52
Oracle® Linux KVM User's Guide F29966-07 December 2020
Oracle® Linux
KVM User's Guide
F29966-07December 2020
Oracle Legal Notices
Copyright © 2020, Oracle and/or its affiliates.
This software and related documentation are provided under a license agreement containing restrictions on use anddisclosure and are protected by intellectual property laws. Except as expressly permitted in your license agreementor allowed by law, you may not use, copy, reproduce, translate, broadcast, modify, license, transmit, distribute,exhibit, perform, publish, or display any part, in any form, or by any means. Reverse engineering, disassembly, ordecompilation of this software, unless required by law for interoperability, is prohibited.
The information contained herein is subject to change without notice and is not warranted to be error-free. If you findany errors, please report them to us in writing.
If this is software or related documentation that is delivered to the U.S. Government or anyone licensing it on behalf ofthe U.S. Government, then the following notice is applicable:
U.S. GOVERNMENT END USERS: Oracle programs (including any operating system, integrated software, anyprograms embedded, installed or activated on delivered hardware, and modifications of such programs) andOracle computer documentation or other Oracle data delivered to or accessed by U.S. Government end users are"commercial computer software" or "commercial computer software documentation" pursuant to the applicableFederal Acquisition Regulation and agency-specific supplemental regulations. As such, the use, reproduction,duplication, release, display, disclosure, modification, preparation of derivative works, and/or adaptation of i) Oracleprograms (including any operating system, integrated software, any programs embedded, installed or activatedon delivered hardware, and modifications of such programs), ii) Oracle computer documentation and/or iii) otherOracle data, is subject to the rights and limitations specified in the license contained in the applicable contract. Theterms governing the U.S. Government's use of Oracle cloud services are defined by the applicable contract for suchservices. No other rights are granted to the U.S. Government.
This software or hardware is developed for general use in a variety of information management applications. It is notdeveloped or intended for use in any inherently dangerous applications, including applications that may create a riskof personal injury. If you use this software or hardware in dangerous applications, then you shall be responsible totake all appropriate fail-safe, backup, redundancy, and other measures to ensure its safe use. Oracle Corporationand its affiliates disclaim any liability for any damages caused by use of this software or hardware in dangerousapplications.
Oracle and Java are registered trademarks of Oracle and/or its affiliates. Other names may be trademarks of theirrespective owners.
Intel and Intel Inside are trademarks or registered trademarks of Intel Corporation. All SPARC trademarks are usedunder license and are trademarks or registered trademarks of SPARC International, Inc. AMD, Epyc, and the AMDlogo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Advanced Micro Devices. UNIX is a registered trademark of TheOpen Group.
This software or hardware and documentation may provide access to or information about content, products, andservices from third parties. Oracle Corporation and its affiliates are not responsible for and expressly disclaim allwarranties of any kind with respect to third-party content, products, and services unless otherwise set forth in anapplicable agreement between you and Oracle. Oracle Corporation and its affiliates will not be responsible for anyloss, costs, or damages incurred due to your access to or use of third-party content, products, or services, except asset forth in an applicable agreement between you and Oracle.
Table of ContentsPreface .............................................................................................................................................. v1 About Oracle Linux KVM ................................................................................................................. 1
1.1 About KVM .......................................................................................................................... 11.2 Guest Operating System Requirements ................................................................................. 11.3 System Requirements ........................................................................................................... 31.4 About Virtualization Packages ............................................................................................... 3
2 Installing KVM User Space Packages .............................................................................................. 52.1 Configuring Yum Repositories and ULN Channels ................................................................. 5
2.1.1 Oracle Linux 7 ........................................................................................................... 52.1.2 Oracle Linux 8 ........................................................................................................... 7
2.2 Installing Virtualization Packages .......................................................................................... 82.2.1 Installing Virtualization Packages During an Oracle Linux System Installation ................ 82.2.2 Installing Virtualization Packages on an Existing System .............................................. 92.2.3 Upgrading Virtualization Packages ............................................................................ 10
2.3 Validating the Host System ................................................................................................. 103 KVM Usage .................................................................................................................................. 11
3.1 Checking the libvirt Daemon Status ..................................................................................... 113.2 Base Operations ................................................................................................................. 11
3.2.1 Creating a New Virtual Machine ............................................................................... 123.2.2 Starting and Stopping Virtual Machines ..................................................................... 123.2.3 Deleting a Virtual Machine ....................................................................................... 13
3.3 Working with Storage for KVM Guests ................................................................................. 143.3.1 Storage Pools .......................................................................................................... 143.3.2 Storage Volumes ..................................................................................................... 163.3.3 Managing Virtual Disks ............................................................................................ 17
3.4 Working with Memory and CPU Allocation ........................................................................... 193.4.1 Configuring Virtual CPU Count ................................................................................. 193.4.2 Configuring Memory Allocation ................................................................................. 20
3.5 Setting up Networking for KVM Guests ................................................................................ 213.5.1 Setting up and Managing Virtual Networks ................................................................ 223.5.2 Adding or Removing a vNIC ..................................................................................... 233.5.3 Bridged and Direct vNICs ......................................................................................... 243.5.4 Interface Bonding for Bridged Networks .................................................................... 26
3.6 Cloning Virtual Machines .................................................................................................... 263.6.1 Preparing a Virtual Machine for Cloning .................................................................... 273.6.2 Cloning a Virtual Machine Using virt-clone ................................................................ 283.6.3 Cloning a Virtual Machine Using Virtual Machine Manager ......................................... 29
4 Oracle VirtIO Drivers for Microsoft Windows ................................................................................... 314.1 What's New ........................................................................................................................ 314.2 Supported Releases, Operating Systems, and Configuration Limits ....................................... 31
4.2.1 Supported Environments .......................................................................................... 324.2.2 Supported Guest Operating Systems ........................................................................ 324.2.3 Microsoft Windows Compatibility Signing ................................................................... 34
4.3 Downloading the Oracle VirtIO Drivers for Microsoft Windows ............................................... 344.4 Installing the Oracle VirtIO Drivers for Microsoft Windows ..................................................... 35
4.4.1 Installing the Oracle VirtIO Drivers for Microsoft Windows on Existing MicrosoftWindows Guests .............................................................................................................. 354.4.2 Installing the Oracle VirtIO Drivers for Microsoft Windows During Microsoft WindowsGuest Installation .............................................................................................................. 374.4.3 Optional Configuration Changes ............................................................................... 38
4.5 Upgrading the Oracle VirtIO Drivers for Microsoft Windows ................................................... 39
iii
Oracle® Linux
4.6 Silently Installing or Upgrading the Oracle VirtIO Drivers for Microsoft Windows ...................... 404.7 Uninstalling the Oracle VirtIO Drivers for Microsoft Windows ................................................. 414.8 Known Limitations and Workarounds ................................................................................... 42
4.8.1 Security Alert for Unsigned Drivers ........................................................................... 434.8.2 Found New Hardware Wizard Displayed ................................................................... 454.8.3 Microsoft Windows Server 2012 Data Center Guests With Failover Clustering CannotGet IP Address ................................................................................................................ 45
iv
PrefaceOracle® Linux: KVM User's Guide provides information about how to install, configure, and use the OracleLinux KVM packages to run guest system on top of a bare metal Oracle Linux system. This documentationprovides information on using KVM on a standalone platform in an unmanaged environment. Typicalusage in this mode is for development and testing purposes, although production level deployments aresupported. Oracle recommends that customers use Oracle Linux Virtualization Manager for more complexdeployments of a managed KVM infrastructure.
AudienceThis document is intended for administrators who need to configure and use KVM on Oracle Linuxsystems. It is assumed that readers are familiar with and have a general understanding of Linux systemadministration.
Related DocumentsThe documentation for this product is available at:
https://docs.oracle.com/en/operating-systems/linux.html.
Oracle recommends that you review related documentation at:
https://docs.oracle.com/en/virtualization/oracle-linux-virtualization-manager/
ConventionsThe following text conventions are used in this document:
Convention Meaning
boldface Boldface type indicates graphical user interface elements associated with anaction, or terms defined in text or the glossary.
italic Italic type indicates book titles, emphasis, or placeholder variables for whichyou supply particular values.
monospace Monospace type indicates commands within a paragraph, URLs, code inexamples, text that appears on the screen, or text that you enter.
Documentation AccessibilityFor information about Oracle's commitment to accessibility, visit the Oracle Accessibility Program websiteathttps://www.oracle.com/corporate/accessibility/.
Access to Oracle SupportOracle customers that have purchased support have access to electronic support through My OracleSupport. For information, visithttps://www.oracle.com/corporate/accessibility/learning-support.html#support-tab.
Diversity and InclusionOracle is fully committed to diversity and inclusion. Oracle recognizes the influence of ethnic and culturalvalues and is working to remove language from our products and documentation that might be considered
v
Diversity and Inclusion
insensitive. While doing so, we are also mindful of the necessity to maintain compatibility with ourcustomers' existing technologies and the need to ensure continuity of service as Oracle's offerings andindustry standards evolve. Because of these technical constraints, our effort to remove insensitive terms isan ongoing, long-term process.
vi
Chapter 1 About Oracle Linux KVM
Table of Contents1.1 About KVM .................................................................................................................................. 11.2 Guest Operating System Requirements ......................................................................................... 11.3 System Requirements ................................................................................................................... 31.4 About Virtualization Packages ....................................................................................................... 3
This chapter provides a high-level overview of KVM on Oracle Linux, the user space tools available toinstall and manage a standalone instance of KVM, and the differences betweeen KVM usage in this modeand usage within a managed environment provided by Oracle Linux Virtualization Manager.
1.1 About KVM
The Kernel-based Virtual Machine (KVM) feature provides a set of modules that enable you to use theOracle Linux kernel as a hypervisor. KVM supports both x86_64 and aarch64 processor architectures andis supported on Oracle Linux 7 and Oracle Linux 8 systems using either RHCK or any UEK release sinceUnbreakable Enterprise Kernel Release 4.
By default, KVM is built into the Unbreakable Enterprise Kernel (UEK) release. KVM features are activelydeveloped and might vary depending on platform and kernel release. If you are using UnbreakableEnterprise Kernel you should refer to the release notes for the kernel release that you are currently usingto obtain information about features and any known issues or limitations that may apply. See UnbreakableEnterprise Kernel Documentation for more information.
For more advanced usage of KVM on Oracle Linux, consider using Oracle Linux Virtualization Managerwhich is a server virtualization management platform. Through its Administration or VM portals, you canconfigure, monitor, and manage an Oracle Linux KVM environment, including hosts, virtual machines,storage, networks, and users. Oracle Linux Virtualization Manager also provides a REST API for managingyour Oracle Linux KVM infrastructure, allowing you to integrate Oracle Linux Virtualization Managerwith other management systems or to automate repetitive tasks with scripts. Find out more at https://docs.oracle.com/en/virtualization/oracle-linux-virtualization-manager/.
1.2 Guest Operating System Requirements
The following guest operating systems can be used when installed within a standalone instance of KVM.
Linux Guest Operating Systems
Table 1.1
Linux Operating System 32-bit Architecture 64-bit Architecture
Oracle Linux 5 No Yes
Oracle Linux 6 Yes* Yes
Oracle Linux 7 Not available Yes
Oracle Linux 8 Not available Yes
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 No Yes
1
Microsoft Windows Guest Operating Systems
Linux Operating System 32-bit Architecture 64-bit Architecture
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 Yes* Yes
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 Not available Yes
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 Not available Yes
CentOS 5 No Yes
CentOS 6 Yes* Yes
CentOS 7 Not available Yes
CentOS 8 Not available Yes
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 12 SP5 Not available Yes
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP1 Not available Yes
Ubuntu 16.04 Not available Yes
Ubuntu 18.04 Not available Yes
Ubuntu 20.04 Not available Yes
Important
* cloud-init is unavailable for 32-bit architectures
You can download Oracle Linux ISO images and disk images from Oracle Software Delivery Cloud: https://edelivery.oracle.com/linux.
