System Administration Commands virt-install(1M)
NAME
virt-install - install guest operating system on xVM system
SYNOPSIS
/usr/bin/virt-install [options]
DESCRIPTION
The virt-install program enables you to install a guest
operating system on a machine running Solaris xVM.virt-install allows you to enter information about a guest
as a set of command-line options that enable you to specify
the following: o Name of your guest domain. This name serves as the label of the guest operating system and will be thename of the file that stores the guest's configura-
tion. For network-based installs, the name of the
domain must match its real hostname. o Amount of RAM to be allocated to the guest, in MB. Solaris domains should use 512MB minimum. o Path to the disk image of the guest. This path is exported as an entire disk to your guest. It is on the xVM control domain and can be to a physical disk, a flat file, or any device that provides a block device interface; for example, a ZFS volume or a Solaris Volume Manager volume. o If the path specified in the preceding bullet does not already exist, the size, in GB, of the virtual disk for your guest. o You must choose whether to enable graphics support for the domain. Note that paravirtualized Solarisdomains do not currently support a graphical con-
sole in this manner. o URI for the location of the installation software. This can be an NFS path, or the path to a local directory or ISO. Some operating systems do not yet support ISO installs. Some operating systems require that the install host be fully qualified (for example, my.nfs.server.com) for the install to work. Examples of acceptable installation paths are: nfs:my.nfs.server.com:/home/install/test/tree /export/solarisdvd.isoSunOS 5.11 Last change: 23 Feb 2010 1
System Administration Commands virt-install(1M)
After entering required information, installation starts. Ifyou enabled graphics, a Virtual Network Computing (VNC) win-
dow opens and presents the graphical installer. If graphics are not enabled, the text installer is displayed. You can connect to the graphical console by finding the correct display with the command:% virsh vncdisplay dom-name
...and then running:% vncviewer localhost:d
...where d is the display returned by the preceding virsh vncdisplay command.Autoconfiguration data (see the --autocf option, below) is
presented to the guest as a floppy device. For Solaris, this can be a UFS or PCFS file system image containing sysidcfg(4) and Jumpstart profile data.To run virt-install, you must become superuser or assume the
Primary Administrator role. OPTIONS The following options are supported:--autocf=location
Specifies location of autoconfiguration data for the guest. For fully virtualized guests installing from an ISO file or DVD, location specifies the pathname of a disk image to be presented to the guest as the floppy device fda. The following is the path to a local filename containing a floppy image: /path/to/guest/autocf.img This option is ignored for fully virtualized guestsSunOS 5.11 Last change: 23 Feb 2010 2
System Administration Commands virt-install(1M)
installing over a network using PXE. Such a guest will retrieve any autoconfiguration data over the network. For paravirtualized guests, support for this option isguest-specific.
For Solaris paravirtualized guests installing over NFS, this option allows you to specify the NFS pathname to a directory containing a sysidcfg(4) file along with a Solaris Jumpstart profile. The following is the path to a NFS directory containing Solaris autoconfiguration data: nfs:netinstall:/export/guests/guest.autocf For OpenSolaris paravirtualized guests installing using an OpenSolaris AI (Automated Installer) server using theopensolaris os-variant flag, specify a set of comma-
separated name/value pairs used by AI. These are:install_service=[install_service_name]
install_media=[HTTP server containing AI image]
At present, only install_service is required.
install_media can be used to override the install_media
path specified in the --location option (see below).
