1virt-customize(1) Virtualization Support virt-customize(1)
2
6 virt-customize - Customize a virtual machine
7
9 virt-customize
10 [ -a disk.img [ -a disk.img ... ] | -d domname ]
11 [--attach ISOFILE] [--attach-format FORMAT]
12 [ -c URI | --connect URI ] [ -n | --dry-run ]
13 [ --format FORMAT] [ -m MB | --memsize MB ]
14 [ --network | --no-network ]
15 [ -q | --quiet ] [--smp N] [ -v | --verbose ] [-x]
16 [--append-line FILE:LINE] [--chmod PERMISSIONS:FILE]
17 [--commands-from-file FILENAME] [--copy SOURCE:DEST]
18 [--copy-in LOCALPATH:REMOTEDIR] [--delete PATH] [--edit FILE:EXPR]
19 [--firstboot SCRIPT] [--firstboot-command 'CMD+ARGS']
20 [--firstboot-install PKG,PKG..] [--hostname HOSTNAME]
21 [--install PKG,PKG..] [--link TARGET:LINK[:LINK..]] [--mkdir DIR]
22 [--move SOURCE:DEST] [--password USER:SELECTOR]
23 [--root-password SELECTOR] [--run SCRIPT]
24 [--run-command 'CMD+ARGS'] [--scrub FILE] [--sm-attach SELECTOR]
25 [--sm-register] [--sm-remove] [--sm-unregister]
26 [--ssh-inject USER[:SELECTOR]] [--truncate FILE]
27 [--truncate-recursive PATH] [--timezone TIMEZONE] [--touch FILE]
28 [--uninstall PKG,PKG..] [--update] [--upload FILE:DEST]
29 [--write FILE:CONTENT] [--no-logfile]
30 [--password-crypto md5|sha256|sha512] [--selinux-relabel]
31 [--sm-credentials SELECTOR]
32 virt-customize [ -V | --version ]
35
37 Using "virt-customize" on live virtual machines, or concurrently with
38 other disk editing tools, can be dangerous, potentially causing disk
39 corruption. The virtual machine must be shut down before you use this
40 command, and disk images must not be edited concurrently.
41
43 Virt-customize can customize a virtual machine (disk image) by
44 installing packages, editing configuration files, and so on.
45 Virt-customize modifies the guest or disk image in place. The guest
47 must be shut down. If you want to preserve the existing contents of
48 the guest, you must snapshot, copy or clone the disk first.
49 You do not need to run virt-customize as root. In fact we'd generally
51 recommend that you don't.
52 Related tools include: virt-sysprep(1) and virt-builder(1).
54
56 --help
57 Display brief help.
58 -a file
60 --add file
61 Add file which should be a disk image from a virtual machine.
62 The format of the disk image is auto-detected. To override this
64 and force a particular format use the --format option.
65 -a URI
67 --add URI
68 Add a remote disk. The URI format is compatible with guestfish.
69 See "ADDING REMOTE STORAGE" in guestfish(1).
70 --attach ISOFILE
72 The given disk is attached to the libguestfs appliance. This is
73 used to provide extra software repositories or other data for
74 customization.
75 You probably want to ensure the volume(s) or filesystems in the
77 attached disks are labelled (or use an ISO volume name) so that you
78 can mount them by label in your run-scripts:
79 mkdir /tmp/mount
81 mount LABEL=EXTRA /tmp/mount
82 You can have multiple --attach options, and the format can be any
84 disk format (not just an ISO).
85 --attach-format FORMAT
87 Specify the disk format for the next --attach option. The "FORMAT"
88 is usually "raw" or "qcow2". Use "raw" for ISOs.
89 --colors
91 --colours
92 Use ANSI colour sequences to colourize messages. This is the
93 default when the output is a tty. If the output of the program is
94 redirected to a file, ANSI colour sequences are disabled unless you
95 use this option.
96 -c URI
98 --connect URI
99 If using libvirt, connect to the given URI. If omitted, then we
100 connect to the default libvirt hypervisor.
101 If you specify guest block devices directly (-a), then libvirt is
103 not used at all.
104 -d guest
106 --domain guest
107 Add all the disks from the named libvirt guest. Domain UUIDs can
108 be used instead of names.
