# Use Generic Cloud (cloud-init) image on local
You can use the Generic Cloud image for testing, developing and repackaging purposes on your local machine or server.
# AlmaLinux Guest OS support
You need at least the 20210215 on AlmaLinux and 20210426 version on the other distro's osinfo-db package for the AlmaLinux Guest OS support.
TIP
20210621 and newer recommended for latest improvements.
Check the list of supported guest OSes:
$ osinfo-query os
Short ID | Name | Version | ID
----------------------+----------------------------------------------------+----------+-----------------------------------------
almalinux8 | AlmaLinux 8 | 8 | http://almalinux.org/almalinux/8
alpinelinux3.10 | Alpine Linux 3.10 | 3.10 | http://alpinelinux.org/alpinelinux/3.10
alpinelinux3.11 | Alpine Linux 3.11 | 3.11 | http://alpinelinux.org/alpinelinux/3.11
alpinelinux3.12 | Alpine Linux 3.12 | 3.12 | http://alpinelinux.org/alpinelinux/3.12
alpinelinux3.13 | Alpine Linux 3.13 | 3.13 | http://alpinelinux.org/alpinelinux/3.13
alpinelinux3.14 | Alpine Linux 3.14 | 3.14 | http://alpinelinux.org/alpinelinux/3.14
alpinelinux3.5 | Alpine Linux 3.5 | 3.5 | http://alpinelinux.org/alpinelinux/3.5
alpinelinux3.6 | Alpine Linux 3.6 | 3.6 | http://alpinelinux.org/alpinelinux/3.6
alpinelinux3.7 | Alpine Linux 3.7 | 3.7 | http://alpinelinux.org/alpinelinux/3.7
alpinelinux3.8 | Alpine Linux 3.8 | 3.8 | http://alpinelinux.org/alpinelinux/3.8
alpinelinux3.9 | Alpine Linux 3.9 | 3.9 | http://alpinelinux.org/alpinelinux/3.9
alt.p8 | ALT p8 StarterKits | p8 | http://altlinux.org/alt/p8.starterkits
alt.p9 | ALT p9 StarterKits | p9 | http://altlinux.org/alt/p9.starterkits
alt.sisyphus | ALT regular | sisyphus | http://altlinux.org/alt/sisyphus
alt8.0 | ALT 8 Education | 8.0 | http://altlinux.org/alt/8.0
alt8.1 | ALT 8.1 | 8.1 | http://altlinux.org/alt/8.1
alt8.2 | ALT 8.2 | 8.2 | http://altlinux.org/alt/8.2
alt9.0 | ALT 9.0 | 9.0 | http://altlinux.org/alt/9.0
alt9.1 | ALT 9.1 | 9.1 | http://altlinux.org/alt/9.1
altlinux1.0 | Mandrake RE Spring 2001 | 1.0 | http://altlinux.org/altlinux/1.0
altlinux2.0 | ALT Linux 2.0 | 2.0 | http://altlinux.org/altlinux/2.0
altlinux2.2 | ALT Linux 2.2 | 2.2 | http://altlinux.org/altlinux/2.2
altlinux2.4 | ALT Linux 2.4 | 2.4 | http://altlinux.org/altlinux/2.4
altlinux3.0 | ALT Linux 3.0 | 3.0 | http://altlinux.org/altlinux/3.0
altlinux4.0 | ALT Linux 4.0 | 4.0 | http://altlinux.org/altlinux/4.0
altlinux4.1 | ALT Linux 4.1 | 4.1 | http://altlinux.org/altlinux/4.1
altlinux5.0 | ALT Linux 5.0 | 5.0 | http://altlinux.org/altlinux/5.0
altlinux6.0 | ALT Linux 6.0 | 6.0 | http://altlinux.org/altlinux/6.0
altlinux7.0 | ALT Linux 7.0 | 7.0 | http://altlinux.org/altlinux/7.0
...
You can manually update the Osinfo database with the --local option without overriding the osinfo-db which is installed by the distribution's package manager. The new database will have precedence when the database is loaded.
Check the latest version from here: https://releases.pagure.org/libosinfo/?C=M;O=D (opens new window)
# Replace $VERSION with the latest version
$ curl -O https://releases.pagure.org/libosinfo/osinfo-db-$VERSION.tar.xz # Download
$ sudo osinfo-db-import --local osinfo-db-$VERSION.tar.xz #Install
Download and Verify the cloud image from this guide: https://wiki.almalinux.org/cloud/Generic-cloud.html#download-and-verification (opens new window)
# Create a snapshot from the image
If you don't want to modify the cloud image on each VM creation, you can create a snapshot from the cloud image. The snapshot's virtual size can be different from the base image. In this example, we will use 20G instead of the base image's virtual size (10G). Cloud-init will grow the root filesystem automatically on the creation of the VM.
