Run virt-manager on Windows 10
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If you want to run virt-manager from a Windows desktop, you will quickly find that no such package exists. I was distraught to find this, as having this package for Windows would be very handy. However, there is a very simple solution, virt-manager does run on Windows. And here is how to do it.
First: Install Xming
Assuming that you have chocolatey installed (and you should, if you are using Windows)...
choco install xming -y
You can find it in the Start menu to run it. It will just sit in the background.
Second: Install Ubuntu Compatibility Layer
Go to the Windows Store and get Ubuntu. Don't worry, this is the Ubuntu environment, it is not Linux is any way. This is an all-Windows solution.
Third: Install virt-manager
apt-get install virt-manager
Fourth: Set the display
export DISPLAY=:0
Fifth: Profit!
virt-manager &
That's it!
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@scottalanmiller Did you get this message the first time?
WslRegisterDistribution failed with error: 0x8007019e The Windows Subsystem for Linux optional component is not enabled. Please enable it and try again.
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@black3dynamite said in Run virt-manager on Windows 10:
@scottalanmiller Did you get this message the first time?
WslRegisterDistribution failed with error: 0x8007019e The Windows Subsystem for Linux optional component is not enabled. Please enable it and try again.
Ah, ill add that to the list. Thats a step before downloading Ubuntu.
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Go Windows!
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@Obsolesce said in Run virt-manager on Windows 10:
Go Windows!
Just had to include all the UNIX ecosystem apps to make it good! lol.
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@travisdh1 said in Run virt-manager on Windows 10:
@scottalanmiller I had to do an
apt-get update
before apt-get would find and install virt-manager.
That is normal. Aptitude has no idea what is there if you don’t have a cache first. DNF just assumes that you need to check the repos if it is not in the local cache and does so.
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@travisdh1 said in Run virt-manager on Windows 10:
@scottalanmiller I had to do an
apt-get update
before apt-get would find and install virt-manager.
That's true, but you shouldn't be skipping patching regardless. So in theory it should get picked up as a matter of course.
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@travisdh1 said in Run virt-manager on Windows 10:
@Obsolesce said in Run virt-manager on Windows 10:
Go Windows!
Just had to include all the UNIX ecosystem apps to make it good! lol.
They always have. Or almost always. Goes way back. Remember that Microsoft was the world's largest UNIX vendor before they went to Windows. In the old days, before Linux was big, Microsoft's SFU (Subsystem for UNIX) was a layer that you added that was just Xenix rebuilt on Windows. SFU was just renamed, but POSIX compatibility has been a Windows requirement for decades now, and has always worked very well.
Although running just Ubuntu updates on Windows 10 showcases very quickly just how slow the system is compared to Ubuntu on Linux.
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@scottalanmiller said in Run virt-manager on Windows 10:
@travisdh1 said in Run virt-manager on Windows 10:
@scottalanmiller I had to do an
apt-get update
before apt-get would find and install virt-manager.
That's true, but you shouldn't be skipping patching regardless. So in theory it should get picked up as a matter of course.
Except that this was a brand new instance of WSL.
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@JaredBusch said in Run virt-manager on Windows 10:
@scottalanmiller said in Run virt-manager on Windows 10:
@travisdh1 said in Run virt-manager on Windows 10:
@scottalanmiller I had to do an
apt-get update
before apt-get would find and install virt-manager.
That's true, but you shouldn't be skipping patching regardless. So in theory it should get picked up as a matter of course.
Except that this was a brand new instance of WSL.
Yep. While
apt-get update
is something those of use who have been using Debian/Ubuntu know to do automatically, it's a missing step that could trip someone up. -
Having a few issues getting this running.
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So i've installed Xming.
Set the Display and Ran the program. -
Gone to the Windows Store and installed Ubuntu 18.04
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Ran Ubuntu and done and
ap-get update
Thenapt-get install virt-manager
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ran
virt-manager &
This is where i get the first problem.
I get the following message:-
Do i need to install or run anything else on the Windows Ubuntu instance?
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@hobbit666 said in Run virt-manager on Windows 10:
Having a few issues getting this running.
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So i've installed Xming.
Set the Display and Ran the program. -
Gone to the Windows Store and installed Ubuntu 18.04
-
Ran Ubuntu and done and
ap-get update
Thenapt-get install virt-manager
-
ran
virt-manager &
This is where i get the first problem.
I get the following message:-
Do i need to install or run anything else on the Windows Ubuntu instance?
Try restarting the machine or at least virt-manager
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@DustinB3403 I've rebooted my machine still the same.
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@hobbit666 does your hardware support virtualization?
kvm ok
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@DustinB3403 Yeah i've installed Fedora 29 with Headless Virtualisation.
Installed Cockpit-Machines and that's letting me create VM's
Was just trying Virt-Manger as i'm not sure how to create a VM with Cockpit and select a diffident storage location for the VM, as my Boot drive is only 16GB. -
@hobbit666 said in Run virt-manager on Windows 10:
@DustinB3403 Yeah i've installed Fedora 29 with Headless Virtualisation.
Installed Cockpit-Machines and that's letting me create VM's
Was just trying Virt-Manger as i'm not sure how to create a VM with Cockpit and select a diffident storage location for the VM, as my Boot drive is only 16GB.Ah, with virt-manager you need to add the location. It is a bit weird, but makes sense the first time you do it.
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Found may be a easier way of getting it on Windows 10.
Install virt-manager xorg-x11-fonts-* xorg-x11-utils xorg-x11-xauth
Then install MobaXterm
https://mobaxterm.mobatek.net/download.html
I've used the Home Edition
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@hobbit666 Isn't that the same process, just replacing Xming with MobaXterm? All the rest seems to be the same effort?