Additional name/value pairs can be appended should the AI server require them. At such time as the OpenSolaris AI supports the abilityof clients to self-discover the AI install service, an
empty string should be used for install_service to indi-
cate an AI install is desired.For fully virtualized guests (HVM domains), use the --
pxe argument to perform AI installs.See EXAMPLES for an example of the use of the OpenSo-
laris AI.-b bridge, --bridge=bridge
Bridge to which to connect the network interface. If youdo not specify a bridge, the system attempts to deter-
mine the default. This should be the name of the inter-
face in the control domain through which to route the domain's networking traffic, for example, bge0. Thisoption is obsolete. Use the -w/--network option,
instead.SunOS 5.11 Last change: 23 Feb 2010 3
System Administration Commands virt-install(1M)
-c cdrom, --cdrom=cdrom
File to use as a virtual CD-ROM device for fully virtu-
alized guests. This option works with HVM domains and is ignored with paravirtualized domains. It can be path toan ISO image, or to a CD-ROM device. It can also be a
URL from which to fetch or access a minimal boot ISO image. The URLs take the same format as described forthe --location argument. If this option is omitted then
either the --location argument must be entered, to
specify a location for the kernel and initrd, or the --
pxe option used, to install from the network.--check-cpu
Check that VCPUs do not exceed physical CPUs and warn if they do.--connect=URI
Connect to hypervisor at URI.--cpuset=cpuset
Specify which physical CPUs the guest can use. cpuset isa comma-separated list of numbers, which can be speci-
fied in ranges. For example: 0,2,3,5 Use processors 0, 2, 3, and 51-3,5,6-8 Use processors 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, and 8
-d, --debug
Display debugging information. The debugging informationis stored in $HOME/.virtinst/virt-install.log, even if
this option is omitted. In this path, $HOME is the home
directory of the user invoking virt-install, such as /
or /root.--disk path=... [options]
Specify a disk to attach to the guest domain. This is acomma-separated list of options, which must start with
the path argument. For example:SunOS 5.11 Last change: 23 Feb 2010 4
System Administration Commands virt-install(1M)
--disk path=/guest/root.img,sparse=true
The available argument and options are: path=... Path to the file, disk partition, or logical volume to use as the backing store for the guest's virtual disk. perms=roThe disk should be read-only.
device=disk|cdrom|floppy The disk should be presented as a normal hard disk,CD-ROM, or floppy disk.
size=... Size of the disk in Gb, if it does not yet exist. sparse=true|false Where appropriate, mark the disk as sparse orfully-allocated.
-f pathname, --file=pathname
Path to the file, disk partition, or logical volume to use as the backing store for the guest's virtual disk.If the path does not exist, then --file-size option
should also be specified, allowing the disk to be created.-h, --help
Display list of virt-install options.
--import
Skip the OS installation process, and build a guestSunOS 5.11 Last change: 23 Feb 2010 5
System Administration Commands virt-install(1M)
around an existing disk image. The device used for boot-
ing is the first device specified by means of the --disk
or --file options.
-k keymap, --keymap=keymap
Request that the virtual console be configured to runwith a non-English keyboard layout.
-l location, --location=location
Installation source for paravirtualized guest. Fullyvirtualized guests must use either --location to specify
a kernel and initrd or the --cdrom option to specify an
ISO/CDROM image. The location argument can take the
forms, nfs:host:/path, or a file system path in the con-
trol domain, as described above.--livecd
Treat the CD-ROM media as a live CD.
-m mac_addr, --mac=mac_addr
Specifies a fixed MAC address for the guest. If this parameter is omitted, or the value random is specified, a suitable address will be randomly generated. For xVM virtual machines it is required that the first 3 pairs in the MAC address be the sequence 00:16:3e. This optioncould be used when performing PXE or NFS-based installa-
tions of Solaris guests. This option is obsolete. Usethe -w/--network option, instead.
-n name, --name=name
Name of the new guest virtual machine instance. This must be unique among all guests known to the hypervisor on this machine, including those not currently active.--noacpi
Disables Advanced Configuration and Power Interface(ACPI) for fully virtualized guest. Overrides configura-
tion setting stored in systems specified by --os-type
and --os-variant options.
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System Administration Commands virt-install(1M)
--noapic
Disables Advanced Programmable Interrupt Controller(APIC) for fully virtualized guest. Overrides configura-
tion setting stored in systems specified by --os-type
and --os-variant options.
