virsh

VIRSH(1)                    Virtualization Support                    VIRSH(1)



NAME
       virsh - management user interface

SYNOPSIS
       virsh  [args]

DESCRIPTION
       The virsh program is the main interface for managing virsh guest
       domains. The program can be used to create, pause, and shutdown
       domains. It can also be used to list current domains. Libvirt is a C
       toolkit to interact with the virtualization capabilities of recent
       versions of Linux (and other OSes). It is free software available under
       the GNU Lesser General Public License. Virtualization of the Linux
       Operating System means the ability to run multiple instances of
       Operating Systems concurrently on a single hardware system where the
       basic resources are driven by a Linux instance. The library aim at
       providing long term stable C API initially for the Xen
       paravirtualization but should be able to integrate other virtualization
       mechanisms, it currently also support QEmu and KVM.

       The basic structure of most virsh usage is:

         virsh   [OPTIONS]

       Where command is one of the commands listed below, domain-id is the
       numeric domain id, or the domain name (which will be internally
       translated to domain id), and OPTIONS are command specific options.
       There are a few exceptions to this rule in the cases where the command
       in question acts on all domains, the entire machine, or directly on the
       xen hypervisor.  Those exceptions will be clear for each of those
       commands.

       The virsh program can be used either to run one command at a time by
       giving the command as an argument on the command line, or as a shell if
       no command is given in the command line, it will then start a minimal
       interpreter waiting for your commands and the quit command will then
       exit the program.

NOTES
       All virsh operations rely upon the libvirt library.  For any virsh
       commands to run xend/qemu, or what ever virtual library that libvirt
       supports.  For this reason you should start xend/qemu as a service when
       your system first boots using xen/qemu. This can usually be done using
       the command invoke-rc.d libvirt-bin start .

       Most virsh commands require root privileges to run due to the
       communications channels used to talk to the hypervisor.  Running as non
       root will return an error.

       Most virsh commands act synchronously, except maybe shutdown, setvcpus
       and setmem. In those case the fact that the virsh program returned, may
       not mean the action is complete and you must poll periodically to
       detect that the guest completed the operation.

GENERIC COMMANDS
       The following commands are generic i.e. not specific to a domain.

       help optional command
           This prints a small synopsis about all commands available for virsh
           help command will print out a detailed help message on that
           command.

       quit
           quit this interactive terminal

       version
           Will print out the major version info about what this built from.

               Example

               virsh version

               Compiled against library: libvir 0.0.6

               Using library: libvir 0.0.6

               Using API: Xen 3.0.0

               Running hypervisor: Xen 3.0.0

       cd directory optional
           Will change current directory to directory.  The default directory
           for the cd command is the home directory or, if there is no HOME
           variable in the environment, the root directory.

           This command is only available in interactive mode.

       pwd Will print the current directory.

       connect URI optional --readonly
           (Re)-Connect to the hypervisor. This is a build-in command after
           shell start up, and usually get an URI parameter specifying how to
           connect to the hypervisor. The documentation page at
            list the values supported but the
           most common are:

           xen:///
               this is used to connect to the local Xen hypervisor, this is
               the default

           qemu:///system
               allow to connect locally as root to the daemon supervising QEmu
               and KVM domains

           qemu:///session
               allow to connect locally as a normal user to his own set of
               QEmu and KVM domains

           For remote access see the documentation page on how to make URIs.
           The --readonly option allows for read-only connection

       uri Prints the hypervisor canonical URI, can be useful in shell mode.

       hostname
           Print the hypervisor hostname.

       nodeinfo
           Returns basic information about the node, like number and type of
           CPU, and size of the physical memory.

       capabilities
           Print an XML document describing the capabilities of the hypervisor
           we are currently connected to. This includes a section on the host
           capabilities in terms of CPU and features, and a set of description
           for each kind of guest which can be virtualized. For a more
           complete description see:
              The XML also show the NUMA
           topology information if available.

       list
           Prints information about one or more domains.  If no domains are
           specified it prints out information about all domains.

           An example format for the list is as follows:

           virsh list
            Id Name                 State

           ----------------------------------

             0 Domain-0             running
             2 fedora               paused

           Name is the name of the domain.  ID the domain numeric id.  State
           is the run state (see below).