Microsoft Windows Guest Operating Systems
Table 1.2
Microsoft Windows Operating System 32-bit Architecture 64-bit Architecture
Microsoft Windows Server 2019 Not available Yes
Microsoft Windows Server 2016 Not available Yes
Microsoft Windows Server 2012 R2 Not available Yes
Microsoft Windows Server 2012 Not available Yes
Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 Not available Yes
Microsoft Windows Server 2008 SP1 Yes Yes
Microsoft Windows 10 Yes Yes
Microsoft Windows 8.1 Yes Yes
Microsoft Windows 8 Yes Yes
Microsoft Windows 7 SP1 Yes Yes
Note
Oracle recommends that you install the Oracle VirtIO Drivers for Microsoft Windowsin Windows virtual machines for improved performance for network and block (disk)devices and to resolve common issues. The drivers are paravirtualized drivers forMicrosoft Windows guests running on Oracle Linux KVM hypervisors.
For instructions on how to obtain and install the drivers, see Chapter 4, Oracle VirtIO Drivers for MicrosoftWindows.
2
System Requirements
1.3 System Requirements
Although most systems running Oracle Linux 7 or Oracle Linux 8 are capable of using KVM, there aresome general hardware requirements and guidelines that you should follow to run a guest on on a hostsystem.
• CPU. The host system CPU must have virtualization features Intel (VT-x or AMD-V) enabled. Ifthese are not available, you should check that virtualization is enabled in the system firmware BIOS orUEFI. There should be at least one processor core or thread available for each virtual machine that youintend to run on the system, and at least one processor core or thread should be available for the hostoperating system.
• Memory. A minimum of 2 GB RAM must be available to the host operating system. RAM required foreach virtual machine should be physically available for each virtual machine that you configure and run.
• Storage. The minimum disk space, usually 6 GB, required for the host operating system should bemet. Each virtual machine requires it's own storage for the guest operating system and for swap usage.You should cater to around 6 GB, at minimum, per virtual machine that you intend to create, but youshould consider the purpose of the virtual machine and scale accordingly.
1.4 About Virtualization Packages
Oracle Linux provides several virtualization packages that enable you work with KVM. You can installvirtualization packages from the Oracle Linux yum server or from the Unbreakable Linux Network (ULN).Packages are provided from various upstream projects, including:
• https://www.linux-kvm.org/page/Main_Page
• https://libvirt.org/
• https://www.qemu.org/
In most cases, the following packages are the minimally required for a virtualization host:
• libvirt: This package provides an interface to KVM, as well as the libvirtd daemon for managingguest virtual machines.
• qemu-kvm: This package installs the QEMU emulator that performs hardware virtualization so thatguests can access host CPU and other resources.
• virt-install: This package provides command line utilities for creating and provisioning guest virtualmachines.
• virt-viewer: This package provides a graphical utility that can be loaded into a desktop environmentto access the graphical console of a guest virtual machine.
As an alternative to installing virtualization packages individually, you can install virtualization packagegroups.
The Virtualization Host package group contains the minimum set of packages that are requiredfor a virtualization host. If your Oracle Linux system includes a GUI environment, you can also choose toinstall the Virtualization Client package group.
3
4
Chapter 2 Installing KVM User Space Packages
Table of Contents2.1 Configuring Yum Repositories and ULN Channels ......................................................................... 5
2.1.1 Oracle Linux 7 ................................................................................................................... 52.1.2 Oracle Linux 8 ................................................................................................................... 7
2.2 Installing Virtualization Packages .................................................................................................. 82.2.1 Installing Virtualization Packages During an Oracle Linux System Installation ........................ 82.2.2 Installing Virtualization Packages on an Existing System ..................................................... 92.2.3 Upgrading Virtualization Packages .................................................................................... 10
2.3 Validating the Host System ......................................................................................................... 10
This chapter describes how to configure the appropriate ULN channels or yum repositories, and how toinstall user space tools to manage a standalone instance of KVM. A final check is performed to validatewhether the system is capable of hosting guest virtual machines.
2.1 Configuring Yum Repositories and ULN ChannelsVirtualization packages and their dependencies are available in a variety of locations on the Oracle Linuxyum server and on the Unbreakable Linux Network (ULN), depending on Oracle Linux release, the systemarchitecture and use case or support requirements.
2.1.1 Oracle Linux 7
Due to the availability of several very different kernel versions and the requirement for more recentversions of user space tools that may break compatibility with RHCK, there are several different yumrepositories or ULN channels across the different supported architectures for Oracle Linux 7. Packages inthe different channels have different use cases and have different levels of support. This section describesthe available yum repositories and ULN channels for each architecture.
Repositories and Channels That Are Available for x86_64 Platforms
Yum repositories ULN channels Description
ol7_latest ol7_x86_64_latest The virtualization packages that are provided in thisrepository or ULN channel maximize compatibilitywith RHCK and with RedHat Enterprise Linux.Packages from this repository or ULN channel arefully supported for all kernels.
ol7_kvm_utils ol7_x86_64_kvm_utilsThe virtualization packages that are provided inthis repository or ULN channel take advantageof newer features and functionality available inupstream packages. These packages are alsoengineered to work with KVM features that areenabled in the latest releases of UEK. If you installthese packages, you must also install the latestversion of either UEK R4 or UEK R5.
Note
The ol7_kvm_utils andol7_x86_64_kvm_utilschannels distribute 64-
5
Oracle Linux 7
Yum repositories ULN channels Descriptionbit packages only. Ifyou manually installedany 32-bit packages, forexample, libvirt-client,Yum updates from thesechannels will fail. To usethe ol7_kvm_utils andol7_x86_64_kvm_utilschannels, you must firstremove any 32-bit versionsof the packages distributedby these channels that areinstalled on your system.
You may choose to configure on-premisesvirtualization the same way that you configuresystems on Oracle Cloud Infrastructure or otherOracle products that use KVM. Oracle Linuxprovides specific virtualization packages in thischannel to assist with the configuration.
Packages in this channel are delivered with limitedsupport. Limited support coverage is only availablefor packages that are tested on Oracle Linux 7with UEK. The following are the limitations andrequirements:
• A minimum of Oracle Linux 7 Update 4 isrequired.
• A minimum of Unbreakable Enterprise KernelRelease 4 is required.
• Guest operating systems, as supported on OracleCloud Infrastructure and described at https://docs.cloud.oracle.com/en-us/iaas/Content/Compute/References/images.htm .
• KVM guests boot by using iSCSI, VirtIO, VirtIO-SCSI or IDE device emulation.
ol7_developer andol7_developer_kvm_utils
ol7_x86_64_developerandol7_x86_64_developer_kvm_utils
The virtualization packages that are provided inthese repositories or ULN channels take advantageof newer features and functionality that is availableupstream, but are unsupported and are madeavailable for developer use only.
If you are using the Oracle Linux yum server,you can configure these repositories by installingthe oraclelinux-developer-release-el7package and then enabling these repositoriesby editing the repository files or by using yum-config-manager.
6
Oracle Linux 8
Repositories and Channels That Are Available for aarch64 Platforms
Yum Repositories ULN Channels Description
ol7_latest ol7_aarch64_latest The virtualization packages that are provided inthis repository or ULN channel include the latestvirtualization packages, which are available andfully supported on Unbreakable Enterprise KernelRelease 5.
ol7_developer ol7_aarch64_developerThe virtualization packages that are provided inthis repository or ULN channel take advantageof newer features and functionality, wh8ich areavailable upstream, but are unsupported and aremade available for developer use only.
Caution
Virtualization packages may also be available in the ol7_developer_EPEL yumrepository or the ol7_arch_developer_EPEL ULN channel. These packagesare unsupported and contain features that might never be tested on Oracle Linuxand may conflict with virtualization packages from other channels. If you intend touse packages from any of the repositories or channels that are previously listed,first uninstall any virtualization packages that installed from this repository. You canalso disable this repository or channel or set exclusions to prevent virtualizationpackages from being installed from this repository.
Depending on your use case and support requirements, you must enable the repository or ULN channelthat you require before installing the virtualization packages from that repository or ULN channel.
If you are using ULN, follow these steps to ensure that the system is registered with ULN and that theappropriate channel is enabled:
1. Log in to https://linux.oracle.com with your ULN user name and password.
2. On the Systems tab, from the list of registered systems, select the link name for the specified system.
3. On the System Details page, select Manage Subscriptions.
4. On the System Summary page, from the list of available channels, select each of the requiredchannels, then click the right arrow to move each channel to the list of subscribed channels.
5. Select Save Subscriptions.
If you are using the Oracle Linux yum server, you can either edit the repository configuration files in /etc/yum.repos.d/ directly; or alternatively, if you have the yum-utils package installed, you can use theyum-config-manager command, for example:
# yum-config-manager --enable ol7_kvm_utils ol7_UEKR4
If you want to prevent yum from installing the package versions from a particular repository, you can setan exclude option on these packages for that repository. For instance, to prevent yum from installing thevirtualization packages in the ol7_developer_EPEL repository, use the following command:
# yum-config-manager --setopt="ol7_developer_EPEL.exclude=libvirt* qemu*" --save
2.1.2 Oracle Linux 8
The number of options available on Oracle Linux 8 are significantly reduced as the available kernels arenewer and there are less options to select from.
7
Installing Virtualization Packages
Repositories and Channels That Are Available for x86_64 Platforms
Yum repositories ULN channels Description
ol8_appstream ol8_x86_64_appstreamThe virtualization packages that are provided in thisrepository or ULN channel maximize compatibilitywith RHCK and with RedHat Enterprise Linux.Packages from this repository or ULN channel arefully supported for all kernels.
Since the Application Stream repository or channel is used for much system software on Oracle Linux 8, itis likely to be enabled by default on any Oracle Linux 8 system.
If you are using ULN, you can check that the system is registered with ULN and that the appropriatechannel is enabled:
1. Log in to https://linux.oracle.com with your ULN user name and password.
2. On the Systems tab, from the list of registered systems, select the link name for the specified system.
3. On the System Details page, select Manage Subscriptions.
4. On the System Summary page, from the list of available channels, select each of the requiredchannels, then click the right arrow to move each channel to the list of subscribed channels.
5. Select Save Subscriptions.
If you are using the Oracle Linux yum server, run:
# dnf config-manager --enable ol8_appstream
2.2 Installing Virtualization PackagesVirtualization packages provide an interface to the KVM hypervisor, as well as user-space tools.
2.2.1 Installing Virtualization Packages During an Oracle Linux SystemInstallation
You can use the following procedures to install virtualization packages during system installation: TheAnaconda installation program can be used to install a single virtualization host. You can use a kickstart fileto install virtualization hosts over the network.
2.2.1.1 Using the Installation Program to Install Virtualization Hosts
The following steps describe how to install a virtualization host with the Oracle Linux graphical installationprogram:
1. Boot the Oracle Linux installation media and proceed to the Software Selection screen.
2. Select one of the following virtualization host types:
Minimum Virtualization Host (Available on Oracle Linux 7 and Oracle Linux 8)
a. Select Virtualization Host in the Base Environment section.
b. Select Virtualization Host in the Add-ons for SelectedEnvironment section.
8
Installing Virtualization Packages on an Existing System
Virtualization Host with GUI (Available only on Oracle Linux 7)
a. Select Server with GUI in the Base Environment section.
b. Select the following package groups in the Add-ons forSelected Environment section:
• Virtualization Client
• Virtualization Hypervisor
• Virtualization Tools
3. Follow the prompts to complete the installation.
2.2.1.2 Using a Kickstart File to Install Virtualization Hosts
You can install virtualization hosts by specifying individual packages or package groups in the %packagessection of a kickstart file.
