[virt-tools-list] Virt Tools Survey: What to do about virt-clone

[Richard W.M. Jones]

[Keeping this on virt-tools list to reduce noise on other lists]

On Wed, May 11, 2011 at 10:19:12AM +0200, Juerg Haefliger wrote:
> > (f) How do you feel about a multi-step process?
> >
> >  virt-clone -> virt-sysprep -> virt-resize (for example)
> 
> Sounds fine to me as long as there is sufficient control over what
> each step is doing and as long as it can be automated without the need
> for a fancy GUI.

virt-resize has similar functionality to virt-clone.  There are two
main differences: it doesn't fix the XML (new MAC address, UUID etc).
And it does allow you to resize the disk.

Therefore the idea would be to separate out the three or four tasks:

  [dd -- copying the disk when resizing is not needed]
  virt-resize -- copying and/or resizing the disk
  virt-sysprep -- sysprepping the guest
  virt-<something> -- updating the guest XML

Perhaps the last two should be a single tool.

Rich.

-- 
Richard Jones, Virtualization Group, Red Hat http://people.redhat.com/~rjones
New in Fedora 11: Fedora Windows cross-compiler. Compile Windows
programs, test, and build Windows installers. Over 70 libraries supprt'd
http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/MinGW http://www.annexia.org/fedora_mingw