--noautoconsole
Do not automatically try to connect to the guest con-
sole. The default behavior is to launch a VNC client todisplay the graphical console, or to run the virsh con-
sole command to display the text console. Use of this option disables this behavior.Use of this option should be combined with the --wait
option, as described below.--nodisks
Request a virtual machine without any local disk storage, typically used for running "Live CD" images or installing to network storage (iSCSI or NFS root). This disables all interactive prompts for disk setup.--nographics
Disable all interactive prompts for the guest virtual console. No graphical console will be allocated for theguest. A text-based console will always be available on
the first serial port (or equivalent paravirtualised console device).--nonetworks
Do not create network interfaces for the guest.--nonsparse
Request creation of a non-sparse file for the guest vir-
tual disk. Note that use of this option causes guest creation to be significantly slower than otherwise.--noreboot
Do not automatically reboot the guest domain after theSunOS 5.11 Last change: 23 Feb 2010 7
System Administration Commands virt-install(1M)
first stage of installation.--os-type=os_type
Optimize the guest configuration for a type of operating system. This option attempts to pick the most suitable ACPI and APIC settings, select optimally supported mousedrivers, and generally accommodate other operating sys-
tem peculiarities. See "OS Types and OS Variants", below for a list of acceptable values. For optimal guest operating system performance, youshould specify the --os-type and --os-variant options.
--os-variant=os_variant
The OS variant for fully virtualized guests. See "OS Types and OS Variants", below for a list of acceptable values. For optimal guest operating system performance, youshould specify the --os-type and --os-variant options.
-p, --paravirt
Indicates that guest is paravirtualized. If the hostsupports both paravirtualization and full virtualiza-
tion, and neither this parameter nor the --hvm option
are specified, this will be prompted for interactively.--pxe
Use the PXE boot protocol to load the initial ramdisk and kernel for starting the guest installation process.If this option is omitted, then either the --location or
--cdrom options must be entered, to specify a location
for the kernel and initrd.-r mem_amount, --ram=mem_amount
Memory to allocate for guest instance, in megabytes.-s filesize, --file-size=filesize
Size of the file to create for the guest virtual disk,if the path specified with the --file does not already
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System Administration Commands virt-install(1M)
exist. The filesize is specified in gigabytes, with fractional numbers allowed. The storage for the filewill not be pre-allocated unless the --nonsparse option
is also specified.--sdl
Use Simple DirectMedia Layer (SDL) for graphics support. This option works with some guest domains, including HVM, but not with Solaris.--sound
Use sound device emulation. Does not work on Solars xVM.-u UUID, --uuid=UUID
Specifies UUID, as a 32-digit hexadecimal number, for
the guest. if no UUID is specified, the system generates a random UUID. If you enter a UUID, keep in mind that it is intended to be a globally unique value.-v, --hvm
Specifies that the guest is a Hardware-assisted Virtual
Machine (HVM). Requests the use of full virtualization, if both paravirtualization and full virtualization are available on the host. This parameter might not be available if connecting to a hypervisor on a machine without hardware virtualization support. This guest should be fully virtualized.--vcpus=vcpus
Number of Virtual (VCPUs) to configure for your guest.--vnc
Use Virtual Network Computing (VNC) for graphics sup-
port. This option works with HVM domains but not withparavirtualized domains. Unless the --vncport parameter
is also provided, the VNC server will run on the first free port number at 5900 or above. The actual VNC display allocated can be obtained using the vncdisplay subcommand to virsh(1M).SunOS 5.11 Last change: 23 Feb 2010 9
System Administration Commands virt-install(1M)
--vncport=vncport
Request a permanent, statically assigned port number for the guest VNC console. Use of this option is discouraged as another guest might automatically choose to run on the specified port, creating a conflict.-w property_list, --network=property_list
Describes a virtual interface by means of a list ofproperty-value pairs, each pair separated by a comma.