Specify virtualization packages individually, as in the following example:
%packageslibvirtqemu-kvmvirt-install
Specify the appropriate package groups for the installation type in the %packages section of the kickstartfile by using the @GroupID format:
Minimum Virtualization Host %packages@virtualization-hypervisor@virtualization-tools# The following group is optional. Uncomment the line to include it:#@virtualization-platform
Virtualization Host with GUI %packages@virtualization-hypervisor@virtualization-client@virtualization-platform@virtualization-tools
2.2.2 Installing Virtualization Packages on an Existing System
1. Log in as the root user on the target Oracle Linux system.
2. Ensure that your system has the appropriate Yum repository or ULN channel enabled for thevirtualization package versions that you wish to install. See Section 2.1, “Configuring Yum Repositoriesand ULN Channels” for more information.
3. Update the system so that it has the most recent packages available.
• If you are using Oracle Linux 7, run the yum update command.
• If you are using Oracle Linux 8, run the dnf update command.
4. Install virtualization packages on the system.
• If you are using Oracle Linux 7 run the following commands to install the base virtualization packagesand additional utilities:
9
Upgrading Virtualization Packages
# yum groupinstall "Virtualization Host"# yum install qemu-kvm virt-install virt-viewer
• If you are using Oracle Linux 8 run the following commands to install the base virtualization packagesand additional utilities:
# dnf module install virt# dnf install virt-install virt-viewer
2.2.3 Upgrading Virtualization Packages
Virtualization packages are updated by using the standard yum update or dnf updatecommand.Note that if you want to change the versions of the virtualization packages to match the versions that areshipped in a particular yum repository or ULN channel, you might need to specify the channel or repositoryfrom or to which you are installing packages. For example, you would update to the latest supportedvirtualization packages that are available in the ol7_kvm_utils repository as follows:
# yum --disablerepo="*" --enablerepo="ol7_kvm_utils" update
If you want to downgrade packages to a version in an alternate repository or channel, for example, todowngrade from the virtualization packages in the ol7_kvm_utils repository to the version of the samepackages in the ol7_latest repository, you must first remove the existing packages before installing thepackages from the alternate repository:
# yum remove libvirt* qemu* virt-install# yum --disablerepo="*" --enablerepo="ol7_latest" install libvirt qemu-kvm virt-install
2.3 Validating the Host System
The libvirt tools provide a validation utility that checks whether a system is capable of functioning correctlyas a virtualization host. The utility can check for several virtualization functionality, but KVM functionality iscovered specifically by testing the qemu virtualization type.
To test whether a system can act as a KVM host, run the following command:
# virt-host-validate qemu
If all of the checks return a PASS value, the system can host guest virtual machines. If any of the tests fail,a reason is provided and information is displayed on how to resolve the issue if such an option is available.
Note
If the following message is displayed, the system is not capable of functioning as aKVM host:
QEMU: Checking for hardware virtualization: FAIL (Only emulated CPUs are \ available, performance will be significantly limited)
In the event that this message is displayed, attempts to create or start a virtualmachine on the host are likely to fail.
10
Chapter 3 KVM Usage
Table of Contents3.1 Checking the libvirt Daemon Status ............................................................................................. 113.2 Base Operations ......................................................................................................................... 11
3.2.1 Creating a New Virtual Machine ....................................................................................... 123.2.2 Starting and Stopping Virtual Machines ............................................................................. 123.2.3 Deleting a Virtual Machine ............................................................................................... 13
3.3 Working with Storage for KVM Guests ........................................................................................ 143.3.1 Storage Pools .................................................................................................................. 143.3.2 Storage Volumes ............................................................................................................. 163.3.3 Managing Virtual Disks .................................................................................................... 17
3.4 Working with Memory and CPU Allocation ................................................................................... 193.4.1 Configuring Virtual CPU Count ......................................................................................... 193.4.2 Configuring Memory Allocation ......................................................................................... 20
3.5 Setting up Networking for KVM Guests ........................................................................................ 213.5.1 Setting up and Managing Virtual Networks ........................................................................ 223.5.2 Adding or Removing a vNIC ............................................................................................. 233.5.3 Bridged and Direct vNICs ................................................................................................. 243.5.4 Interface Bonding for Bridged Networks ............................................................................ 26
3.6 Cloning Virtual Machines ............................................................................................................ 263.6.1 Preparing a Virtual Machine for Cloning ............................................................................ 273.6.2 Cloning a Virtual Machine Using virt-clone ........................................................................ 283.6.3 Cloning a Virtual Machine Using Virtual Machine Manager ................................................. 29
Several tools exist to use the libvirt interface with KVM. In most cases, a variety of different toolsare available to perform the same operation. This document focuses on tools that can be used from thecommand line, but users in a desktop environment may consider using a graphical user interface likethe Virtual Machine Manager to create and manage virtual machines. For more information about VirtualMachine Manager, see https://virt-manager.org/.
3.1 Checking the libvirt Daemon StatusTo check the status of the libvirt daemon, run the following command on the virtualization host:
# systemctl status libvirtd
The output should indicate that the libvirtd daemon is running, as shown in the following example:
# systemctl status libvirtd * libvirtd.service - Virtualization daemon Loaded: loaded (/usr/lib/systemd/system/libvirtd.service; enabled; vendor preset: enabled) Active: active (running) since time_stamp; xh ago
If the daemon is not running, start it by running the following command:
# systemctl start libvirtd
After you verify that the libvirtd service is running, you can start provisioning guest systems.
3.2 Base OperationsIn this section base operations are described including creating, starting and stopping, and deleting virtualmachines.
11
Creating a New Virtual Machine
3.2.1 Creating a New Virtual Machine
The virt-install command is the most commonly used command-line tool for creating and settingup new vitual machines. This utility has many options to allow you to customize your virtual machine andcontrol how it is created. For complete documentation on this tool, view the VIRT-INSTALL(1) manualpage; or, for a quick list of options, you can run the virt-install --help command.
The following example, illustrates the creation of a simple virtual machine and assumes that virt-vieweris installed and available to load the installer in a graphical environment:
$ virt-install \--name guest-ol8 \--memory 2048 \--vcpus 2 \--disk size=8 \--location OracleLinux-R8.iso \--os-variant ol8.0
The following are detailed descriptions of each of the options that are specified in the example:
• --name is used to specify a name for the virtual machine. This is registered as a domain within libvirt.
• --memory is used to specify the RAM available to the virtual machine and is specified in MB.
• --vcpus is used to specify the number of virtual CPUs that should be available to the virtual machine.
• --disk is used to specify hard disk parameters. In this case, only the size is specified in GB. If a pathis not specified the disk image is created as a qcow file automatically. If virt-install is run as root,the disk image is created in /var/lib/libvirt/images/ and is named using the name specified forthe virtual machine at install. If virt-install is run as an ordinary user, the disk image is created in$HOME/.local/share/libvirt/images/.
• --location is used to provide the path to the installation media. This can be an ISO file, or anexpanded installation resource hosted at a local path or remotely on an HTTP or NFS server.
• --os-variant is an optional specification but provides some default parameters for each virtualmachine that can help improve performance for a specific operating system or distribution. For acomplete list of options available, run osinfo-query os.
When the command is run, the virtual machine is created and automatically started to boot using theinstall media specified in the location parameter. If you have the virt-viewer package installed andthe command has been run in a terminal within a desktop environment, the graphical console is openedautomatically and you can proceed with the guest operating system installation within the console.
3.2.2 Starting and Stopping Virtual Machines
After a virtual machine is created within KVM, it is registered as a domain within libvirt and you are able tomanage it using the virsh command. To obtain a complete list of all registered domains and their status,run the following command:
$ virsh list --all Id Name State---------------------------------------------------- 1 guest-ol8 running
Use the virsh help command to view available options and syntax. For example, to find out more aboutthe options available to listings of virtual machines, run virsh help list. This command shows optionsto view listings of virtual machines that are stopped or paused or that are currently active.
12
Deleting a Virtual Machine
To start a virtual machine, run the following command:
$ virsh start guest-ol8Domain guest-ol8 started
To gracefully shutdown a virtual machine, run the following command:
$ virsh shutdown guest-ol8Domain guest-ol8 is being shutdown
To reboot a virtual machine, run the following command:
$ virsh reboot guest-ol8Domain guest-ol8 is being rebooted
To suspend a virtual machine, run the following command:
$ virsh suspend guest-ol8Domain guest-ol8 suspended
To resume a suspended virtual machine, run the following command:
$ virsh resume guest-ol8Domain guest-ol8 resumed
To forcefully stop a virtual machine, run the following command:
$ virsh destroy guest-ol8Domain guest-ol8 destroyed
3.2.3 Deleting a Virtual Machine
The following steps can be followed to remove a virtual machine from a system:
1. If you are unsure of where the disk for the virtual machine is located, obtain this information before youremove the virtual machine, so that you can find it later and remove it manually. You can do this bydumping information about the virtual machine and checking for the source files. For example, run:
$ virsh dumpxml --domain guest-ol8 | grep 'source file' <source file='/home/testuser/.local/share/libvirt/images/guest-ol8-1.qcow2'/>
2. Shutdown the virtual machine, if possible. For example, run:
$ virsh shutdown guest-ol8
If the virtual machine can't be shutdown gracefully you can force it to stop by running:
$ virsh destroy guest-ol8
3. To delete the virtual machine, run:
$ virsh undefine guest-ol8
This step removes all configuration information about the virtual machine from libvirt. Storage artifactssuch as virtual disks are left intact. If you need to remove these as well, you can delete them manuallyfrom their location returned in the first step in this procedure. For example, you could run:
$ rm /home/testuser/.local/share/libvirt/images/guest-ol8-1.qcow2
Note that it is not possible to delete a virtual machine if it has snapshots. You should remove anysnapshots using the virsh snapshot-delete command before attempting to remove a virtual machinethat has any snapshots defined.
13
Working with Storage for KVM Guests
3.3 Working with Storage for KVM Guests
Libvirt handles a variety of different storage mechanisms that an administrator can configure for use byvirtual machines. These mechanisms are organized into different pools or units. By default, libvirt usesdirectory-based storage pools for the creation of new disks, but pools can be configured for differentstorage types including physical disk, NFS and iSCSI.
Depending on the storage pool type that is configured, different storage volumes can be made availableto your virtual machines to be used as block devices. In some cases, such as when using iSCSI pools,volumes do not need to be defined as the LUNs for the iSCSI target are automatically presented to thevirtual machine.
Note that you do not need to specifically define different storage pools and volumes to use libvirt withKVM. These tools are used to help administrators manage how storage is used and consumed by virtualmachines as they need it. It is perfectly acceptable to use the default directory-based storage and takeadvantage of manually mounted storage at the default locations.
Oracle recommends using Oracle Linux Virtualization Manager to easily manage and configure complexstorage requirements for KVM environments.
3.3.1 Storage Pools
Storage pools provide logical groupings of storage types that are available to host the volumes that canbe used as virtual disks by a set of virtual machines. A wide variety of different storage types are provided.Local storage can be used in the form of directory based storage pools, file system storage and disk basedstorage. Other storage types such as NFS and iSCSI provide standard network based storage, while RBDand Gluster types provide support for distributed storage mechanisms. More information is provided athttps://libvirt.org/storage.html.
Storage pools help to abstract underlying storage resources from the virtual machine configurations. Thisis particularly useful if you suspect that resources such as virtual disks may change physical location ormedia type. This becomes even more important when using network based storage and target paths, DNSor IP addressing may change over time. By abstracting this configuration information, an administrator canmanage resources in a consolidated way without needing to update multiple virtual machine configurations.
You can create transient storage pools that are available until the host reboots, or you can definepersistent storage pools that are restored after a reboot.
Transient storage pools are started automatically as soon as they are created and the volumes that arewithin them are made available to virtual machines immediately, however any configuration informationabout a transient storage pool is lost after the pool is stopped, the host reboots or if the libvirtd service isrestarted. The storage itself is unaffected, but virtual machines configured to use resources in a transientstorage pool lose access to these resources. Transient storage pools are created using the virsh pool-create command.
For most use cases, you should consider creating persistent storage pools. Persistent storage pools aredefined as a configuration entry that is stored within /etc/libvirt. Persistent storage pools can bestopped and started and can be configured to start when the host system boots. This can be useful aslibvirt can take care of automatically mounting and enabling access to network based resources. Persistentstorage pools are created using the virsh pool-define command, and usually need to be started afterthey have been created before you are able to use them.
