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README.md

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+# libvirt/virt-install
+
+## Prerequisites
+
+`libvirt`, `qemu`, `virt-install`
+
+On archlinux:
+
+```bash
+pacman -S virt-install libvirt qemu-desktop
+pacman -S virt-manager # optional, graphical interface to libvirt
+pacman -S qemu-emulators-full # optional, provides extra architectures emulation for qemu
+
+systemctl enable libvirtd.socket # socket activation
+```
+
+## Installing VMs
+
+### Archlinux
+
+```bash
+curl -O "https://mirror.checkdomain.de/archlinux/iso/2022.05.01/archlinux-2022.05.01-x86_64.iso"
+virt-install --name archlinux                        \
+            --memory 2048                            \
+            --vcpus=2,maxvcpus=4 --cpu host          \
+            --cdrom archlinux-2022.05.01-x86_64.iso  \
+            --disk size=4,format=qcow2               \
+            --network user                           \
+            --virt-type kvm                          \
+            --console pty,target_type=virtio         \
+            --nographics
+```
+
+Follow the installation procedure. Edit the kernel cmdline and a serial console before rebooting otherwise the `virsh` serial console won't work:
+
+In `/etc/default/grub`, add to the following to `GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX` along with any other cmdline flags you require
+
+```
+GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX=console=tty0 console=ttyS0,115200 # and any other flags
+```
+
+Update grub:
+
+```bash
+grub-mkconfig -o /boot/grub/grub.cfg
+```
+
+### Nixos
+
+```bash
+curl -O "https://channels.nixos.org/nixos-21.11/latest-nixos-minimal-x86_64-linux.iso"
+virt-install --name nixos                                   \
+            --memory 2048                                   \
+            --vcpus=2,maxvcpus=4                            \
+            --cpu host                                      \
+            --cdrom latest-nixos-minimal-x86_64-linux.iso   \
+            --disk size=4,format=qcow2                      \
+            --network user                                  \
+            --virt-type kvm                                 \
+            --console pty,target_type=virtio                \
+            --nographics
+```
+
+Follow the installation procedure, adding the following to `/etc/nixos/configuration.nix`, otherwise the `virsh` serial console won't work
+
+```
+boot.kernelParams = [
+    "console=ttyS0,115200"
+    "console=tty1"
+  ];
+```
+
+### Ubuntu 21.10 (focal)
+
+```bash
+virt-install --name ubuntu-focal              \
+             --memory 2048                    \
+             --vcpus=2,maxvcpus=4             \
+             --cpu host                       \
+             --pxe                            \
+             --disk size=4,format=qcow2       \
+             --network user                   \
+             --virt-type kvm                  \
+             --nographics                     \
+             --osinfo ubuntufocal             \
+             --extra-args="console=tty0 console=ttyS0,115200" \
+             --location http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/focal/main/installer-amd64/
+```
+
+## Other OSs
+
+You can list other supported Operating Systems using
+
+```bash
+virt-install --osinfo list
+# More info about available OSs
+osinfo-query os
+```
+
+### Note about serial consoles
+
+In order for the virsh serial console to work, these kernel cmdline options have to be provided
+
+```
+console=tty0 console=ttyS0,115200
+```
+
+## Usage
+
+```bash
+# list all available domains (running and stopped)
+virsh list --all
+# Start a domain ("archlinux")
+virsh start archlinux
+# Connect to the serial console
+virsh console archlinux
+# Destroy (destop) a domain ("archlinux")
+virsh destroy archlinux
+# Remove a domain
+virsh undefine archlinux # disks will **not** be removed
+# Edit a domain
+virsh edit archlinux
+# Get information about network configuration
+virsh domifaddr archlinux
+```
+
+### Note about serial consoles
+
+Serial consoles might not work out of the box, so it might be required to edit the domain definition to add a serial console:
+
+```bash
+virsh edit <domain>
+```
+
+then add a pty console:
+
+```xml
+<console type='pty'>
+  <target type='virtio' port='0'/>
+</console>
+```
+
+Also see notes about serial consoles above.