VirtualBox ISO

9 min

You can use VirtualBox to install Manufacturing Connect Edge using an ISO file.

Before You Begin

Prepare your environment for running virtualization by using Oracle VirtualBox.
- Review Verified VM Versions and confirm the correct version to download. See VirtualBox Downloads.
- Refer to VirtualBox Documentation to learn more.
- The virtual machine will run on the same physical network card as the host environment. To ensure that the device can communicate with data sources such as PLC, DCS or CNC and can be accessed through the Web UI, make sure that communication can be established.
Adjust the system clock for the host environment prior to installing Manufacturing Connect Edge. UTC is recommended. The 15-day trial period may be rejected and invalidated by the license server if the system clock is not adjusted. If this happens, contact your Litmus representative.
Obtain a valid file in the ISO format. You can download it from Manufacturing Connect (MC) > Edge Management > Downloads. Alternatively, you can obtain an ISO file from Litmus.

To use VirtualBox to install Manufacturing Connect Edge using an ISO file, you will need to do the following.

Step 1: Create a Virtual Machine
Step 2: Configure the Virtual Machine
Step 3: Install the ISO File
Step 4: Run Manufacturing Connect Edge On the Virtual Machine
Step 5: Log in to Manufacturing Connect Edge

To jump to a specific section, refer to the Table of Contents on the right side and click the corresponding step.

Step 1: Create a Virtual Machine

You will need to create a virtual machine (VM) that will be used to run Manufacturing Connect Edge.

To create a virtual machine:

Start the VirtualBox application.
From the Oracle VM VirtualBox Manager window, click New on the toolbar. The Create Virtual Machine dialog box appears.
If needed, toggle Guided Mode to Expert Mode. The dialog box expands.
Enter a name for the virtual machine in the Name field.
Select Linux from the Type drop-down list.
Select Other Linux (64-bit) from the Version drop-down list. You can select Linux 2.6, 3.x, or 4.x (64-bit).
Move the Memory Size slider to set the memory size. The minimum is 2 GB of (2048 MB). Select more memory if the host system permits.
From the Hard disk section, select Create a virtual hard disk now.
Create virtual machine dialog box
Click Create. The Create Virtual Hard Disk dialog box appears.
From the Hard disk file type section, select the VMDK (Virtual Machine Disk).
From the Storage on physical hard disk section, select Dynamically allocated.
Move the File Size slider to set the file size. The minimum value is 16 GB, which enables the VM to run. This size provides the resulting VM with about 2 GB of data storage. This is enough for a small-scale PoC without much data storage on the disk. If this VM is deployed as a production system or the PoC requires more storage for databases, increase the file size beyond 16 GB.
Virtual Disk parameters
Click Create. The new VM is deployed. It appears on the list in the Oracle VM VirtualBox Manager window.
New VM listed in left pane

Step 2: Configure the Virtual Machine

After installing the VM, you will need to configure it.

To configure the virtual machine you created:

From the Oracle VM VirtualBox Manager window, select the new VM on the left pane, then click Settings on the toolbar. The Settings dialog box appears.
From the left pane, select System. The System pane appears on the right.
Click the Motherboard tab.
From the Pointing Device drop-down list, select PS/2 Mouse.
From the Boot Order section, highlight the Optical option and then click the Up arrow to make this option first on the list. Make sure the Optical option is not deselected when moving it.
System settings dialog box
Click the Processor tab.
Move the Processor(s) slider to set the cores for the VM to 2 (the recommended minimum). If the host system permits or the VM is a production deployment, more cores should be allocated.
Processor system settings
From the left pane, select Storage. The Storage pane appears on the right.
From the Storage Devices section, select the Controller.
From the Type drop-down list, select AHCI. If AHCI is not available, select, PIIX4. The PIIX4 option works, but displays a number of messages throughout the installation.
Storage controller settings
From the Storage Devices section, select the Optical drive (currently shown as Empty).
From the Attributes section, click the Optical Drive icon and select Choose a disk file.
Optical settings
Navigate to the ISO file from which you want to install, and then click Open. The Optical drive in the Storage Devices section displays the name of the ISO file you selected.
ISO file listed in Controller: IDE
From the left pane, select Audio. The Audio pane appears on the right.
Clear the Enable Audio Output check box.
Audio settings
From the left pane, select Network. The Network pane appears on the right.
Click the Adapter 1 tab.
Select the Enable Network Adapter check box.
From the Attached to drop-down list, select Bridged Adapter.
Select the appropriate network card name from the Name drop-down list.
Network settings
Select the Adapter 2 tab.
Select the Enable Network Adapter check box.
From the Attached to drop-down list, select NAT.
Adapter 2 tab
From the left pane, select USB. The USB pane appears on the right.
Deselect the Enable USB Controller check box.
USB settings
Click OK.