The following examples show how you can set up directory based storage, and perform basic operationson it.
14
Storage Pools
To create a directory-based storage pool named pool_dir at /share/storage_pool on the hostsystem, run:
$ virsh pool-define-as pool_dir dir --target /share/storage_pool
You can verify that the pool was created by running:
$ virsh pool-list --all
To start the storage pool and make it accessible to any virtual machines, run:
$ virsh pool-start pool_dir
If you require the storage pool to start at boot, run:
$ virsh pool-autostart pool_dir
To stop the storage pool, run:
$ virsh pool-stop pool_dir
To remove the storage pool configuration completely, run:
$ virsh pool-undefine pool_dir
Other storage pool types can be easily created using the same virsh pool-define-as command.Options that are used with this command depend on the storage type that you select when you create yourstorage pool. For example, to create file system based storage, that mounts a formatted block device, /dev/sdc1, at the mount point /share/storage_mount, you can run:
$ virsh pool-create-as pool_fs fs \ --source-path /dev/sdc1 \ --target /share/storage_mount
Similarly, you can easily add an NFS share as a storage pool. For example, run:
$ virsh pool-create-as pool_nfs netfs \ --source-path /ISO \ --source-host nfs.example.com \ --target /share/storage_nfs
It is also possible to create an XML file representation of the storage pool configuration and load theconfiguration information from file using the virsh pool-define command. For example, you couldcreate a storage pool for a Gluster volume by creating an XML file named gluster_pool.xml with thefollowing content:
<pool type='gluster'> <name>pool_gluster</name> <source> <host name='192.0.2.1'/> <dir path='/'/> <name>gluster-vol1</name> </source></pool>
This example assumes that a Gluster server is already configured and running on a host with IP address192.0.2.1 and that a volume named gluster-vol1 is exported. Note that the glusterfs-fusepackage must be installed on the host and you should verify that you are able to mount the Gluster volumebefore attempting to use it with libvirt.
Run the following command to load the configuration information from the gluster_pool.xml file intolibvirt.
15
Storage Volumes
$ virsh pool-define gluster_pool.xml
Note that Oracle recommends using Oracle Linux Virtualization Manager when attempting to use complexnetwork based storage such as Gluster.
For more information on the XML format for a storage pool definition, see https://libvirt.org/formatstorage.html#StoragePool.
3.3.2 Storage Volumes
Storage volumes are created within a storage pool and represent the virtual disks that can be loaded asblock devices within one or more virtual machines. Some storage pool types do not need storage volumesto be created individually as the storage mechanism may present these to as block devices already. Forexample, iSCSI storage pools present the individual LUNs for an iSCSI target as separate block devices.
In some cases, such as when using directory or file system based storage pools, storage volumes areindividually created for use as virtual disks. In these cases, several disk image formats are supportedalthough some formats, such as qcow2, may require additional tools such as qemu-img for creation.
For disk based pools, standard partition type labels are used to represent individual volumes; while forpools based on the logical volume manager, the volumes themselves are presented individually within thepool.
Depending on the storage pool type, you can create new storage volumes using the virsh vol-createcommand. This command expects you to provide an XML file representation of the volume parameters.For example, to create a new volume in storage pool named pooldiryou could create an XML file,volume1.xml, with the required parameters and run:
$ virsh vol-create pooldir volume1.xml
The XML for a volume may depend on the pool type and the volume being created, but in the case of asparsely allocated 10 GB image in qcow2 format, the XML may look similar to the following:
<volume> <name>volume1</name> <allocation>0</allocation> <capacity unit="G">10</capacity> <target> <path>/home/testuser/.local/share/libvirt/images/volume1.qcow2</path> <permissions> <owner>107</owner> <group>107</group> <mode>0744</mode> <label>virt_image_t</label> </permissions> </target></volume>
For more information, see https://libvirt.org/formatstorage.html#StorageVol.
You can use the virsh vol-create-as command to create a volume directly by passing command linearguments to it directly. Many of the available options, such as the allocation or format have default valueset, so you can typically just specify the name of the storage pool where the volume should be created, thename of the volume and the capacity that you require. For example, run the command:
$ virsh vol-create-as --pool pooldir --name volume1 --capacity 10G
Note that storage volumes can be sparsely allocated by setting the allocation value for the initial size ofthe volume to a value lower than the capacity of the volume. The allocation indicates the initial or currentphysical size of the volume, while the capacity indicates the size of the virtual disk as it is presented to the
16
Managing Virtual Disks
virtual machine. Sparse allocation is frequently used to over-subscribe physical disk space where virtualmachines may ultimately require more disk space than is initially available. For a non-sparsely allocatedvolume, the allocation matches or exceeds the capacity of the volume. Exceeding the capacity of the diskprovides space for metadata, if required.
You can use virsh vol-info the command to view information about a volume to determine its type,capacity, and allocation. For example:
$ virsh vol-info --pool pooldir volume1Name: volume1Type: fileCapacity: 9.31 GiBAllocation: 8.00 GiB
You can clone a storage volume using the virsh vol-clone command. This command simply takes thename of the original volume and the name of the cloned volume as a parameter and the clone is created inthe same storage pool with identical parameters. For example:
$ virsh vol-clone volume1 volume1-clone
Note that you can use the --pool option if you have volumes with matching names in different pools onthe same system and you need to specify which pool the operation should take place in.
You can delete a storage volume by running the virsh vol-delete command. For example, to deletethe volume named volume1 in the storage pool named pooldir, run the following command:
$ virsh vol-delete volume1 --pool pooldir
As long as a storage volume is not being used by a virtual machine, you can resize it using the virshvol-resize command. For example:
$ virsh vol-resize volume1 15G
It is generally not advisable to reduce the size of an existing volume, as this can risk destroying data.However, if you attempt to resize a volume to reduce it, you must specify the --shrink option with thenew size value.
3.3.3 Managing Virtual Disks
Virtual disks are attached to virtual machines, usually as block devices based on disk images stored atsome or other path. Virtual disks can be defined for a virtual machine when it is created, or can be addedto an existing virtual machine. The command line tools available for the purpose of managing virtual disksare not completely consistent in terms of their handling of storage volumes and storage pools.
3.3.3.1 Adding or Removing a Virtual Disk
Storage volumes can be attached to a virtual machine as a virtual disk when the virtual machine is created.The virt-install command allows you to specify the volume or storage pool directly for any use ofthe --disk option. For example, to use an existing volume when creating a virtual machine, using virt-install, specify the disk as follows:
$ virt-install \ --name guest \ --disk vol=storage_pool1/volume1.qcow2 \...
You can equally use virt-install to create a virtual disk as a volume within an existing storage poolautomatically at install. For example, to create a new disk image as a volume within the storage poolnamed storage_pool1:
17
Managing Virtual Disks
$ virt-install \ --name guest \ --disk pool=storage_pool1 \ size=10 \...
Tools to attach a volume to an existing virtual machine are limited and it is generally recommended thatyou use a GUI tool like virt-manager or cockpit to assist with this. If you expect that you may need towork with volumes a lot, consider using Oracle Linux Virtualization Manager.
You can use the virsh attach-disk command to attach a disk image to an existing virtual machine.This command requires that you provide the path to the disk image when you attach it to the virtualmachine. If the disk image is a volume, you can obtain it's correct path by running the virsh vol-listcommand first.
$ virsh vol-list storage_pool_1 Name Path -------------------------------------------------------------------- volume1 /share/disk-images/volume1.qcow2
Attach the disk image within the existing virtual machine configuration so that it is persistent and attachesitself on each subsequent restart of the virtual machine:
$ virsh attach-disk --config \ --domain guest1 \ --source /share/disk-images/volume1.qcow2 \ --target sdb1
Note that you can use the --live option with this command to temporarily attach a disk image to arunning virtual machine; or you can use the --persistent option to attach a disk image to a runningvirtual machine and also update it's configuration so that the disk is attached on each subsequent restart.
3.3.3.2 Removing a Virtual Disk
You can remove a virtual disk from a virtual machine using the virsh detach-disk command. Forexample, to remove the disk at the target sdb1 from the configuration for the virtual machine namedguest1, you could run:
$ virsh detach-disk --config guest1 sdb1
Note that you can use the --live option with this command to temporarily detach a disk image from arunning virtual machine; or you can use the --persistent option to detach a disk image from a runningvirtual machine and also update it's configuration so that the disk is permanently detached from the virtualmachine on subsequent restarts.
Where disks are attached as block devices within a guest virtual machine, you can obtain a listing of theblock devices attached to a guest so that you are able to identify the disk target that is associated with aparticular source image file, by running the virsh domblklist command. For example, run:
$ virsh domblklist guest1
Detaching a virtual disk from the virtual machine does note delete the disk image file or volume from thehost system. If you need to delete a virtual disk, you can either manually delete the source image file ordelete the volume from the host.
3.3.3.3 Extending a Virtual Disk
You can effectively extend a virtual disk image by using the virsh blockresize command while thevirtual machine is running. For example, to increase the size of the disk image at the source location /share/disk-images/volume1.qcow2 on the running virtual machine named guest1 to 20GB, run:
18
Working with Memory and CPU Allocation
$ virsh blockresize guest1 /share/disk-images/volume1.qcow2 20GB
You can check that the resize has worked by checking the block device information for the running virtualmachine, using the virsh domblkinfo command. For example to list all block devices attached toguest1 in human readable format:
$ virsh domblkinfo guest1 --all --human
The virsh blockresize command allows you to scale up a disk on a live virtual machine, but it doesnot guarantee that the virtual machine is able to immediately identify that the additional disk resource isavailable. For some guest operating systems, restarting the virtual machine may be required before theguest is capable of identifying the additional resources available.
Individual partitions and file systems on the block device are not scaled using this command. You need toperform these operations manually from withing the guest, as required.
3.4 Working with Memory and CPU Allocation
You can configure how many virtual CPUs are active and how much memory is available for a given virtualmachine. These configuration changes can be made on a running virtual machine (hot plugging or hotunplugging) or can be stored in the virtual machine XML configuration file. Note that changes can belimited by the virtual machine host, the hypervisor, or by the original virtual machine description.
3.4.1 Configuring Virtual CPU Count
Optimizing vCPUs can impact the resource efficiency of your virtual machines. One way to optimize is toadjust how many vCPUs are assigned to a virtual machine. Hot plugging or hot unplugging vCPUs is whenyou configure vCPU count on a running virtual machine.
You can change the number of virtual CPUs that are active in a guest virtual machine using the virshsetvcpus command. By default, virsh setvcpus works on running guest virtual machines. If you wantto change the virtual CPU count for a stopped virtual machine, you add the --config option.
For example, run the following command to set the number of virtual CPUs on a running virtual machine:
$ virsh setvcpus domain-name, id, or uuid count-value --live
Note that the count value cannot exceed the number of CPUs assigned to the guest virtual machine. Thecount value also might be limited by the host, hypervisor, or from the original description of the guest virtualmachine.
The following command options are available:
• domain
A string value representing the virtual machine name, ID or UUID.
• count
A number value representing the number of virtual CPUs.
• --maximum
Controls the maximum number of virtual CPUs that can be hot-plugged the next time the guest virtualmachine is booted. Therefore, it can only be used with the --config flag.
• --config
19
Configuring Memory Allocation
Changes the stored XML configuration for the guest virtual machine and takes effect when the guest isstarted.
• --live
The guest virtual machine must be running and the change takes place immediately, thus hot plugging avCPU.
• --current
Affects the current guest virtual machine.
• --guest
Modifies the CPU state in the current guest virtual machine.
• --hotpluggable
Configures the vCPUs so they can be hot unplugged.
You can use the --config and --live options together if supported by the hypervisor.
If you do not specify --config, --live, or --current, the --live option is assumed. So, if you do notselect an option and the guest virtual machine is not running, the command fails. In addition, if no optionsare specified, it is up to the hypervisor whether the --config option is also assumed. This determineswhether the XML configuration is adjusted to make the change persistent.
