual-machines\/virtual-machine-technical-support\">Virtual Machine Technical Support<\/a><br \/>\n<em>General Virtual Machine guides and troubleshooting articles<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"about-course-virtualmachines\">About SCS (COMP) Course Virtual Machines<\/h2>\n<p>The SCS Course Virtual Machines\u00a0(SCS VMs) are all in <strong>VirtualBox .ova<\/strong> format (unless otherwise noted). Most will work fine with other <strong>hypervisors (KVM, VMWare, Hyper-V, etc.)<\/strong>. The naming convention is the usually the course code <strong>COMPXXXX<\/strong> of the course it was built for, followed by an optional term, such as <strong>-F25<\/strong>\u00a0for <strong>Fall 2025<\/strong>, representing when it was created. Many VMs continue to be used for both future terms and different courses. <strong>Consult with your Instructor to determine the exact SCS VM you are expected to use for your course!<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">IMPORTANT:<\/span><\/strong> Some vital things to remember when working with SCS VMs:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>SCS VMs <strong><em>require<\/em><\/strong> the <strong>VirtualBox Extension Pack<\/strong> (<a href=\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/2021\/install-virtualbox\/\">Installing VirtualBox Guide<\/a>)<\/li>\n<li>The current SCS VMs have been tested with <strong>VirtualBox 7.2.4<\/strong> on Windows 11 and Linux<\/li>\n<li>Older (Archived) SCS VMs are <em>NOT<\/em> tested on recent operating systems and newer versions of VirtualBox<\/li>\n<li>Most hypervisors, including VirtualBox, do <em>NOT<\/em> support the Apple M1\/M2 chipsets. So SCS VMs can not be used on those devices. See <a href=\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/2021\/m1-mac-other-non-virtualization-devices\/\">this article<\/a> for details<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"current-list-virtualmachines\">Current SCS (COMP) Course Virtual Machines<\/h2>\n<p><strong>NOTE: <\/strong> Our <strong>CURRENT<\/strong> Virtual Machines typically use the credentials <strong>username: <em>student<\/em> \/ password: <em>student<\/em><\/strong> (unless otherwise noted).<br \/>\n<!--<strong><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">IMPORTANT: Virtual Machine Access Restricted:<\/span> Public access to our Virtual Machine listing has been removed.  If you need to download a virtual machine for your course, please contact your instructor for instructions.<\/strong>--><\/p>\n<style>.sha1font { font-family: font-family: Lucida Console,Lucida Sans Typewriter,monaco,Bitstream Vera Sans Mono,monospace; font-size: 12px; }<\/style>\n<table>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th width=\"200px\">Virtual Machine<br \/>\n(SHA1 checksum)<\/th>\n<th align=\"center\">Size<br \/>\n(GB)<\/th>\n<th align=\"center\">OS<\/th>\n<th align=\"center\">Privileged<br \/>\nuser \/ password<\/th>\n<th align=\"right\" width=\"150px\">Staff \/ Faculty<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td><a href=\"https:\/\/git.scs.carleton.ca\/downloads\/CourseVirtualMachines\/2025F-2026W\/COMP2401-F25.ova\">COMP2401-F25.ova<\/a><br \/>\n<strong>UPDATED Sep 04, 2025<\/strong><br \/>\n<span class=\"sha1font\">(fed23c5dfd0be29b00a897221648e0bd8bba72ef)<\/span><\/td>\n<td align=\"center\">3.7<\/td>\n<td align=\"center\">ubuntu<br \/>\n24.04<\/td>\n<td align=\"center\">student \/ student<\/td>\n<td align=\"right\">A. Pullin<br \/>\nConnor Hillen<br \/>\nYanan Mao<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><a href=\"https:\/\/git.scs.carleton.ca\/downloads\/CourseVirtualMachines\/2025F-2026W\/COMP2406-F25.ova\">COMP2406-F25.ova<\/a><br \/>\n<strong>UPDATED Sep 04, 2025<\/strong><br \/>\n<span class=\"sha1font\">(f9ec4f683413cf947cbd9d2d3036f09b889e0f63)<\/span><\/td>\n<td align=\"center\">2.5<\/td>\n<td align=\"center\">ubuntu<br \/>\n24.04<\/td>\n<td align=\"center\">student \/ student<\/td>\n<td align=\"right\">A. Pullin<br \/>\nA. Runka<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><a href=\"https:\/\/git.scs.carleton.ca\/downloads\/CourseVirtualMachines\/2025F-2026W\/COMP3000-W26.ova\">COMP3000-W26.ova<\/a><br \/>\n<strong>UPDATED Jan 15, 2026<\/strong><br \/>\n<span class=\"sha1font\">(166d4f5e4e0787b07917b6e009bb7175771a4214)<\/span><\/td>\n<td align=\"center\">2.3<\/td>\n<td align=\"center\">ubuntu<br \/>\n24.04<\/td>\n<td align=\"center\">student \/ student<\/td>\n<td align=\"right\">A. Pullin<br \/>\nZ. Rabinovich<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><a href=\"https:\/\/git.scs.carleton.ca\/downloads\/CourseVirtualMachines\/2025F-2026W\/COMP3004-F25.ova\">COMP3004-F25.ova<\/a><br \/>\n<strong>UPDATED Aug 28, 2025<\/strong><br \/>\n<span class=\"sha1font\">(ac8bfb97ee21d46cdc5f1bb67274c432729f1a24)<\/span><\/td>\n<td align=\"center\">2.9<\/td>\n<td align=\"center\">ubuntu<br \/>\n22.04<\/td>\n<td align=\"center\">student \/ student<\/td>\n<td align=\"right\">A. Pullin<br \/>\nS. Benjamin<br \/>\nC. Laurendeau<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><strong>NOTE: <\/strong> Look here for the <a href=\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/technical-support\/virtual-machines\/virtual-image-archive\/\" aria-label=\"Archived Virtual Machines\">archive of Virtual Machines from previous years<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"slideme\"><dl class=\"slideme__list\"><dt class=\"slideme__term\"><a href=\"#slideme-sha1-checksum-information\" aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-controls=\"slideme-sha1-checksum-information\" class=\"slideme__heading slideme__trigger\">SHA1 Checksum Information<\/a><\/dt><dd class=\"slideme__description\" id=\"slideme-sha1-checksum-information\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><p><br \/>\n<strong>SHA1: <\/strong> We include a <strong>SHA1<\/strong> checksum so that you can verify the integrity of the downloaded .ova file. Here is how to check the SHA1 checksum on different operating systems <em>(this may take some time for larger files)<\/em>:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Linux: <\/strong><code>sha1sum COMPXXXX-XXX.ova<\/code><\/li>\n<li><strong>macOS: <\/strong><code>shasum COMPXXXX-XXX.ova<\/code><\/li>\n<li><strong>Windows: <\/strong> Using Powershell, run: <code>Get-FileHash COMPXXXX-XXX.ova -Algorithm SHA1<\/code><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><em>NOTE: Replace <strong>COMPXXXX-XXX.ova<\/strong> with the path\/filename for your particular .ova file<\/em><br \/>\n<\/p><\/dd><dl><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What are Virtual Machines Support: Getting Started and Getting Help About SCS (COMP) Course Virtual Machines List of SCS (COMP) Course Virtual Machines What are Virtual Machines Virtual Machines are virtual computers running as an application on a host computer, such as your laptop. The Virtual Machine runs on top of your host computer&#8217;s operating [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"parent":6535,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","_mi_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Virtual Machines - School of Computer 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