Re: [CentOS-virt] using local media file to install guest
On 10/30/2011 05:16 PM, Charles Polisher wrote: On Wed, Oct 26, 2011 at 06:11:02PM -0700, Eric Shubert wrote: On 10/26/2011 04:56 PM, Bob Hoffman wrote: Wrong. You're making this way more difficult than it is. Just set up your host as in the directions, and when you get to the point of creating a VM guest, jump to the part about setting up virt-manager, but set that up on a workstation/laptop. On ubuntu for instance, you simply install the virt-manager package. Then create your VM guest using virt-manager. It runs on the workstation, but the VM is created on the server, via a network connection. It's really pretty slick. You're right to not want to put X on your server. And you don't need to. It strikes me that OP is trying to do something worth doing -- install from the (apparently broken) command line on the local host from local media. When some critical infrastructure has broken, I often depend on the ability to work with minimal dependencies. Requiring an operational network plus a 2nd, remote host that has a running X environment seems like too many dependencies for my taste. That it /can/ be accomplished that way does not mean that it /should/ be. I don't necessarily disagree, in theory. All it takes to connect remotely though is a laptop with a crossover cable. I wouldn't consider that to be too many dependencies. Pretty much just commodity (think crash cart) stuff. My servers are typically all headless, with this sort of access. Of course, if the CLI command has a bug, we should do what we can to help to get it fixed. In this case though, creating a VM using virt-manager is a good deal easier than using the CLI, so it's just easier to do it that way. As the OP has so much time invested, the next step could be to get strace, gdb, and the source code and start bug hunting. But one has to pick one's battles. Agreed. -- -Eric 'shubes' ___ CentOS-virt mailing list CentOS-virt@centos.org http://lists.centos.org/mailman/listinfo/centos-virt
Re: [CentOS-virt] using local media file to install guest
On 27/10/2011 06:10, Bob Hoffman wrote: I believe ya guys. However I could not install from a local source media (an iso) no matter what I did. The techs at dell put up some papers that specifically noted that using local media to install is not an ability that can be done with virt-install, whether you access the server remotely or not. I am sorry but could you list them please? I could really only find http://linux.dell.com/files/whitepapers/KVM_Virtualization_in_RHEL_6_made_easy.pdf which seems to do exactly what you want to do. I could not get virt-manager, the only thing that can use local media to run remotely with initial setup. Not without installing some kind of X server or system. Probably because I ain't all that well versed in it. Where are you trying to run virt-manager? On the server or on your desktop? And honestly, why do I need to do something remotely when I should be able to do it on the host? I have the feeling that we're at slight odds semantically. What do you actually mean with local/remote? One parsing of your email seems to suggest that you're set with a keyboard and mouse plugged into your server, rather than connected via SSH, perhaps clarify with desktop/local server/remote server? regards, -- Roeland M Mertens Principal Systems Engineer Daisy Group PLC ___ CentOS-virt mailing list CentOS-virt@centos.org http://lists.centos.org/mailman/listinfo/centos-virt
Re: [CentOS-virt] using local media file to install guest
eric wrote --- That's not my understanding. I watched someone else follow the procedure here: http://www.howtoforge.com/virtualization-with-kvm-on-a-centos-6.0-server and I believe he started with the minimal installation on the host. - --- thought I missed something and re-readhis next page says he is using netinstall and wait for it.. connecting to remote server to get the media to install the guest.. seems impossible I guess...gonna need to set up a home server for my production server to install guests.. seems like an extraordinary waste of bandwidth to do it that way. ___ CentOS-virt mailing list CentOS-virt@centos.org http://lists.centos.org/mailman/listinfo/centos-virt
Re: [CentOS-virt] using local media file to install guest
On 10/26/2011 04:48 PM, Bob Hoffman wrote: eric wrote - That's not my understanding. I watched someone else follow the procedure here: http://www.howtoforge.com/virtualization-with-kvm-on-a-centos-6.0-server and I believe he started with the minimal installation on the host. and then you find he also had installed the desktop on the next page and using virt-manager to view it. I would rather not have the desktop and x installed. That can be on any *other* computer, like a laptop. You don't need (or want) to run virt-manager on the host itself. You can manage your VMs from any workstation/client that's attached to the network. I dunno...been weeks on this with no other option than to install the desktop. Might just have to give up and do the desktop with no other options available. centos6 too new, kvm too new, not much info out there. sigh. -- -Eric 'shubes' ___ CentOS-virt mailing list CentOS-virt@centos.org http://lists.centos.org/mailman/listinfo/centos-virt