3.4.2 Configuring Memory Allocation
To improve the performance of a virtual machine, you can assign additional host RAM to the virtualmachine. You can also decrease the amount of allocated memory to free up the resource for other virtualmachines or tasks. Hot plugging or hot unplugging memory is when you configure memory size on arunning virtual machine.
You use the virsh setmem command to change the available memory for a virtual machine. If you wantto change the maximum memory that can be allocated, use the virsh setmaxmem command.
To change a virtual machine's memory allocation, run:
$ virsh setmem domain-name, id, or uuid --kilobytes size
You must specify the size as a scaled integer in kibibytes and the new value cannot exceed the amountyou specified for the virtual machine. Values lower than 64 MB are unlikely to work with most virtualmachine operating systems. A higher maximum memory value does not affect active virtual machines. Ifthe new value is lower than the available memory, it shrinks possibly causing the virtual machine to crash.
The following command options are available:
• domain
A string value representing the virtual machine name, ID or UUID.
• size
A number value representing the new memory size, as a scaled integer. The default unit is KiB, but youcan select from other valid memory units:
• b or bytes for bytes
20
Setting up Networking for KVM Guests
• KB for kilobytes (103 or blocks of 1,000 bytes)
• k or KiB for kibibytes (210 or blocks of 1024 bytes)
• MB for megabytes (106 or blocks of 1,000,000 bytes)
• M or MiB for mebibytes (220 or blocks of 1,048,576 bytes)
• GB for gigabytes (109 or blocks of 1,000,000,000 bytes)
• G or GiB for gibibytes (230 or blocks of 1,073,741,824 bytes)
• TB for terabytes (1012 or blocks of 1,000,000,000,000 bytes)
• T or TiB for tebibytes (240 or blocks of 1,099,511,627,776 bytes)
• --config
Changes the stored XML configuration for the guest virtual machine and takes effect when the guest isstarted.
• --live
The guest virtual machine must be running and the change takes place immediately, thus hot pluggingmemory.
• --current
Affects the memory on the current guest virtual machine.
To set the maximum memory that can be allocated to a virtual machine, run:
$ virsh setmaxmem domain-name, id, or uuid size --current
You must specify the size as a scaled integer in kibibytes unless you also specify a supported memoryunit, which are the same as for the virsh setmem command.
All other options for virsh setmaxmem are the same as for virsh setmem with one caveat. If youspecify the --live option be aware that not all hypervisors allow live changes of the maximum memorylimit.
3.5 Setting up Networking for KVM GuestsKVM provides tools to add or remove vNICs of different types and to facilitate complex networkingarchitectures. Networking in KVM is achieved by creating virtual Network Interface Cards (vNICs) on theguest virtual machine. vNICS are mapped to the host system's own network infrastructure, by connectingto a virtual network running on the host itself; by directly using a physical interface on the host; through theuse of Single Root I/O Virtualization (SR-IOV) capabilities on a PCIe device; or by use of a network bridgethat allows the vNIC to share a physical network interface on the host.
In most cases, vNICs are defined when the virtual machine is first created, however the libvirt API allowsfor vNICs of different types to be added or removed from virtual machines as required and also facilitateshot plugging to allow you to perform these actions on a running virtual machine to avoid downtime.
Networking with KVM can be complex as it can involve components that are configured directly on the hostitself, configuration for the virtual machine within libvirt and also configuration for the network within therunning guest operating system. As a result, for many development and testing environments, it is often
21
Setting up and Managing Virtual Networks
sufficient to configure each vNIC to use the virtual networking provided by libvirt. This driver is used tocreate a virtual network that uses Network Address Translation (NAT) to allow virtual machines to gainaccess to external resources. This approach is simple to configure and often facilitates similar networkaccess already configured on the host system.
Where virtual machines may need to belong to specific subnetworks, a bridged network can be used.Network bridges use virtual interfaces that are mapped to and share a physical interface on the host. In thisconfiguration, network traffic from a virtual machine behaves like it is coming from an independent systemon the same physical network as the host system. Depending on the tools used, this may require somemanual changes to the host network configuration before it can be set up for a virtual machine.
Networking for virtual machines can also be configured to directly use a physical interface on the hostsystem. This can provide network behavior similar to using a bridged network interface in that the vNICbehaves as if it is connected to the physical network directly. Direct connections tend to use the macvtapdriver to extend physical network interfaces to provide a range of functionality that can also provide avirtual bridge that behaves similarly to a bridged network but which is easier to configure and maintain andwhich offers improved performance.
KVM is able to use SR-IOV for passthrough networking where a PCIe interface supports this functionality.The SR-IOV hardware must be properly set up and configured on the host system before you are able toattach the device to a virtual machine and configure the network to use this device.
Where network configuration is likely to be complex, Oracle recommends using Oracle Linux VirtualizationManager. Simple networking configurations and operations are described here to facilitate the majority ofbasic deployment scenarios.
3.5.1 Setting up and Managing Virtual Networks
If you are considering using virtual networking with NAT for your virtual machine networking requirements,you can use the default virtual network that is set up by libvirt for virtual machines or you can create andmanage different virtual networks within KVM for the purpose of grouping virtual machines on their ownsubnetworks.
Use the virsh net-list --all command to list all virtual networks that are configured on the host:
$ virsh net-list --all Name State Autostart Persistent---------------------------------------------------------- default active yes yes
You can find out more about a network using the virsh net-info command. For example, to find outabout the default network, run:
$ virsh net-info defaultName: defaultUUID: 16318035-eed4-45b6-99f8-02f1ed0661d9Active: yesPersistent: yesAutostart: yesBridge: virbr0
Note that the virtual network uses a network bridge, called virbr0. This is not to be confused withtraditional bridged networking. The virtual bridge is not connected to a physical interface and relies onNAT and IP forwarding to connect virtual machines to the physical network beyond. Libvirt also handlesIP address assignment for virtual machines using DHCP. The default network is typically in the range192.168.122.1/24. To see the full configuration information about a network, use the virsh net-dumpxml command:
22
Adding or Removing a vNIC
$ virsh net-dumpxml default<network> <name>default</name> <uuid>16318035-eed4-45b6-99f8-02f1ed0661d9</uuid> <forward mode='nat'> <nat> <port start='1024' end='65535'/> </nat> </forward> <bridge name='virbr0' stp='on' delay='0'/> <mac address='52:54:00:82:75:1d'/> <ip address='192.168.122.1' netmask='255.255.255.0'> <dhcp> <range start='192.168.122.2' end='192.168.122.254'/> </dhcp> </ip></network>
3.5.2 Adding or Removing a vNIC
You can use the virsh attach-interface command to add a new vNIC to an existing virtual machine.This command can be used to create a vNIC on a virtual machine that uses any of the networking typesthat KVM is capable of supporting.
$ virsh attach-interface --domain guest --type network --source default --config
You must specify the following parameters with this command:
• --domain
The virtual machine name, ID or UUID.
• --type
The type of networking that the vNIC should use. Available options include:
• network for a libvirt virtual network using NAT
• bridge for a bridge device on the host
• direct for a direct mapping to one of the host's network interfaces or bridges
• hostdev for a passthrough connection using a PCI device on the host.
• --source
The source that should be used for the network type specified. These vary depending on the type:
• for a network, specify the name of the virtual network
• for a bridge specify the name of the bridge device
• for a direct connection specify the name of the host's interface or bridge
• for a hostdev connection specify the PCI address of the host's interface formatted asdomain:bus:slot.function.
• --config
Changes the stored XML configuration for the guest virtual machine and takes effect when the guest isstarted.
23
Bridged and Direct vNICs
• --live
The guest virtual machine must be running and the change takes place immediately, thus hot pluggingthe vNIC.
• --current
Affects the current guest virtual machine.
Additional options are available to further customize the interface, such as setting the MAC address orconfiguring the target macvtap device when using some of the alternate network types. You can alsouse --model option to change the model of network interface that is presented to the virtual machine. Bydefault, the virtio model is used, but alternate models, such as e1000 or rtl8139 are available, Runvirsh help attach-interface for more information, or refer to the VIRSH(1) man page.
Remove a vNIC from a virtual machine using the virsh detach-interface command. For example, run:
$ virsh detach-interface --domain guest --type network --mac 52:54:00:41:6a:65 --config
Note that the domain or virtual machine name and type are required parameters. If the virtual machinehas more than one vNIC attached, you must specify the mac parameter to provide the MAC address of thevNIC that you wish to remove. You can obtain this value by listing the vNICs that are currently attached toa virtual machine. For example, you can run:
$ virsh domiflist guestInterface Type Source Model MAC-------------------------------------------------------vnet0 network default virtio 52:54:00:8c:d2:44vnet1 network default virtio 52:54:00:41:6a:65
3.5.3 Bridged and Direct vNICs
Bridged vNICs are simple to configure and allow a virtual machine's network to act independently to thehost's network configuration by sharing the same physical network interface to connect to the existingnetwork infrastructure. This can reduce complexity and is relatively easy to manage.
Traditional network bridging using linux bridges is supported using the bridge type when attaching aninterface. The virsh iface-bridge command can be used to create a bridge on the host system and add aphysical interface to it. For example, to create a bridge named vmbridge1 with the ethernet port namedenp0s31f6 attached, you can run:
$ virsh iface-bridge vmbridge1 enp0s31f6
Once the bridge is created, you can attach it using the virsh attach-interface command asdescribed in Section 3.5.2, “Adding or Removing a vNIC”.
There are several issues that you may need to be aware of when using traditional linux bridged networkingfor KVM guests. For instance, it is not simple to set up a bridge on a wireless interface due to the numberof addresses available in 802.11 frames. Furthermore, the complexity of the code to handle softwarebridges can result in reduced throughput, increased latency and additional configuration complexity. Themain advantage that this approach offers, is that it allows the host system to communicate across thenetwork stack directly with any guests configured to use bridged networking.
Most of the issues related to using traditional linux bridges can be easily overcome by using the macvtapdriver which simplifies virtualized bridge network significantly. For most bridged network configurations inKVM, this is the preferred approach because it offers better performance and it is easier to configure. Themacvtap driver is used when the network type is set to direct.
24
Bridged and Direct vNICs
The macvtap driver creates endpoint devices that follow the tun/tap ioctl interface model to extend anexisting network interface so that KVM can use it to connect to the physical network interface directly tosupport different network functions. These functions can be controlled by setting a different mode for theinterface. The following modes are available:
• vepa(Virtual Ethernet Port Aggregator) is the default mode and forces all data from a vNIC out of thephysical interface to a network switch. If the switch supports hairpin mode, different vNICs connectedto the same physical interface are able to communicate via the switch. Many switches currently do notsupport hairpin mode, which means that virtual machines with direct connnection interfaces running inVEPA mode are unable to communicate, but can connect to the external network via the switch.
• bridge mode connects all vNICS directly to each other so that traffic between virtual machines usingthe same physical interface is not sent out to the switch and is facilitated directly. This is the mostuseful option when using switches that do not support hairpin mode, and when you need maximumperformance for communications between virtual machines. It is important to note that when configuredin this mode, unlike a traditional software bridge, the host is unable to use this interface to communicatedirectly with the virtual machine.
• private mode behaves like a VEPA mode vNIC in the absence of a switch supporting hairpin mode.However, even if the switch does support hairpin mode, two virtual machines connected to the samephysical interface are unable to communicate with each other. This option has limited use cases.
• passthrough mode attaches a physical interface device or an SR-IOV Virtual Function (VF) directly tothe vNIC without losing the migration capability. All packets are sent directly to the configured networkdevice. There is a one-to-one mapping between network devices and virtual machines when configuredin passthrough mode because a network device cannot be shared between virtual machines in thisconfiguration.
Unfortunately, the virsh attach-interface command does not allow you to specify the differentmodes available when attaching a direct type interface that uses the macvtap driver and defaultsto vepa mode . The graphical virt-manager utility makes setting up bridged networks using macvtapsignificantly easier and provides options for each different mode.
