[virt-tools-list] virt-manager: does not pick up all config changes

[Cole Robinson]

On 10/01/2009 10:44 AM, James Brackinshaw wrote:
> On Thu, Oct 1, 2009 at 4:34 PM, Cole Robinson <crobinso at redhat.com> wrote:
>> On 10/01/2009 08:05 AM, James Brackinshaw wrote:
>>> Hello,
>>>
>>> virt-manager seems to be selective about which changes it picks up.
>>> Maybe I am doing something wrong.
>>>
>>> I created a new network with an internal dhcp range, ran virsh editxml
>>> to change the network settings, and checked what virt-manager saw. It
>>> seems the "default" network rather than the "internal" network.
>>> Restarting virt-manager does not help.
>>>
>>> Is this a bug, or intended?
>>>
>>
>> I'm a bit confused. How did you create the new virtual network: by hand
>> crafting XML and using virsh, or via the virt-manager wizard?
> 
> I ran:
>  virsh edit NAME
> then changed <source network="default" /> under <interface type="network">
> 

Ahh, okay, I misunderstood. You essentially want to hotplug a network
card on your VM. Libvirt does support hotplugging, but not via 'virsh
edit' which is essentially 'virsh define'. You want to use
attach/detach-device for hotplugging.

>> If you used virsh net-edit on an active network, the changes won't show
>> up in virt-manager (or via virsh net-dumpxml for that matter) until the
>> network has been shutdown. This is because libvirt does not know how to
>> alter running virtual networks, so the changes are applied once the
>> network is stopped (aka destroyed).
> 
> Ah. This isn't what I expected.
> 
> In ESX I can change the vlans for a network device without a reboot. I
> suppose I can do the same with kvm - I just alter the configuration on
> the host; but this feels like something virt-manager should expose. Is
> this planned?
> 

virt-manager does expose device hotplug, but it's really a matter of
libvirt supporting it for the underlying hypervisor. NIC hotplug for
qemu/kvm is fairly new in libvirt AFAIK so isn't supported in the
version in RHEL5.4. Fedora12/rawhide should have it though.

Device hotplug in virt-manager is just done via the 'remove' and 'add
hardware' buttons in the VM details section.

>>> Also, do you want me to keep asking questions like this, or should I
>>> go somewhere else? I will have a few more =)
>>
>> More questions the merrier!
> 
> Just a few observations so far:
> 1. gfs/iscsi/nfs docs missing from rh virt guide - got a trunk version
> somewhere?

No idea, better off asking on a RHEL specific list.

> 2. virt-manager appears unresponsive/dead if you forget you're in a
> vnc window somewhere. would be good to have some feedback (a beep or
> whatever) if that happens

Not sure I follow? How does it appear unresponsive? If you are in a vnc
window (as in, a VM vnc console currently has keyboard and mouse locked
in), how are you interacting with virt-manager that it appears dead?

> 3. if you have lots of windows open, and try to open a vnc console for
> a guest for which you already have a vnc window open, there is no
> feedback. would be good if the vnc title bar flashed or (better) got
> focus or something.

Hmm, sounds like a bug. I'll try to reproduce and fix.

Thanks for the feedback!
- Cole