Supported properties are: bridge=bridge Bridge to which to connect the virtual interface. If you do not specify a bridge, the system attempts to determine the default. This should be the name of the interface in the control domain through which to route the domain's networking traffic, for example,bge0. This property makes the -b/--bridge option
obsolete.mac=mac_addr
Specifies a fixed MAC address for the guest. If thisparameter is omitted, or the value RANDOM is speci-
fied, a suitable address will be randomly generated. For Solaris xVM virtual machines it is required that the first three pairs in the MAC address be the sequence 00:16:3e. This property is required whenperforming PXE or NFS-based installations of Solaris
guests. This property makes the -m/--mac option
obsolete.capped-bandwidth=bandwidth
Sets bandwidth of this interface. Bandwidth should be specified as an integer with one of the scale suffixes (K, M, or G for Kbps, Mbps, or Gbps, respectively). Bandwidth will be rounded up to 1.2M, if the input is smaller than that figure. vlanid=vid Sets VLAN ID of this interface to vid. If this option is omitted, a single NIC will be createdSunOS 5.11 Last change: 23 Feb 2010 10
System Administration Commands virt-install(1M)
in the guest. If there is a bridge device in the host with a physical interface enslaved, this interface will be used for connectivity. This option can be specified multiple times to setup more than one NIC. Do not mix itwith any one of the -b/--bridge and -m/--mac options.
--wait=num_minutes
If a VNC viewer could not be launched for a graphicalinstallation, and the guest is a Windows domain, virt-
install waits indefinitely for the guest to finish ins-
tallation. For the domain to correctly reboot during install,virt-install must stay running until installation is
complete. This happens by default when virt-install con-
nects to the console. If the --noautoconsole option is
used, or you need to disconnect from the console, usethis option to keep virt-install running. A value of -1
will wait indefinitely. A value of 0 will exit immedi-
ately (and thus implies --noautoconsole).
It is recommended that scripts use:--wait=-1 --noautoconsole
...as needed.-x extra_args, --extra-args=extra_args
When installing paravirtualized guests, specifies addi-
tional arguments to pass to the installer. OS Types and OS Variants The following are the valid OS type and OS variant valuesfor --os-type and --os-variant options described above.
os-type os-variant
------- ----------
linux (Linux 2.x series) rhel2.1 rhel3 rhel4 rhel5 fedora5 fedora6 fedora7 fedora8SunOS 5.11 Last change: 23 Feb 2010 11
System Administration Commands virt-install(1M)
fedora9 fedora10 fedora11 ubuntuhardy ubuntuintrepid ubuntujaunty sles10 debianEtch debianLenny generic24 generic26 windows (Microsoft Windows 9x or later) winxp winxp64 win2k win2k3 win2k8 vista unix (Traditional UNIX BSD or SysV derivatives) freebsd6 freebsd7 openbsd4 solaris (Solaris 9 or later) solaris9 solaris10 opensolaris other (Not in one of groups above) msdos netware4 netware5 netware6 generic For Windows 7, use vista.EXAMPLES
Example 1 Installing Solaris onto a Local Disk from an ISO The following command installs a paravirtualized Solaris guest from an ISO file.# virt-install --name solaris2 --ram 1024 --nographics \
--file /dev/md/dsk/solaris2-disk \
SunOS 5.11 Last change: 23 Feb 2010 12
System Administration Commands virt-install(1M)
--os-type=solaris os-variant=solaris10 \
--location /export/isos/nv75-dvd.iso
Example 2 Installing Microsoft Windows The following command installs a Microsoft Windows guest using a local file as a root disk.# virt-install --hvm --name windows1 --ram 1024 \
--cdrom //en_winxp_pro_with_sp2.iso \
--file /guests/windows1-disk --file-size 10 \
--os-type=windows os-variant=winxp \
--vnc