Nonetheless, it is not very difficult to change the configuration of a virtual machine by editing the XMLdefinition for it directly. The following steps can be followed to configure a bridged network using themacvtap driver on an existing virtual machine:
1. Attach a direct type interface to the virtual machine using the virsh attach-interfacecommand and specify the source for the physical interface that should be used for the bridge. In thisexample, the virtual machine is called guest1 and the physical network interface on the host is awireless interface called wlp4s0:
$ virsh attach-interface --domain guest1 --type direct --source wlp4s0 --config
2. Dump the XML for the virtual machine configuration and copy it to a file that you can edit:
$ virsh dumpxml guest1 > /tmp/guest1.xml
3. Edit the XML for the virtual machine to change the vepa mode interface to use bridged mode. If thereare many interfaces connected to the virtual machine, or you wish to review your changes, you can dothis in a text editor. If you are happy to make this change globally, run:
$ sed -i "s/mode='vepa'/mode='bridge'/g" /tmp/guest1.xml
4. Remove the existing configuration for this virtual machine and replace it with the modified configurationin the XML file:
$ virsh undefine guest1
25
Interface Bonding for Bridged Networks
$ virsh define /tmp/guest1.xml
5. Restart the virtual machine for the changes to take affect. The direct interface is attached in bridgemode and is persistent and automatically started when the virtual machine boots.
3.5.4 Interface Bonding for Bridged Networks
The use of bonded interfaces for higher throughput is common where hosts may run several concurrentvirtual machines that are providing multiple services at once. Where a single physical interface may haveprovided sufficient bandwidth for applications hosted on a physical server, the increase in network trafficwhen running multiple virtual machines can have a negative impact on network performance where asingle physical interface is shared. By using bonded interfaces, the throughput capability for your virtualmachines can be increased significantly and you are able to also take advantage of the high availabilityfeatures that come with a network bond.
Since the physical network interfaces that a virtual machine may use are located on the host and not onthe virtual machine, setting up any form of bonded networking for greater throughput or for high availability,must be configured on the host system, itself. This approach allows you to configure network bonds on thehost and then to attach a virtual network interface, using a network bridge, directly to the bonded networkon the host.
Network bonding of physical interfaces for Oracle Linux 7 is described in Oracle® Linux 7: Setting UpNetworking. For Oracle Linux 8, see Oracle® Linux 8: Setting Up Networking. To achieve HA networkingfor you virtual machines, you should configure a network bond on the host system first.
When the bond is configured, you should configure your virtual machine networks to use the bondedinterface when you create a network bridge. This can be done using either the bridge type interface orusing a direct interface configured to use the macvtap driver's bridge mode. The bond interface canbe used instead of a physical network interface when configuring a virtual network interface.
3.6 Cloning Virtual Machines
You can use two types of virtual machine instances to create copies of virtual machines:
• Clone
A clone is an instance of a single virtual machine. You can use a clone to set up a network of identicalvirtual machines which you can optionally distribute to other destinations.
• Template
A template is an instance of a virtual machine that you can use as the cloning source. You can use atemplate to create create multiple clones and optionally make modifications to each clone.
The difference between clones and templates is how they are used. For the created clone to work properly,ensure that you remove information and modify configurations that is unique to the virtual machine thatis being cloned before cloning. This information and configurations differs based on how you will use theclones, for example:
• anything assigned to the virtual machine such as the number of Network Interface Cards (NICs) andtheir MAC addresses.
• anything configured within the virtual machine such as SSH keys.
• anything configured by an application installed on the virtual machine such as activation codes andregistration information.
26
Preparing a Virtual Machine for Cloning
You must remove some of the information and configurations from within the virtual machine. Otherinformation and configurations must be removed from the virtual machine using the virtualizationenvironment.
3.6.1 Preparing a Virtual Machine for Cloning
Before cloning a virtual machine, you must prepare it by running the virt-sysprep utility on its diskimage or by completing the following steps.
Note
For more information on how to use the virt-sysprep utility to prepare a virtualmachine and understand the available options, see https://libguestfs.org/virt-sysprep.1.html.
1. Build the virtual machine that you want to use for the clone or template.
a. Install any needed software.
b. Configure any non-unique operating system and application settings.
2. Remove any persistent or unique network configuration details.
a. Run the following command to remove any persistent udev rules:
$ rm -f /etc/udev/rules.d/70-persistent-net.rules
Note
If you do not remove the udev rules, the name of the first NIC might beeth1instead of eth0.
b. Modify /etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/ifcfg-eth[x] to remove the HWADDR and staticlines as well as any other unique or non-desired settings, such as UUID, for example:
DEVICE=eth[x]BOOTPROTO=noneONBOOT=yes
#NETWORK=10.0.1.0 <- REMOVE#NETMASK=255.255.255.0 <- REMOVE#IPADDR=10.0.1.20 <- REMOVE#HWADDR=xx:xx:xx:xx:xx <- REMOVE#USERCTL=no <- REMOVE
After modification, your file should not include a HWADDR entry or any unique information, and at aminimum include the following lines:
DEVICE=eth[x]ONBOOT=yes
Important
You must remove the HWADDR entry because if its address does not matchthe new guest's MAC address, the ifcfg is ignored.
c. If you have /etc/sysconfig/networking/profiles/default/ifcfg-eth[x] and /etc/sysconfig/networking/devices/ifcfg-eth[x] files, ensure they have the same content asthe /etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/ifcfg-eth[x] file.
27
Cloning a Virtual Machine Using virt-clone
Note
Ensure that any additional unique information is removed from the ifcfgfiles.
3. If the guest virtual machine from which you want to create a clone is registered with ULN, you must de-register it. For more information, see the Unbreakable Linux Network User's Guide for Oracle Linux 6and Oracle Linux 7.
4. Run the following command to remove any sshd public/private key pairs:
$ rm -rf /etc/ssh/ssh_host_*
Note
Removing ssh keys prevents problems with ssh clients not trusting these hosts.
5. Remove any other application-specific identifiers or configurations that might cause conflicts if runningon multiple machines.
6. Configure the virtual machine to run the relevant configuration wizards the next time it boots.
• For Oracle Linux 6 and below, run the following command to create an empty file on the root filesystem called .unconfigured:
$ touch /.unconfigured
• For Oracle Linux 7, run the following commands to enable the first boot and initial-setup wizards:
$ sed -ie 's/RUN_FIRSTBOOT=NO/RUN_FIRSTBOOT=YES/' /etc/sysconfig/firstboot$ systemctl enable firstboot-graphical$ systemctl enable initial-setup-graphical
Note
The wizards that run on the next boot depend on the configurations that havebeen removed from the virtual machine. Also, on the first boot of the clone werecommend that you change the hostname.
Important
Before proceeding with cloning, shut down the virtual machine. You can clone avirtual machine using virt-clone or virt-manager.
3.6.2 Cloning a Virtual Machine Using virt-clone
You can use virt-clone to clone virtual machines from the command line; however, you need rootprivileges for virt-clone to complete successfully. The virt-clone command provides a number ofoptions that can be passed on the command line, which include general, storage configuration, networkingconfiguration, and other miscellaneous options. Only the --original is required.
Run virt-clone --help to see a complete list of options, or refer to the VIRT-CLONE(1) man page.
Run the following command to clone a virtual machine on the default connection, automatically generatinga new name and disk clone path:
$ virt-clone --original vm-name --auto-clone
28
Cloning a Virtual Machine Using Virtual Machine Manager
Run the following command to clone a virtual machine with multiple disks:
$ virt-clone --connect qemu:///system --original vm-name --name vm-clone-name --file \ /var/lib/libvirt/images/vm-clone-name.img --file /var/lib/libvirt/images/vm-clone-data.img
3.6.3 Cloning a Virtual Machine Using Virtual Machine Manager
Complete the following steps to clone a guest virtual machine using Virtual Machine Manager.
1. Start Virtual Machine Manager in one of the following ways:
• Launch Virtual Machine Manager from the System Tools menu.
• Run the virt-manager command as root.
2. From the list of guest virtual machines, right-click the guest virtual machine you want to clone and clickClone.
The Clone Virtual Machine window opens.
3. In the Name field, change the name of the clone or accept the default name.
4. To change the Networking information, click Details. Then, enter a new MAC address for the cloneand click OK.
5. For each disk in the cloned guest virtual machine, select one of the following options:
• Clone this disk - The disk is cloned for the cloned guest virtual machine.
• Share disk with guest-virtual-machine-name - The disk is shared by the guest virtualmachine to be cloned and its clone.
• Details - Opens the Change storage path window if you want to select a new path for the disk.
6. Click Clone.
29
30
Chapter 4 Oracle VirtIO Drivers for Microsoft Windows
Table of Contents4.1 What's New ................................................................................................................................ 314.2 Supported Releases, Operating Systems, and Configuration Limits ............................................... 31
4.2.1 Supported Environments .................................................................................................. 324.2.2 Supported Guest Operating Systems ................................................................................ 324.2.3 Microsoft Windows Compatibility Signing .......................................................................... 34
4.3 Downloading the Oracle VirtIO Drivers for Microsoft Windows ....................................................... 344.4 Installing the Oracle VirtIO Drivers for Microsoft Windows ............................................................. 35
4.4.1 Installing the Oracle VirtIO Drivers for Microsoft Windows on Existing Microsoft WindowsGuests ..................................................................................................................................... 354.4.2 Installing the Oracle VirtIO Drivers for Microsoft Windows During Microsoft Windows GuestInstallation ................................................................................................................................ 374.4.3 Optional Configuration Changes ....................................................................................... 38
4.5 Upgrading the Oracle VirtIO Drivers for Microsoft Windows .......................................................... 394.6 Silently Installing or Upgrading the Oracle VirtIO Drivers for Microsoft Windows ............................. 404.7 Uninstalling the Oracle VirtIO Drivers for Microsoft Windows ......................................................... 414.8 Known Limitations and Workarounds ........................................................................................... 42
4.8.1 Security Alert for Unsigned Drivers ................................................................................... 434.8.2 Found New Hardware Wizard Displayed ........................................................................... 454.8.3 Microsoft Windows Server 2012 Data Center Guests With Failover Clustering Cannot GetIP Address ............................................................................................................................... 45
The Oracle VirtIO Drivers for Microsoft Windows are paravirtualized drivers for Microsoft Windows gueststhat are running on KVM hypervisors; these drivers improve performance for network and block (disk)devices on Microsoft Windows guests and resolve common issues.
The following instructions describe how to install, use, and troubleshoot the Oracle VirtIO Drivers forMicrosoft Windows. Note that these instructions are intended for users and administrators of gueststhat are running the Microsoft Windows operating system in virtualized environments, where KVM is thehypervisor.
4.1 What's New
Included in release 1.1.6 of the Oracle VirtIO Drivers for Microsoft Windows is the addition of the pvpanicdriver. When a Windows guest crashes, the pvpanic driver sends a PVPANIC_PANICKED event to notifythe host.
4.2 Supported Releases, Operating Systems, and ConfigurationLimits
The following information pertains to the Oracle Linux and Oracle Cloud Infrastructure releases that aresupported with the Oracle VirtIO Drivers for Microsoft Windows, in addition to the supported operatingsystems for each version of the Oracle VirtIO Drivers for Microsoft Windows.
Information about Microsoft Windows compatibility signing and details on tested and recommendedconfiguration limits for the Oracle VirtIO Drivers for Microsoft Windows is also provided.
31
Supported Environments
4.2.1 Supported Environments
The following environments and platforms provide support for the Oracle VirtIO Drivers for MicrosoftWindows Release 1.1.6:
• Oracle Cloud Infrastructure
• Oracle Linux 7
4.2.2 Supported Guest Operating Systems
The following table lists the supported Microsoft Windows operating systems for the Oracle VirtIO Driversfor Microsoft Windows.
