Prerequisites for Offline Instances

Oracle VirtualBox

We will first need to download and install VirtualBox (VBox) on our local system. This will allow us to import and run the Virtual Machine.

First, we need to download the installation wizard for VBox. Navigate to the Downloads page on the VirtualBox. Here, we will find installers for Windows, Linux, and Mac OS. In this guide, we will focus on setting up VBox on a Windows machine.

Download the correct package according to the platform you are using. Once the installer has been downloaded, run the installer.

Accept the default settings and click "Next" on each screen until you reach the "Install" option, then click "Install" to begin the installation.

Once VBox has been installed on your system, you can start VBox and move to the next step.

Setting up the project on Simuli

First, log in to your Simuli account and navigate to the Simuli Virtual Lab. On the Projects screen, we will create a project as we usually do.

Let's create an Arduino project for demonstration purposes. Click on the Launch button in the Arduino Card. This will launch the project set-up wizard.

Give your project a name, Click on the Next button. Then, select the sensors you want to work with and click on Next. Finally, on the Review project, Click on the Create Offline Instance button instead of Launch.

This will create the project so that you can run the project on your local machine itself. Now you will be back on the Projects page and you will see the project you just created on the left sidebar. Click on the Download VM button to download the Simuli Offline VM, which will allow you to run all your projects locally.

You only need to download this VM once and then you can run all your projects inside the same VM.

Once you have downloaded the VM successfully, you can import it into VBox. You can double-click on the .ova file that you just downloaded and it will open up the import wizard in VBox.

Another way to import the VM is through the VBox application. Open VBox and click on File in the top left corner. In the overflow menu that is revealed, select Import Appliance. This will open up the import wizard as well.

Once the import wizard is open, select the .ova file you downloaded and click on Next.

On the page that comes up, leave the default settings and click on Finish. VBox will now start importing the VM.

The import process may take some time to complete depending on your system. You can monitor the progress of the import process on VBox.

Once the VM has been imported, you will see it listed on the left side of VBox. The VM will be in a powered-off state. Let's start this VM by clicking on the VM name and then clicking on the Start button.

The VM will now be powered on and will go through the booting process. Once the VM has started a Chrome window will open inside the VM. You may have to wait for a few seconds as the system services start.

Once the system services are ready, you will be redirected to the Simuli Offline page where you can paste the project token to load the project into the Virtual Machine.

Let's see how we can do the same.

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