Configuring and Mounting a Shared Folder in CentOS with VirtualBox

When working with virtual machines, it's not uncommon to encounter situations where files reside on the host operating system and you need to access them from within the guest operating system, or vice versa. The guest operating system is the one running inside a VirtualBox virtual machine, while the host operating system refers to the environment where you installed the VirtualBox program itself.

As its name suggests, a shared folder enables file sharing between the host and guest operating systems, making it possible to exchange files seamlessly between the two environments. Fortunately, VirtualBox comes equipped with a feature called shared folders that allows you to configure and mount a shared folder on your Linux-based VirtualBox virtual machine.

In this article, we'll explore how to set up and mount a shared folder in CentOS using VirtualBox. Once configured, you can easily access files between the host and guest OS, making it a convenient way to manage your files across both environments.

To begin, launch VirtualBox and select the CentOS virtual machine from the list of available machines. Click on the 'Settings' icon or press Ctrl+S to access the virtual machine settings.

In the Settings window, navigate to the 'Shared Folders' tab and click on the '+' button to add a new shared folder. In the 'Add shared folder' window, select the directory you want to share from your host operating system and give it a name. You can also choose to make the shared folder read-only or writable.

Once you've added the shared folder, return to the CentOS virtual machine and open a terminal window. Use the `mount` command to mount the shared folder. For example:

`sudo mount -t vboxsf ShareName /mnt`

Replace 'ShareName' with the name you gave the shared folder in VirtualBox, and '/mnt' with the directory where you want to mount the shared folder on your CentOS virtual machine.

You can now access the files within the shared folder by navigating to the mounted directory. For example:

`cd /mnt`

This will allow you to view and manage the files within the shared folder as if they were local files on your CentOS virtual machine.

By following these steps, you'll be able to configure and mount a shared folder in CentOS using VirtualBox, making it easy to exchange files between your host and guest operating systems. With this feature, you can access files from within your virtual machine that reside on your host operating system, or vice versa.

Centos mount virtualbox shared folder