$ qemu-img create -f qcow2 -b AlmaLinux-8-GenericCloud-8.4-20210616.x86_64.qcow2 -F qcow2 wiki-almalinux84-snapshot.qcow2 20G
# Cloud-init
The NoCloud (opens new window) Datasource allows the user to provide User-data and Meta-data to the instance without running a network service (or even without having a network at all). You can provide Meta-data and User-data files with --cloud-init option of virt-install (opens new window) >= 3.0.0 or with a ISO file for < 3.0.0.
The accounts on the cloud image locked by default. You can set a password with the Set Password (opens new window), add your ssh public key with Authorized Keys (opens new window). In this example, we will set a password for the default almalinux user.
TIP
Check cloud-init modules list (opens new window) for further customization options.
user-data:
#cloud-config
ssh_pwauth: yes # sshd will be configured to accept password authentication
password: 'P@$$W0RD' # Set a password for almalinux Cloud User
chpasswd:
expire: false
ssh_authorized_keys: # Add your ssh public key for publickey authentication
- ssh-rsa AAAAB3NzaC1yc2EAAAABIwAAAGEA3FSyQwBI6Z+nCSjUU ...
- ssh-rsa AAAAB3NzaC1yc2EAAAABIwAAAQEA3I7VUf2l5gSn5uavROsc5HRDpZ ...
Start the VM - virt-install >= 3.0.0 with --cloud-init option:
#!/usr/bin/env bash
VM_NAME="wiki-almalinux84"
USER_DATA="user-data"
DISK="wiki-almalinux84-snapshot.qcow2"
virt-install \
--name "${VM_NAME}" \
--memory 2048 \
--vcpus 2 \
--import \
--cloud-init user-data="${USER_DATA}" \
--os-variant almalinux8 \
--disk "${DISK}" \
--network network=default,model=virtio \
--graphics none \
--virt-type kvm
Start the VM - virt-install < 3.0.0
Create a CloudInit seed iso file with User-Data and Meta-Data:
$ touch meta-data # empty meta-data file for no meta-data option
$ genisoimage -output seed.iso -volid cidata -joliet -rock user-data meta-data
#!/usr/bin/env bash
VM_NAME="wiki-almalinux84"
DISK="wiki-almalinux84-snapshot.qcow2"
SEED_ISO="seed.iso"
virt-install \
--name "${VM_NAME}" \
--memory 2048 \
--vcpus 2 \
--import \
--os-variant almalinux8 \
--disk "${DISK}" \
--disk "${SEED_ISO}",device=cdrom \
--network network=default,model=virtio \
--graphics none \
--virt-type kvm
Get the IP address of the VM:
$ sudo virsh domainifaddr $VM_NAME
# Static IP
You need a Cloud-init Meta-Data file for the static IP configuration.
meta-data:
network-interfaces: |
iface eth0 inet static
address 192.168.122.8
network 192.168.122.0
netmask 255.255.255.0
broadcast 192.168.1.255
gateway 192.168.122.1
Because of a current bug (opens new window) in cloud-init, static networking configurations are not automatically started. Instead, the default DHCP configuration remains active. A suggested workaround is to manually stop and restart the network interface via the bootcmd.
Add these lines in the User-Data file.
user-data:
#cloud-config
bootcmd:
- ifdown eth0
- ifup eth0
Create a VM with static IP:
#!/usr/bin/env bash
VM_NAME="wiki-almalinux84"
META_DATA="meta-data"
USER_DATA="user-data"
DISK="wiki-almalinux84-snapshot.qcow2"
virt-install \
--name "${VM_NAME}" \
--memory 2048 \
--vcpus 2 \
--import \
--cloud-init meta-data="${META_DATA}",user-data="${USER_DATA}" \
--os-variant almalinux8 \
--disk ${DISK} \
--network network=default,model=virtio \
--graphics none \
--virt-type kvm
# Repackage cloud image
shutdown VM:
$ sudo virsh shutdown $VM_NAME
Convert the snapshot to the full image without touching backing file(AlmaLinux-8-GenericCloud-8.4-20210616.x86_64.qcow2):
$ qemu-img convert -c -O qcow2 doc-almalinux84-snapshot.qcow2 doc-almalinux84-base.qcow2
You can reset, unconfigure and inject files to the image with libguestfs virt-sysprep. See the upstream documentation for further option (opens new window) and operations. (opens new window)
$ virt-sysprep --format qcow2 -a doc-almalinux84-base.qcow2