Virtual Machine Manager (virt-manager)
virt-manager is a powerful desktop user interface designed for managing virtual machines through the libvirt library. It primarily focuses on KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) but also supports Xen and LXC (Linux Containers). This tool is ideal for system administrators, developers, and IT professionals who need to oversee virtual environments efficiently.
Key Features
- Summary View: Displays running domains with live performance and resource utilization statistics.
- Wizards for Setup: Simplifies the creation of new virtual domains and allows easy configuration and adjustment of resource allocation and virtual hardware.
- Graphical Console: Includes an embedded VNC and SPICE client viewer for full graphical access to guest domains.
- Supporting Tools:
- virt-install: A command-line tool for provisioning operating systems into virtual machines.
- virt-viewer: A lightweight UI for interacting with graphical displays of virtualized guest OS.
- virt-clone: Clones existing inactive guests by copying disk images and redefining configurations.
- virt-xml: Edits libvirt domain XML configurations using command-line options.
- virt-bootstrap: Sets up root file systems for libvirt-based containers.
Use Cases
- Server Management: Ideal for managing multiple virtual servers in data centers or local environments.
- Development and Testing: Provides developers with isolated environments to test applications across different OS configurations.
- Educational Purposes: Useful in academic settings for teaching virtualization concepts and practices.
virt-manager stands out with its user-friendly interface and comprehensive toolset, making virtual machine management accessible and efficient for both novice and experienced users.
