libvirt

The libvirt provider manages two types of resources.

libvirt_node

Libvirt Domains (or nodes) can be provisioned using this resource.

libvirt_network

Libvirt networks can be provisioned. If a libvirt_network is to be used with a libvirt_node, it must precede it.

Note

This resource will not be torn down during a destroy action. This is because other resources may depend on the now existing resource.

Additional Dependencies

The libvirt resource group requires several additional dependencies. The following must be installed.

  • libvirt-devel
  • libguestfs-tools
  • python-libguestfs
  • libvirt-python
  • python-lxml

For a Fedora 26 machine, the dependencies would be installed using dnf.

$ sudo dnf install libvirt-devel libguestfs-tools python-libguestfs
$ pip install linchpin[libvirt]

Additionally, because libvirt downloads images, certain SELinux libraries must exist.

  • libselinux-python

For a Fedora 26 machine, the dependencies would be installed using dnf.

$ sudo dnf install libselinux-python

If using a python virtual environment, the selinux libraries must be symlinked. Assuming a virtualenv of ~/venv, symlink the libraries.

$ export LIBSELINUX_PATH=/usr/lib64/python2.7/site-packages
$ ln -s ${LIBSELINUX_PATH}/selinux ~/venv/lib/python2.7/site-packages
$ ln -s ${LIBSELINUX_PATH}/_selinux.so ~/venv/lib/python2.7/site-packages

Copying Images

New in version 1.5.1

By default, LinchPin manages the libvirt images in a directory that is accessible only by the root user. However, adjustments can be made to allow an unprivileged user to manage Libvirt via LinchPin. These settings can be modified in the linchpin.conf

This configuration adjustment of linchpin.conf may work for the unprivileged user herlo.

[evars]
libvirt_image_path = ~/libvirt/images/
libvirt_user = herlo
libvirt_become = no

The directory will be created automatically by LinchPin. However, the user may need additional rights, like group membership to access Libvirt. Please see https://libvirt.org for any additional configurations.

Credentials Management

Libvirt doesn’t require credentials via LinchPin. Multiple options are available for authenticating against a Libvirt daemon (libvirtd). Most methods are detailed here. If desired, the uri for the resource can be set using one of these mechanisms.