libvirt users - Aug 2014 - Windows 8 virtualized on a Linux host

I plan to dual boot w8 and Archlinux, and virtualize the same w8
machine with libvirt qemu/kvm.

I already did the dual boot. I am now starting the virtualization.
My plan was to use the w8 partition as a Disk volume pool [1].
Unfortunately, I didn't noticed only FAT32 was a valid format when I
installed w8 on NTFS.

I need to change my whole setup, but beforethat,  I want to be sure
libvirt does not accept NTFS. So please, can you confirm?
Then, it seems I am in trouble as my readings let me think w8 will not
install on FAT32. Am I correct?

Now it sounds to me I am in a dead end. Does anyone have any hint to
achieve my plan?

Thank you for any suggestions.


[1]http://libvirt.org/storage.html

On 08/09/2014 06:57 AM, arnaud gaboury wrote:
> I plan to dual boot w8 and Archlinux, and virtualize the same w8
> machine with libvirt qemu/kvm.
>
> I already did the dual boot. I am now starting the virtualization.
> My plan was to use the w8 partition as a Disk volume pool [1].
You will not be able to boot the same Windows installation both on bare
metal and in a virtual machine, but not for the reasons you are suspecting.

The problem is that the hardware presented to the operating system of
the virtual machine is *not* identical to the real hardware. Because the
hardware is different, the Windows installation will believe that it has
been moved to new hardware, it will try to install a bunch of different
drivers and, maybe most importantly, it will require a re-activation
(whatever that entails these days).

For that reason, you'll need to have two separate installations of
Windows on the machine, one in a normal disk partition for booting
Windows on bare metal, and one (probably file-based) that is booted by
the virtual machine. The virtual machine can still have access to the
partition used by the real hardware, but as a data disk; that way both
installations can have access to the same data files.
> Unfortunately, I didn't noticed only FAT32 was a valid format when I
> installed w8 on NTFS.
>
> I need to change my whole setup, but beforethat,  I want to be sure
> libvirt does not accept NTFS. So please, can you confirm?
The filesystem format used by the virtual machines is of no consequence
at all to qemu or libvirt. They present a disk *device* to the virtual
machine, and it is up to the virtual machine to interpret the sectors on
that device in whatever way it wants. Neither libvirt nor qemu does
anything with the contents of the disk device, so it doesn't care what 
filesystem format is used.

Where is it that you see libvirt "accepting" FAT32?
> Then, it seems I am in trouble as my readings let me think w8 will not
> install on FAT32. Am I correct?
Probably that is correct. I don't know as I haven't used Windows since
XP :-)
>
> Now it sounds to me I am in a dead end. Does anyone have any hint to
> achieve my plan?
Sure.

1) Don't think about it so hard :-)

2) Get your machine dual booting.

3) create a virtual machine in Linux, using whatever type of storage you
like (but *not* the original Windows partition!) and install Windows in
that virtual machine. I would recommend ignoring all the stuff about
storage pools/volumes in libvirt; that is really intended for managing
storage in very large installations with lots of virtual machines, and
migration of virtual machines between physical hosts. The simplest thing
is to just use virt-manager to create the virtual machine, let it do its
default file-based disk device, and give it NN GB of space (however much
you think you'll need to install Windows plus all the applications).

4) Once the virtual machine is running Windows well, add a disk device
which points directly to the bare metal Windows partition. This will be
a secondary drive for the virtual windows, *not* the boot drive.
>
> Thank you for any suggestions.
>
>
> [1]http://libvirt.org/storage.html
>
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