[CentOS-virt] using local media file to install guest

Thu Oct 27 05:10:56 UTC 2011
Bob Hoffman <bob at bobhoffman.com>

Trey Dockendorf wrote

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Eric is right.  You can connect remotely without even installing
virt-manager on the server.  Only needs to have libvird running.

I did a minimal install of CentOS 6 with the 4 virtual package groups.  My
system as no startx or run level 5.  In my case I have to use X11 forwarding
but that doesnt require X on the server.  At most I have a few font
libraries and X libraries but not the X server.  X11 is backwards from the
standard client/server model.  The X server in the case of X11 forwarding is
on my local desktop.

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I believe ya guys. However I could not install from a local source media (an iso) no matter what I did.
The techs at dell put up some papers that specifically noted that using local media to install
is not an ability that can be done with virt-install, whether you access the server remotely or not.

In all cases I have found, the installation starts on the local server (like netinstall or what have you)
then it calls out somewhere remotely to actually install.

I could not get virt-manager, the only thing that can use local media to run remotely with initial setup.
Not without installing some kind of X server or system. Probably because I ain't all that well versed in it.

With centos6 and kvm together being so new, there is little out there showing the steps with that remote thing.

And honestly, why do I need to do something remotely when I should be able to do it on the host?

I ended up, final install, adding X (which seems to be needed anyway for x forwarding) and a simple desktop.
I simply 'startx' to get the gui, add my virt guests, then ctrl-alt-backspace out of it.
The pstree shows the kill of the gui gets rid of the whole gui thing.

With the local, I can kill the ability to shell to the system increasing security.

I believe you guys. However, I cannot get it working that way. Not locally, not with local media.
There is not one single site or manual that has shown a system where they did a install with local media, not one.
All of them, if using command line, access something remotely. sigh.

After a month of this, I think I will stay with what works and go with it. Too much work just to be command line cool.

appreciate the information. I will continue to research a local install from command line....