virt-manager is a command-line interface (CLI) launcher for virt-manager, which is a desktop user interface (GUI) for managing virtual machines (VMs) and containers on Linux systems. The virt-manager GUI is used to manage KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) and Xen virtual machines as well as LXC (Linux Containers) containers.
With virt-manager, users can create, delete, and manage VMs and containers, configure virtual hardware settings such as CPUs, memory, and storage devices, and monitor VMs and containers for performance and resource usage. The virt-manager GUI also provides a graphical console for accessing and controlling VMs.
The virt-manager CLI launcher provides a command-line interface for launching virt-manager with specific options and configurations. This can be useful for automating virtual machine management tasks or for accessing virt-manager functionality from a remote server or terminal.
virt-manager Command Examples
1. Launch virt-manager:
# virt-manager
2. Connect to a hypervisor:
# virt-manager --connect hypervisor_uri
3. Don’t fork virt-manager process into background on startup:
# virt-manager --no-fork
4. Print debug output:
# virt-manager --debug
5. Open the “New VM” wizard:
# virt-manager --show-domain-creator
6. Show domain details window:
# virt-manager --show-domain-editor name|id|uuid
7. Show domain performance window:
# virt-manager --show-domain-performance name|id|uuid
8. Show connection details window:
# virt-manager --show-host-summary
Summary
virt-manager is included in many Linux distributions and can be installed using package managers such as apt, yum, or pacman. The virt-manager CLI launcher is typically installed alongside virt-manager.
Overall, virt-manager and its CLI launcher provide a powerful and flexible toolset for managing virtual machines and containers on Linux systems.