           STATES

           The State field lists 6 states for a domain, and which ones the
           current domain is in.

           running
               The domain is currently running on a CPU

           idle
               The domain is idle, and not running or runnable.  This can be
               caused because the domain is waiting on IO (a traditional wait
               state) or has gone to sleep because there was nothing else for
               it to do.

           paused
               The domain has been paused, usually occurring through the
               administrator running virsh suspend.  When in a paused state
               the domain will still consume allocated resources like memory,
               but will not be eligible for scheduling by the hypervisor.

           shutdown
               The domain is in the process of shutting down, i.e. the guest
               operating system has been notified and should be in the process
               of stopping its operations gracefully.

           crashed
               The domain has crashed, which is always a violent ending.
               Usually this state can only occur if the domain has been
               configured not to restart on crash.

           dying
               The domain is in process of dying, but hasn't completely
               shutdown or crashed.

       freecell optional cellno
           Prints the available amount of memory on the machine or within a
           NUMA cell if cellno is provided.

DOMAIN COMMANDS
       The following commands manipulate domains directly, as stated
       previously most commands take domain-id as the first parameter. The
       domain-id can be specified as an short integer, a name or a full UUID.

       autostart optional --disable domain-id
           Configure a domain to be automatically started at boot.

           The option --disable disable autostarting.

       console domain-id
           Connect the virtual serial console for the guest.

       create FILE
           Create a domain from an XML . An easy way to create the XML
            is to use the dumpxml command to obtain the definition of a
           pre-existing guest.

           Example

           virsh dumpxml  > file.

       define FILE
           Define a domain from an XML . The domain definitions is
           registered but not started.

       destroy domain-id
           Immediately terminate the domain domain-id.  This doesn't give the
           domain OS any chance to react, and it the equivalent of ripping the
           power cord out on a physical machine.  In most cases you will want
           to use the shutdown command instead.

       domblkstat domain block-device
           Get device block stats for a running domain.

       domifstat domain interface-device
           Get network interface stats for a running domain.

       dommemstat domain
           Get memory stats for a running domain.

       dominfo domain-id
           Returns basic information about the domain.

       domuuid domain-name-or-id
           Convert a domain name or id to domain UUID

       domid domain-name-or-uuid
           Convert a domain name (or UUID) to a domain id

       dominfo domain-id
           Returns basic information about the domain.

       domname domain-id-or-uuid
           Convert a domain Id (or UUID) to domain name

       domstate domain-id
           Returns state about a running domain.

       dump domain-id corefilepath
           Dumps the core of a domain to a file for analysis.

       dumpxml domain-id
           Output the domain information as an XML dump to stdout, this format
           can be used by the create command.

       edit domain-id
           Edit the XML configuration file for a domain.

           This is equivalent to:
            virsh dumpxml domain > domain.xml
            edit domain.xml
            virsh define domain.xml except that it does some error checking.

           The editor used can be supplied by the $EDITOR environment
           variable, or if that is not defined defaults to "vi".

       migrate optional --live --suspend domain-id desturi migrateuri
           Migrate domain to another host.  Add --live for live migration;
           --suspend leaves the domain paused on the destination host. The
           desturi is the connection URI of the destination host, and
           migrateuri is the migration URI, which usually can be omitted.

       reboot domain-id
           Reboot a domain.  This acts just as if the domain had the reboot
           command run from the console.  The command returns as soon as it
           has executed the reboot action, which may be significantly before
           the domain actually reboots.

           The exact behavior of a domain when it reboots is set by the
           on_reboot parameter in the domain's XML definition.

       restore state-file
           Restores a domain from an virsh save state file.  See save for more
           info.

       save domain-id state-file
           Saves a running domain to a state file so that it can be restored
           later.  Once saved, the domain will no longer be running on the
           system, thus the memory allocated for the domain will be free for
           other domains to use.  virsh restore restores from this state file.

           This is roughly equivalent to doing a hibernate on a running
           computer, with all the same limitations.  Open network connections
           may be severed upon restore, as TCP timeouts may have expired.

       schedinfo optional --set parameter=value domain-id
       schedinfo optional --weight number optional --cap number domain-id
           Allows to show (and set) the domain scheduler parameters.

