Install and configure KVM to your dedicated server

• Check if your cpu has Intel VT-x or AMD-V
  
  egrep -c '(vmx|svm)' /proc/cpuinfo
  1 means that your cpu does have support for hardware virtualization. 0 means you might create quite slow vps. But you are able to run virtual servers.
• Check if you have installed a 64bit kernel
  
  Code:

  uname -m

  Something like amd64 or x86_64 indicates your are running a 64-bit kernel. You do not want to run a 32-bit kernel. That would limit your RAM usage to 2GB.
• Install KVM tools (I am using Ubuntu/Debian commands here)
  
  Code:

  sudo apt-get install qemu-kvm libvirt-bin bridge-utils

• Add user that runs virtual servers to group (user has to re-login to get new group permissions)
  Code:

  sudo adduser [username] libvirtd

• Test your installation
  
  Code:

  virsh -c qemu:///system list
   Id Name                 State
  ----------------------------------

  An output like "libvir: Remote error : Permission denied" or "error: failed to connect to the hypervisor" says that something went wrong.
• Fix ownership
  
  Code:

  sudo chown root:libvirtd /dev/kvm

  I do not know why, but for me /dev/kvm did not had the correct ownership.
• Restart kernel modules - or restart the server
  
  Code:

  rmmod kvm
  modprobe -a kvm

• Optional: Install GUI for virtual server mangment:
  
  Code:

  sudo apt-get install virt-manager

• Networking
  Well per default KVM has it's own network - called usermode networking. Works like OpenVPN. You have your own subnet - e.g. 10.0.1.0/24 and every KVM gets one ip address out of it.
  
  
  Enough for me. I once need a connection to one of my webservers out of the KVM. I used port forwarding (iptables) to forward a connection from my host to the KVM.
  
• Create a virtual server
  There are quite a view options. I prefer a python script called "virt-install".
  
  
  sudo apt-get install python-virtinst
  First look to the man page of virt-install
  
  Code:

  man virt-install

  And create your first vps:
  
  Code:

  sudo virt-install --connect qemu:///system -n kvm1 -r 2048 --vcpus=2 \
  --disk path=/var/lib/libvirt/images/kvm1-image.img,size=20 \
  -c /isos/ubuntu-min-install.iso --vnc --noautoconsole --os-type linux \
  --accelerate --network=network:default --hvm --vncport=5951

  Name: "kvm1", RAM: 2 GB, CPUs: 2, HDD: 20GB and a defined vnc port you can connect to (127.0.0.1:5951)
• Managing your virtual servers
  
  A) start managing console
  
  
  virsh --connect qemu:///system
  B) List virtual servers
  
  Code:

  list -all

  C) start virtual server
  Code:

  start [name of virtual server]

  D) stop virtual server
  
  Code:

  shutdown [name of virtual server]

NodeDeals said:

More virsh commands

Click to expand...

• Start VM:start [name of vps]
  
• Stop VM:
  
  
  shutdown [name of vps]
  
• Delete VM:
  
  
  virsh destroy [name of vps]
  
  virsh undefine [name of vps]
  
• Export VM definition to xml
  
  
  virsh dumpxml [name of vps] > ~/myvps.xml
  
• Create VM out of xml
  
  
  virsh create ~/myvps.xml
  
• Edit VM (if you like vi)
  
  
  virsh edit [name of vps]
  
• Open serial console to vps
  
  
  virsh console [name of vps]
  
• Viewing all commands
  
  
  virsh help
  

• Get list of current snapshots
  
  Code:

  virsh snapshot-list

• Create a snapshot
  
  Code:

  virsh snapshot-create-as [name of vps] [

MannDude said:

Damn wlanboy, another quality tutorial!

Click to expand...

dzchimpo said:

Any other GUI that doesnt require installing an application, and can control the vm with the broswer, like Solus/OverVZ web panel? I know proxmox has support for kvm.

Click to expand...