Update Ubuntu
Run the command below:
sudo apt update
Check Virtualization Support on Ubuntu
egrep -c '(vmx|svm)' /proc/cpuinfo
Output:
rogerp@skynet:~/.ssh$ sudo egrep -c '(vmx|svm)' /proc/cpuinfo
16
If the command returns a value of 0, your processor is not capable of running KVM. On the other hand, any other number means you can proceed with the installation.
Next, check if your system can use KVM acceleration:
sudo kvm-ok
The output should look like this:
rogerp@skynet:~/.ssh$ sudo kvm-ok
INFO: /dev/kvm exists
KVM acceleration can be used
If kvm-ok returns an error, install cpu-checker to resolve the issue.
To install cpu-checker, run the following command:
sudo apt install cpu-checker
When the installation completes, rerun the command to check KVM acceleration availability, and if everything is ok, you are ready to start installing KVM.
Install KVM Packages
Install the essential KVM packages with the following command:
sudo apt install qemu-kvm libvirt-daemon-system libvirt-clients bridge-utils -y
Wait until the system installs all the packages.
Authorize Users
Only members of the libvirt and kvm user groups can run virtual machines. If you want specific users to run VMs, add them to those user groups. Follow the steps below:
Add the user you want to run the virtual machines to the libvirt group:
sudo adduser [username] libvirt
Replace [username] with the actual username.
Next, do the same for the kvm group:
sudo adduser [username] kvm
Verify the Installation
sudo virsh list --all
Id Name State
--------------------
Alternatively, use the systemctl command to check the status of libvirtd, the daemon that provides the backend services for the libvirt virtualization management system:
sudo systemctl status libvirtd
If everything is functioning properly, the output returns an active (running) status.
Create Virtual Machine on Ubuntu
Before you choose one of the two methods below for creating a VM, install virt-manager, a tool for creating and managing VMs:
sudo apt install virt-manager -y
Start virt-manager by running the command below:
sudo virt-manager