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Libvirt XML definitions for common OS
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README.md

Optimized, libvirt-compatible definitions for common OS

Goal

This repository's goal is to maintain definitions that are tuned for running modern, GUI-driven guest operating systems (OS), easing their installation on hosts that leverage KVM, such as Phyllome OS.

Libvirt is the most popular virtualization library on Linux, and it is central to Phyllome OS.

Libvirt uses an XML file to store the definition of a virtual machine, including its firmware (e.g. BIOS or UEFI-based), the size of its memory, the nature of a particular device (e.g. virtio or emulated hardware), etc.

Why

The reference Domain XML format webpage, which is almost 100 pages long, lists most of the accepted parameters that can be used to define a virtual machine.

Picking the most optimized parameters for running a particular guest OS is a complicated task. This project intends to find the best parameters for the most popular OS.

The best parameters are defined as parameters that are:

  • Performance-oriented, providing good out-of-the-box performance.
  • Relatively host-agnostic, so that a virtual machine could be migrated to another host.
  • Modern, leveraging as many paravirtualized devices (a.k.a virtio devices) the target guest OS can support, with the intend to become usable with modern virtualization solution such as the Cloud Hypervisor.

There are two kinds of definition for QEMU: session-driven virtual machines, and system-driven virtual machines.

  • System-driven virtual machines are running with higher privileges. If one intend to share a physical device with a virtual machine using VFIO passthrough, this is the definition to use. More information here.

  • Session-driven virtual machines are running with user-derived privileges.

Usage

Requirements

It is expected that libvirt and other dependencies such as QEMU or the Cloud Hypervisor are already installed and correctly configured.

  • At least QEMU emulator version 7.0.0
  • At least libvirt 8.6.0
  • Netboot.xyz ISO file under /var/lib/libvirt/isos

How to use it

  • Create folder to store ISOs under /var/lib/libvirt/
# mkdir /var/lib/libvirt/isos
  • Download Netboot.xyz.iso file
# wget https://boot.netboot.xyz/ipxe/netboot.xyz.iso -P /var/lib/libvirt/isos/

  • Clone this repository

  • Navigate to the session directory

  • Choose your target OS of choice and, as a normal user, use the following virsh command to create a virtual machine using the define argument:

$ virsh define linux54.xml
Domain 'Linux5.4' defined from linux54.xml
  • List the newly-created virtual machine
$ virsh list --all
 Id   Name       State
------------------------
 -    Linux5.4   shut off
  • Delete the virtual machine usine the undefine argument
$ virsh undefine Linux5.4
Domain 'Linux' has been undefined

System-driven virtual machines

  • Navigate to the system directory

  • Choose your target OS of choice and, as a root user, use the following virsh command to define a virtual machine:

# virsh define linux54.xml
Domain 'Linux5.4' defined from linux54.xml

# virsh list --all
 Id   Name       State
------------------------
 -    Linux5.4   shut off
  • Delete it
# virsh undefine Linux5.4
Domain 'Linux5.4' has been undefined

Status

Linux 5.4 Linux 5.15 Windows 10 Windows 11
Chipset Q35 Q35 Q35 Q35
Platform Firmware OVMF OVMF OVMF OVMF
Secure boot No No No Yes
Netboot.xyz ISO loaded Yes Yes Yes No
Spice display Yes, with 3D accel. Yes, with 3D accel. Yes, without 3D accel. Yes, without 3D accel.
virtio-gpu Yes, with 3D accel. Yes, with 3D accel. Yes, without 3D accel. Yes, without 3D accel.
virtio-blk Not applicable Not applicable Not applicable Not applicable
virtio-scsi Yes Yes Yes Yes
virtio-fs Yes, for System-driven VM Yes, for System-driven VM Yes Yes
virtio-net Yes Yes Yes Yes
virtio-keyboard Yes Yes Yes Yes
virtio-tablet Yes Yes Yes Yes
virtio-iommu No Yes No No

More information here on the status for virtio support on guest operating systems.

Resources