Using VMWare to test Linux/Homestead and having problems.

@ChrisF79 My question would be why the double virtual, if you can install ubuntu in the vm then just install homestead. I know it is possible to run a VM inside another VM, but i heard it is very flaky and performance is not good.

Great question. Thanks @TerrePorter . I guess my thought process there was that Homestead Up is going to instantly look for virtualbox. Are you saying just install Homestead and vagrant?

@TerrePorter , as I look through it, I think I don't have a choice but to install VirtualBox. The very first thing that happens when I go to add the homestead box to Vagrant is that I'm prompted to choose whether I want to use VirtualBox or VMWare. I can't bypass that step. I think if I then were to just clone homestead, I don't have the Vagrant box to use it with. It's kind of a catch 22.

@ChrisF79 OverComplicating it...

If you are using VMWare Fusion, you are on a MAC to begin with. So the next logical step is to , download vagrant for vmware (Paid version) and install it. Then add the laravel/homestead box and choose the vmware provider. clone the Homestead Repo and run bash init.sh , change dir tocd ~/Homestead and vagrant up ..

Alternatively, use VirtualBox instead of Fusion and follow the exact steps but for virtualbox as provider and free version of vagrant.

I dont really ever ssh into Homestead, it just serves the site along with the database, everything else i do locally.

I just realized that you are trying to test out a scenario for an Ubuntu laptop on your MAC... First, I'd make sure that the processor is capable of Virtualization if so, If host OS is Ubuntu, i believe you can run Virtualbox on top of that. I'd also add RAM if possible to the laptop and swap out the drive for an SSD, then you wont feel a thing...

@getvma, You're completely right in everything you said. I just wanted to test it out to see if I could tolerate developing on Linux instead of my Mac. Basically, I was going to force myself to ONLY use Linux for any work-related development for a couple of weeks to give it a dry run before buying a little laptop. As such, I really don't want to pay for the license for VMWare's Vagrant. Great points you make though. I think my next best option would be to just borrow a friend's old laptop if I can find one and give it a shot.

@ChrisF79 Homestead over Ubuntu OS should not be a great concern once it completes loading and the system has the justifiable RAM and compatible CPU. That is the whole purpose of the VM to begin with. It doesnt matter what you are running on the VM. Again, you serve up the Box for web and database mostly.

I have always found that the Ubuntu OS is quite performant on mid-level hardware already and running the VM even with Homestead/Ubuntu would still be quite beneficial because you would only need to install php, node and composer along with your ide and browser on the local host and leave everything else to the VM. Using the vagrant plugin hostsupdater makes provisioning new sites on the VM an absolute breeze. you can spin up and take down sites by editing your Homestead.yaml. With an SQL admin you will rarely even ssh into it.

Except initially to install php7.0-mcrypt on the latest homestead.

Even with Windows i3/4GB RAM which many run $299 over at Best Buy here in the USA, once the system loads and the VM loads up, you are golden. There are newer systems and even better equipped refurbished systems that will fit your category nicely. I dont follow AMD cpus much but for intel you want at minimum a VT-x enabled. However, it is an absolute miracle what happens to any system when you drop an SSD drive in it. "Heavenly!!"