+++
type = "article"
title = "Emulating Haiku in KVM"
date = "2019-12-21"
tags = []
+++
For Google Code-In 2019, Vrondir created a [video on how to install Haiku in KVM](http://files.haiku-os.org/files/media/GCI-2019_KVM_Vrondir.mp4) [79 MiB].
Virtual instances of operating systems are perfect for all kinds of testing purposes that need to be done in a safe and isolated environment. Therefore, installing Haiku in a virtual machine is an ideal solution for people who do not want to install it on their physical computers but want to become familiar with it.
This guide was tested extensively in a [Manjaro Linux](https://manjaro.org/) installation, but it should work on any distribution of Linux that can run KVM.
In this guide, we will be using a **nightly** ``anyboot`` image because nightlies contain the latest Haiku changes - it can be obtained [here](https://download.haiku-os.org/). We recommend using the [official release of Haiku](https://www.haiku-os.org/get-haiku) for stability.
##### Go to section
* [Installing KVM](#part_kvm)
* [Installing and running Haiku from an anyboot image](#part_iso)
* [Troubleshooting](#part_trouble)
### Installing KVM
#### Ubuntu Linux/Debian
If you are using Ubuntu or generally more traditional Debian-based Linux distributions, you will need to run the following commands:
```sh
sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get upgrade
sudo apt-get install qemu-kvm libvirt-daemon-system libvirt-clients virt-manager
```
In older versions (Ubuntu 18.04, Debian Stretch or older), you will need to run these commands instead:
```sh
sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get upgrade
sudo apt-get install qemu-kvm libvirt-bin virt-manager
```
To start `libvirtd` at boot, enter the following command in the terminal:
```sh
sudo systemctl enable --now libvirtd
```
#### Arch Linux
If you are using Arch Linux, you should enter the following commands in the terminal:
```sh
sudo pacman -Syu qemu virt-manager
```
Make sure to enable `libvirtd`, which is not enabled by default:
```sh
sudo systemctl enable --now libvirtd
```
### Installing and running Haiku from an anyboot image
Once the archive with the anyboot image is downloaded and unpacked, you can start the installation.
First, create a new virtual machine.
Secondly, choose the method of OS installation, which should be **`Local install media`** in our case. Then, click **`Forward`**
Find the **``anyboot``** image you have decompressed and select the operating system you are installing. `virt-manager` can detect the operating system you're attempting to install. Although virt-manager can detect the operating system you're attempting to install under normal circumstances, it may be unable to do so. In that case, just uncheck the **`Automatically detect`** checkbox and just type in the OS name. Then, click **`Forward`**
You can now choose the memory and CPU settings. What you should select here, depends on the system you have. It is better to assign more than 384 MiB of RAM for smooth running; too much, on the other hand, may cause a lag for the host. Once again, after choosing your desired memory size and CPU, click **`Forward`**
You can also adjust the size of the disk image. When done, click **`Forward`**
Name the virtual machine, verify the settings of your virtual machine, click **`Finish`**
A popup saying `Virtual Network is not active` may appear. Don't worry, it's just asking you to enable the ``'default'`` network. Just click `Yes` and everything should be fine. If this goes wrong, consult the [Troubleshooting section](#part_trouble).
The VM will now boot the Haiku image file. You can choose to install Haiku or boot to the desktop. Installation is simple and does not differ significantly from a physical one (follow the guides [on this page](/get-haiku/installation-guide) if you are not familiar with the installation process).
### Troubleshooting
After finishing the installation of your VM, if you run into an error that says **``Unable to complete install: network default is not active``** or something along those lines, make sure that `libvirtd` is running by entering ``sudo systemctl start libvirtd`` in terminal.
If the error still occurs do the following steps:
##### Step 1. Check if you have a defined network by running:
```sh
sudo virsh net-list --all
```
* If you don't have a defined network, the output will look like this:
```sh
Name State Autostart Persistent
----------------------------------------------------------
```
* If you do have a defined network, the output will look like this:
```sh
Name State Autostart Persistent
----------------------------------------------
default inactive no yes
```
Skip to **[Step 3](#part_trouble_3)** if your output does look like this.
##### Step 2. Define the ``'default'`` network by copy-pasting the following lines into a file called ``default.xml``:
```sh
default
9a05da11-e96b-47f3-8253-a3a482e445f5
```
Run the following to add that network permanently to the KVM host:
```sh
sudo virsh net-define --file default.xml
```
##### Step 3. To manually start the network, run:
```sh
sudo virsh net-start default
```
###### Troubleshooting
There's a chance that you may receive the following error when you run the aforementioned command:
```sh
$ sudo virsh net-start default
error: Failed to start network default
error: internal error: Failed to initialize a valid firewall backend
```
To fix that, you will need to install **`firewalld`**.
After installing the package, run the following commands to enable the service and make networking work again:
```sh
sudo systemctl enable --now firewalld
sudo systemctl restart libvirtd
```
###### Autostart
If you want your virtual network to start automatically in the future, run the following command:
```sh
sudo virsh net-autostart --network default
```
Running **`sudo virsh net-list -all`** should now return the following:
```sh
Name State Autostart Persistent
----------------------------------------------
default inactive yes yes
```