KVM Desktop Setup Ideas
-
Literally all of you jumped to a conclusion that "desktop" meant "sitting on my desk and being used as a desktop" because KVM.
Rather than treating this as a production workload and remotely managing it.
Hence the questions mentioned above need to be considered and asked.
-
Fedora 29 with KVM is a great, standard way to do a Linux desktop and have local VMs. It's especially good if you are labbing desktops, rather than servers. You get more performance of the graphics (from lower latency) to the local desktop. This is super common for gaming, development, and desktop support tasks primarily.
-
That was probably the biggest fork that I have ever done.
-
@DustinB3403 said in KVM Desktop Setup Ideas:
What part of any of @hobbit666's post indicate that this must be a daily driver that is sitting on or under his desk?
@hobbit666 said in What Are You Doing Right Now:
What combo is best to "get started" with KVM?
It's just for a standalone machine to host 5-6 VM's.
@hobbit666 said in What Are You Doing Right Now:
@scottalanmiller @DustinB3403
Yeah i'll only ever be running 6 VM's at the most, also the "host" is a desktop machine that only has 16GB RAM at the moment. Hopefully upgrading to 32GB when i find a machine that can donate some RAM
No matter the case, whether it's for a Desktop workstation or a Desktop remote-access-only "server", he mentioned Linux and KVM. So it didn't even matter to begin with.
Meaning type 2 and all that other crap should have never been mentioned.
-
unrelated :
What, Not tags on this one? -
@Obsolesce said in KVM Desktop Setup Ideas:
Meaning type 2 and all that other crap should have never been mentioned.
It has to be mentioned because, if we are using the same assumptions that were made, that this would be a daily driver. He may have things that need to be moved, or other complications.
Assuming that KVM and Linux is the only consideration to talk about then he is literally still flush with options and things that need to be considered and should, even if just momentarily, discussed.
KVM and Linux on an old desktop - okay are you wiping out and reloading or are you installing KVM on an existing desktop? Are you wanting to operate this Hypervisor like it was a production system remotely or are you wanting to continue and use it as a daily driver as well?
-
@WrCombs said in KVM Desktop Setup Ideas:
unrelated :
What, Not tags on this one?tags can't come during a fork, they have to be added manually afterwards.
-
@scottalanmiller said in KVM Desktop Setup Ideas:
@WrCombs said in KVM Desktop Setup Ideas:
unrelated :
What, Not tags on this one?tags can't come during a fork, they have to be added manually afterwards.
fair enough,
-
Tags added.
-
Virtual box is terrible. I really don't know anyone who I would take seriously that uses it. If you want something that has great GUI and more than the basics available via GUI. Use VMware workstation. Yeah you have to buy it, but virtual box is so lame, slow, and has issues.
Virt manager has the same options as virtual box, so when is there ever a reason to use virtual box?
-
@hobbit666 said in KVM Desktop Setup Ideas:
Yeah i'll only ever be running 6 VM's at the most, also the "host" is a desktop machine that only has 16GB RAM at the moment. Hopefully upgrading to 32GB when i find a machine that can donate some RAM
This part here is also a part of the confusion and why, we as professionals need to remove ambiguity from our conversations.
As written this should be taken to mean "Using desktop class hardware". Nothing else is implied and it certainly isn't implied that this system would continue to be used as a "daily driver".
It is because the assumption was made that this system would continue to be used as a daily driver that considerations of installing this system remotely, and managing it remotely were not considered and elevated the conversation to force a discussion about the intended use of the hardware.
Besides running the 5-6 VMs that were already mentioned.
-
@IRJ said in KVM Desktop Setup Ideas:
Virtual box is terrible. I really don't know anyone who I would take seriously that uses it. If you want something that has great GUI and more than the basics available via GUI. Use VMware workstation. Yeah you have to buy it, but virtual box is so lame, slow, and has issues.
Virt manager has the same options as virtual box, so when is there ever a reason to use virtual box?
No one has implied that the quality of any Type 2 hypervisor is worthwhile. We're still attempting (I think) to discuss how this hardware is intended to be used.
