libvirt users - Aug 2020 - Installing Kali Linux using KVM virt-install tool

Hi,

I am trying to install kali-linux-2020.2-installer-amd64.iso (
https://www.kali.org/downloads/) using KVM virt-install tool

#virt-install --name=kalilinux --file=/linuxkvmaddgbdisk/kalilinux.img
--file-size=50 --nonsparse --vcpu=2 --ram=4096 --network=bridge:br0
--os-type=linux --os-variant=debian9 --graphics none
--location=/linuxkvmaddgbdisk/kali-linux-2020.2-installer-amd64.iso
--extra-args="console=ttyS0

Starting install...
Retrieving file .treeinfo...

                              |    0 B  00:00:00
Retrieving file content...

                              |    0 B  00:00:00
Retrieving file info...

                             |  104 B  00:00:00
Retrieving file info...

                             |  104 B  00:00:00
Retrieving file info...

                             |  104 B  00:00:00
ERROR    Could not find an installable distribution at
'/linuxkvmaddgbdisk/kali-linux-2020.2-installer-amd64.iso': The URL
could
not be accessed, maybe you mistyped?

The location must be the root directory of an install tree.
See virt-install man page for various distro examples.
Domain installation does not appear to have been successful.
If it was, you can restart your domain by running:
  virsh --connect qemu:///system start kalilinux
otherwise, please restart your installation.


#virt-install --name=kalilinux --file=/linuxkvmaddgbdisk/kalilinux.img
--file-size=50 --nonsparse --vcpu=2 --ram=4096 --network=bridge:br0
--os-type=linux --os-variant=debian9 --graphics none
--cdrom=/linuxkvmaddgbdisk/kali-linux-2020.2-installer-amd64.iso
--extra-args="console=ttyS0"
ERROR    --extra-args only work if specified with --location. See the man
page for examples of using --location with CDROM media

I did not find kali OS details to provide an option for* --os-variant=  * When
I ran osinfo-query os | grep kali it did not return anything.
Any help will be highly appreciated and I look forward to hearing from you.
Thanks in advance.

Best Regards,

Kaushal

On Wed, Aug 05, 2020 at 06:57:11AM +0530, Kaushal Shriyan
wrote:
> Hi,
> 
> I am trying to install kali-linux-2020.2-installer-amd64.iso (
> https://www.kali.org/downloads/) using KVM virt-install tool
> 
> #virt-install --name=kalilinux --file=/linuxkvmaddgbdisk/kalilinux.img
> --file-size=50 --nonsparse --vcpu=2 --ram=4096 --network=bridge:br0
> --os-type=linux --os-variant=debian9 --graphics none
> --location=/linuxkvmaddgbdisk/kali-linux-2020.2-installer-amd64.iso
> --extra-args="console=ttyS0
> 
> Starting install...
> Retrieving file .treeinfo...
> 
>                               |    0 B  00:00:00
> Retrieving file content...
> 
>                               |    0 B  00:00:00
> Retrieving file info...
> 
>                              |  104 B  00:00:00
> Retrieving file info...
> 
>                              |  104 B  00:00:00
> Retrieving file info...
> 
>                              |  104 B  00:00:00
> ERROR    Could not find an installable distribution at
> '/linuxkvmaddgbdisk/kali-linux-2020.2-installer-amd64.iso': The URL
could
> not be accessed, maybe you mistyped?
> 
> The location must be the root directory of an install tree.
> See virt-install man page for various distro examples.
> Domain installation does not appear to have been successful.
> If it was, you can restart your domain by running:
>   virsh --connect qemu:///system start kalilinux
> otherwise, please restart your installation.
> 
> 
> #virt-install --name=kalilinux --file=/linuxkvmaddgbdisk/kalilinux.img
> --file-size=50 --nonsparse --vcpu=2 --ram=4096 --network=bridge:br0
> --os-type=linux --os-variant=debian9 --graphics none
> --cdrom=/linuxkvmaddgbdisk/kali-linux-2020.2-installer-amd64.iso
> --extra-args="console=ttyS0"
> ERROR    --extra-args only work if specified with --location. See the man
> page for examples of using --location with CDROM media
> 
> I did not find kali OS details to provide an option for* --os-variant=  *
When
> I ran osinfo-query os | grep kali it did not return anything.
> Any help will be highly appreciated and I look forward to hearing from you.
> Thanks in advance.
Hi,

Using --location with ISO image requires specific file to be available
in the ISO image where virt-install can look to figure out path to linux
kernel and initrd otherwise it is not able to use --location and
--extra-args as well.

If you look into virt-install man page in the section for --location you
can find this example:

    Additionally, --location can take 'kernel' and 'initrd' sub
options.
    These paths relative to the specified location URL/ISO that allow
    selecting specific files for kernel/initrd within the install tree.
    This can be useful if virt-install/ libosinfo doesn't know where to
    find the kernel in the specified --location.

