Virsh

virsh^[1]^[2] is a command line utility for managing virsh guest domains/virtual machines and the hypervisor^[3]. Can be used to operate vm like create, list, start, shutdown or suspend and to manage storage, snapshots and checkpoints^[4] among other actions. virt-manager is a graphical alternative to virsh. It supports Xen, QEMU, KVM, LXC, OpenVZ, VirtualBox and VMware ESX.

virsh is include in libvirt-client package in RHEL and Ubuntu and uses libvirt management API. Binaries included:

Basic Commands

virsh
virsh -r

All Commands

virsh --connect
- virsh -c qemu:///system list
virsh attach-device
virsh autostart VM_NAME or virsh autostart VM_NAME --disable (Related: virsh start and virsh pool-autostart)
virsh blockcommit. Allows Live-disk-backup-with-active-blockcommit ^[5]
virsh blockcopy
virsh blockjob
virsh blockresize
virsh change-media
virsh create /MY_XML_VM_DEFINITION.XML/
virsh define /MY_XML_VM_DEFINITION.XML/ (define machine but do not start it)
- virsh define xmlfile.xml --validate
- virsh destroy VM_MACHINE_NAME (Ungraceful Shutdown but do not destroy data or VM but you can corrupt guest file systems)
- virsh destroy VM_MACHINE_NAME --graceful
virsh domblklist VMNAME
- virsh domblklist --details VM_MACHINE_NAME
virsh domblkstat VMNAME
virsh domblkinfo VMNAME BLOCK_DEVICE (BLOCK_DEVICE from virsh domblklist command)
virsh domdisplay
virsh domfsfreeze Quiesces the guest filesystem in isolation^[6]
virsh domfsthaw Quiesces the guest filesystem in isolation^[7]
virsh domid
virsh dominfo VMNAME_OR_ID Guess virtual machine information such us state and autostart configuration.
virsh dommemstat
virsh domname
virsh dump --memory-only --verbose
virsh dumpxml VMNAME - domain information in XML (Can be used to move VMs between hosts ^[8])
virsh edit VMNAME
virsh list
- virsh list --name
virsh memtune
virsh migrate
virsh pool-autostart
virsh pool-build
virsh pool-create create temporary storage pools from command line
virsh pool-create-as create temporary storage pools from XML file
virsh pool-define (create persistent storage from options from XML file)^[9]
virsh pool-define-as (create persistent storage from options from command line)^[10]
virsh pool-event
virsh reboot
virsh restore
virsh resume
virsh save
virsh set-lifecycle-action. Added in November 2017 (v.3.9.0)^[11]
virsh setmaxmem
virsh setmem
- virsh setmem —-config
virsh setvcpus
virsh snapshot-create-as
virsh start
virsh suspend
virsh save
virsh shutdown
virsh undefine
virsh update-device
virsh vcpuinfo
virsh vncdisplay

Getting Information

List Running Virtual Machines:
- virsh list^[12]^[13]
- virsh list --name
- virsh list --all

virsh dominfo MY_VM_NAME Guess virtual machine information such us state and autostart configuration.

virsh domstats (show all VMs)
- virsh domstats --list-persistent
- virsh domstats MY_VM_MACHINE
  - virsh domstats MY_VM_MACHINE --state
  - --no-wait option https://libvirt.org/news.html

virsh nodeinfo

View configuration:
- virsh dumpxml {guest-id, VM_NAME or uuid} > yourfilename.xml^[14]
- Virtual interfaces: virsh domiflist VM_NAME

Network info:

virsh net-list
virsh net-info

Storage info:

virsh pool-list
virsh pool-info <pool>
virsh vol-list <pool> (Displays Name and Path)
- virsh vol-list --details <pool> (Includes also Capacity and Allocation)
virsh vol-info <vol>

Display info:

virsh vncdisplay VM_NAME
virsh domdisplay VM_NAME

Guest info:

virsh guestinfo v5.7.0 (2019-09-03)^[15] (Libvirt Release notes)

virhostuptime (Since August 2019) https://github.com/libvirt/libvirt/commit/8b802f13cb47817706cba101f5d52e2c8957698d#diff-8d027e5576f9d83750bb73c63b12a6e3

virsh version

Operations

Changing VM running status operations:

