VirtualBox nested virtualization: Now supported with version 6.0 on AMD processors! Great for GNS3!

Wow! What a great way to start 2019. I found out yesterday that VirtualBox 6.0 supports nested virtualization. This is something people requested 10 years ago! Caveat: This is currently only supported on AMD processors - hopefully, Intel will be supported soon!

From the Oracle website:
Oracle VM VirtualBox supports nested virtualization on host systems that run AMD CPUs. This feature enables the passthrough of hardware virtualization functions to the guest VM. That means that you can install a hypervisor, such as Oracle VM VirtualBox or KVM, on an Oracle VM VirtualBox guest. You can then create and run VMs within the guest VM.

You can enable the nested virtualization feature in one of the following ways:

From the VirtualBox Manager, select the Enable Nested VT-x/AMD-V check box on the Processor tab. To disable the feature, deselect the check box.

Use the --nested-hw-virt option of the VBoxManage modifyvm command to enable or disable nested virtualization. See VBoxManage modifyvm.

[rodneyseay]

This is awesome. I am going through your Python 3 course again and I did not want to purchase VMWare. I can now use Virtual Box. Keep up the great content.

[ricardoorellana]

Nice video, can't wait for Virtualbox supports nested virtualization on intel processors.

[jucaguima]

Thanks for sharing that David! I wasn’t aware about the nested limitation on virtualbox, now I do. I’ve been using VMWare workstation for nested labs but is good to have a backup, free product, to support that as well. I’m surprised they’ve enabled this feature for AMD first than Intel, usually is the other way around.

[MrSaleh]

Happy New year David, wishing you more success, keep on the good work.

[user.netizen]

Happy new year to you and your family.
I like the new year intro.

[samirbarbat]

Happy New Year to you David and your Family

[Sniper]

very cool. now to consider if the i5 on my laptop is adequate for GNS3 labs or to upgrade to an Xeon (from an i3) on my desktop...

[kidmjr]

Can't wait for Zen 2/Ryzen 3000 series. I hope they bring 16 core to 8 core intel price bracket, and it is going to be VM heaven. I have seen reviewers only testing new cpus with gaming or video editing, I would love to see you do virtualization testing with different cpus, huge market there.

[kerrychristie]

Thanks for sharing, Downloaded and tested virl images and so far this works just fine within Virtual Box on AMD Ryzen 5 system. Lets see what this is like on AMD 3000 series.

[bagsofpopcorn]

Very nice, but it somehow fails on my system. The VM running windows 10 has the "kmode exception not handled" BSOD when trying to run a linux 64bit system.

[ITinProduction]

David i am constantly getting error on VBox that "Warning : Neither Intel VT-x nor AMD-V found" even after enabling from both Bios as well as Vbox Settings .. i have Xeon Z220 Workstation, any idea what is wrong ... i am in trouble

[yuriy]

Could you please repeat one more time? Is nested virtualisation now supported in virtual box on amd processors?

[duncanfirth]

I am trying to get a VM working with Windows Server 2016 and my Ryzen 2600X on a Windows 10 Home host. it keeps crashing. I have tried a number of different configs. Ryzen 2600X and i have those acceleration enabled. I tried changing SMT hyperthreading, enabled and disabled and I still cant get a stable Virtual Machine to run, does anyone have any ideas? I also enabled Virtualisation in BIOS. Not sure what i have done wrong.

[vivahernando]

Im getting the new ryzens but why not Intel as well?

[AhmedBodhi]

Cool, so now we can do Visual Studio emulators?

[sahith]

Yooo.... that’s really great news.... looking forward to test the performance in virtualbox. Mine was amd ryzen 7 series

So that's a great news. I've been using Virtualbox for a long time, but just because of Qemu I had to install Vmware (Y)

[pagadorreynaldo]

Hi, does AMD Ryzen 5 3500u processor for laptop supports nested virtualization?

[liquidboy]

I'm a bit confused here .. i have an AMD processor, ryzen 1950, with virtualization turned on in the bios. I have windows 10 with Hyper-V turned on and i installed Virtual Box 6.0 . When i try to install a gns3 VM in my virtual box the settings > system > processor > "enable nested AMD-V" checkbox is disabled..

Does Virtual Box 6.0 still require Hyper-V to be turned off ? I thought this would allow me to keep it on and it will "pass thru" the HW virtualziation to VBox .. I want to keep Hyper-V on because i use WSL and have other Hyper-V vms that i use, ,,

[geoffhalsey]

I'll have to try out Proxmox in Virtualbox 6.