109 -n
111 --dry-run
112 Perform a read-only "dry run" on the guest. This runs the sysprep
113 operation, but throws away any changes to the disk at the end.
114 --echo-keys
116 When prompting for keys and passphrases, virt-customize normally
117 turns echoing off so you cannot see what you are typing. If you
118 are not worried about Tempest attacks and there is no one else in
119 the room you can specify this flag to see what you are typing.
120 --format raw|qcow2|..
122 --format auto
123 The default for the -a option is to auto-detect the format of the
124 disk image. Using this forces the disk format for -a options which
125 follow on the command line. Using --format auto switches back to
126 auto-detection for subsequent -a options.
127 For example:
129 virt-customize --format raw -a disk.img
131 forces raw format (no auto-detection) for disk.img.
133 virt-customize --format raw -a disk.img --format auto -a another.img
135 forces raw format (no auto-detection) for disk.img and reverts to
137 auto-detection for another.img.
138 If you have untrusted raw-format guest disk images, you should use
140 this option to specify the disk format. This avoids a possible
141 security problem with malicious guests (CVE-2010-3851).
142 --key SELECTOR
144 Specify a key for LUKS, to automatically open a LUKS device when
145 using the inspection. "ID" can be either the libguestfs device
146 name, or the UUID of the LUKS device.
147 --key "ID":key:KEY_STRING
149 Use the specified "KEY_STRING" as passphrase.
150 --key "ID":file:FILENAME
152 Read the passphrase from FILENAME.
153 --keys-from-stdin
155 Read key or passphrase parameters from stdin. The default is to
156 try to read passphrases from the user by opening /dev/tty.
157 If there are multiple encrypted devices then you may need to supply
159 multiple keys on stdin, one per line.
160 -m MB
162 --memsize MB
163 Change the amount of memory allocated to --run scripts. Increase
164 this if you find that --run scripts or the --install option are
165 running out of memory.
166 The default can be found with this command:
168 guestfish get-memsize
170 --network
172 --no-network
173 Enable or disable network access from the guest during the
174 installation.
175 Enabled is the default. Use --no-network to disable access.
177 The network only allows outgoing connections and has other minor
179 limitations. See "NETWORK" in virt-rescue(1).
180 If you use --no-network then certain other options such as
182 --install will not work.
183 This does not affect whether the guest can access the network once
185 it has been booted, because that is controlled by your hypervisor
186 or cloud environment and has nothing to do with virt-customize.
187 Generally speaking you should not use --no-network. But here are
189 some reasons why you might want to:
190 1. Because the libguestfs backend that you are using doesn't
192 support the network. (See: "BACKEND" in guestfs(3)).
193 2. Any software you need to install comes from an attached ISO, so
195 you don't need the network.
196 3. You don’t want untrusted guest code trying to access your host
198 network when running virt-customize. This is particularly an
199 issue when you don't trust the source of the operating system
200 templates. (See "SECURITY" below).
201 4. You don’t have a host network (eg. in secure/restricted
203 environments).
204 -q
206 --quiet
207 Don’t print log messages.
208 To enable detailed logging of individual file operations, use -x.
210 --smp N
212 Enable N ≥ 2 virtual CPUs for --run scripts to use.
213 -v
215 --verbose
216 Enable verbose messages for debugging.
217 -V
219 --version
220 Display version number and exit.
221 --wrap
223 Wrap error, warning, and informative messages. This is the default
224 when the output is a tty. If the output of the program is
225 redirected to a file, wrapping is disabled unless you use this
226 option.
227 -x Enable tracing of libguestfs API calls.
229 Customization options
231 --append-line FILE:LINE
232 Append a single line of text to the "FILE". If the file does not
233 already end with a newline, then one is added before the appended
234 line. Also a newline is added to the end of the "LINE" string
235 automatically.
236 For example (assuming ordinary shell quoting) this command:
238 --append-line '/etc/hosts:10.0.0.1 foo'
240 will add either "10.0.0.1 foo⏎" or "⏎10.0.0.1 foo⏎" to the file,
242 the latter only if the existing file does not already end with a
243 newline.
244 "⏎" represents a newline character, which is guessed by looking at
246 the existing content of the file, so this command does the right
247 thing for files using Unix or Windows line endings. It also works
248 for empty or non-existent files.