Start VM: virsh start VM_MACHINE_NAME
Shutdown VM: virsh shutdown (stop) Gracefully VM
Reboot VM: virsh reboot Restart VM
Reset VM:virsh reset emulates the power reset button on a machine
Resume VM:virsh resume
Destroy VM: virsh destroy VM_NAME (Ungraceful Shutdown/stop VM. Actually do not destroy data or VM but you can corrupt guest file systems)
- virsh destroy VM_MACHINE_NAME --graceful
virsh suspend
Create: virsh define
virsh undefine

virsh console VM_MACHINE_NAME

Snapshots:

virsh snapshot-create
virsh snapshot-create --validate (08/2019) ^[16]

Migrations:

virsh migrate --live GuestName DestinationURL
virsh migrate --offline^[17] (copying non-shared storage or other file based storages (e.g. UEFI variable storage) is not supported during offline migration)

Configuration:

virsh autostart VM_MACHINE_NAME

Virsh Storage commands

Virsh Storage Information

virsh domblklist VMNAME
virsh domblkinfo
virsh pool-list
- virsh pool-list --all --details
virsh pool-info <pool>
virsh vol-info <vol>
virsh vol-list <pool> (Displays Name and Path)
- virsh vol-list --details <pool> (Includes also Capacity and Allocation)

All Storage commands

virsh domblklist VMNAME
virsh domblkinfo
virsh pool-autostart
virsh pool-build
virsh pool-create create temporary storage pools from command line
virsh pool-create-as create temporary storage pools from XML file
virsh pool-define (create persistent storage from options from XML file)^[18]
virsh pool-define-as (create persistent storage from options from command line)^[19]
virsh pool-event
- virsh pool-event --list
- virsh pool-event --event lifecycle
- virsh pool-event --event refresh
virsh pool-list
virsh pool-info <pool>
virsh pool-start <pool>
virsh vol-clone
virsh vol-create-as
virsh vol-info --pool POOL_NAME VOL_NAME
virsh vol-list <pool>

Virsh Snapshots

virsh snapshot-create Create a snapshot from XML. See also: qemu-img and qemu-img info
virsh snapshot-create-as Create a snapshot from a set of args.
virsh snapshot-current Get or set the current snapshot
virsh snapshot-dumpxml VM_MACHINE_NAME SNAPSHOT_NAME Dump XML for a domain snapshot
virsh snapshot-edit edit XML for a snapshot
virsh snapshot-info snapshot information. (virsh snapshot-info --domain DOMAIN_NAME --snapshotname SNAPSHOT_NAME)
virsh snapshot-list VM_MACHINE_NAME List snapshots for a domain
virsh snapshot-parent Get the name of the parent of a snapshot
virsh snapshot-revert (Destructive action) revert a domain to a snapshot
virsh snapshot-delete Delete a domain snapshot

Virsh CPU Commands

virsh cpu-models x86_64
virsh setvcpus

Virsh Memory Commands

virsh Memory Commands: virsh setmaxmem, virsh setmem, virsh dommemstat

QEMU

virsh qemu-attach QEMU Attach
virsh qemu-monitor-command QEMU Monitor Command
virsh qemu-monitor-event QEMU Monitor Events
- virsh qemu-monitor-event VM_MACHINE_NAME
virsh qemu-agent-command QEMU Guest Agent Command

Networking

virsh domifaddr
virsh domiflist
virsh net-autostart autostart a network
virsh net-create create a network from an XML file
virsh net-define define an inactive persistent virtual network or modify an existing persistent one from an XML file
virsh net-destroy destroy (stop) a network
virsh net-dhcp-leases print DHCP lease info for a given network
virsh net-dumpxml NET_NAME network information in XML
virsh net-edit edit XML configuration for a network
virsh net-event Network Events
virsh net-info network information
virsh net-list list networks
virsh net-name convert a network UUID to network name
virsh net-start start a (previously defined) inactive network
virsh net-undefine undefine a persistent network
virsh net-update update parts of an existing network's configuration
virsh net-uuid convert a network name to network UUID

Activities

Review virsh command cheatsheet https://computingforgeeks.com/virsh-commands-cheatsheet/
Read https://github.com/libvirt/libvirt/blob/master/tools/virsh.c source code.
Enable access to your VM Machines via virsh console command
Learn difference between virsh define and virsh create
Create Live backups with active virsh blockcommit^[20]
Offline Migrate or move a virtual machine between two KVM servers without shared storage^[21]: virsh dumpxml and virsh define

References

Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".