Table 4.1 Microsoft Windows Supported Guest Operating Systems
Guest Operating System with Oracle VirtIODrivers for Microsoft Windows Installed
64-bit 32-bit
Microsoft Windows Server 2019 Yes N/A
Microsoft Windows Server 2016 Yes N/A
Microsoft Windows Server 2012 R2 Yes N/A
Microsoft Windows Server 2012 Yes N/A
Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1
Note
This operating system issupported only when thefollowing Microsoft hotfixesare applied:
• https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/983554/0x000000be-stop-error-message-when-you-use-the-storport-sys-driver-to/0x000000be-stop-error-message-when-you-use-the-storport-sys-driver-to
• https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/2957775/system-crashes-during-i-o-traffic-after-you-install-a-host-bus-adapter
• https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4474419/sha-2-code-signing-support-
Yes N/A
32
Supported Guest Operating Systems
Guest Operating System with Oracle VirtIODrivers for Microsoft Windows Installed
64-bit 32-bit
update/sha-2-code-signing-support-update
Microsoft Windows Server 2008 SP2
Note
This operating system issupported only when thefollowing Microsoft hotfixesare applied:
• https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/983554/0x000000be-stop-error-message-when-you-use-the-storport-sys-driver-to/0x000000be-stop-error-message-when-you-use-the-storport-sys-driver-to
• https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4474419/sha-2-code-signing-support-update/sha-2-code-signing-support-update
Yes Yes
Microsoft Windows Server 2003 R2 SP2 Yes Yes
Microsoft Windows 10 Yes Yes
Microsoft Windows 8.1 Yes Yes
Microsoft Windows 8 Yes Yes
Microsoft Windows 7 SP1 Yes Yes
Microsoft Windows Vista SP2 Yes Yes
Note
For information about the supported Microsoft Windows operating systems forthe Oracle VirtIO Drivers for Microsoft Windows in the Oracle Cloud Infrastructureenvironment, see https://docs.cloud.oracle.com/en-us/iaas/Content/Compute/References/bringyourownimage.htm.
Virtual Machine Configuration
Virtual machine configuration for the Oracle VirtIO Drivers for Microsoft Windows complies with shapeconfigurations for virtual machines in the Oracle Cloud Infrastructure environment. For more information,see: https://www.oracle.com/cloud/compute/virtual-machines.html.
33
Microsoft Windows Compatibility Signing
4.2.3 Microsoft Windows Compatibility Signing
The following table shows the Microsoft Windows operating systems for which the Oracle VirtIO Drivers forMicrosoft Windows have been signed and certified. Oracle has also tested the drivers to ensure they workas expected. Additional information on the certifications can be found at the Windows Server Catalog.
Table 4.2 Microsoft Windows Compatibility Signing
Guest Operating System Signed and Certified byMicrosoft
Tested by Oracle toOperate Successfully
Microsoft Windows Server 2019 Yes Yes
Microsoft Windows Server 2016 Yes Yes
Microsoft Windows Server 2012 R2 Yes Yes
Microsoft Windows Server 2012 Yes Yes
Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 Yes Yes
Microsoft Windows Server 2008 SP2 (32- and 64-bit)
Yes Yes
Microsoft Windows Server 2003 R2 SP2 No Yes
Microsoft Windows 10 No Yes
Microsoft Windows 8.1 No Yes
Microsoft Windows 8 No Yes
Microsoft Windows 7 SP1 No Yes
Microsoft Windows Vista SP2 No Yes
Note
A security alert occurs during installation on a Windows operating system for whichOracle VirtIO Drivers for Microsoft Windows are not signed.
4.3 Downloading the Oracle VirtIO Drivers for Microsoft WindowsBefore you can install the Oracle VirtIO Drivers for Microsoft Windows you must download them fromOracle Software Delivery Cloud or My Oracle Support (MOS).
To download the Oracle VirtIO Drivers for Microsoft Windows from Oracle Software Delivery Cloud:
1. Navigate to https://edelivery.oracle.com and log in.
2. Search for Oracle Linux.
3. Select DLP: Oracle Linux 7.8.0.0.0 (Oracle Linux).
4. Click Continue.
5. In the Platforms / Languages column, select x86 64 bit in the drop-down list and then click Continue.
6. Review and accept the Oracle License Agreement and then click Continue.
7. Click the V1002983-01.zip file name (Oracle VirtIO Drivers Version for Microsoft Windows 1.1.6,68.0 MB) and save it to your system.
To download the Oracle VirtIO Drivers for Microsoft Windows from MOS:
34
Installing the Oracle VirtIO Drivers for Microsoft Windows
1. From the MOS home page, cick the Patches & Updates tab.
2. From the Patch Search options, in the Patch Name or Number field enter 27637937 and then clickSearch.
3. From the search results table, click the 27637937 Patch Name that corresponds to the Oracle VirtIOdrivers version 1.1.6 (Patch) Description.
4. From the Patch Details page, click Download.
The File Download window opens.
5. Click the p27637937_78000_MSWIN-x86-64.zip file and save it to your system.
4.4 Installing the Oracle VirtIO Drivers for Microsoft Windows
Installing the Oracle VirtIO Drivers for Microsoft Windows involves configuring Microsoft Windows policies,running the installation program, and then verifying the installation.
4.4.1 Installing the Oracle VirtIO Drivers for Microsoft Windows on ExistingMicrosoft Windows Guests
To install the Oracle VirtIO Drivers for Microsoft Windows on existing Microsoft Windows guests, performthe following procedures.
4.4.1.1 Configuring Policies for Device Installation
Configure Microsoft Windows policies to allow the installation of the Oracle VirtIO Drivers for MicrosoftWindows, if these policies are not already configured. This task prevents the following error from occuringduring an installation:
The installation of this device is forbidden by system policy. Contact your system administrator.
To configure policies for installation:
1. Open the Microsoft Windows virtual machine on which you want to install the Oracle VirtIO Drivers forMicrosoft Windows.
2. From the Start menu, select Run.
3. Enter gpedit.msc and then click OK.
The Local Group Policy Editor is displayed.
4. From the Console Tree, display the list of device installation restrictions (Device InstallationRestrictions) as follows:
a. Expand Computer Configuration, and then expand Administrative Templates.
b. Expand System, and then expand Device Installation.
c. Select Device Installation Restrictions.
5. Edit the policy settings so that no device installation restrictions are configured.
Alternatively, review each policy setting to determine the correct configuration for your business needs.
35
Installing the Oracle VirtIO Drivers for Microsoft Windows on Existing Microsoft Windows Guests
6. Close the Local Group Policy Editor.
7. Restart the Microsoft Windows virtual machine.
When you are finished configuring the policy settings for device installation, you can proceed with theinstallation of the Oracle VirtIO Drivers for Microsoft Windows.
4.4.1.2 Installing Oracle VirtIO Drivers for Microsoft Windows
Before You Begin. Do the following before you start the installation process:
• Obtain the Oracle VirtIO Drivers for Microsoft Windows from Oracle Software Delivery Cloud or MOS.See Section 4.3, “Downloading the Oracle VirtIO Drivers for Microsoft Windows”.
• Review the list of supported Microsoft Windows operating systems and any prerequisite hotfixes. SeeSection 4.2.2, “Supported Guest Operating Systems”.
• Configure system policies to allow the installation. See Section 4.4.1.1, “Configuring Policies for DeviceInstallation”.
Note
If you are migrating Windows guests from Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Classicto Oracle Cloud Infrastructure, the installer copies the Oracle VirtIO Drivers forMicrosoft Windows files, installs the drivers on the guest, and configures the guestto support migration from Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Classic to Oracle CloudInfrastructure.
You can install the Oracle VirtIO Drivers for Microsoft Windows by using the GUI installation program or byperforming a silent installation. Use the graphical installation program if you are installing a single instanceof the Oracle VirtIO Drivers for Microsoft Windows. If you plan to silently install multiple instances of theOracle VirtIO Drivers for Microsoft Windows, you must run the GUI installation program in a command-linewindow on at least one Microsoft Windows guest to create a response file. You can then use the responsefile to perform all of the subsequent installations silently.
To install the Oracle VirtIO Drivers for Microsoft Windows:
1. Copy the Oracle VirtIO Drivers for Microsoft Windows installation program Setup.exe to the guest.
2. Start the installation by running Setup.exe in one of the following ways:
• To perform a single installation, double-click Setup.exe to start the Oracle VirtIO Drivers forMicrosoft Windows installer.
• To record a response file for automated installations on multiple systems:
a. Open a command line window.
b. Navigate to the directory where the Setup.exe file is located.
c. Run Setup.exe -r to start the Oracle VirtIO Drivers for Microsoft Windows installer and createa response file for silent installations.
3. If prompted, select Yes in the User Account Control dialog to allow the Oracle VirtIO Drivers forMicrosoft Windows installer to proceed.
The Welcome window is displayed.
4. Click Next.
36
Installing the Oracle VirtIO Drivers for Microsoft Windows During Microsoft Windows Guest Installation
The Start to install Oracle VirtIO Drivers for Microsoft Windows Release 1.1.6 window is displayedwith information about your selection.
5. Click Install to start the installation.
The installer copies the Oracle VirtIO Drivers for Microsoft Windows files and installs the drivers on theguest.
6. Once the installation completes, click Finish.
The virtual machine is restarted.
Note
If you are migrating Windows guests from Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Classicto Oracle Cloud Infrastructure, shut down the Windows guest VM in the OracleCloud Infrastructure Classic environment and then start the Windows guest VMin the Oracle Cloud Infrastructure environment.
The Oracle VirtIO Drivers for Microsoft Windows are installed in the following directories:
• On 32-bit systems: C:\Program Files\Oracle Corporation\Oracle Windows VirtIODrivers
• On 64-bit systems: C:\Program Files (x86)\Oracle Corporation\Oracle WindowsVirtIO Drivers
If you used the -r option in the command line, the installation program creates a response file in the C:\Windows directory. You then use the response file, setup.iss, to perform silent installations on otherMicrosoft Windows guests. See Section 4.6, “Silently Installing or Upgrading the Oracle VirtIO Drivers forMicrosoft Windows”.
4.4.2 Installing the Oracle VirtIO Drivers for Microsoft Windows DuringMicrosoft Windows Guest Installation
Before You Begin. Do the following before you start the installation process:
• Obtain the Oracle VirtIO Drivers for Microsoft Windows from Oracle Software Delivery Cloud or MOS.See Section 4.3, “Downloading the Oracle VirtIO Drivers for Microsoft Windows”.
• Review the list of supported Microsoft Windows operating systems and any prerequisite hotfixes. SeeSection 4.2.2, “Supported Guest Operating Systems”.
To install the Oracle VirtIO Drivers for Microsoft Windows during the installation of a Microsoft Windowsguest, do the following:
1. Create the virtual machine, but do not start it.
2. Attach the Oracle VirtIO Drivers for Microsoft Windows ISO file to the virtual machine as an emulatedIDE device. You can find the winvirtio.iso file in the Oracle VirtIO Drivers for Microsoft Windowszip file you downloaded.
Ensure that the Microsoft Windows installation ISO is attached to the virtual machine as the first IDEdevice. The Oracle VirtIO Drivers for Microsoft Windows ISO file should be the second IDE device.
3. Start the virtual machine and begin the Microsoft Windows installation process.
4. When the disk or partition screen displays, follow the prompts to browse and load drivers.
37
Optional Configuration Changes
5. Navigate to the appropriate driver location on the Oracle VirtIO Drivers for Microsoft Windows ISO fileand then select them.
