19.3. The Virtual Hardware Details Window

The virtual hardware details window displays information about the virtual hardware configured for the guest. Virtual hardware resources can be added, removed and modified in this window. To access the virtual hardware details window, click the icon in the toolbar.
The virtual hardware details icon

Figure 19.3. The virtual hardware details icon

Clicking the icon displays the virtual hardware details window.
The virtual hardware details window

Figure 19.4. The virtual hardware details window

19.3.1. Applying Boot Options to Guest Virtual Machines

Using virt-manager you can select how the guest virtual machine will act on boot. The boot options will not take effect until the guest virtual machine reboots. You can either power down the virtual machine before making any changes, or you can reboot the machine afterwards. If you do not do either of these options, the changes will happen the next time the guest reboots.

Procedure 19.1. Configuring boot options

  1. From the Virtual Machine Manager Edit menu, select Virtual Machine Details.
  2. From the side panel, select Boot Options and then complete any or all of the following optional steps:
    1. To indicate that this guest virtual machine should start each time the host physical machine boots, select the Autostart check box.
    2. To indicate the order in which guest virtual machine should boot, click the Enable boot menu check box. After this is checked, you can then check the devices you want to boot from and using the arrow keys change the order that the guest virtual machine will use when booting.
    3. If you want to boot directly from the Linux kernel, expand the Direct kernel boot menu. Fill in the Kernel path, Initrd path, and the Kernel arguments that you want to use.
  3. Click Apply.
    Configuring boot options

    Figure 19.5. Configuring boot options

19.3.2. Attaching USB Devices to a Guest Virtual Machine

Note

In order to attach the USB device to the guest virtual machine, you first must attach it to the host physical machine and confirm that the device is working. If the guest is running, you need to shut it down before proceeding.

Procedure 19.2. Attaching USB devices using Virt-Manager

  1. Open the guest virtual machine's Virtual Machine Details screen.
  2. Click Add Hardware
  3. In the Add New Virtual Hardware popup, select USB Host Device, select the device you want to attach from the list and Click Finish.
    Add USB Device

    Figure 19.6. Add USB Device

  4. To use the USB device in the guest virtual machine, start the guest virtual machine.

19.3.3. USB Redirection

USB re-direction is best used in cases where there is a host physical machine that is running in a data center. The user connects to his/her guest virtual machine from a local machine or thin client. On this local machine there is a SPICE client. The user can attach any USB device to the thin client and the SPICE client will redirect the device to the host physical machine on the data center so it can be used by the VM that is running on the thin client.

Procedure 19.3. Redirecting USB devices

  1. Open the guest virtual machine's Virtual Machine Details screen.
  2. Click Add Hardware
  3. In the Add New Virtual Hardware popup, select USB Redirection. Make sure to select Spice channel from the Type drop-down menu and click Finish.
    Add New Virtual Hardware window

    Figure 19.7. Add New Virtual Hardware window

  4. Open the Virtual Machine menu and select Redirect USB device. A pop-up window opens with a list of USB devices.
    Select a USB device

    Figure 19.8. Select a USB device

  5. Select a USB device for redirection by checking its check box and click OK.