Using KVM

Introduction

KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) is a virtualization module in the Linux kernel that allows the kernel to function as a hypervisor. KVM requires a processor with hardware virtualization extensions, such as Intel VT or AMD-V.

Prerequisites

Before getting started with KVM, you need to ensure that your system supports hardware virtualization and that you have the necessary packages installed.

Installing KVM

Install KVM and related packages using the following commands:

After installation, add your user to the libvirt group to manage virtual machines without sudo:

Starting the Libvirt Service

Start and enable the libvirt service to run at boot:

Creating a Virtual Machine

You can create a virtual machine using the virt-install command. For example, to create a virtual machine with 1GB of RAM and a 20GB disk:

Managing Virtual Machines

To manage virtual machines, you can use virsh, the command-line interface for libvirt.

List all virtual machines:

Start a virtual machine:

Shutdown a virtual machine:

Destroy (force stop) a virtual machine:

Accessing Virtual Machine Console

You can access the virtual machine console using VNC or virsh console:

Networking

KVM supports various networking options. The default network setup uses NAT, which allows the guest virtual machines to access the external network through the host.

To list available networks:

Storage

KVM supports different storage options. To list storage pools:

Create a new storage pool:

Conclusion

KVM provides a powerful and efficient way to run multiple virtual machines on a Linux host. By following the steps in this tutorial, you should be able to set up and manage virtual machines using KVM. For more advanced configurations, refer to the official documentation and resources.