How to install KVM virtualizer

What is KVM?

KVM virtualization, which stands for Kernel-based Virtual Machine, is a virtualization technology that relies on the Linux operating system. This technology allows you to create and run virtual machines on a physical server. KVM virtualization uses operating system-level virtualization capabilities. This means that using the KVM module that is added to the Linux kernel, allows you to run a complete virtual operating system on your system.
It is used as a management tool to install and manage virtual machines. Using KVM virtualization, you can run different operating systems on a physical server and treat each one as an independent virtual machine. These virtual machines are partitioned using the hardware resources of the physical server and each one operates separately and independently from the other machines. The main advantage of this virtualization is that it takes advantage of the virtualization capabilities of the Linux operating system and allows you to manage your virtual machines using Linux management tools and methods.
Also, KVM uses protocols and industry standards such as VirtIO to communicate between virtual machines and hardware, which ensures improved system performance and efficiency. In general, by using KVM virtualization you can manage your server resources more optimally, provide more security and take advantage of high scalability to grow and develop your sites and applications.

How to install it?

Installing Kernel-based Virtual Machine on a Linux operating system depends on your configuration and distribution type. Below, we’ll look at how to install KVM on two well-known distributions, Ubuntu and CentOS/RHEL:

To install it on Ubuntu, follow these steps:

First, make sure your Ubuntu operating system is up to date. Run the following commands through the terminal:

sudo apt update

sudo apt upgrade

Install the required packages for KVM using the following command:

sudo apt install qemu-kvm libvirt-daemon-system libvirt-clients bridge-utils virt-manager

After installing the required packages, verify that the libvirtd service is running using the following command:

sudo systemctl is-active libvirtd

If the libvirtd service is disabled, you can start it using the following command:

sudo systemctl start libvirtd

Now you can use Virt-Manager to manage your virtual machines. To run it, use the following command:

virt-manager

To install it on CentOS/RHEL, follow the steps below:

First, make sure your CentOS/RHEL operating system is up to date. Run the following commands through the terminal:

sudo yum update

Install the required packages for KVM using the following command:

sudo yum install qemu-kvm libvirt virt-install bridge-utils virt-manager

After installing the required packages, verify that the libvirtd service is running using the following command:

sudo systemctl is-active libvirtd

If the libvirtd service is disabled, you can start it using the following command:

sudo systemctl start libvirtd

Now you can use Virt-Manager to manage your virtual machines. To run it, use the following command:

sudo virt-manager

After installing, you can use virtual machine management tools like “virsh” or “virt-manager” to create and manage your virtual machines. Also, to configure network and network access for virtual machines, you can use tools like “brctl” and “virsh net-edit”.

Please note that KVM installation requires admin access (sudo/root). Also, before installing KVM, it is recommended to use the settings and documentation of your Linux distribution and make sure that your operating system and hardware are fully compatible with KVM.