Debian 6 (Squeeze) KVM Virtualization Howto

• Contents
• Introduction and Prerequisites
• Install Debian 6 (Squeeze) on the Server
• Install and Configure KVM on the Server
• Install VirtualBox on the Management Workstation
• Install a Debian 6 Desktop System in VirtualBox
• Install and Configure virt-manager on the Workstation
• Deploy Your First KVM Virtual Machine
• Final Notes and Tips

Deploy Your First KVM Virtual Machine

Select "Virtual Machine Manager" from the "System Tools" menu to get started.

Select the "localhost" host entry, and choose "Host Details" from the "Edit" menu.

Uncheck the box labeled "Autoconnect" on the "Overview" tab. By default, the Virtual Machine Manager will attempt to connect to the local machine, but this is unnecessary since you won't be running any virtual machines within the KVM VM desktop machine.

Back on the application screen, select "Add Connection" from the "File" menu.

Select "QEMU/KVM" for the "Hypervisor" option, "Remote Tunnel over SSH" for the "Connection" option, and enter your KVM server's hostname in the "Hostname" field. Check the "Autoconnect" box, and click "Connect" to proceed.

Right click on your KVM server entry in the hosts list, and select "New" to begin creating a new VM.

Assign a name to your VM, select your KVM host from the "Connection" list, and make sure "Local install media" is selected. Click "Foward" to proceed.

Select the Debian 6 ISO image you previously downloaded to your KVM host for the "Use ISO image" field. Select "Linux" from the "OS type" list, and select "Debian Squeeze" from the "Version" list. Click "Forward" to proceed.

Choose the amount of RAM and number of virtual CPUs you would like to assign to this VM, and click "Forward" to continue. It's best to assign fewer virtual CPUs than the number of physical CPU cores present on the host.

Select the amount of disk storage space you would like to allocate to this VM's virtual hard disk. By default, a virtual disk image file will be created for the VM under the "/var/lib/libvirt/images" directory. If you wish, you may also choose a pre-configured LVM volume or spare physical disk partition on your host.

Expand the "Advanced options" section on the summary screen. Enter "br0" in the "Bridge name" field, and select your desired architecture from the "Architecture" list. If you intend on installing the 64-bit version of Debian 6 as your first guest VM, make sure "x86_64" is selected. Click "Finish" to initialize and boot your guest VM.

Once your guest VM has booted for the first time, you'll be connected to its virtual console. From here, you may proceed to install the guest operating system just as you would on any other computer. Congratulations, you've got your first KVM guest up and running!

Read on for some helpful notes and tips.

Continue: Final Notes and Tips
Previous: Install and Configure virt-manager on the Workstation