Oracle VirtualBox 7.1: Key Updates and Enhancements to Improve Your Virtualization Experience

Oracle's release of VirtualBox 7.1 marks a significant update to the popular open-source virtualization software. With a redesigned interface, expanded support for modern hardware, and numerous performance improvements, this release is designed to enhance the virtualization process for users across all platforms.

From the revamped GUI built on Qt 6 to advanced networking capabilities, VirtualBox 7.1 introduces various features that make it an essential tool for virtualization tasks.

VirtualBox 7.1: Key Features and Enhancements

There are a ton of new features in Oracle VirtualBox , so here are brief details about what's new in the update:

Modernized GUI with Qt 6

One of the major updates in VirtualBox 7.1 is its modernized Qt 6-based GUI, offering two distinct user interface modes:

• Basic Mode: Streamlines the experience by displaying fewer options and making it easier for users who prefer simplicity.
• Expert Mode: Provides full access to all the advanced features, making it the go-to for power users.

Key Differences Between Basic and Expert UI Modes

The Basic Mode simplifies workflows for casual users by reducing visible settings, making virtual machine setup faster and easier. Expert Mode, in contrast, exposes all available options, giving professionals more granular control over their virtual environments.

Wayland Clipboard Sharing Support

VirtualBox 7.1 adds Wayland clipboard-sharing support for Linux hosts and guests. This resolves a long-standing issue and allows seamless copy-pasting between host and guest systems.

Benefits of Wayland Clipboard Sharing

This feature enhances user experience by enabling smooth data transfers between virtual machines and host systems, especially in Linux environments. Wayland support is crucial for developers who rely on this modern display server for secure and fast graphical performance.

Enhanced NAT Engine with IPv6 Support

VirtualBox 7.1 includes a new NAT engine that supports IPv6, enabling virtual machines to operate in modern network environments.

How the New NAT Engine Enhances Networking

With IPv6 support, VirtualBox 7.1 ensures compatibility with the latest network protocols, especially for companies migrating to or already using IPv6 infrastructure. It guarantees smooth communication for virtual machines across modern networks.

ARM Virtualization for Apple Silicon

For the first time, VirtualBox 7.1 supports ARM virtualization on Apple Silicon. Users can now run Linux and BSD VMs on Apple M1 and M2 machines, making it a valuable addition for developers working on Apple hardware.

Why ARM Virtualization on Apple Silicon is Important

This feature provides a bridge for developers using Apple's ARM-based chips to run Linux or BSD distributions natively, ensuring that they can test applications or run servers in a virtualized environment without performance degradation.

Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) Integration

VirtualBox 7.1 enhances its integration with Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI), adding a performance dashboard to display cloud VM resource usage. It also includes options to clone and reset compute instances directly from the interface.

Why OCI Integration Matters

The enhanced OCI integration allows users to manage cloud instances with ease. Users can manage their cloud environments without switching between platforms by offering cloning and resetting functionalities within the VirtualBox interface.

Screen Recording Performance Improvements

VirtualBox 7.1 introduces significant optimizations to the screen recording pipeline, reducing CPU usage during recording sessions. This feature is crucial for users who rely on recording virtual machines for tutorials, demos, or testing.

Bug Fixes and Miscellaneous Enhancements

• Virtual Machine Manager (VMM): Improved handling of EFLAGS.TF for CPUID instructions when Hyper-V is enabled.
• EFI Support: VirtualBox 7.1 now allows the addition of Microsoft DB/KEX certificates to new VMs, further improving EFI support.
• Oracle Extension Pack: The cryptographic support module has been fixed for full VM encryption, a feature crucial for securing sensitive virtual environments.

Oracle Extension Pack Licensing

With VirtualBox 7.1, Oracle has updated the licensing of the Extension Pack under the PUEL license, removing the evaluation option. This change affects users who previously used the Extension Pack for free trials. However, it can now be downloaded for evaluation from Oracle's Software Delivery Cloud.

Importance of Oracle Extension Pack

The Extension Pack provides essential features, such as USB 2.0/3.0 support, RDP, and disk encryption, that enhance VirtualBox's functionality. For enterprises, the shift in licensing underlines Oracle's commitment to a more secure and integrated virtualization ecosystem.

VBoxManage Command-Line Enhancements

VirtualBox 7.1 introduces new functionalities to VBoxManage, the command-line interface for managing virtual machines. Key updates include:

• The ability to track and re-attach to a video recording progress of a virtual machine.
• A new Guest Control subcommand to query a guest's mount points, enhancing file system management within VMs.

Why You Should Try VirtualBox 7.1

VirtualBox 7.1 has features designed to make virtualization faster, more secure, and more efficient. Whether it's the enhanced GUI, networking improvements with IPv6 support, or the ability to run ARM-based virtual machines on Apple Silicon, this version delivers critical updates that professionals and technical users will appreciate.

Conclusion

VirtualBox 7.1 brings powerful new features and performance improvements across the board. With its updated GUI, ARM virtualization for Apple Silicon, IPv6-ready NAT engine, and enhanced Oracle Cloud Infrastructure integration, this release caters to users seeking a robust, flexible, and secure virtualization solution. Whether you are managing cloud infrastructure, developing software, or testing applications, VirtualBox 7.1 is a must-have upgrade.