Re: [CentOS-virt] using local media file to install guest
You can do virt-manager remotely. Either connect to libvirt remotely through a locally running instance of virt-manager or via X11 forwarding. I do the 2nd method with no GUI installed on the server. See here for minimal packages needed... http://itscblog.tamu.edu/startup-guide-for-kvm-on-centos-6/ . I do that from a Mac. My home desktop is Linux so for that i only remote connect to libvirt with my user ( not root) account using PolicyKit. Instructions for that also on the link above. - Trey On Oct 26, 2011 6:56 PM, Bob Hoffman b...@bobhoffman.com wrote: eric wrote --- That's not my understanding. I watched someone else follow the procedure here: http://www.howtoforge.com/virtualization-with-kvm-on-a-centos-6.0-server and I believe he started with the minimal installation on the host. - --- thought I missed something and re-readhis next page says he is using netinstall and wait for it.. connecting to remote server to get the media to install the guest.. seems impossible I guess...gonna need to set up a home server for my production server to install guests.. seems like an extraordinary waste of bandwidth to do it that way. ___ CentOS-virt mailing list CentOS-virt@centos.org http://lists.centos.org/mailman/listinfo/centos-virt ___ CentOS-virt mailing list CentOS-virt@centos.org http://lists.centos.org/mailman/listinfo/centos-virt
Re: [CentOS-virt] using local media file to install guest
On 10/26/2011 04:56 PM, Bob Hoffman wrote: eric wrote --- That's not my understanding. I watched someone else follow the procedure here: http://www.howtoforge.com/virtualization-with-kvm-on-a-centos-6.0-server and I believe he started with the minimal installation on the host. - --- thought I missed something and re-readhis next page says he is using netinstall and wait for it.. connecting to remote server to get the media to install the guest.. seems impossible I guess...gonna need to set up a home server for my production server to install guests.. seems like an extraordinary waste of bandwidth to do it that way. Wrong. You're making this way more difficult than it is. Just set up your host as in the directions, and when you get to the point of creating a VM guest, jump to the part about setting up virt-manager, but set that up on a workstation/laptop. On ubuntu for instance, you simply install the virt-manager package. Then create your VM guest using virt-manager. It runs on the workstation, but the VM is created on the server, via a network connection. It's really pretty slick. You're right to not want to put X on your server. And you don't need to. -- -Eric 'shubes' ___ CentOS-virt mailing list CentOS-virt@centos.org http://lists.centos.org/mailman/listinfo/centos-virt
Re: [CentOS-virt] using local media file to install guest
On 10/26/2011 07:14 PM, Bob Hoffman wrote: trey wrote -- You can do virt-manager remotely. Either connect to libvirt remotely through a locally running instance of virt-manager or via X11 forwarding. I do the 2nd method with no GUI installed on the server. See here for minimal packages needed... http://itscblog.tamu.edu/startup-guide-for-kvm-on-centos-6/ . I do that from a Mac. My home desktop is Linux so for that i only remote connect to libvirt with my user ( not root) account using PolicyKit. Instructions for that also on the link above. - Yea, I am afraid going command line only is impossible as suggested by so many. Even you have installed X to make it work. I was able to do one install where I did the virtual host package first. Then I would install x and desktop. This would allow me to stay in command line and go to desktop by using startx...then ctrl-alt-backspace out of it when done. According to a few sources, it is impossible to use local install sources through virt-install but virt-manager would work. Locally, not remotely. Since X seems to HAVE to be installed whether you use virt-viewer, virt-manager, vnc, or just about anything else, I guess I would have to ask redhat why the virtual host package included no gui system at all... This is ABSOLUTELY NOT TRUE! You can run virt-manager on a separate machine, connected via network to the KVM server. The server DOES NOT NEED TO HAVE X INSTALLED AT ALL. I think that is the way I am going to go, just x and desktop via a startx, then get out when done. I can see no viable local solution available at all. It seemed to work okay. And it allows a local iso to be used preventing the need for any remote programs addedand allowing me to keep port 22 off, closing the host off completely for security except for my ipmi card. And that is preferred. thanks for helping all. I guess using command line without x/desktop/etc and being local is not possible for rhel/centos yet. I just witnessed it being done on Saturday. It is possible, now. This was a CentOS6 host, with minimal install. C'est live, must move on and go with what works regardlesswhee on to next problem. -- -Eric 'shubes' ___ CentOS-virt mailing list CentOS-virt@centos.org http://lists.centos.org/mailman/listinfo/centos-virt
Re: [CentOS-virt] using local media file to install guest
