Virtualization With KVM On Ubuntu 8.10 - Page 3
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5 Managing A VM
VMs can be managed through virsh, the "virtual shell". To connect to the virtual shell, run
virsh --connect qemu:///system
This is how the virtual shell looks:
root@server1:~/vm1/ubuntu-kvm# virsh --connect qemu:///system
Connecting to uri: qemu:///system
Welcome to virsh, the virtualization interactive terminal.
Type: 'help' for help with commands
'quit' to quit
virsh #
You can now type in commands on the virtual shell to manage your VMs. Run
help
to get a list of available commands:
virsh # help
Commands:
help print help
attach-device attach device from an XML file
attach-disk attach disk device
attach-interface attach network interface
autostart autostart a domain
capabilities capabilities
connect (re)connect to hypervisor
console connect to the guest console
create create a domain from an XML file
start start a (previously defined) inactive domain
destroy destroy a domain
detach-device detach device from an XML file
detach-disk detach disk device
detach-interface detach network interface
define define (but don't start) a domain from an XML file
domid convert a domain name or UUID to domain id
domuuid convert a domain name or id to domain UUID
dominfo domain information
domname convert a domain id or UUID to domain name
domstate domain state
domblkstat get device block stats for a domain
domifstat get network interface stats for a domain
dumpxml domain information in XML
freecell NUMA free memory
hostname print the hypervisor hostname
list list domains
migrate migrate domain to another host
net-autostart autostart a network
net-create create a network from an XML file
net-define define (but don't start) a network from an XML file
net-destroy destroy a network
net-dumpxml network information in XML
net-list list networks
net-name convert a network UUID to network name
net-start start a (previously defined) inactive network
net-undefine undefine an inactive network
net-uuid convert a network name to network UUID
nodeinfo node information
pool-autostart autostart a pool
pool-build build a pool
pool-create create a pool from an XML file
pool-create-as create a pool from a set of args
pool-define define (but don't start) a pool from an XML file
pool-define-as define a pool from a set of args
pool-destroy destroy a pool
pool-delete delete a pool
pool-dumpxml pool information in XML
pool-info storage pool information
pool-list list pools
pool-name convert a pool UUID to pool name
pool-refresh refresh a pool
pool-start start a (previously defined) inactive pool
pool-undefine undefine an inactive pool
pool-uuid convert a pool name to pool UUID
quit quit this interactive terminal
reboot reboot a domain
restore restore a domain from a saved state in a file
resume resume a domain
save save a domain state to a file
schedinfo show/set scheduler parameters
dump dump the core of a domain to a file for analysis
shutdown gracefully shutdown a domain
setmem change memory allocation
setmaxmem change maximum memory limit
setvcpus change number of virtual CPUs
suspend suspend a domain
ttyconsole tty console
undefine undefine an inactive domain
uri print the hypervisor canonical URI
vol-create create a vol from an XML file
vol-create-as create a volume from a set of args
vol-delete delete a vol
vol-dumpxml vol information in XML
vol-info storage vol information
vol-list list vols
vol-path convert a vol UUID to vol path
vol-name convert a vol UUID to vol name
vol-key convert a vol UUID to vol key
vcpuinfo domain vcpu information
vcpupin control domain vcpu affinity
version show version
vncdisplay vnc display
virsh #
list
shows all running VMs;
list --all
shows all VMs, running and inactive:
virsh # list --all
Id Name State
----------------------------------
- vm1 shut off
virsh #
Before you start a new VM for the first time, you must define it from its xml file (located in the /etc/libvirt/qemu/ directory):
define /etc/libvirt/qemu/vm1.xml
Please note that whenever you modify the VM's xml file in /etc/libvirt/qemu/, you must run the define command again!
Now you can start the VM:
start vm1
After a few moments, you should be able to connect to the VM with an SSH client such as PuTTY; log in with the default username and password. After the first login you will be prompted to change the password.
list
should now show the VM as running:
virsh # list
Id Name State
----------------------------------
1 vm1 running
virsh #
To stop a VM, run
shutdown vm1
To immediately stop it (i.e., pull the power plug), run
destroy vm1
Suspend a VM:
suspend vm1
Resume a VM:
resume vm1
These are the most important commands.
Type
quit
to leave the virtual shell.