249 To insert several lines, use the same option several times:
251 --append-line '/etc/hosts:10.0.0.1 foo'
253 --append-line '/etc/hosts:10.0.0.2 bar'
254 To insert a blank line before the appended line, do:
256 --append-line '/etc/hosts:'
258 --append-line '/etc/hosts:10.0.0.1 foo'
259 --chmod PERMISSIONS:FILE
261 Change the permissions of "FILE" to "PERMISSIONS".
262 Note: "PERMISSIONS" by default would be decimal, unless you prefix
264 it with 0 to get octal, ie. use 0700 not 700.
265 --commands-from-file FILENAME
267 Read the customize commands from a file, one (and its arguments)
268 each line.
269 Each line contains a single customization command and its
271 arguments, for example:
272 delete /some/file
274 install some-package
275 password some-user:password:its-new-password
276 Empty lines are ignored, and lines starting with "#" are comments
278 and are ignored as well. Furthermore, arguments can be spread
279 across multiple lines, by adding a "\" (continuation character) at
280 the of a line, for example
281 edit /some/file:\
283 s/^OPT=.*/OPT=ok/
284 The commands are handled in the same order as they are in the file,
286 as if they were specified as --delete /some/file on the command
287 line.
288 --copy SOURCE:DEST
290 Copy files or directories recursively inside the guest.
291 Wildcards cannot be used.
293 --copy-in LOCALPATH:REMOTEDIR
295 Copy local files or directories recursively into the disk image,
296 placing them in the directory "REMOTEDIR" (which must exist).
297 Wildcards cannot be used.
299 --delete PATH
301 Delete a file from the guest. Or delete a directory (and all its
302 contents, recursively).
303 You can use shell glob characters in the specified path. Be
305 careful to escape glob characters from the host shell, if that is
306 required. For example:
307 virt-customize --delete '/var/log/*.log'.
309 See also: --upload, --scrub.
311 --edit FILE:EXPR
313 Edit "FILE" using the Perl expression "EXPR".
314 Be careful to properly quote the expression to prevent it from
316 being altered by the shell.
317 Note that this option is only available when Perl 5 is installed.
319 See "NON-INTERACTIVE EDITING" in virt-edit(1).
321 --firstboot SCRIPT
323 Install "SCRIPT" inside the guest, so that when the guest first
324 boots up, the script runs (as root, late in the boot process).
325 The script is automatically chmod +x after installation in the
327 guest.
328 The alternative version --firstboot-command is the same, but it
330 conveniently wraps the command up in a single line script for you.
331 You can have multiple --firstboot options. They run in the same
333 order that they appear on the command line.
334 Please take a look at "FIRST BOOT SCRIPTS" in virt-builder(1) for
336 more information and caveats about the first boot scripts.
337 See also --run.
339 --firstboot-command 'CMD+ARGS'
341 Run command (and arguments) inside the guest when the guest first
342 boots up (as root, late in the boot process).
343 You can have multiple --firstboot options. They run in the same
345 order that they appear on the command line.
346 Please take a look at "FIRST BOOT SCRIPTS" in virt-builder(1) for
348 more information and caveats about the first boot scripts.
349 See also --run.
351 --firstboot-install PKG,PKG..
353 Install the named packages (a comma-separated list). These are
354 installed when the guest first boots using the guest’s package
355 manager (eg. apt, yum, etc.) and the guest’s network connection.
356 For an overview on the different ways to install packages, see
358 "INSTALLING PACKAGES" in virt-builder(1).
359 --hostname HOSTNAME
361 Set the hostname of the guest to "HOSTNAME". You can use a dotted
362 hostname.domainname (FQDN) if you want.
363 --install PKG,PKG..
365 Install the named packages (a comma-separated list). These are
366 installed during the image build using the guest’s package manager
367 (eg. apt, yum, etc.) and the host’s network connection.
368 For an overview on the different ways to install packages, see
370 "INSTALLING PACKAGES" in virt-builder(1).
371 See also --update, --uninstall.
373 --link TARGET:LINK[:LINK..]
375 Create symbolic link(s) in the guest, starting at "LINK" and
376 pointing at "TARGET".
377 --mkdir DIR
379 Create a directory in the guest.
380 This uses "mkdir -p" so any intermediate directories are created,
382 and it also works if the directory already exists.
