KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) is a virtualization solution

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KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) is a virtualization solution for Linux that enables users to run multiple virtual machines (VMs) on a single physical host. Below are some common command-line references for managing KVM:

  1. Creating a Virtual Machine:
    • virt-install: Command-line tool for creating new virtual machines. Example:cssCopy codevirt-install --name=myvm --memory=2048 --vcpus=2 --disk path=/var/lib/libvirt/images/myvm.qcow2,size=20 --cdrom /path/to/install.iso --network bridge=br0
  2. Managing Virtual Machines:
    • virsh: Command-line interface for managing virtual machines. Some useful commands include:
      • virsh list: List all running VMs.
      • virsh start <domain>: Start a VM.
      • virsh shutdown <domain>: Shutdown a VM gracefully.
      • virsh destroy <domain>: Forcefully shutdown a VM.
      • virsh reboot <domain>: Reboot a VM.
      • virsh suspend <domain>: Suspend a VM.
      • virsh resume <domain>: Resume a suspended VM.
  3. Managing Virtual Networks:
    • virsh net-list: List all defined virtual networks.
    • virsh net-start <network>: Start a virtual network.
    • virsh net-destroy <network>: Destroy a virtual network.
    • virsh net-edit <network>: Edit a virtual network configuration.
  4. Cloning Virtual Machines:
    • You can use virt-clone or qemu-img to clone virtual machine disk images. Example with qemu-img:cssCopy codeqemu-img create -f qcow2 -b source_image.qcow2 cloned_image.qcow2
  5. Snapshot Management:
    • virsh snapshot-create <domain>: Create a snapshot of a VM.
    • virsh snapshot-list <domain>: List snapshots of a VM.
    • virsh snapshot-revert <domain> <snapshot>: Revert a VM to a specific snapshot.
    • virsh snapshot-delete <domain> <snapshot>: Delete a snapshot of a VM.
  6. Virtual Disk Management:
    • qemu-img: Command-line tool for managing disk images. Examples:
      • qemu-img info disk_image.qcow2: Get information about a disk image.
      • qemu-img resize disk_image.qcow2 +10G: Resize a disk image.
      • qemu-img convert -f qcow2 -O raw disk_image.qcow2 disk_image.raw: Convert disk image formats.

These are some of the basic commands for managing KVM virtual machines and resources. For more detailed information and advanced usage, you can refer to the official documentation for KVM and associated tools.

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