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Asked: 2026-05-29T04:22:01+00:00

The question is Are guest additions useful for headless Linux guests? I need to

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The question is “Are guest additions useful for headless Linux guests?”

I need to run several guest linux systems as a kind of build and test farm. I would also very much like to keep them as light as possible. I am therefore tying to decide between having to install additional packages and the guest additions vs. clean OS but running without optimized drivers.

How much of a penalty is there if the dedicated HD/SATA and Ethernet drivers in guest additions are not installed? Guests are headless, so display drivers are not a factor.

I would be happy if you can make negligible/significant distinction.

Thanks.

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1 Answer

  1. Editorial Team

    Have a look at chapter 4 of the manual.

    Guest additions is more than just about seamless windows. It provides other features that may be useful to you such as memory ballooning, page fusion (windows only) and shared folders.

    http://www.virtualbox.org/manual/ch04.html

    So, if those features are not important to you then yes, you don’t have to install guest additions.

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