-
@DustinB3403 said in KVM Desktop Setup Ideas:
@dafyre said in What Are You Doing Right Now:
KVM is also nice because you can continue using that machine as a regular desktop as well, if you need to do so. (Can't do that with VMware, Hyper-V or XenServer).
No one expects to use their Type 1 hypervisor as a desktop.
I use Hyper-V on my laptop all the time. Nothing that is actually a productive server, but lots of demos.
-
@hobbit666 said in KVM Desktop Setup Ideas:
What combo is best to "get started" with KVM?
It's just for a standalone machine to host 5-6 VM's.
If they are all linux based, you could run 15 on that.
-
@travisdh1 said in KVM Desktop Setup Ideas:
@DustinB3403 said in KVM Desktop Setup Ideas:
@dafyre said in What Are You Doing Right Now:
KVM is also nice because you can continue using that machine as a regular desktop as well, if you need to do so. (Can't do that with VMware, Hyper-V or XenServer).
No one expects to use their Type 1 hypervisor as a desktop.
I use Hyper-V on my laptop all the time. Nothing that is actually a productive server, but lots of demos.
When you set out with the need to run VMs was the original intent to do so on your laptop, or later on was the question raised "can my laptop be used to act like a Type 1 hypervisor?"
The order of the questions matter, as they lead you to the result.
-
@travisdh1 said in KVM Desktop Setup Ideas:
@hobbit666 said in KVM Desktop Setup Ideas:
What combo is best to "get started" with KVM?
It's just for a standalone machine to host 5-6 VM's.
If they are all linux based, you could run 15 on that.
If they are servers, not desktops. Most desktops will crap out at that low.
-
Wow this has become a long thread. Missed a load of stuff. Had a quick look over and need to clarify a few things.
I have a Desktop machine (Dell optiplex 9050, i7, 16gb Ram, 240ssd and 500sata)
This is going to be used as a lab only. Managed remotely like a server would. I've used ESXi before, XenServer, Hyper-V.Even Windows 10 Pro with Virtual Box, VMware player and workstation. Windows 10 with Hyper-V enabled.
The only Hypervisor I haven't tried yet is KVM.
Hence the question where to Start.It'll run a VM as a firewall
One Linux VM
Three Win10pro
(Because the Win10 VM's hence the need to upgrade the RAM) -
When I say combo I mean what Distro as a base os (fedora seems to be popular) and what to use to manage it remotely.
-
@hobbit666 said in KVM Desktop Setup Ideas:
When I say combo I mean what Distro as a base os (fedora seems to be popular) and what to use to manage it remotely.
Then I stand by the original few suggestions:
@Obsolesce said in KVM Desktop Setup Ideas:
@hobbit666 said in What Are You Doing Right Now:
What combo is best to "get started" with KVM?
It's just for a standalone machine to host 5-6 VM's.
Fedora Server works great.
and
@scottalanmiller said in KVM Desktop Setup Ideas:
@hobbit666 said in What Are You Doing Right Now:
What combo is best to "get started" with KVM?
It's just for a standalone machine to host 5-6 VM's.
I really like just using Cockpit. So I start with the latest Fedora which is 29. Install KVM. That's about it.
There are some things you will want that it lacks, but they are mostly around creating the VMs, not day to day. So while they suck and need to be done at the CLI, I still prefer it most of the time. At least for stand alones.
-
@DustinB3403 said in KVM Desktop Setup Ideas:
@coliver said in What Are You Doing Right Now:
@DustinB3403 said in What Are You Doing Right Now:
@dafyre said in What Are You Doing Right Now:
KVM is also nice because you can continue using that machine as a regular desktop as well, if you need to do so. (Can't do that with VMware, Hyper-V or XenServer).
No one expects to use their Type 1 hypervisor as a desktop.
I have VMs on my local desktop with Hyper-V. Not production but they are good for a lab.
Is it your expectation to use XenServer as a desktop?
FFS did I say something that was confusing.
This is not an expectation generally made that a Type 1 Hypervisor can also be used as a daily driver. Persons who do this are making a case in which they need a daily driver and a Type 1 Hypervisor.
It is not the normal expectation.
I'm late to this - but I absolutely want this - hell I want this for normal users so they can be more protected.
