Virt-manager is a software tool that facilitates the management of virtual machines on desktops. It is a user-friendly desktop application.
Virt-manager is written in Python and features a UI constructed with Glade and GTK+. The UI was designed according to mockups provided by UI interaction designers. The software uses the libvirt Python bindings to interact with the underlying hypervisor technology. By doing so, the program can be written regardless of any specific hypervisor technology, though the current primary platform it supports is Xen. When libvirt is ported to support additional hypervisors, minimal effort will be required to update the management UI.
To use virt-manager, the following requirements must be met: python >= 2.4, pygtk2 >= 1.99.12-6, gnome-python2-gconf >= 1.99.11-7, libvirt-python >= 0.1.4, dbus-python >= 0.61, gnome-python-desktop >= 2.15.4, libxml2-python >= 2.6.23, vte >= 0.12.2, and xeninst >= 0.93.0.
The latest release of virt-manager includes several new features and capabilities. These include smooth resizing of the guest console, support for all libvirt authentication methods (including Kerberos and PolicyKit), a portability fix for the text console on Solaris, and support for detecting bonding and VLAN devices for attaching guest NICs. Additionally, fullvirt guests are now allowed to install off kernel and initrd as well as existing CD-ROM methods. New VM creation is also controlled based on declared hypervisor capabilities. Virt-manager now allows for the setting of the autostart flag and changing boot device ordering. Finally, invocation of DBus methods was fixed to use an interface.
Overall, virt-manager is a powerful and versatile application that simplifies the management of virtual machines for users of all skill levels. Its well-designed UI and robust feature set make it a top choice among virtual machine managers.
Version 0.5.4: N/A