[1] ttp://manpages.ubuntu.com/manpages/xenial/man1/virsh.1.html

[2] ttps://github.com/libvirt/libvirt/blob/master/tools/virsh.c

[3] ttps://access.redhat.com/documentation/en-us/red_hat_enterprise_linux/5/html/virtualization/chap-virtualization-managing_guests_with_virsh

[4] ttps://github.com/libvirt/libvirt/commit/689beaa47c51fb49fafa992dd468116b8f6b0782#diff-f41fa7374ab97c527387ea4ce48fd04e

[5] ttps://wiki.libvirt.org/page/Live-disk-backup-with-active-blockcommit

[6] ttps://access.redhat.com/documentation/en-us/red_hat_enterprise_linux/7/html/virtualization_deployment_and_administration_guide/sect-using_the_qemu_guest_virtual_machine_agent_protocol_cli-libvirt_commands

[7] ttps://access.redhat.com/documentation/en-us/red_hat_enterprise_linux/7/html/virtualization_deployment_and_administration_guide/sect-using_the_qemu_guest_virtual_machine_agent_protocol_cli-libvirt_commands

[8] ttps://serverfault.com/questions/434064/correct-way-to-move-kvm-vm

[9] ttps://access.redhat.com/documentation/en-us/red_hat_enterprise_linux/8/html-single/configuring_and_managing_virtualization/index#creating-storage-for-virtual-machines-using-the-cli_managing-storage-for-virtual-machines-using-the-cli

[10] ttps://access.redhat.com/documentation/en-us/red_hat_enterprise_linux/8/html-single/configuring_and_managing_virtualization/index#creating-storage-for-virtual-machines-using-the-cli_managing-storage-for-virtual-machines-using-the-cli

[11] ttps://libvirt.org/news.html

[12] ttps://access.redhat.com/documentation/en-us/red_hat_enterprise_linux/5/html/virtualization/chap-virtualization-managing_guests_with_virsh

[13] ttps://help.ubuntu.com/community/KVM/Managing

[14] ttps://access.redhat.com/documentation/en-us/red_hat_enterprise_linux/7/html/virtualization_deployment_and_administration_guide/sect-domain_commands-creating_a_virtual_machine_xml_dump_configuration_file

[15] ttps://fossies.org/linux/libvirt/NEWS

[16] ttps://libvirt.org/news.html

[17] ttps://libvirt.org/migration.html#offline

[18] ttps://access.redhat.com/documentation/en-us/red_hat_enterprise_linux/8/html-single/configuring_and_managing_virtualization/index#creating-storage-for-virtual-machines-using-the-cli_managing-storage-for-virtual-machines-using-the-cli

[19] ttps://access.redhat.com/documentation/en-us/red_hat_enterprise_linux/8/html-single/configuring_and_managing_virtualization/index#creating-storage-for-virtual-machines-using-the-cli_managing-storage-for-virtual-machines-using-the-cli

[20] ttps://wiki.libvirt.org/page/Live-disk-backup-with-active-blockcommit

[21] ttps://serverfault.com/questions/434064/correct-way-to-move-kvm-vm

[22] ttps://github.com/virt-manager/virt-manager/tree/master/virtinst

[23] ttps://access.redhat.com/documentation/en-us/red_hat_enterprise_linux/8/html/configuring_and_managing_virtualization/getting-started-with-virtualization-in-rhel-8_configuring-and-managing-virtualization

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Virsh

Contents

Basic Commands

All Commands

Getting Information

Operations

Virsh Storage commands

Virsh Storage Information

All Storage commands

Virsh Snapshots

Virsh CPU Commands

Virsh Memory Commands

QEMU

Networking

Activities

See also

References

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