383 --move SOURCE:DEST
385 Move files or directories inside the guest.
386 Wildcards cannot be used.
388 --no-logfile
390 Scrub "builder.log" (log file from build commands) from the image
391 after building is complete. If you don't want to reveal precisely
392 how the image was built, use this option.
393 See also: "LOG FILE".
395 --password USER:SELECTOR
397 Set the password for "USER". (Note this option does not create the
398 user account).
399 See "USERS AND PASSWORDS" in virt-builder(1) for the format of the
401 "SELECTOR" field, and also how to set up user accounts.
402 --password-crypto md5|sha256|sha512
404 When the virt tools change or set a password in the guest, this
405 option sets the password encryption of that password to "md5",
406 "sha256" or "sha512".
407 "sha256" and "sha512" require glibc ≥ 2.7 (check crypt(3) inside
409 the guest).
410 "md5" will work with relatively old Linux guests (eg. RHEL 3), but
412 is not secure against modern attacks.
413 The default is "sha512" unless libguestfs detects an old guest that
415 didn't have support for SHA-512, in which case it will use "md5".
416 You can override libguestfs by specifying this option.
417 Note this does not change the default password encryption used by
419 the guest when you create new user accounts inside the guest. If
420 you want to do that, then you should use the --edit option to
421 modify "/etc/sysconfig/authconfig" (Fedora, RHEL) or
422 "/etc/pam.d/common-password" (Debian, Ubuntu).
423 --root-password SELECTOR
425 Set the root password.
426 See "USERS AND PASSWORDS" in virt-builder(1) for the format of the
428 "SELECTOR" field, and also how to set up user accounts.
429 Note: In virt-builder, if you don't set --root-password then the
431 guest is given a random root password.
432 --run SCRIPT
434 Run the shell script (or any program) called "SCRIPT" on the disk
435 image. The script runs virtualized inside a small appliance,
436 chrooted into the guest filesystem.
437 The script is automatically chmod +x.
439 If libguestfs supports it then a limited network connection is
441 available but it only allows outgoing network connections. You can
442 also attach data disks (eg. ISO files) as another way to provide
443 data (eg. software packages) to the script without needing a
444 network connection (--attach). You can also upload data files
445 (--upload).
446 You can have multiple --run options. They run in the same order
448 that they appear on the command line.
449 See also: --firstboot, --attach, --upload.
451 --run-command 'CMD+ARGS'
453 Run the command and arguments on the disk image. The command runs
454 virtualized inside a small appliance, chrooted into the guest
455 filesystem.
456 If libguestfs supports it then a limited network connection is
458 available but it only allows outgoing network connections. You can
459 also attach data disks (eg. ISO files) as another way to provide
460 data (eg. software packages) to the script without needing a
461 network connection (--attach). You can also upload data files
462 (--upload).
463 You can have multiple --run-command options. They run in the same
465 order that they appear on the command line.
466 See also: --firstboot, --attach, --upload.
468 --scrub FILE
470 Scrub a file from the guest. This is like --delete except that:
471 • It scrubs the data so a guest could not recover it.
473 • It cannot delete directories, only regular files.
475 --selinux-relabel
477 Relabel files in the guest so that they have the correct SELinux
478 label.
479 This will attempt to relabel files immediately, but if the
481 operation fails this will instead touch /.autorelabel on the image
482 to schedule a relabel operation for the next time the image boots.
483 You should only use this option for guests which support SELinux.
485 --sm-attach SELECTOR
487 Attach to a pool using "subscription-manager".
488 See "SUBSCRIPTION-MANAGER" in virt-builder(1) for the format of the
490 "SELECTOR" field.
491 --sm-credentials SELECTOR
493 Set the credentials for "subscription-manager".
494 See "SUBSCRIPTION-MANAGER" in virt-builder(1) for the format of the
496 "SELECTOR" field.
497 --sm-register
499 Register the guest using "subscription-manager".
500 This requires credentials being set using --sm-credentials.
502 --sm-remove
504 Remove all the subscriptions from the guest using
505 "subscription-manager".
506 --sm-unregister
508 Unregister the guest using "subscription-manager".
509 --ssh-inject USER[:SELECTOR]
511 Inject an ssh key so the given "USER" will be able to log in over
512 ssh without supplying a password. The "USER" must exist already in
513 the guest.
514 See "SSH KEYS" in virt-builder(1) for the format of the "SELECTOR"
516 field.
