Configuring Virtual Machines on NethServer

ns_nirosh · November 5, 2015, 7:08am

Hi friends,

I tried to onstall webvirtual on nethserver 6.7. Everything is ok. I want to install windows 7 on it. I mount the windows 7 dvd its ok. But I don’t understand the way how to create a hard disk. Would you please give me a little HOW TO to configure a hard disk for nethserver 6.7 webvirtual

Thanks

alexcsilva · November 5, 2015, 12:12pm

What do you use to create your virtual machines ??

Virtual Box, VMWare … ???

ns_nirosh · November 5, 2015, 12:18pm

WebVirtual Manager. which is integrated in Nethserver web interface

sitz · November 5, 2015, 1:01pm

Hi @ns_nirosh

I have an howto ready made some months ago for my personal use but it is written in italian

Basically you have to:

create your storage pool of DIR type when there will be created HDD images of VMs
create your storage pool of DIR type for ISO of your operating system CD/DVD
enable WebVirtMgr console from Nethserver admin Web interface
to install Windows 7/8/2008/2012 you must download guest drivers ISO from http://www.linux-kvm.org
configure bridge interface within NethServer admin Web interface not from WebVirtMgr

My suggestion is read steps from 1 to 6 and sort them in the right order, I mean: prepare/download ISO, configure the environment etc.

Hope this can be useful to start.

ns_nirosh · November 5, 2015, 2:59pm

Ok sitz. Helpful reply.
One thing, can I activate this windows machine using microsoft licence key?
And if i use openerp on it, can i use http://hostname:8069 to access the webpage over the network if I installed it using bridge connection

sitz · November 5, 2015, 3:03pm

Yes you can activate you Windows 7 license.

When you configure a bridge interface your VM will be connected on the same network segment of the host (NethServer) so you will be able to assign an IP address and access it.

ns_nirosh · November 5, 2015, 3:15pm

After I create a bridge over local ethernet, my openvpn connection will be remained funcionality?

sitz · November 5, 2015, 4:21pm

You must create bridge interface over your green (LAN) interface but your OpenVPN connections are established over you red (WAN) interface, so the answer is yes.

However a general good practice is to disconnect active users and/or remote connections before modifying your network configuration

mabeleira · November 5, 2015, 5:08pm

both of the work fine, now i’m installing mostly virtual box, but all do
the same.

ns_nirosh · November 7, 2015, 10:34pm

Hi Sitz,

I created the virtual machine
Connected ISO windows 7 image.
Created Hard disk as raw, DIR mode.
but,
I enabled check box called “VirtIO”, it finds no hard disk when installing windows
when i disable “VirtIO”, it finds the hard disk i created for windows.

what is the meaning this option “VirtIO”?

further more, I couldn’t find any windows drivers ISO from the link you supplied (www.linux-kvm.org)

GG_jr · November 7, 2015, 10:59pm

Hello,

Please read here:

http://www.linux-kvm.org/page/Virtio

http://www.linux-kvm.org/page/WindowsGuestDrivers/Download_Drivers

sitz · November 7, 2015, 11:10pm

Hi @ns_nirosh

You can use this link to find guest drivers for Windows

http://www.linux-kvm.org/page/WindowsGuestDrivers/Download_Drivers

Save ISO file in the same directory of your operating system ISO.

When Windows shows you no disk available for installation go to WebVirtMgr Admin web interface disconnect Windows ISO and connect guest drivers ISO, go back to you VM and install VirtIO driver.
When you have completed VirtIO installation remember to disconnect guest drivers ISO and connect back operating system ISO to step forward.

ns_nirosh · November 8, 2015, 8:00am

Ok thanks. I found the link and got to see a link not from github, but from fedora. I will try this out and let you know. Have a good weekend

ns_nirosh · November 12, 2015, 3:59pm

Dear sitz and GG,
With both of your help i was able to install windowns 7 as virtual machine in the Nethserver.
Everything is ok.
More to know,
what if I unselect the VirtIO option and create a instance?

sitz · December 5, 2015, 3:49pm

Good question @ns_nirosh but unfortunatewly I cannot answer it

Maybe @GG_jr or @alexcsilva @mabeleira or even @giacomo could?

GG_jr · December 5, 2015, 4:37pm

@ns_nirosh
@sitz

Sorry but I know only what I read here: http://wiki.libvirt.org/page/Virtio

" So-called “full virtualization” is a nice feature because it allows you to run any operating system virtualized. However, it’s slow because the hypervisor has to emulate actual physical devices such as RTL8139 network cards. This emulation is both complicated and inefficient.

Virtio is a virtualization standard for network and disk device drivers where just the guest’s device driver “knows” it is running in a virtual environment, and cooperates with the hypervisor. This enables guests to get high performance network and disk operations, and gives most of the performance benefits of paravirtualization.

Note that virtio is different, but architecturally similar to, Xen paravirtualized device drivers (such as the ones that you can install in a Windows guest to make it go faster under Xen). Also similar is VMWare’s Guest Tools. "

I don’t use KVM, I’m using VirtualBox and I don’t know if it works without Virtio (I presume that will not work if this is the same as VMWare’s Guest Tools or VirtualBox’s Extension Pack).

Kind regards,
Gabriel

mabeleira · December 7, 2015, 2:06pm

I’ll try it tonight on my physical ns machine, at the office i only got
virtualized.