The contents of the Oracle VirtIO Drivers for Microsoft Windows ISO file are as follows:
autorun.inf # File that automatically runs the installation program.Setup.exe # The main graphical installation program.NetKVM # Directory that contains the license file for NetKVM drivers.pvpanic # Directory that contains the license file for pvpanic drivers.vioscsi # Directory that contains the license file for vioscsi drivers.vioserial # Directory that contains the license file for vioserial drivers.viostore # Directory that contains the license file for viostore drivers.vio # Base directory for drivers.
vio/Win10 # Drivers for Windows 10, Windows Server 2016, and Windows Server 2019.vio/Win10/amd64 # 64-bit drivers.vio/Win10/i386 # 32-bit drivers. {only Windows 10)
vio/Win8.1 # Drivers for Windows 8.1 and Windows Server 2012 R2.vio/Win8.1/amd64 # 64-bit drivers.vio/Win8.1/i386 # 32-bit drivers. (only Windows 8.1)
vio/Win8 # Drivers for Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012.vio/Win8/amd64 # 64-bit drivers.vio/Win8/i386 # 32-bit drivers. (only Windows 8)
vio/Win7 # Drivers for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2.vio/Win7/amd64 # 64-bit drivers.vio/Win7/i386 # 32-bit drivers.
vio/Wlh # Drivers for Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 (Longhorn).vio/Wlh/amd64 # 64-bit drivers.vio/Wlh/i386 # 32-bit drivers.
vio/Wnet # Drivers for Windows Server 2003 R2.vio/Wnet/amd64 # 64-bit drivers.vio/Wnet/i386 # 32-bit drivers.
6. Repeat the preceding step to install additional drivers as necessary and then continue with theMicrosoft Windows installation process.
After you install the Microsoft Windows guest, you must configure Microsoft Windows policies. SeeSection 4.2.2, “Supported Guest Operating Systems”.
4.4.3 Optional Configuration Changes
This section describes optional changes that can be made to the configuration after installation iscomplete.
Note
The optional configuration changes are only relevant if you completed a Defaulttype of installation, are running Oracle Linux, and have control of the host system. Ifyou have completed a Custom installation and migrated your VM from the OCI-C toOracle Cloud Infrastructure environment, you do not have access to the host.
The changes that are described here require that the host system is running the latest supportedvirtualization packages, which are available in the ol7_kvm_utils Yum repository on the Oracle Linuxyum server or in the ol7_x86_64_kvm_utils or ol7_aarch64_kvm_utils channels on ULN.
If you have not already done so, enable the appropriate channel or repository and install the packagesfrom this location before proceeding. See Section 2.1, “Configuring Yum Repositories and ULN Channels”
38
Upgrading the Oracle VirtIO Drivers for Microsoft Windows
for more information. If you perform an upgrade of the virtualization packages, you might need to restartany running virtual machines for the changes to take effect.
4.4.3.1 Configuring Block Drivers
The Oracle VirtIO Drivers for Microsoft Windows provide block drivers that improve disk performance onMicrosoft Windows guests. However, guests do not automatically start by using the Oracle VirtIO Driversfor Microsoft Windows storage drivers after installation. As a result, guests cannot use the paravirtualizedstorage drivers for boot disks. You must configure each guest to use paravirtualized storage drivers insteadof emulated disks after installation.
To configure block drivers after installation:
1. Ensure you have installed the Oracle VirtIO Drivers for Microsoft Windows.
2. Stop the guest if it is running.
3. Create a new temporary image that you can add to the guest as a second disk. For example, run:
# qemu-img create -f qcow2 disk_name.qcow2 1G
4. Add the disk you created to the guest.
5. Specify virtio as the bus type for the disk you added and then start the guest. Microsoft Windows willlocate the disk drivers and complete the installation at this point.
6. Change the bus type for the boot disk to virtio and then start the guest.
Microsoft Windows then installs the Oracle VirtIO Drivers for Microsoft Windows block driver on theboot disk.
7. Detach the temporary disk from the guest.
4.4.3.2 Setting the MTU Size for Virtual Machines
The Oracle VirtIO Drivers for Microsoft Windows override the maximum transmission unit (MTU) settingsin the virtual network adapters for Microsoft Windows guests. After you have successfully installed andverified the Oracle VirtIO Drivers for Microsoft Windows, set the MTU for each guest as follows:
1. Open the Microsoft Windows virtual machine.
2. Open the control panel, then locate and open the Device Manager window.
3. Expand Network adapters and select the appropriate Oracle VirtIO Ethernet Adapter.
4. Right-click the adapter, select Properties, and then select the Advanced tab.
5. Select the MTU property and set the value as appropriate.
6. Click OK to save your changes.
4.5 Upgrading the Oracle VirtIO Drivers for Microsoft WindowsYou can upgrade an existing installation of the Oracle VirtIO Drivers for Microsoft Windows by using theGUI installation program or by performing a silent upgrade. Use the graphical installation program if youare upgrading a single instance of the Oracle VirtIO Drivers for Microsoft Windows. If you plan to silentlyupgrade multiple instances of the Oracle VirtIO Drivers for Microsoft Windows, you must run the graphicalinstallation program in a command-line window on at least one Microsoft Windows guest to create aresponse file. You can then use the response file to perform all subsequent upgrades silently.
39
Silently Installing or Upgrading the Oracle VirtIO Drivers for Microsoft Windows
To upgrade the Oracle VirtIO Drivers for Microsoft Windows:
1. Copy the Oracle VirtIO Drivers for Microsoft Windows installation program, Setup.exe, to the guest.
2. Do one of the following:
• Double click Setup.exe to begin the upgrade.
• Open a command line window and then do the following:
a. Navigate to the directory where the Setup.exe file is located.
b. Run the Setup.exe -r command to begin the upgrade and create a response file for silentinstallations.
3. If prompted, select Yes in the User Account Control dialog to allow the Oracle VirtIO Drivers forMicrosoft Windows installer to proceed.
Figure 4.1 Oracle VirtIO Drivers for Microsoft Windows user account control dialog
The initial upgrade window is displayed.
4. Click Next to start the upgrade.
The installation program then copies new versions of the Oracle VirtIO Drivers for Microsoft Windows tothe system and updates the installed drivers. The Update Complete window is displayed.
5. Click Yes, I want to restart the system now and then click Finish to restart the virtual machine.
If you used the -r option in the command line, the installation program creates a response file in the C:\Windows directory. You then use the response file, setup.iss, to perform silent upgrades on otherMicrosoft Windows guests. See Section 4.6, “Silently Installing or Upgrading the Oracle VirtIO Drivers forMicrosoft Windows”.
4.6 Silently Installing or Upgrading the Oracle VirtIO Drivers forMicrosoft Windows
You can use a response file that you create with the graphical installation program to silently install orupgrade the Oracle VirtIO Drivers for Microsoft Windows. The response file provides the prompts thatthe installation program requires to successfully install or upgrade the Oracle VirtIO Drivers for MicrosoftWindows.
40
Uninstalling the Oracle VirtIO Drivers for Microsoft Windows
Important
• Oracle VirtIO Drivers for Microsoft Windows must be signed by Microsoft toperform a silent installation or upgrade. See Section 4.2.3, “Microsoft WindowsCompatibility Signing”.
• You can perform a silent installation or upgrade only on 64-bit versions ofMicrosoft Windows later than Windows Vista. You cannot perform a silentinstallation or upgrade on any 32-bit version of Microsoft Windows or MicrosoftWindows 2003 (32-bit or 64-bit).
To install or upgrade the Oracle VirtIO Drivers for Microsoft Windows silently:
1. Complete at least one installation or upgrade of the Oracle VirtIO Drivers for Microsoft Windows byusing the GUI installation program to create a response file. See Section 4.4.1.2, “Installing OracleVirtIO Drivers for Microsoft Windows” or Section 4.5, “Upgrading the Oracle VirtIO Drivers for MicrosoftWindows”.
2. Locate the response file, setup.iss, in the C:\Windows directory on the file system of the computerwhere you ran the graphical installation program.
3. Copy setup.iss to the same directory as the Oracle VirtIO Drivers for Microsoft Windows installationprogram. Alternatively you can specify the location of the response file at the command line.
4. Open a command-line window.
5. Run the Setup.exe -s command to silently install or upgrade the Oracle VirtIO Drivers for MicrosoftWindows with the response file.
You can include the following options at the command line:
• -f1c:path\to\setup.iss to specify the location of setup.iss.
For example, Setup.exe -s -f1c:\Users\Username\setup.iss.
• -f2c:path\to\setup.log to specify the location of setup.log. By default, log filesare written to the the C:\Windows directory, for example, Setup.exe -s -f2c:\Users\Username\setup.log.
4.7 Uninstalling the Oracle VirtIO Drivers for Microsoft WindowsYou can uninstall the Oracle VirtIO Drivers for Microsoft Windows through the Microsoft Windows controlpanel or by running the installation program that you used to install the Oracle VirtIO Drivers for MicrosoftWindows.
To uninstall through the Microsoft Windows control panel:
1. Open the control panel and navigate to the Uninstall or change a program section.
Note that the name of this section might be different, depending on your version of Microsoft Windows.
2. Locate, then select the Oracle VirtIO Drivers for Microsoft Windows.
3. Right-click the Uninstall option.
The installation program starts and prompts you to confirm the uninstallation.
4. Select Yes when prompted to remove the application.
41
Known Limitations and Workarounds
The installation program removes the Oracle VirtIO Drivers for Microsoft Windows and deletes thebinaries from your system.
5. When prompted, select Yes, restart the system and then click Finish to complete the uninstallation.
To uninstall with the installation program:
1. Double click Setup.exe to start the Oracle VirtIO Drivers for Microsoft Windows installer.
The installation program starts and prompts you to modify the current installation.
Figure 4.2 Remove Installation
2. Select Remove and then click Next.
3. Select Yes from the pop-up dialog.
The installation program removes the Oracle VirtIO Drivers for Microsoft Windows and deletes thebinaries from your system.
4. When prompted, select Yes, restart the system and then click Finish to complete the uninstallation.
4.8 Known Limitations and WorkaroundsThe following are known limitations and workarounds.
42
Security Alert for Unsigned Drivers
4.8.1 Security Alert for Unsigned Drivers
The Oracle VirtIO Drivers for Microsoft Windows have not been signed by Microsoft for 32-bit MicrosoftWindows operating systems or Microsoft Windows Server 2003.
Security Alert on 32-bit Microsoft Windows Operating Systems
On 32-bit Microsoft Windows operating systems, the installer displays security alerts such as the followingfor each driver:
Figure 4.3 Windows Security Alert
To continue with the installation, select Install.
Security Alert on Microsoft Windows Server 2003
On Microsoft Windows Server 2003, the installer displays a security alert similar to the following:
The driver software you are installing has not been properly signed with Authenticode Technology. Therefore, Windows cannot tell if the software has been modified since it was published. The publisher's identity cannot be verified because of a problem: Authenticode signature not found.
Do you still want to install this software?
The following image is an example of the security alert on Microsoft Windows Server 2003.
43
Security Alert for Unsigned Drivers
Figure 4.4 Security Alert for Driver Installation
To continue the installation, click Yes. Then, click Continue Anyway when the installer displays amessage similar to the following:
The software you are installing has not passed Windows Logo testing to verifyits compatibility with this version of Windows.
Continuing your installation of this software may impair or destabilize the correctoperation of your system either immediately or in the future. Microsoft stronglyrecommends that you stop this installation now and contact the software vendorfor software that has passed Windows Logo testing.
The following image is an example of the preceding security alert.
Figure 4.5 Continue Software Installation
44
Found New Hardware Wizard Displayed
4.8.2 Found New Hardware Wizard Displayed
During the installation or uninstallation of the Oracle VirtIO Drivers for Microsoft Windows, the Found NewHardware wizard is displayed during the installation/uninstallation, and when the guest restarts. This onlyoccurs on a guest with Microsoft Windows Server 2003 (32- or 64-bit) installed.
Workaround: Click Cancel to ignore the message and close the dialog box.
4.8.3 Microsoft Windows Server 2012 Data Center Guests With FailoverClustering Cannot Get IP Address
A Microsoft Windows Server 2012 data center guest may fail to get an IP address from a DHCP server orencounter a UDP connection failure after installing the Windows Server Failover Clustering feature andrestarting the guest.
Note
This issue does not apply to Microsoft Windows Server 2012 R2. The issue affectsonly Microsoft Windows Server 2012.
Workaround:
• Install the following hotfix to correct this issue: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/3062586.
• If you experience further Windows Server Failover Clustering failures with Microsoft Windows Server2012, see Recommended hotfixes and updates for Windows Server 2012-based clusters on MicrosoftSupport at: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/2784261.
45
46