Eric is right. You can connect remotely without even installing virt-manager on the server. Only needs to have libvird running. I did a minimal install of CentOS 6 with the 4 virtual package groups. My system as no startx or run level 5. In my case I have to use X11 forwarding but that doesnt require X on the server. At most I have a few font libraries and X libraries but not the X server. X11 is backwards from the standard client/server model. The X server in the case of X11 forwarding is on my local desktop. - Trey On Oct 26, 2011 10:00 PM, Eric Shubert e...@shubes.net wrote: On 10/26/2011 07:14 PM, Bob Hoffman wrote: trey wrote -- You can do virt-manager remotely. Either connect to libvirt remotely through a locally running instance of virt-manager or via X11 forwarding. I do the 2nd method with no GUI installed on the server. See here for minimal packages needed... http://itscblog.tamu.edu/startup-guide-for-kvm-on-centos-6/ . I do that from a Mac. My home desktop is Linux so for that i only remote connect to libvirt with my user ( not root) account using PolicyKit. Instructions for that also on the link above. - Yea, I am afraid going command line only is impossible as suggested by so many. Even you have installed X to make it work. I was able to do one install where I did the virtual host package first. Then I would install x and desktop. This would allow me to stay in command line and go to desktop by using startx...then ctrl-alt-backspace out of it when done. According to a few sources, it is impossible to use local install sources through virt-install but virt-manager would work. Locally, not remotely. Since X seems to HAVE to be installed whether you use virt-viewer, virt-manager, vnc, or just about anything else, I guess I would have to ask redhat why the virtual host package included no gui system at all... This is ABSOLUTELY NOT TRUE! You can run virt-manager on a separate machine, connected via network to the KVM server. The server DOES NOT NEED TO HAVE X INSTALLED AT ALL. I think that is the way I am going to go, just x and desktop via a startx, then get out when done. I can see no viable local solution available at all. It seemed to work okay. And it allows a local iso to be used preventing the need for any remote programs addedand allowing me to keep port 22 off, closing the host off completely for security except for my ipmi card. And that is preferred. thanks for helping all. I guess using command line without x/desktop/etc and being local is not possible for rhel/centos yet. I just witnessed it being done on Saturday. It is possible, now. This was a CentOS6 host, with minimal install. C'est live, must move on and go with what works regardlesswhee on to next problem. -- -Eric 'shubes' ___ CentOS-virt mailing list CentOS-virt@centos.org http://lists.centos.org/mailman/listinfo/centos-virt ___ CentOS-virt mailing list CentOS-virt@centos.org http://lists.centos.org/mailman/listinfo/centos-virt
Re: [CentOS-virt] using local media file to install guest
Trey Dockendorf wrote -- Eric is right. You can connect remotely without even installing virt-manager on the server. Only needs to have libvird running. I did a minimal install of CentOS 6 with the 4 virtual package groups. My system as no startx or run level 5. In my case I have to use X11 forwarding but that doesnt require X on the server. At most I have a few font libraries and X libraries but not the X server. X11 is backwards from the standard client/server model. The X server in the case of X11 forwarding is on my local desktop. - I believe ya guys. However I could not install from a local source media (an iso) no matter what I did. The techs at dell put up some papers that specifically noted that using local media to install is not an ability that can be done with virt-install, whether you access the server remotely or not. In all cases I have found, the installation starts on the local server (like netinstall or what have you) then it calls out somewhere remotely to actually install. I could not get virt-manager, the only thing that can use local media to run remotely with initial setup. Not without installing some kind of X server or system. Probably because I ain't all that well versed in it. With centos6 and kvm together being so new, there is little out there showing the steps with that remote thing. And honestly, why do I need to do something remotely when I should be able to do it on the host? I ended up, final install, adding X (which seems to be needed anyway for x forwarding) and a simple desktop. I simply 'startx' to get the gui, add my virt guests, then ctrl-alt-backspace out of it. The pstree shows the kill of the gui gets rid of the whole gui thing. With the local, I can kill the ability to shell to the system increasing security. I believe you guys. However, I cannot get it working that way. Not locally, not with local media. There is not one single site or manual that has shown a system where they did a install with local media, not one. All of them, if using command line, access something remotely. sigh. After a month of this, I think I will stay with what works and go with it. Too much work just to be command line cool. appreciate the information. I will continue to research a local install from command line ___ CentOS-virt mailing list CentOS-virt@centos.org http://lists.centos.org/mailman/listinfo/centos-virt