           Note: The weight and cap parameters are defined only for the
           XEN_CREDIT scheduler and are now DEPRECATED.

       setmem domain-id kilobytes
           Change the current memory allocation in the guest domain. This
           should take effect immediately. The memory limit is specified in
           kilobytes.

           For Xen, you can only adjust the memory of a running domain if the
           domain is paravirtualized or running the PV balloon driver.

       setmaxmem domain-id kilobytes
           Change the maximum memory allocation limit in the guest domain.
           This should not change the current memory use. The memory limit is
           specified in kilobytes.

       setvcpus domain-id count
           Change the number of virtual CPUs active in the guest domain. Note
           that count may be limited by host, hypervisor or limit coming from
           the original description of domain.

           For Xen, you can only adjust the virtual CPUs of a running domain
           if the domain is paravirtualized.

       shutdown domain-id
           Gracefully shuts down a domain.  This coordinates with the domain
           OS to perform graceful shutdown, so there is no guarantee that it
           will succeed, and may take a variable length of time depending on
           what services must be shutdown in the domain.

           The exact behavior of a domain when it shuts down is set by the
           on_shutdown parameter in the domain's XML definition.

       start domain-name
           Start a (previously defined) inactive domain.

       suspend domain-id
           Suspend a running domain. It is kept in memory but won't be
           scheduled anymore.

       resume domain-id
           Moves a domain out of the suspended state.  This will allow a
           previously suspended domain to now be eligible for scheduling by
           the underlying hypervisor.

       ttyconsole domain-id
           Output the device used for the TTY console of the domain. If the
           information is not available the processes will provide an exit
           code of 1.

       undefine domain-id
           Undefine the configuration for an inactive domain. Since it's not
           running the domain name or UUId must be used as the domain-id.

       vcpuinfo domain-id
           Returns basic information about the domain virtual CPUs, like the
           number of vCPUs, the running time, the affinity to physical
           processors.

       vcpupin domain-id vcpu cpulist
           Pin domain VCPUs to host physical CPUs. The vcpu number must be
           provided and cpulist is a comma separated list of physical CPU
           numbers.

       vncdisplay domain-id
           Output the IP address and port number for the VNC display. If the
           information is not available the processes will provide an exit
           code of 1.

DEVICE COMMANDS
       The following commands manipulate devices associated to domains.  The
       domain-id can be specified as an short integer, a name or a full UUID.
       To better understand the values allowed as options for the command
       reading the documentation at  on
       the format of the device sections to get the most accurate set of
       accepted values.

       attach-device domain-id FILE
           Attach a device to the domain, using a device definition in an XML
           file.  See the documentation to learn about libvirt XML format for
           a device.

       attach-disk domain-id source target optional --driver driver
       --subdriver subdriver --type type --mode mode
           Attach a new disk device to the domain.  source and target are
           paths for the files and devices.  driver can be file, tap or phy
           depending on the kind of access.  type can indicate cdrom or floppy
           as alternative to the disk default.  mode can specify the two
           specific mode readonly or shareable.

       attach-interface domain-id type source optional --target target --mac
       mac --script script
           Attach a new network interface to the domain.  type can be either
           network to indicate a physical network device or bridge to indicate
           a bridge to a device.  source indicates the source device.  target
           allows to indicate the target device in the guest.  mac allows to
           specify the MAC address of the network interface.  script allows to
           specify a path to a script handling a bridge instead of the default
           one.

       detach-device domain-id FILE
           Detach a device from the domain, takes the same kind of XML
           descriptions as command attach-device.

       detach-disk domain-id target
           Detach a disk device from a domain. The target is the device as
           seen from the domain.

       detach-interface domain-id type optional --mac mac
           Detach a network interface from a domain.  type can be either
           network to indicate a physical network device or bridge to indicate
           a bridge to a device.  It is recommended to use the mac option to
           distinguish between the interfaces if more than one are present on
           the domain.

