Re: Installing Kali Linux using KVM virt-install tool

[Kaushal Shriyan <kaushalshriyan@xxxxxxxxx>]

Hi Pavel,

I am running virt-install version 1.5.0 on CentOS Linux release 7.6.1810 (Core) server.

#virt-install --name=kalilinux --file=/linuxkvmaddgbdisk/kalilinux.img --file-size=50 --nonsparse --vcpu=2 --ram=4096 --network=bridge:br0 --os-type=linux --os-variant=debian9 --graphics none --location /linuxkvmaddgbdisk/kali-linux-2020.2-installer-amd64.iso,kernel=install.amd/vmlinuz,initrd=install.amd/initrd.gz --extra-args="console=ttyS0"

ERROR    Error validating install location: Validating install media '/linuxkvmaddgbdisk/kali-linux-2020.2-installer-amd64.iso,kernel=install.amd/vmlinuz,initrd=install.amd/initrd.gz' failed: Could not start storage pool: cannot open directory '/linuxkvmaddgbdisk/kali-linux-2020.2-installer-amd64.iso,kernel=install.amd/vmlinuz,initrd=install.amd': No such file or directory

#virt-install --name=kalilinux --file=/linuxkvmaddgbdisk/kalilinux.img --file-size=50 --nonsparse --vcpu=2 --ram=4096 --network=bridge:br0 --os-type=linux --os-variant=debian9 --graphics none --location /linuxkvmaddgbdisk kali-linux-2020.2-installer-amd64.iso,kernel=install.amd/gtk/vmlinuz,initrd=install.amd/gtk/initrd.gz --extra-args="console=ttyS0"
usage: virt-install --name NAME --memory MB STORAGE INSTALL [options]
virt-install: error: unrecognized arguments: kali-linux-2020.2-installer-amd64.iso,kernel=install.amd/gtk/vmlinuz,initrd=install.amd/gtk/initrd.gz
#

Any help will be highly appreciated and I look forward to hearing from you. Please let me know if you need any additional details. Thanks in Advance.

Best Regards,

Kaushal

On Fri, Aug 7, 2020 at 5:44 PM Pavel Hrdina <phrdina@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

