Kernel-based Virtual Machine (KVM) is a virtualization module for the Linux kernel that turns it into a hypervisor. You can create an Ubuntu cloud image with KVM from the command line using Ubuntu virtualisation front-end for libvirt and KVM.
How do I download and use a cloud image with kvm running on an Ubuntu Linux server? How do I create create a virtual machine without the need of a complete installation on an Ubuntu Linux 16.04 LTS server?Kernel-based Virtual Machine (KVM) is a virtualization module for the Linux kernel that turns it into a hypervisor. You can create an Ubuntu cloud image with KVM from the command line using Ubuntu virtualisation front-end for libvirt and KVM.
This quick tutorial shows to install and use uvtool that provides a unified and integrated VM front-end to Ubuntu cloud image downloads, libvirt, and cloud-init.
### Step 1 - Install KVM
You must have kvm installed and configured. Use the [apt command][1]/[apt-get command][2] as follows:
Preparing to unpack .../8-uvtool-libvirt_0~git122-0ubuntu1_all.deb ...
Unpacking uvtool-libvirt (0~git122-0ubuntu1) ...
Setting up distro-info (0.17) ...
Setting up ubuntu-cloudimage-keyring (2013.11.11) ...
Setting up cloud-image-utils (0.30-0ubuntu2) ...
Setting up socat (1.7.3.2-1) ...
Setting up python-pyinotify (0.9.6-1) ...
Setting up python-boto (2.44.0-1ubuntu2) ...
Setting up python-simplestreams (0.1.0~bzr450-0ubuntu1) ...
Processing triggers for doc-base (0.10.7) ...
Processing 1 added doc-base file...
Setting up uvtool (0~git122-0ubuntu1) ...
Processing triggers for man-db (2.7.6.1-2) ...
Setting up uvtool-libvirt (0~git122-0ubuntu1) ...
```
### Step 3 - Download the Ubuntu Cloud image
You need to use the uvt-simplestreams-libvirt command. It maintains a libvirt volume storage pool as a local mirror of a subset of images available from a simplestreams source, such as Ubuntu cloud images. To update uvtool's libvirt volume storage pool with all current amd64 images, run:
`$ uvt-simplestreams-libvirt sync arch=amd64`
To just update/grab Ubuntu 16.04 LTS (xenial/amd64) image run:
1.**\--password PASSWORD** : Set the password for the ubuntu user and allow login using the ubuntu user (not recommended use ssh keys).
2.**\--run-script-once RUN_SCRIPT_ONCE** : Run RUN_SCRIPT_ONCE script as root on the VM the first time it is booted, but never again. Give full path here. This is useful to run custom task on VM such as setting up security or other stuff.
3.**\--packages PACKAGES1, PACKAGES2, ..** : Install the comma-separated packages on first boot.
To get help, run:
```
$ uvt-kvm -h
$ uvt-kvm create -h
```
#### How do I delete my VM?
To destroy/delete your VM named vm1, run (please use the following command with care as there would be no confirmation box):
`$ uvt-kvm destroy vm1`
#### To find out the IP address of the vm1, run:
`$ uvt-kvm ip vm1`
192.168.122.52
#### To list all VMs run
`$ uvt-kvm list`
Sample outputs:
```
vm1
freebsd11.1
```
### Step 6 - How to login to the vm named vm1
The syntax is:
`$ uvt-kvm ssh vm1`
Sample outputs:
```
Welcome to Ubuntu 16.04.3 LTS (GNU/Linux 4.4.0-101-generic x86_64)
