Here you’ll learn to use Virt-Manager to manage your Virtual Machines.

Virt-Manager

Is a desktop-driven virtual machine manager with which users can manage virtual machines (VMs).
Virt-Manager is a Light virtualizer using KVM, Xen and Qemu.

Installing

• First, we shoul know how many CPUs can support hardware virtualization:

  grep --color -e -svm -e vmx /proc/cpuinfo
  egrep -c '(svm|vmx)' /proc/cpuinfo
  

• Then, installing virt-manager, qemu and kvm:

  sudo apt-get install qemu-kvm libvirt-bin virtinst kvm virt-manager virt-viewer
  

• Add our principal user to the libvirtd group:

  sudo adduser jenazad libvirtd
  

• Create a directory (pool) where you can store the images of each OS (vol):

  mkdir /home/$USER/.virtManager/images
  

• Initializing the virtual manager:

  virt-manager
  

• Shows a list of all guest OS:

  virsh -c qemu:///system list --all
  

• Connect to VM:

  virt-viewer -c qemu:///system vmname
  

Storage pool

A pool store the information of a group of OS (image).

• Create/Define a pool:

  virsh pool-create-as --name stgname --type dir --target "/home/$USER/.virtManager/images"
  virsh pool-define-as --name stgname --type dir --target "/home/$USER/.virtManager/images"
  

• Edit a pool:

  virsh pool-edit --pool stgname
  

• List all pools:

  virsh pool-list --all
  

• Initializing pool:

  virsh pool-start stgname
  virsh pool-autostart stgname
  

• Delete/Undefined pool:

  If pool was defined, only write destroy, if not, write all this commands:

    virsh pool-destroy stgname
    virsh pool-delete stgname
    virsh pool-undefine stgname
  

Virtual Networks

• Edit the virtual network:

  virsh net-edit netname
  

• List all virtual networks:

  virsh net-list --all
  

Storage Volumen

A vol is the image installed of a OS.

• List all vols in a pool:

  virsh vol-list --pool stgname
  

• Create vol:

  virsh vol-create-as --pool stgVirt --name volname.qcow2 --capacity 20G --format qcow2
  

• Delete vol:

  virsh vol-delete --pool stgname volname.qcow2
  

Virtual Machines

A virtual machine is a guest OS on another OS (host), you can see the xml configuration files on /etc/libvirt/qemu/

• Create a VM:

  • From local iso (example installing Deepin 15.3):

    virt-install \
    --connect qemu:///system \
    --name Deepin15.3_VM \
    --memory 2048 \
    --vcpus 1 \
    --network network=virtualnetworkNAT,model=virtio \
    --os-type linux \
    --os-variant generic \
    --disk path=/home/$USER/VirtStg/images/deepin15.qcow2,size=20 \
    --cdrom /home/$USER/Documents/deepin-15.3-amd64.iso \
    --graphics spice \
    

    

  • From remote http/ftp server (example insalling Debian 8.0):

    virt-install \
    --connect qemu:///system \
    --name Debian8.7_VM \
    --memory 2048 \
    --vcpus 1 \
    --network network=virtualnetworkNAT,model=virtio \
    --os-type linux \
    --os-variant generic \
    --disk path=/home/$USER/VirtStg/images/debian8.qcow2,size=20 \
    --location 'http://ftp.nl.debian.org/debian/dists/jessie/main/installer-amd64/' \
    --graphics none \
    --console pty,target_type=serial \
    --extra-args 'console=ttyS0,115200n8 serial'
    

    

  • From remote http/ftp server (another example Fedora 26):

    virt-install \
    --connect qemu:///system \
    --name Fedora26_VM \
    --memory 2048 \
    --vcpus 1 \
    --network network=virtualnetworkNAT,model=virtio \
    --os-type linux \
    --os-variant generic \
    --disk path=/home/$USER/VirtStg/images/fedora26.qcow2,size=20 \
    --location 'http://mirror.globo.com/fedora/linux/releases/25/Workstation/x86_64/os' \
    --graphics spice
    

    

• Delete a VM:

  virsh destroy vmname
  virsh undefine vmname
  

• List all VM:

  virsh list --all
  

• Start/reboot/shutdown VM:

  virsh start vmname
  virsh reboot vmname
  virsh shutdown vmname
  

• Save/restore state of a VM:

  virsh save vmname vmname-20170318.state
  virsh restore vmname-20170318.state
  

• Clone a VM:

  virt-clone --connect=qemu:///system -o originalvm -n copyvm -f /path/to/copyvm.qcow2
  

• Create VM using virt-manager interface:

  • step 1: Choose the method to install.

    

  • step 2: Select the ISO image.

    

  • step 3: Set RAM memory.

    

  • step 4: Create/Set a disk storage for the file system of the guest OS.

    

  • step 5: Write the OS name, select the network and choose (optional) more configurations.

    

  • step 6 (optional): Advanced configurations.

    

To configureyour VM depending of your OS, press here.