*...Bob*
On 08/18/2015 07:43 PM, doug wrote:
>
> On 08/18/2015 07:17 PM, Bob Weber wrote:
>>
>>>
> /snip/
>>>
>> I also use the kvm/qemu packages. There is also a GUI that makes setting up
>> and running VMs very easy. Its Virtual Machine Manager and it uses libvirtd
>> to manage machines. I have also at one time installed bsd and it ran fine.
>> You can also try out different live cd by just downloading the ISO and
>> connecting it to a guest in Virtual Machine Manager. Installs are done this
>> way also.
>>
>> Have fun!
>>
>> ...Bob
> somewhat off topic, I guess, but, question:
>
> I tried some time ago to install a BSD but it wanted something other than ntfs
> or extx file system, and I had to
> make a special partition for it that nothing else could read. I finally
> decided it was too different, but if you
> install a BSD under a vm, what does it do about the file system?
>
> --doug
The OS that is running as a guest is responsible for the file system it uses.
There is a file on the host created with qemu-img that is presented to the guest
as a hard disk that is totally isolated from the host. Therefore, the host
doesn't need to mount the guest file system so the guest is free to partition
and format the "disk" as it sees fit. If the file system on the image file is
known by the host it can be mounted and viewed by the host if the guest is not
running. The commands for this are (on debian testing anyway):
# on the host run...
# install module
modprobe nbd max_part=8
# connect image
qemu-nbd --connect=/dev/nbd0 xxxx.img
# Mount partition one
mount /dev/nbd0p1 /mnt/foo
Make sure you unmount the partition and disconnect the /dev/nbd... device before
running the guest again. Things get messed up badly if you forget this part.
When I decided to go with kvm, virtualbox had been taken over by oracle. I was
worried that it would become proprietary or inhibited in some way. I remember
an earlier sun version wouldn't allow you to connect host usb devices ... only
commercial versions allowed this. With qemu/kvm I have hot connected a usb host
bluetooth device to debian and Win10 guests and been able to play music through
external bluetooth headphones from the guest! Thats quite an achievement if you
have ever played with bluetooth audio devices.
...bob
