Kvmtools

kvm-admin

What it does? It can do the following actions: show, boot, shutdown, status and monitor.

Howto use it

Example, to get monitor's help:

kvm-admin my_guest monitor help

To get the command printed:

kvm-admin my_guest show

Boot a guest:

kvm-admin my_guest boot

Features

It's add a bridge to a given bridge from guest configuration file.

The bridge(s) have to exists. There can individual bridges on the system and each guest can assign to different bridge. No need to add many script files and scriptdown files. This is set automaticly.

Configuration File Format

The guest configuration file has to be placed in the directory 'domains'. The format is taken 1:1 from the command line.

To use an qemu-kvm option which doesn't have a parameter, have to use:

 variable = enabled

Global configuration variabales, which all guest should effected, can write in 'config/kvm.cfg' file.

Exampe:

 # have to set the path to qemu-kvm executable
 qemu-kvm = /usr/bin/kvm

 daemonize = enabled
 localtime = enabled

Example format:

 name = my_guest
 smp = 2
 m = 1024
 # first drive
 drive = file:/path_to_image_or_lvm,[and other options]
 # second drive
 drive = file:/path_to_image_or_lvm,[and other options]
 cdrom = my_installer.iso
 daemonize = enabled
 localtime = enabled

Only one exception exists. This is only for the '-net tap' option. There have to add an option for the bridge.

An example for tap option when using '-net nic':

 # first network interface
 net = nic,[and other options]
 net = tap,ifname=my_iface_one,bridge=br0
 # second network interface
 net = nic,[and other options]
 net = tap,ifname=my_iface_two,bridge=br1

Download

It can be downloaded on the mercurial repository on:

via Webbrowser:

 http://hg.kasten-edv.de/kvm-tools (klick on bzip,gzip or zip link)

via mercurial:

 hg clone http://hg.kasten-edv.de/kvm-tools

Installation

Please read the README for further information.

Security

To run the kvm process under a unprivileged user.

Add an user 'kvm' for example and add this in the guest configuration file.

 runas = kvm

For each guest can assign an individual user.

When all guests should run as the user 'kvm' then add this in the global configurations file 'config/kvm.cfg'

 runas = kvm

When is set in 'config/kvm.cfg' the guest configuration file does override it, when there also is set.

 runas = kvm_one

Then this process is running as user 'kvm_one'

ToDo

 * build a init script
 * build an installation routine
 * add possibility to automatic create and delete guest

Fixes

The ordinary fixes :)