Xen users - Jan 2010 - Install guest domains using virt-manager and iso images

Hi All,

Hope I''m not too annoying yet..

I have CentOS 5.4 running as Domain 0.
I can create CentOS guest domains via network using virt-install.
However that''s a bit slow, and I don''t want to repeat the
download process again if I create new guest domains.

So my questions:

- Can I create guest CentOS domains using virt-install
  and specify a dvd iso image as its installation source?

- If I can, where can I obtain the iso images? Should I
  just use the standard installation iso images? However
  I actually tried specifying "cd-rom" as installation source
  before, hoping that I could create a guest domain
  using the DVD I already burnt. However it says
  "Paravirtualized guests cannot install off cdrom media".


For the record, I also tried creating guest domains just by
"xm create" as well, however it threw some errors to me
when it tries to change the partition table. Not sure why.
Don''t want to spend time on that approach.

cheers,
Daniel


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On Tue, Jan 05, 2010 at 08:58:44PM +1100, Daniel Lam
wrote:
>    Hi All,
>    Hope I''m not too annoying yet..
>    I have CentOS 5.4 running as Domain 0.
>    I can create CentOS guest domains via network using virt-install.
>    However that''s a bit slow, and I don''t want to repeat
the
>    download process again if I create new guest domains.
>    So my questions:
>    - Can I create guest CentOS domains using virt-install
>      and specify a dvd iso image as its installation source?
CentOS PV (paravirtual) guests cannot be installed from cd/dvd/iso. 
Network installation is the only supported method with virt-manager and
virt-install.

You can always set up your own http/ftp/nfs mirror of the CentOS
installation tree, and use that from the LAN.
>    - If I can, where can I obtain the iso images? Should I
>      just use the standard installation iso images? However
>      I actually tried specifying "cd-rom" as installation source
>      before, hoping that I could create a guest domain
>      using the DVD I already burnt. However it says
>      "Paravirtualized guests cannot install off cdrom media".
like said, installing from CD/DVD/ISO is not supported.

CentOS .iso images are available from CentOS mirrors. You can download
the dvd .iso and make a installation network repository from that.

-- Pasi


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On Tue, January 5, 2010 9:58 am, Daniel Lam wrote:
> Hi All,
>
> Hope I''m not too annoying yet..
>
> I have CentOS 5.4 running as Domain 0.
> I can create CentOS guest domains via network using virt-install.
> However that''s a bit slow, and I don''t want to repeat the
> download process again if I create new guest domains.
>
> So my questions:
>
> - Can I create guest CentOS domains using virt-install
>   and specify a dvd iso image as its installation source?
>
> - If I can, where can I obtain the iso images? Should I
>   just use the standard installation iso images? However
>   I actually tried specifying "cd-rom" as installation source
>   before, hoping that I could create a guest domain
>   using the DVD I already burnt. However it says
>   "Paravirtualized guests cannot install off cdrom media".
>
>
> For the record, I also tried creating guest domains just by
> "xm create" as well, however it threw some errors to me
> when it tries to change the partition table. Not sure why.
> Don''t want to spend time on that approach.attachments.
Hi Daniel,

investigate the ''--location'' parameter to virt-install.  You
can specify
an image to load over http, NFS, etc. -many people do it this way.  If you
don''t have an external NFS box to hand you can run one from the dom0 if
you have to, although I would suggest you add some iptables rules to
restrict access to it.

IMHO, you shouldn''t run anything that you don''t absolutely
need on the
dom0 - maybe only SSH.  You can always create a small domU to serve VM
images, do DHCP etc. and keep the dom0 being, well, just a dom0! :-)

Hope this helps,

Matt.



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> For the record, I also tried creating guest domains just by
> "xm create" as well, however it threw some errors to me
> when it tries to change the partition table. Not sure why.
> Don''t want to spend time on that approach.attachments.
Libvirt (virsh, virt-install) is always nice to have, however it''s not
required
for Xen Host managing :-

View for instance :-

http://bderzhavets.wordpress.com/2009/06/10/setup-fedora-11-pv-domu-at-xen-3-4-1-dom0-kernel-2-6-30-rc6-tip-on-top-of-fedora-11/

Boris.

--- On Tue, 1/5/10, Matthew Law <matt@webcontracts.co.uk> wrote:

From: Matthew Law <matt@webcontracts.co.uk>
Subject: Re: [Xen-users] Install guest domains using virt-manager and iso 
images
To: "Daniel Lam" <daniel@rockableapps.com>
Cc: xen-users@lists.xensource.com
Date: Tuesday, January 5, 2010, 5:19 AM

On Tue, January 5, 2010 9:58 am, Daniel Lam wrote:
> Hi All,
>
> Hope I''m not too annoying yet..
>
> I have CentOS 5.4 running as Domain 0.
> I can create CentOS guest domains via network using virt-install.
> However that''s a bit slow, and I don''t want to repeat the
> download process again if I create new guest domains.
>
> So my questions:
>
> - Can I create guest CentOS domains using virt-install
>   and specify a dvd iso image as its installation source?
>
> - If I can, where can I obtain the iso images? Should I
>   just use the standard installation iso images? However
>   I actually tried specifying "cd-rom" as installation source
>   before, hoping that I could create a guest domain
>   using the DVD I already burnt. However it says
>   "Paravirtualized guests cannot install off cdrom media".
>
>
> For the record, I also tried creating guest domains just by
> "xm create" as well, however it threw some errors to me
> when it tries to change the partition table. Not sure why.
> Don''t want to spend time on that approach.attachments.
Hi Daniel,

investigate the ''--location'' parameter to virt-install.  You
can specify
an image to load over http, NFS, etc. -many people do it this way.  If you
don''t have an external NFS box to hand you can run one from the dom0 if
you have to, although I would suggest you add some iptables rules to
restrict access to it.

IMHO, you shouldn''t run anything that you don''t absolutely
need on the
dom0 - maybe only SSH.  You can always create a small domU to serve VM
images, do DHCP etc. and keep the dom0 being, well, just a dom0! :-)

Hope this helps,

Matt.



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