Installation guide

For host systems: https://access.redhat.com/site/articles/rhel-limits

For the KVM hypervisor: https://access.redhat.com/site/articles/rhel-kvm-limits

For a complete chart of supported operating systems and host and guest combinations

refer to https://access.redhat.com/site/supported-hypervisors.

4.2. libvirt and libvirt t ools

The libvirt package is a hypervisor-independent virtualization API that is able to interact with the

virtualization capabilities of a range of operating systems.

The libvirt package provides:

A common, generic, and stable layer to securely manage virtual machines on a host.

A common interface for managing local systems and networked hosts.

All of the APIs required to provision, create, modify, monitor, control, migrate, and stop virtual

machines, but only if the hypervisor supports these operations. Although multiple hosts may be

accessed with lib virt simultaneously, the APIs are limited to single node operations.

lib virt focuses on managing single hosts and provides APIs to enumerate, monitor and use the

resources available on the managed node, including CPUs, memory, storage, networking and Non-

Uniform Memory Access (NUMA) partitions. The management tools can be located on separate

physical machines from the host using secure protocols.

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 supports lib virt and included lib virt -based tools as its default method

for virtualization management (as in Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization Management).

The libvirt package is available as free software under the GNU Lesser General Public License. The

libvirt project aims to provide a long term stable C API to virtualization management tools, running on

top of varying hypervisor technologies. The libvirt package supports Xen on Red Hat Enterprise

Linux 5, and it supports KVM on both Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 and Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.

virsh

The vi rsh command-line tool is built on the lib virt management API and operates as an

alternative to the graphical vi rt-manag er application. The vi rsh command can be used

in read-only mode by unprivileged users or, with root access, full administration

functionality. The vi rsh command is ideal for scripting virtualization administration.

virt - man ag er

vi rt-manag er is a graphical desktop tool for managing virtual machines. It allows access

to graphical guest consoles and can be used to perform virtualization administration,

virtual machine creation, migration, and configuration tasks. The ability to view virtual

machines, host statistics, device information and performance graphs is also provided. The

local hypervisor and remote hypervisors can be managed through a single interface.

Note

For more information on vi rsh and virt - man ag er, refer to the Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6

Virtualization Administration Guide.

4.3. Virt ualized hardware devices

Red Hat Ent erprise Linux 6 Virt ualizat io n G et t ing St art ed G uide