I saw a job classified asking for a Linux admin who could administer KVM based vm’s. I can do so if I use virt-manager or some form of graphical tool, but I’m not really familiar with all of the command line material. I also cant really find a good tutorial on it, as most sites say to use the graphical stuff. My question is, for a position like this is my understanding satisfactory to apply?
The newer versions of virt-manager are pretty decent but it still doesn’t expose all the options and control that the underlying system has. At this point it’s pretty usable for the most common operations though. In addition to the extra options that are exposed at the command line it also lends itself to better automation and scripting.
If you want to learn about the command line options then read the following man pages.
- kvm or qemu these normally point to the same manpage.
- virsh
To explore virsh you can also type virsh to start a shell and then type help.
Also keep in mind that managing KVM is more than just knowing KVM. You also need to have a good bit of networking and storage skills. It could also involve setting up and configuring the virtual machines as well.
If the position is a Junior position I would go for it. Nothing to lose by trying.
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