Qemu/kvm as a tool for handling 7.4.2 install from ISO
To me, it seems that rather few people use Qemu/kvm as a tool for handling Knoppix. Both for testing and running images, to avoid the CD/DVD burning step, and a lot of other things. Here, I will just tell how I used it to create a plain flash install og 7.4.2 very easily. Basically the same story I have told before, but now it is 7.4.2. I did this on a Knoppix 7.0.5 install.
Download and check the ISO image, insert the USB stick to install on in a USB (preferably USB3.0) port.
Then check qemu/kvm-modules are in place, and find out what the drive is called
Code:
$sudo modprobe kvm && modprobe kvm-intel
$fdisk -l
Log into the download directory and run the DVD image in qemu with kvm acceleration. Here, the stick has been mapped as /dev/sdc, I run with 1GB memory, and boot the image
Code:
$sudo qemu -machine accel=kvm -cdrom KNOPPIX_V7.4.2DVD-2014-09-28-EN.iso -hdb /dev/sdc -m 1024 -boot d
A small window with the Knoppix boot prompt opens - here you can enter kernel and keyboard options etc. Then a somewhat larger window where Knoppix runs, apperars. You can use this to check different aspects of the new version.
Then click the Install Knoppix to flash icon. Beware of the pecularity occurring next: You must choose install to hard disk, because when starting the virtual machine with the -hdb /dev/sdc parameter, the USB stick has been mapped to /dev/sda. You will be able to check it from the size of the drive.
You have the ordinary choices - I recommend to start with the simplest procedure: Let Knoppix format the whole drive as FAT32, use a 4GB overlay file (not partition) if the stick allows it.
For me, this worked very well on the first try. I immediately used the stick to boot another PC where the whole disk was to wiped out and setup anew for a new install.
I have other problems, it turns out.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
utu
I have 3.5 Gb ram to work-with.
Is this enough to successfully treat DVD-size isos using this process?
TIA.
I appreciate the posting of this helpful idea, however...
Many forum users won't be able to use this idea because their cpu(s) aren't capable
of doing the necessary virtualization. The Intel site below may help some figure this out.
The process I went through was as follows:
1. egrep '(vmx|svm)' --color=always /proc/cpuinfo gives a null result; not encouraging.
2. virtualization (may?) require 64-bit cpu(s) & OS; we have that, anyway.
3. my bios material gives NO clue whether my cpu(s) are capable of virtualization or not; also not encouraging.
4. Intel spec sheets let you know whether your cpu(s) are capable of vt-x virtualization; mine aren't. See, for example:
http://ark.intel.com/products/37253/...=t4300+pentium
One needs to substitute their own cpu designation, of course.
My rig is dual T4300s.
For this kind of use, you don't really need virtualization
Quote:
Originally Posted by
utu
I appreciate the posting of this helpful idea, however...
Many forum users won't be able to use this idea because their cpu(s) aren't capable
of doing the necessary virtualization. The Intel site below may help some figure this out.
The process I went through was as follows:
1. egrep '(vmx|svm)' --color=always /proc/cpuinfo gives a null result; not encouraging.
2. virtualization (may?) require 64-bit cpu(s) & OS; we have that, anyway.
3. my bios material gives NO clue whether my cpu(s) are capable of virtualization or not; also not encouraging.
4. Intel spec sheets let you know whether your cpu(s) are capable of vt-x virtualization; mine aren't. See, for example:
http://ark.intel.com/products/37253/...=t4300+pentium
One needs to substitute their own cpu designation, of course.
My rig is dual T4300s.
For the simple kind of use I mentioned, you don't really need virtualization. If kvm doesn't work, it's just to omit the -machine parameter. It will run slowly, but the job will be done - and I'm not sure about the resulting amount of lag in I/O-operations, which is the time-consuming part in this case.
The modprobe (with AMD CPUs, use kvm-amd instead of kvm-intel) should fail if kvm doesn't work, and the simple command
will tell if kvm is loaded.
(I also wonder how many use virtualization-resistent CPUs these days.)
Seems that 3 GB RAM will work - but the -m parameter may have to be be reduced from 1024.