Step 3: Run the Operating System Installer

You will run the operating system installer that will install Manufacturing Connect Edge.

Notes:

During the installation, the progress bar may decrease at times due to partitioning.
The time to complete the installation is based on the size of the hard disk drive. Large disk drives will cause the installation to take longer to partition the disk and therefore longer to complete setting up the virtual machine.

To install the ISO file:

From the Oracle VM VirtualBox Manager window, select your VM and click Start on the toolbar.
If prompted, select the ISO file you added to the Optical device in the Storage settings, then click Start. If the Start button does not close the prompt box, click Cancel. This will not interfere with the installation. The Terminal User Interface (TUI) appears. If a message appears warning you that the mouse you are using is not supported in TUI, ignore it. You can navigate the TUI using arrow keys and make selections by pressing the ENTER key. During loading, the Terminal User Interface may display the following warning/error messages. These can be ignored.
Warning/error messages
After the device initiates, respond to the questions in the TUI. Enter No to continue with the installation using the graphical interface.
Question asking if you are installing over Serial interface
Select Install Operating System, and then select Ok.
Install Operating System message
Select the partition to install, and then select Ok. The list is device-specific. Typically, the installation location is sda. If the device/gateway has embedded MMC (eMMC) components, the partition name may be listed as mmcblk instead of sda. Make sure you select the correct hard-drive location.
Partition selection option
Select Yes to verify the OS installation location. If you select No, you return to the beginning of the installation.
Select Partition and Install message
Select Yes to continue formatting the device and installing the operating system. The installer indicates its progress followed by a success message.
Format Devices and Install message
After installation, the Terminal User Interface may display the following warning/error messages. These can be ignored.
Warning/error messages
Select Yes to power off the device.
Power Off message

Step 4: Run Manufacturing Connect Edge on the Virtual Machine

Once the ISO file is successfully installed, you can run Manufacturing Connect Edge on the virtual machine.

To run Manufacturing Connect Edge on the virtual machine:

You will need to remove the ISO file from the Optical drive. From the Oracle VM VirtualBox Manager window, select your VM on the left pane. On the right pane, click the [Optical Drive] text in the Storage section. The selected file turns blue.
Right-click the file and deselect the ISO file. The Optical Drive shows empty.
Optical Drive settings
In the System section, select Boot Order.
Highlight Hard Disk, click the Up arrow to move the Hard Disk to the top, and then click OK. The order should be Hard Disk, Optical, and Floppy.
Boot Order settings
Click Start.
Start VM

During loading, the Terminal User Interface may display the following warning/error messages. These can be ignored.

Warning/error messages

The VM starts up and the terminal window displays the URLs to be used to access the edge device through the Web UI. If several URLs are shown, use the first one.

URLs to access Web UI

Step 5: Log in to Manufacturing Connect Edge

See Access the Manufacturing Connect Edge Web UI for details on logging in.
See Access the Terminal User Interface for instructions on how to navigate and log in for the first time.

Troubleshooting

If you don't see an option for a 64-bit version and only see a 32-bit version, refer to VirtualBox Only Showing 32-bit and No 64-bit Versions.