Step‑by‑Step Guide: Installing CentOS Stream 9 on VirtualBox and Setting Up a Basic WSO2 Environment

Introduction

This article walks you through the entire process of creating a virtual machine (VM) with CentOS Stream 9 using Oracle VirtualBox, and then preparing the system for a simple WSO2 installation. By following the steps you won’t need to watch the original video – everything is laid out in clear, ordered sections.

Prerequisites

• A computer running Windows, macOS, or Linux with at least 8 GB of free disk space.
• VirtualBox (latest version) installed.
• CentOS Stream 9 64‑bit ISO (downloaded from the official site).
• Internet connection for downloading packages and updates.

1. Download the Required Files

1. VirtualBox – Go to virtualbox.org, click Download, and choose the installer for your host OS.
2. CentOS Stream 9 ISO – Search for centos stream 9 iso on the official site (centos.org). Click the 64‑bit download link (usually named CentOS-Stream-9-x86_64-2023…iso).

2. Create a New Virtual Machine in VirtualBox

3. Attach the CentOS ISO and Adjust Boot Settings

1. Select the newly created VM → Settings → Storage.
2. Under Controller: IDE, click the empty optical drive and choose Choose a disk file… → locate the downloaded CentOS ISO.
3. Enable “Live CD/DVD” if prompted, then click OK.

4. Start the VM and Begin Installation

1. Click Start. The VM boots from the ISO and launches the CentOS installer.
2. Language selection – Choose English and click Continue.
3. Installation Destination – The installer will automatically detect the 25 GB virtual disk. Accept the default and click Done.
4. Root Password – Set a simple password (e.g., root). Enable “Allow root SSH login” if you plan to use SSH.
5. Create a Normal User – Click User Creation, enter a username (e.g., paul) and a password (you can reuse root for testing). Click Done.
6. Review the summary screen and click Begin Installation.
7. The installer runs for a few minutes. When it finishes, click Reboot.

5. First Login and Basic Configuration

• After reboot, log in with the root account (or the user you created).
• If the virtual machine shows a Windows‑style key on the keyboard (the "Windows" key), you can press it to bring up the Applications menu, where you’ll find Terminal, Web Browser, and other utilities.
• Run a quick system update: bash sudo dnf update -y

6. Installing WSO2 (Optional Quick Setup)

1. Open the terminal and download the latest WSO2 product (e.g., WSO2 Enterprise Integrator) from wso2.com → Downloads.
2. Extract the archive: bash tar -xzf wso2ei‑<version>.tar.gz -C /opt
3. Set appropriate permissions and start the server: bash cd /opt/wso2ei-<version>/bin ./integrator.sh &
4. Access the management console via a browser on the host: http://localhost:9443/carbon (replace localhost with the VM’s IP if needed).

7. Tips & Common Issues

• Network warning during VirtualBox installation – Accept the prompt to allow network access; it enables internet connectivity inside the VM.
• Insufficient disk space on C: drive – Store the VM files on a secondary drive (e.g., D:) to avoid space constraints.
• Keyboard layout mismatches – If special characters are missing, adjust the keyboard layout in Settings → Region & Language inside CentOS.
• WSO2 memory requirements – Allocate at least 4 GB RAM to the VM if you plan to run WSO2 services.

Conclusion

By following this guide you have created a fully functional CentOS Stream 9 virtual machine, configured root and regular user accounts, and performed a basic WSO2 installation. The VM can now serve as a sandbox for learning Linux, testing middleware, or experimenting with other open‑source tools without affecting your host system.

You can now run CentOS Stream 9 and WSO2 inside a safe, isolated VirtualBox environment, giving you a ready‑to‑use platform for development, testing, or learning without altering your primary operating system.