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Installing Linux VMs
This chapter discusses how to create Linux VMs, either by installing them or cloning them. This chapter
also contains vendor-specific installation instructions and release notes.
When you want to create a new VM, you must create the VM using a template for the operating system you
want to run on the VM. You can use a template Citrix provides for your operating system, or one that you
created previously. You can create the VM from either XenCenter or the CLI.
For some operating systems, such as RHEL 4.5 to 4.8, you will also need to install a Citrix-provided kernel.
Other operating systems, such as RHEL 5.x, require installing a specific version of a vendor provided kernel.
Installing a Linux VM requires using a process such as the following:
1. Create the VM for your target operating system using the New VM wizard or the CLI.
2. Install the operating system using vendor's installation media.
3. Install the correct kernel version, if applicable.
4. Install the Linux Guest Agent so that information about the VM appears in XenCenter and the CLI. See
the section called “Installing the Linux guest agent”.
5. Setting the correct time and time zone on the VM. See the section called “Time handling in Linux VMs”.
6. Ensuring VNC is functioning correctly. See the section called “Configuring VNC for VMs”.
XenServer supports the installation of many Linux distributions as VMs. There are four installation
mechanisms:
• complete distributions provided as built-in templates
• using the vendor media in the server's physical DVD/CD drive
• using the vendor media to perform a network installation
• installing from an ISO library
Installing Linux VMs requires the Linux Pack to be installed onto the XenServer host. Without the Linux
Pack, the Linux VM templates are not available.
Warning:
If you have not installed the Linux Pack, and you are using XenCenter to install VMs, the New VM wizard
will show only Windows choices in the list. Do not select Other install media to install a Linux VM. This will
not work properly and is not supported.
The Other install media template is meant for advanced users who want to attempt to install VMs running
unsupported operating systems. XenServer has been tested running only the supported distributions and
specific versions covered by the standard supplied templates, and any VMs installed using the Other install
media template are not supported.
The supported Linux distributions are:
Distribution Vendor
Install
from CD
Vendor Install
from network
repository
Notes
Demo Linux VM Built-in
Debian Lenny 5.0 X X