VIRTUAL NETWORK COMMANDS
       The following commands manipulate networks. Libvirt has the capability
       to define virtual networks which can then be used by domains and linked
       to actual network devices. For more detailed information about this
       feature see the documentation at
        . A lot of the command for
       virtual networks are similar to the one used for domains, but the way
       to name a virtual network is either by its name or UUID.

       net-autostart network optional --disable
           Configure a virtual network to be automatically started at boot.
           The --disable option disable autostarting.

       net-create file
           Create a virtual network from an XML file, see the documentation to
           get a description of the XML network format used by libvirt.

       net-define file
           Define a virtual network from an XML file, the network is just
           defined but not instantiated.

       net-destroy network
           Destroy a given virtual network specified by its name or UUID. This
           takes effect immediately.

       net-dumpxml network
           Output the virtual network information as an XML dump to stdout.

       net-edit network
           Edit the XML configuration file for a network.

           This is equivalent to:
            virsh net-dumpxml network > network.xml
            edit network.xml
            virsh define network.xml except that it does some error checking.

           The editor used can be supplied by the $EDITOR environment
           variable, or if that is not defined defaults to "vi".

       net-list optional --inactive or --all
           Returns the list of active networks, if --all is specified this
           will also include defined but inactive networks, if --inactive is
           specified only the inactive ones will be listed.

       net-name network-UUID
           Convert a network UUID to network name.

       net-start network
           Start a (previously defined) inactive network.

       net-undefine network
           Undefine the configuration for an inactive network.

       net-uuid network-name
           Convert a network name to network UUID.

SECRET COMMMANDS
       The following commands manipulate "secrets" (e.g. passwords,
       passphrases and encryption keys).  Libvirt can store secrets
       independently from their use, and other objects (e.g. volumes or
       domains) can refer to the secrets for encryption or possibly other
       uses.  Secrets are identified using an UUID.  See
        for documentation of the XML
       format used to represent properties of secrets.

       secret-define file
           Create a secret with the properties specified in file, with no
           associated secret value.  If file does not specify a UUID, choose
           one automatically.  If file specifies an UUID of an existing
           secret, replace its properties by properties defined in file,
           without affecting the secret value.

       secret-dumpxml secret
           Output properties of secret (specified by its UUID) as an XML dump
           to stdout.

       secret-set-value secret base64
           Set the value associated with secret (specified by its UUID) to the
           value Base64-encoded value base64.

       secret-get-value secret
           Output the value associated with secret (specified by its UUID) to
           stdout, encoded using Base64.

       secret-undefine secret
           Delete a secret (specified by its UUID), including the associated
           value, if any.

       secret-list
           Output a list of UUIDs of known secrets to stdout.

ENVIRONMENT
       The following environment variables can be set to alter the behaviour
       of "virsh"

       VIRSH_DEFAULT_CONNECT_URI
           The hypervisor to connect to by default. Set this to a URI, in the
           same format as accepted by the connect option.

       LIBVIRT_DEBUG=LEVEL
           Turn on verbose debugging of all libvirt API calls. Valid levels
           are

           ·   LIBVIRT_DEBUG=1

               Messages at level DEBUG or above

           ·   LIBVIRT_DEBUG=2

               Messages at level INFO or above

           ·   LIBVIRT_DEBUG=3

               Messages at level WARNING or above

           ·   LIBVIRT_DEBUG=4

               Messages at level ERROR or above

           For further information about debugging options consult
           "http://libvirt.org/logging.html"

BUGS
       Report any bugs discovered to the libvirt community via the mailing
       list "http://libvirt.org/contact.html" or bug tracker
       "http://libvirt.org/bugs.html".  Alternatively report bugs to your
       software distributor / vendor.

AUTHORS
         Andrew Puch 
         Daniel Veillard 

         Based on the xm man page by:
         Sean Dague 
         Daniel Stekloff 

COPYRIGHT
       Copyright (C) 2005, 2007-2009 Red Hat, Inc.

LICENSE
       virsh is distributed under the terms of the GNU LGPL v2+.  This is free
       software; see the source for copying conditions. There is NO warranty;
       not even for MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE

SEE ALSO
       virt-install(1), virt-xml-validate(1), virt-top(1), virt-mem(1),
       virt-df(1), 



libvirt-0.7.5                     2010-10-23                          VIRSH(1)