Sun Microsystems VERSION 3.1.0_BETA2 User Manual
4 Guest Additions
4.9 Hardware 3D acceleration (OpenGL and Direct3D
8/9)
The VirtualBox Guest Additions contain experimental hardware 3D support for Win-
dows, Linux and Solaris guests.
dows, Linux and Solaris guests.
2
With this feature, if an application inside your virtual machine uses 3D features
through the OpenGL or Direct3D 8/9 programming interfaces, instead of emulating
them in software (which would be slow), VirtualBox will attempt to use your host’s
3D hardware. This works for all supported host platforms (Windows, Mac, Linux,
Solaris), provided that your host operating system can make use of your accelerated
3D hardware in the first place.
them in software (which would be slow), VirtualBox will attempt to use your host’s
3D hardware. This works for all supported host platforms (Windows, Mac, Linux,
Solaris), provided that your host operating system can make use of your accelerated
3D hardware in the first place.
The 3D acceleration currently has the following preconditions:
1. It is only available for certain Windows, Linux and Solaris guests. In particular:
• For Windows guests, support is restricted to 32-bit versions of XP and Vista.
Both OpenGL and Direct3D 8/9 are supported (experimental).
• OpenGL on Linux requires kernel 2.6.27 and higher as well as X.org server
version 1.5 and higher. Ubuntu 8.10 and Fedora 10 have been tested and
confirmed as working.
confirmed as working.
• OpenGL on Solaris guests requires X.org server version 1.5 and higher.
2. The Guest Additions must be installed.
Note: For Direct 3D acceleration to work in a Windows Guest, VirtualBox
needs to replace Windows system files in the virtual machine. As a result, the
Guest Additions installation program offers Direct 3D acceleration as an op-
tion that must be explicitly enabled.Also, you must install the Guest Additions
in “Safe Mode”; see chapter
needs to replace Windows system files in the virtual machine. As a result, the
Guest Additions installation program offers Direct 3D acceleration as an op-
tion that must be explicitly enabled.Also, you must install the Guest Additions
in “Safe Mode”; see chapter
, page
for details.
3. Because 3D support is still experimental at this time, it is disabled by default and
must be manually enabled in the VM settings (see chapter
page
Note: Enabling 3D acceleration may expose security holes to malicious soft-
ware running the guest. The third-party code that VirtualBox uses for this
purpose (Chromium) is not hardened enough to prevent every risky 3D oper-
ation on the host.
ware running the guest. The third-party code that VirtualBox uses for this
purpose (Chromium) is not hardened enough to prevent every risky 3D oper-
ation on the host.
2
OpenGL support for Windows guests was added with VirtualBox 2.1; support for Linux and Solaris fol-
lowed with version 2.2. With version 3, Direct3D 8/9 support was added for Windows guests. OpenGL
2.0 is now supported as well.
2.0 is now supported as well.
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