minimal ubuntu install to boot immediatley into a KVM and start a VM

[Amfony]

Hi guys,

As title states im after a linux distro that i can customise with scripts and whatnot to:

login automatically
start kvm or virtualbox (any vm manager really)
start XP VM automatically

What id like to to be able to do is "hide" the base *nix OS as best as possible, and have the first thing that client can interact with be the VM.
This is a project im trying to achieve for a school enviroment, so security is key as well.

Im after this, i know i dotn know how to do 99% of this but this is why im asking here. I put this in the ubuntu distro thread as i will 99% run with ubuntu as its the flavour i have most experience with.

Can anyone help me with some pointers or help here? Im only looking for some feeback or helpful hints not a solution really.

Thanking you.

[ptkobe]

minimal ubuntu: You'll need to have a graphical environment to open the VM window on that machine (I'm sure... I think).

If so, Gnome (I imagine others too) has an auto login feature, ok here

libvirt/KVM has an autostart feature, ok here, the VM will be running on start

/etc/rc.local script will run after the init scripts. Maybe you can automate here the opening in fullscreen of the VM window. See Chapter*6.*Basic VM Guest Management, for starters.

You may also check the options for having a server running the VM and several clients connecting remotely, if it is a school environment.

Hope it gives you some ideas, welcome to linux foruns
Luis

[Amfony]

Hi Luis,

Thank you for your wire frame explination.

Ive decided to move from KVM to virtualbox as ive read that KVM doesnt perfrom well with VM with GUIs as well as VirtualBox can.

What do u mean "server running the VM and several clients connecting remotely, if it is a school environment."? I dont follow? The VM would be of a win XP install ... Xp only has a 10 concurrent connection limit does it not? Also only 1 RDP Session or am i misunderstanding (i think i am).

Thanks Luis -- ur a scholar.

[ptkobe]

I use KVM, pretty happy with it. Works from the console if needed, and its open-source. No problem on running my XP and server 2000 machines, but why not VirtualBox, I say.

About my last post last sentence, I never try it. So...
Any way, the idea I read was something probably around this:
http://ezinearticles.com/?Virtual-De...nux&id=6239720

and that the server has a VM, but the clients gets a "clone" that runs as it has only that one client (?). In a school it will be nice to maintain and update just one central machine.
Or to have several old PC each one running its own VM "instance" (?) on the server. Really, what happens it two clients remotely start the same VM on a server? Maybe not worth pursuing, none of it, I didn't.

I end up using no VM, just one machine that was "ghosted" to the clients periodically or when needed, as there was no private data or configuration on the classroom machines.

Best of luck, and truly hoping you (and I) will soon manage to get read of that awful windows OS.

Regards
Luis