On Fri, Aug 07, 2020 at 05:05:48PM +0530, Kaushal Shriyan wrote:
> On Fri, Aug 7, 2020 at 1:10 PM Erik Skultety <eskultet@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
> > On Wed, Aug 05, 2020 at 10:13:57PM +0530, Kaushal Shriyan wrote:
> > > On Wed, Aug 5, 2020 at 1:32 PM Pavel Hrdina <phrdina@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> > >
> > > > On Wed, Aug 05, 2020 at 06:57:11AM +0530, Kaushal Shriyan wrote:
> > > > > Hi,
> > > > >
> > > > > I am trying to install kali-linux-2020.2-installer-amd64.iso (
> > > > > https://www.kali.org/downloads/) using KVM virt-install tool
> > > > >
> > > > > #virt-install --name=kalilinux
> > --file=/linuxkvmaddgbdisk/kalilinux.img
> > > > > --file-size=50 --nonsparse --vcpu=2 --ram=4096 --network=bridge:br0
> > > > > --os-type=linux --os-variant=debian9 --graphics none
> > > > > --location=/linuxkvmaddgbdisk/kali-linux-2020.2-installer-amd64.iso
> > > > > --extra-args="console=ttyS0
> > > > >
> > > > > Starting install...
> > > > > Retrieving file .treeinfo...
> > > > >
> > > > >                               |    0 B  00:00:00
> > > > > Retrieving file content...
> > > > >
> > > > >                               |    0 B  00:00:00
> > > > > Retrieving file info...
> > > > >
> > > > >                              |  104 B  00:00:00
> > > > > Retrieving file info...
> > > > >
> > > > >                              |  104 B  00:00:00
> > > > > Retrieving file info...
> > > > >
> > > > >                              |  104 B  00:00:00
> > > > > ERROR    Could not find an installable distribution at
> > > > > '/linuxkvmaddgbdisk/kali-linux-2020.2-installer-amd64.iso': The URL
> > could
> > > > > not be accessed, maybe you mistyped?
> > > > >
> > > > > The location must be the root directory of an install tree.
> > > > > See virt-install man page for various distro examples.
> > > > > Domain installation does not appear to have been successful.
> > > > > If it was, you can restart your domain by running:
> > > > >   virsh --connect qemu:///system start kalilinux
> > > > > otherwise, please restart your installation.
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > #virt-install --name=kalilinux
> > --file=/linuxkvmaddgbdisk/kalilinux.img
> > > > > --file-size=50 --nonsparse --vcpu=2 --ram=4096 --network=bridge:br0
> > > > > --os-type=linux --os-variant=debian9 --graphics none
> > > > > --cdrom=/linuxkvmaddgbdisk/kali-linux-2020.2-installer-amd64.iso
> > > > > --extra-args="console=ttyS0"
> > > > > ERROR    --extra-args only work if specified with --location. See
> > the man
> > > > > page for examples of using --location with CDROM media
> > > > >
> > > > > I did not find kali OS details to provide an option for*
> > --os-variant=
> > > > * When
> > > > > I ran osinfo-query os | grep kali it did not return anything.
> > > > > Any help will be highly appreciated and I look forward to hearing
> > from
> > > > you.
> > > > > Thanks in advance.
> > > >
> > > > Hi,
> > > >
> > > > Using --location with ISO image requires specific file to be available
> > > > in the ISO image where virt-install can look to figure out path to
> > linux
> > > > kernel and initrd otherwise it is not able to use --location and
> > > > --extra-args as well.
> > > >
> > > > If you look into virt-install man page in the section for --location
> > you
> > > > can find this example:
> > > >
> > > >     Additionally, --location can take 'kernel' and 'initrd' sub
> > options.
> > > >     These paths relative to the specified location URL/ISO that allow
> > > >     selecting specific files for kernel/initrd within the install tree.
> > > >     This can be useful if virt-install/ libosinfo doesn't know where to
> > > >     find the kernel in the specified --location.
> > > >
> > > >     For example, if you have an ISO that libosinfo doesn't know about
> > > >     called my-unknown.iso, with a kernel at 'kernel/fookernel' and
> > > >     initrd at 'kernel/fooinitrd', you can make this work with:
> > > >
> > > >         --location
> > > > my-unknown.iso,kernel=kernel/fookernel,initrd=kernel/fooinitrd
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > You can use isoinfo to get the content of your ISO image:
> > > >
> > > >     isoinfo -J -i /path/to/your.iso -f
> > > >
> > > > and use the --location with kernel and initrd parameters which will
> > make
> > > > it work and --extra-args will work as well.
> > > >
> > > > Pavel
> > > >
> > >
> > > Hi Pavel,
> > >
> > > Thanks for your email and much appreciated. I have pasted the output here
> > > https://paste.centos.org/view/89952d91
