The KVM plugin adds support for KVM-Virtualization to openQRM.
KVM (for Kernel-based Virtual Machine) is a full virtualization solution for Linux on x86 hardware containing virtualization extensions (Intel VT or AMD-V). It consists of a loadable kernel module, kvm.ko, that provides the core virtualization infrastructure and a processor specific module, kvm-intel.ko or kvm-amd.ko. KVM also requires a modified QEMU although work is underway to get the required changes upstream.
Using KVM, one can run multiple virtual machines running unmodified Linux or Windows images. Each virtual machine has private virtualized hardware: a network card, disk, graphics adapter, etc.
Appliances with the resource-type 'KVM Host' are listed in the KVM-Manager and can be managed via the openQRM GUI. Additional to the regular partition commands like create/start/stop/remove the KVM-plugin provides a configuration form per vm to re-configure the partition as needed (e.g. adding a virtual network card or harddisks).
Hint:
The openQRM-server itself can be used as a resource for an KVM-Host appliance. In this case network-bridging should be setup on openQRM-server system before installing openQRM. After having a network-bridge configured openQRM should be installed on the bridge-interface (br0).
On managed resources a network-bridge (br0) for the KVM vms is created automatically during start of the KVM-plugin (if not already existing). This bridge (named br0) is then used for the virtual network-interfaces of the partitions.
How to use :
- Create an appliance and set its resource-type to 'KVM Host'
- Use the 'VM Manager' in the Kvm-plugin menu to create a new Kvm-server virtual-machines on the Host
- The created Kvm-server vm is then booting into openQRM as regular resources