Example 3 Installing Paravirtualized Solaris Guest from an NFS Server The following command installs a Solaris paravirtualized xVM guest, 500 MB of RAM, 6 GB of disk, from an NFS server, intext-only mode:
# virt-install \
--paravirt \
--name demo \
--ram 500 \
--file /export/guests/demo/images/demo.img \
--file-size 6 \
--nographics \
--mac=00:16:3e:2f:8a:1a \
--os-type=solaris os-variant=opensolaris \
--location nfs:netinstall:/export/s10u6/combined.s10x_u6wos/latest \
--autocf=nfs:netinstall:/export/guests/demo/autocf
Example 4 Installing xVM Guest Using ZFS zvol The following command installs an xVM guest, using a ZFSzvol, booting from the host CD-ROM, using the VNC
server/viewer:# virt-install \
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System Administration Commands virt-install(1M)
--hvm --name demo \
--ram 500 \
--file /dev/zvol/dsk/guests/root \
--vnc \
--hvm \
--os-type=solaris os-variant=opensolaris \
--autocf=/export/guests/demo/images/autocf.img \
--cdrom /dev/dsk/c2t0d0s2
Example 5 Installing Paravirtualized Guest over HTTP The following command installs a paravirtualized Fedora guest domain over HTTP using the text installer:# virt-install -n demo -x 'console=hvc0' --paravirt \
-f /dev/zvol/dsk/guests/root \
-l http://mirror.cc.vt.edu/pub/fedora/linux/releases/8/Fedora/x86_64/os/ \
--os-type=linux os-variant=fedora8 \
-r 512 --nographics
Example 6 Installing Red Hat Enterprise Linux Guest over NFSThe following sequence of commands installs a Red Hat Enter-
prise Linux guest over NFS using the text installer:# mount -F hsfs /rhel.iso /mnt
# share -o ro /mnt
# virt-install -n pv-rhel -r 1024 -l nfs:mydom0:/mnt \
--os-type=linux os-variant=rhel4 \
-f /dev/zvol/dsk/pv-rhel.zvol -p --nographics
Example 7 Installing with Kickstart Automation The following command installs a RedHat guest using themedia in the dom0 CD-ROM, utilizing kickstart to automate
the installation process.# virt-install \
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--name rhat \
--ram 500 \
--file /dev/zvol/dsk/rhat.zvol \
--paravirt \
--location /dev/dsk/c2t0d0s2 \
--os-type=linux os-variant=rhel5 \
--extra-args "ks=/export/install/rhat/ks.cfg"
Example 8 Installing an HVM Solaris Domain Using Network Boot The following commands install HVM Solaris domains using network boot (PXE).# virt-install -n pxe-domu -r 1024 --hvm --mac 00:16:3e:2f:8a:1a \
--os-type=solaris --os-variant=opensolaris \
-f /dev/zvol/dsk/guests/root \
--vnc --pxe --vcpus=4
# virt-install -n domu-221 -r 1024 --hvm \
--mac `~johnlev/bin/maca domu-221` --os-type=solaris \
--os-variant=opensolaris -f /iscsi/nevada-hvm --vnc --pxe --vcpus=4
Example 9 Installing with OpenSolaris AI The following command installs an OpenSolaris guest usingthe x86_install AI install service from a specified install
media.# virt-install --name osol \
--location http://10.0.0.1:5555/space/images/osol_111b \
--ram 1024 \
--file /rpool/guests/osol.raw \
--os-variant=opensolaris \
--autocf install_service=myservice
The following command installs an OpenSolaris guest, underconditions in which the guest is able to self-discover its
install service:SunOS 5.11 Last change: 23 Feb 2010 15
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# virt-install --name osol \
--location http://10.0.0.1:5555/space/images/osol_111b \
--ram 1024 \
--file /rpool/guests/osol.raw \
--os-variant=opensolaris \
--autocf ""
ATTRIBUTES
See attributes(5) for descriptions of the following attri-
butes:____________________________________________________________
| ATTRIBUTE TYPE | ATTRIBUTE VALUE |
|_____________________________|_____________________________|
| Availability | system/xvm/header-xvm |
|_____________________________|_____________________________|
| Interface Stability | Volatile ||_____________________________|_____________________________|
SEE ALSO
virsh(1M), virt-clone(1M), xend(1M), xentop(1M),
xenstored(1M), xm(1M), sysidcfg(4), attributes(5), xVM(5)SunOS 5.11 Last change: 23 Feb 2010 16