2.34. Nested Virtualization

Oracle VM VirtualBox supports nested virtualization on host systems that run AMD and Intel CPUs. This feature enables the passthrough of hardware virtualization functions to the guest VM. That means that you can install a hypervisor, such as Oracle VM VirtualBox, Oracle VM Server or KVM, on an Oracle VM VirtualBox guest. You can then create and run VMs within the guest VM.

You can enable the nested virtualization feature in one of the following ways:

  • From the VirtualBox Manager, select the Enable Nested VT-x/AMD-V check box on the Processor tab. To disable the feature, deselect the check box.

  • Use the --nested-hw-virt option of the VBoxManage modifyvm command to enable or disable nested virtualization. See VBoxManage modifyvm.