Tutorial Virtual Machine Manager: How to install VMM?

Virtual Machine Manager, also known as Virt Manager or VMM, is a graphic management tool for virtual machines, designed to operate on Linux systems and simplify the use of different hypervisors such as KVM, Qemu or Xen.

Virtual Machine Manager, what is it?

Virtual Machine Manager offers a user -friendly and above all unified interface For the management of different virtual machines (VM). Virt Manager allows you to create, configure and monitor virtual machines without having to familiarize yourself with complex command tools. It is based on libvirt and therefore supports all virtualization solutions also supported by libvirt. The VMM offers features such as snapshots, live migration and network management. It is a powerful tool for managing virtualization environments, whether small or large.

Prerequisites for the use of the Virtual Machine Manager

Before installing and using Virtual Machine Manager, make sure that your system meets the following requirements:

• Operating system : Virt Manager was mainly developed for operating systems such as Ubuntu, Fedora or Debian. Make sure your system uses one of these distributions or other compatible Linux variant.
• Hypervisor : installing a hypervisor is necessary. KVM is probably the most used hypervisor on Linux systems and is available in most Linux distributions.
• RAM and storage space : The amount of RAM and available disk space must be sufficient to operate the host operating system and all the virtual machines planned. A minimum of 4 GB of RAM is recommended, although more is necessary for better performance.
• Network connection : An active network connection is necessary if you want to manage VMs via the network or the Internet. Downloading installation and updates also requires a network connection.

Installation step by step of VMM

Step 1: Update the system

Before installation, make sure your system is up to date. Open a terminal and run the following commands to update your system:

sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade

Step 2: Install VMM

Now install Virtual Machine Manager by performing the following command. If your Linux distribution uses another packet manager than APTyou will need to use it for installation.

sudo apt install virt manager

Step 3: Check the installation

Then check if the installation succeeded by launching Virtual Machine Manager from the applications menu or by typing Virt Manager in the terminal.

Create a new virtual machine step by step

After installation, you can create a new virtual machine with Virtual Machine Manager. Again, a few steps are enough.

Step 1: VMM launch

Start by launching Virt Manager. To do this, open the virtual machine manager via the applications menu or using the command virt manager in the terminal.

Step 2: Establish a connection with the hypervisor

When you launch Virt Manager, a window opens asking you to connect to a hypervisor. Select « Qemu/KVM » and then click on « Connect ».

Step 3: Create a new virtual machine

You can then create a new virtual machine. To do this, click on the « New » button in the upper left corner of the window. It is also possible to go through the « File » menu> « New virtual machine ».

Step 4: Choose an installation method

Choose the method you want to use to install the operating system on the virtual machine. You can install from an ISO file, a physical CD/DVD or a network installation. Then click on « Next ».

Step 5: Select the ISO file or installation support

If you use an ISO file, select it from your file system. Otherwise, indicate the access path to another installation medium. Then click again on « Next ».

Step 6: Select the type and version of the operating system

Select the operating system and the version you want to install. This helps VMM to offer optimal settings for the virtual machine. Click on « Next » to confirm.

Step 7: Assign the RAM and the processor

Allocate the amount of memory (RAM) and the number of processor cores (CPU, Central Processing Unit) desired. Note that the more resources you allocate, the better performance, but this will also increase the consumption of host system resources. Click again on « Next » to continue the configuration.

Step 8: Configure the hard drive

Define the size of the virtual hard drive to allocate to the virtual machine. You can create a new virtual disk or select an existing one. Storage does not need to be done on the local machine, external storage locations are also possible. Click the « Next » button one last time.

Step 9: Check and create the virtual machine

Check the settings, then click « Finish » to create the virtual machine and start the installation process.

Management and use of virtual machines

Once the virtual machine has been created, you can manage it via Virtual Machine Manager:

• Start and stop the virtual machine : Select the desired VM from the Virt Manager's main window list and use the « start » or « stop » buttons to launch or suspend the VM.
• Change the configuration : To modify the configuration of a virtual machine, right -click the VM and select « Display the details ». You can then adjust parameters such as the processor (CPU), RAM, network and storage.
• Creation of snapshots : Snapshots allow you to save the current state of a virtual machine and come back to it later. This is particularly useful for having a secure restoration point during modifications or software installations.