517 You can have multiple --ssh-inject options, for different users and
519 also for more keys for each user.
520 --timezone TIMEZONE
522 Set the default timezone of the guest to "TIMEZONE". Use a
523 location string like "Europe/London"
524 --touch FILE
526 This command performs a touch(1)-like operation on "FILE".
527 --truncate FILE
529 This command truncates "FILE" to a zero-length file. The file must
530 exist already.
531 --truncate-recursive PATH
533 This command recursively truncates all files under "PATH" to zero-
534 length.
535 --uninstall PKG,PKG..
537 Uninstall the named packages (a comma-separated list). These are
538 removed during the image build using the guest’s package manager
539 (eg. apt, yum, etc.). Dependent packages may also need to be
540 uninstalled to satisfy the request.
541 See also --install, --update.
543 --update
545 Do the equivalent of "yum update", "apt-get upgrade", or whatever
546 command is required to update the packages already installed in the
547 template to their latest versions.
548 See also --install, --uninstall.
550 --upload FILE:DEST
552 Upload local file "FILE" to destination "DEST" in the disk image.
553 File owner and permissions from the original are preserved, so you
554 should set them to what you want them to be in the disk image.
555 "DEST" could be the final filename. This can be used to rename the
557 file on upload.
558 If "DEST" is a directory name (which must already exist in the
560 guest) then the file is uploaded into that directory, and it keeps
561 the same name as on the local filesystem.
562 See also: --mkdir, --delete, --scrub.
564 --write FILE:CONTENT
566 Write "CONTENT" to "FILE".
567
569 For guests which make use of SELinux, special handling for them might
570 be needed when using operations which create new files or alter
571 existing ones.
572 For further details, see "SELINUX" in virt-builder(1).
574
576 This program returns 0 on success, or 1 if there was an error.
577
579 "VIRT_TOOLS_DATA_DIR"
580 This can point to the directory containing data files used for
581 Windows firstboot installation.
582 Normally you do not need to set this. If not set, a compiled-in
584 default will be used (something like /usr/share/virt-tools).
585 This directory may contain the following files:
587 rhsrvany.exe
589 This is the RHSrvAny Windows binary, used to install a
590 "firstboot" script in Windows guests. It is required if you
591 intend to use the --firstboot or --firstboot-command options
592 with Windows guests.
593 See also: "https://github.com/rwmjones/rhsrvany"
595 pvvxsvc.exe
597 This is a Windows binary shipped with SUSE VMDP, used to
598 install a "firstboot" script in Windows guests. It is required
599 if you intend to use the --firstboot or --firstboot-command
600 options with Windows guests.
601 For other environment variables, see "ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES" in
603 guestfs(3).
604
606 guestfs(3), guestfish(1), virt-builder(1), virt-clone(1),
607 virt-rescue(1), virt-resize(1), virt-sparsify(1), virt-sysprep(1),
608 virsh(1), lvcreate(8), qemu-img(1), scrub(1), http://libguestfs.org/,
609 http://libvirt.org/.
610
612 Richard W.M. Jones http://people.redhat.com/~rjones/
613
615 Copyright (C) 2011-2020 Red Hat Inc.
616
618 This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it
619 under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by the
620 Free Software Foundation; either version 2 of the License, or (at your
621 option) any later version.
622 This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but
624 WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
625 MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU
626 General Public License for more details.
627 You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License along
629 with this program; if not, write to the Free Software Foundation, Inc.,
630 51 Franklin Street, Fifth Floor, Boston, MA 02110-1301 USA.
631
633 To get a list of bugs against libguestfs, use this link:
634 https://bugzilla.redhat.com/buglist.cgi?component=libguestfs&product=Virtualization+Tools
635 To report a new bug against libguestfs, use this link:
637 https://bugzilla.redhat.com/enter_bug.cgi?component=libguestfs&product=Virtualization+Tools
638 When reporting a bug, please supply:
640 • The version of libguestfs.
642 • Where you got libguestfs (eg. which Linux distro, compiled from
644 source, etc)
645 • Describe the bug accurately and give a way to reproduce it.
647 • Run libguestfs-test-tool(1) and paste the complete, unedited output
649 into the bug report.
650guestfs-tools-1.48.2 2022-05-26 virt-customize(1)