    For example, if you have an ISO that libosinfo doesn't know about
    called my-unknown.iso, with a kernel at 'kernel/fookernel' and
    initrd at 'kernel/fooinitrd', you can make this work with:

        --location
my-unknown.iso,kernel=kernel/fookernel,initrd=kernel/fooinitrd


You can use isoinfo to get the content of your ISO image:

    isoinfo -J -i /path/to/your.iso -f

and use the --location with kernel and initrd parameters which will make
it work and --extra-args will work as well.

Pavel

On Wed, Aug 5, 2020 at 1:32 PM Pavel Hrdina <phrdina@redhat.com> wrote:
> On Wed, Aug 05, 2020 at 06:57:11AM +0530, Kaushal Shriyan wrote:
> > Hi,
> >
> > I am trying to install kali-linux-2020.2-installer-amd64.iso (
> > https://www.kali.org/downloads/) using KVM virt-install tool
> >
> > #virt-install --name=kalilinux --file=/linuxkvmaddgbdisk/kalilinux.img
> > --file-size=50 --nonsparse --vcpu=2 --ram=4096 --network=bridge:br0
> > --os-type=linux --os-variant=debian9 --graphics none
> > --location=/linuxkvmaddgbdisk/kali-linux-2020.2-installer-amd64.iso
> > --extra-args="console=ttyS0
> >
> > Starting install...
> > Retrieving file .treeinfo...
> >
> >                               |    0 B  00:00:00
> > Retrieving file content...
> >
> >                               |    0 B  00:00:00
> > Retrieving file info...
> >
> >                              |  104 B  00:00:00
> > Retrieving file info...
> >
> >                              |  104 B  00:00:00
> > Retrieving file info...
> >
> >                              |  104 B  00:00:00
> > ERROR    Could not find an installable distribution at
> > '/linuxkvmaddgbdisk/kali-linux-2020.2-installer-amd64.iso':
The URL could
> > not be accessed, maybe you mistyped?
> >
> > The location must be the root directory of an install tree.
> > See virt-install man page for various distro examples.
> > Domain installation does not appear to have been successful.
> > If it was, you can restart your domain by running:
> >   virsh --connect qemu:///system start kalilinux
> > otherwise, please restart your installation.
> >
> >
> > #virt-install --name=kalilinux --file=/linuxkvmaddgbdisk/kalilinux.img
> > --file-size=50 --nonsparse --vcpu=2 --ram=4096 --network=bridge:br0
> > --os-type=linux --os-variant=debian9 --graphics none
> > --cdrom=/linuxkvmaddgbdisk/kali-linux-2020.2-installer-amd64.iso
> > --extra-args="console=ttyS0"
> > ERROR    --extra-args only work if specified with --location. See the
man
> > page for examples of using --location with CDROM media
> >
> > I did not find kali OS details to provide an option for*
--os-variant> * When
> > I ran osinfo-query os | grep kali it did not return anything.
> > Any help will be highly appreciated and I look forward to hearing from
> you.
> > Thanks in advance.
>
> Hi,
>
> Using --location with ISO image requires specific file to be available
> in the ISO image where virt-install can look to figure out path to linux
> kernel and initrd otherwise it is not able to use --location and
> --extra-args as well.
>
> If you look into virt-install man page in the section for --location you
> can find this example:
>
>     Additionally, --location can take 'kernel' and 'initrd'
sub options.
>     These paths relative to the specified location URL/ISO that allow
>     selecting specific files for kernel/initrd within the install tree.
>     This can be useful if virt-install/ libosinfo doesn't know where to
>     find the kernel in the specified --location.
>
>     For example, if you have an ISO that libosinfo doesn't know about
>     called my-unknown.iso, with a kernel at 'kernel/fookernel' and
>     initrd at 'kernel/fooinitrd', you can make this work with:
>
>         --location
> my-unknown.iso,kernel=kernel/fookernel,initrd=kernel/fooinitrd
>
>
> You can use isoinfo to get the content of your ISO image:
>
>     isoinfo -J -i /path/to/your.iso -f
>
> and use the --location with kernel and initrd parameters which will make
> it work and --extra-args will work as well.
>
> Pavel
>
Hi Pavel,

Thanks for your email and much appreciated. I have pasted the output here
https://paste.centos.org/view/89952d91

#virt-install --name=kalilinux --file=/linuxkvmaddgbdisk/kalilinux.img
--file-size=50 --nonsparse --vcpu=2 --ram=4096 --network=bridge:br0
--os-type=linux --os-variant=debian9 --graphics none
--location=/linuxkvmaddgbdisk/kali-linux-2020.2-installer-amd64.iso
--extra-args="console=ttyS0

--location my-unknown.iso,kernel=kernel/fookernel,initrd=kernel/fooinitrd

--location
kali-linux-2020.2-installer-amd64.iso,kernel=kernel/?,initrd=kernel/?

I did not find kali OS details to provide an option for* --os-variant=  * When
I ran osinfo-query os | grep kali it did not return anything. What should
be the value for --os-variant= as i want to install
kali-linux-2020.2-installer-amd64.iso (https://www.kali.org/downloads/)
using KVM virt-install tool

Thanks once again and I look forward to hearing from you.
Best Regards,

Kaushal