> >
> > Hi,
> > ^this URL you provided already expired, consider using longer time periods
> > for pastebin services when posting to a mailing list.
> >
> > >
> > > #virt-install --name=kalilinux --file=/linuxkvmaddgbdisk/kalilinux.img
> > > --file-size=50 --nonsparse --vcpu=2 --ram=4096 --network=bridge:br0
> > > --os-type=linux --os-variant=debian9 --graphics none
> > > --location=/linuxkvmaddgbdisk/kali-linux-2020.2-installer-amd64.iso
> > > --extra-args="console=ttyS0
> > >
> > > --location my-unknown.iso,kernel=kernel/fookernel,initrd=kernel/fooinitrd
> > >
> > > --location
> > > kali-linux-2020.2-installer-amd64.iso,kernel=kernel/?,initrd=kernel/?
> > >
> > > I did not find kali OS details to provide an option for* --os-variant=
> > * When
> > > I ran osinfo-query os | grep kali it did not return anything. What should
> >
> > There's over 500 Linux distros out there with the vast majority being just
> > derivatives of the major distributions, so it requires someone who cares
> > about
> > a specific distro to contribute the required changes to libosinfo and
> > commit to
> > maintaining it to keep the information up to date.
> >
> > > be the value for --os-variant= as i want to install
> > > kali-linux-2020.2-installer-amd64.iso (https://www.kali.org/downloads/)
> > > using KVM virt-install tool
> >
> > For any practical purposes, Debian 10 should do just fine in terms of
> > pulling
> > the recommended VM settings from osinfo-db as Kali is derived from Debian.
> >
> > Regards,
> > Erik
> >
> >
> Hi Erik,
>
> Thanks Erik for the reply. I am running
>
> #virt-install --name=kalilinux --file=/linuxkvmaddgbdisk/kalilinux.img
> --file-size=50 --nonsparse --vcpu=2 --ram=4096 --network=bridge:br0
> --os-type=linux --os-variant=debian9 --graphics none
> --location=/linuxkvmaddgbdisk/kali-linux-2020.2-installer-amd64.iso
> --extra-args="console=ttyS0"
>
> Starting install...
> Retrieving file .treeinfo...
>
>                               |    0 B  00:00:00
> Retrieving file content...
>
>                               |    0 B  00:00:00
> Retrieving file info...
>
>                              |  104 B  00:00:00
> Retrieving file info...
>
>                              |  104 B  00:00:00
> Retrieving file info...
>
>                              |  104 B  00:00:00
> ERROR    Could not find an installable distribution at
> '/linuxkvmaddgbdisk/kali-linux-2020.2-installer-amd64.iso': The URL could
> not be accessed, maybe you mistyped?
>
> The location must be the root directory of an install tree.
> See virt-install man page for various distro examples.
> Domain installation does not appear to have been successful.
> If it was, you can restart your domain by running:
>   virsh --connect qemu:///system start kalilinux
> otherwise, please restart your installation.
>
> #virt-install --accelerate --hvm --connect qemu:///system --cdrom
> /linuxkvmaddgbdisk/kali-linux-2020.2-installer-amd64.iso --name kalilinux
> --ram 4096 --disk path=/linuxkvmaddgbdisk/kalilinux.img,size=50
> --os-variant debian9 --graphics none --os-type linux
> --extra-args="console=ttyS0"
> ERROR    --extra-args only work if specified with --location. See the man
> page for examples of using --location with CDROM media
>
> I have pasted the output of the below command in http://sprunge.us/IdsF8Y
>
> #isoinfo -J -i kali-linux-2020.2-installer-amd64.iso
>
> I am not sure if I understand about --location
> kali-linux-2020.2-installer-amd64.iso,kernel=kernel/*?*,initrd=kernel/*?* as
> per the pastebin http://sprunge.us/IdsF8Y

So based on this output the correct usage of --location should be

--location kali-linux-2020.2-installer-amd64.iso,kernel=install.amd/vmlinuz,initrd=install.amd/initrd.gz

Usually the names are vmlinuz for kernel and initrd for init ram disk.

It looks like that in that ISO image there is another set of
kernel+initrd:

    install.amd/gtk/vmlinuz
    install.amd/gtk/initrd.gz

so I guess you need to try which one will work for you.

For this specific reason virt-install need to have a file that will list
where to look for kernel and initrd as you can see the paths are
different for each distribution and sometimes even for different type of
ISO images for the same distribution so it would be insane to cover all
the possible cases. I would not be surprised if in some cases the file
names would be completely different.

Pavel

> Any help will be highly appreciated and I look forward to hearing from you.
> Please let me know if you need any additional details. Thanks in Advance.
>
> Best Regards,
>
> Kaushal