After installing Fedora Server 41 (DVD) on VirtualBox 7.1.4 using standard procedures, proceed with configuring the SSH server.

Configure the SSH Server

Install the OpenSSH Server Package

sudo dnf install openssh-server

Activate and Enable the SSH Service

Start the service and configure it to launch automatically at boot:

sudo systemctl start sshd
sudo systemctl enable sshd

Modify SSH Configuration Settings

The configuration file is located at /etc/ssh/sshd_config. Edit it with a text editor like vim or nano:

sudo vim /etc/ssh/sshd_config

Key configuration parameters include:

• Customize SSH Port (optional):

  Port 2222
  

  Replace 2222 with any available port number.

• Prevent Root Login (recommended):

  PermitRootLogin no
  

• Restrict User Access:

  AllowUsers your_username
  

  Substitute your_username with the permitted login account.

• Disable Password Authentication (recommended for key-based login):

  If key authentication is not yet configured, password authentication can remain enabled:

  PasswordAuthentication yes
  

Restart the SSH Daemon

Apply changes by restarting the SSH service:

sudo systemctl restart sshd

Adjust Firewall Rules

Ensure the firewall permits SSH connections:

sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --add-service=ssh
sudo firewall-cmd --reload

For non-default ports, specify the new port explicitly:

sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --add-port=2222/tcp
sudo firewall-cmd --reload

Assign Static IP in VirtualBox

Set the virtual machine's network adapter to bridged mode and assign a static IP within the same subnet as the host system to maintain consistent connectivity:

sudo nmcli connection modify enp0s3 ipv4.method manual ipv4.addresses 192.168.1.100/24 ipv4.gateway 192.168.1.1 ipv4.dns 8.8.8.8
sudo nmcli connection reload
sudo ifconfig enp0s3 down
sudo ifconfig enp0s3 up

VS Code should now connect successfully via SSH. If it hangs during "initializing VS Code server", remove the remote server cache with rm -rf ~/.vscode-server, then reconnect.

Run VM Without GUI

To run the virtual machine without launching its display interface:

Create a desktop shortcut for the VM and modify its target path from:

"C:\Program Files\Oracle\VirtualBox\VirtualBoxVM.exe" --comment "Fedora Server" --startvm "{2d229ecf-4386-4768-a93f-682c45da8b35}"

to use headless execution instead:

"C:\Program Files\Oracle\VirtualBox\VBoxHeadless.exe" --comment "Fedora Server" --startvm "{2d229ecf-4386-4768-a93f-682c45da8b35}"