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

Install VirtualBox on the Management Workstation

VirtualBox is a virtualization product from Oracle that allows users to easily run multiple operating systems concurrently on a desktop system, and is available free of charge. This tutorial uses VirtualBox to house a dedicated Debian 6 desktop system, which is used to manage VMs running on your host server. This approach is taken as an alternative to installing virt-manager and related components on the server itself, as best practices dictate separation of server and desktop functionality wherever possible.

If you have a spare desktop system that you'd prefer to run Debian 6 on natively, or set up in a dual-boot configuration alongside an existing operating system, feel free to skip the instructions that refer to installing and configuring VirtualBox. Should you pursue this route, you may skip to the section on configuring virt-manager after installing your new Debian 6 desktop system.

Before proceeding with VirtualBox installation, download the Debian 6 network install ISO to your workstation. You'll need this later when you get to the VirtualBox VM configuration step involving mounting a CD-ROM to boot from.

To get started with VirtualBox, download its installation package that matches your workstation's operating system (this tutorial uses a workstation running Mac OS X). Launch the VirtualBox installer, which is accomplished in this case by double-clicking the "VirtualBox.mpkg" icon.

VirtualBox dmg package contents on Mac OS X.