From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Return-Path: Received: from lists.gentoo.org (pigeon.gentoo.org [208.92.234.80]) by finch.gentoo.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 96647138010 for ; Tue, 25 Sep 2012 22:35:33 +0000 (UTC) Received: from pigeon.gentoo.org (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by pigeon.gentoo.org (Postfix) with SMTP id B3E6321C016; Tue, 25 Sep 2012 22:35:14 +0000 (UTC) Received: from crowfix.com (li35-165.members.linode.com [72.14.176.165]) by pigeon.gentoo.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 6433521C00E for ; Tue, 25 Sep 2012 22:33:39 +0000 (UTC) Received: (qmail 15775 invoked from network); 25 Sep 2012 22:42:29 -0000 Received: from unknown (HELO df.crowfix.com) (10.130.13.2) by 10.130.13.1 with SMTP; 25 Sep 2012 22:42:29 -0000 Received: (qmail 2269 invoked by uid 1000); 25 Sep 2012 22:33:25 -0000 Date: Tue, 25 Sep 2012 15:33:25 -0700 From: felix@crowfix.com To: gentoo-user@lists.gentoo.org Subject: [gentoo-user] Creating KVM image using existing gentoo partition Message-ID: <20120925223325.GA27146@crowfix.com> Precedence: bulk List-Post: List-Help: List-Unsubscribe: List-Subscribe: List-Id: Gentoo Linux mail X-BeenThere: gentoo-user@lists.gentoo.org Reply-to: gentoo-user@lists.gentoo.org MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Disposition: inline User-Agent: Mutt/1.5.21 (2010-09-15) X-Archives-Salt: ce392dee-cbd8-433d-b4cc-af3adcf290b5 X-Archives-Hash: d006e3c008c26fc8ed9f4764b01ed277 Got a new laptop at work,, running Linux instead of Mac, yay! Unfortunately, it comes with Ubuntu installed, boo! But I split the 500GB drive into two parts, began a gentoo install in the second half, and now I am stalled. The main purpose of the laptop is to run Centos 6.2 in a KVM image so it can simulate production as much as possible. As much as I dislike Ubuntu, I really only use it for terminals, Emacs, and Firefox. I ssh into the Centos image for all that stuff. I'd love to switch Ubuntu to gentoo and set up my usual fvwm etc instead of that awful Unity. Unfortunately, because I have to leave that Centos image running as much as possible, I can't take the time to reboot into the gentoo partition to finish the install, not even on weekends or evenings. It was ok getting the initial gentoo install started, but that was only an hour or two. I can't take the time for a real install, there's work to do. So it occurred to me it would be great to create a new KVM image using the gentoo partition as is for its file system, instead of creating one out of a file as it did for the Centos image. But I don't see any obvious options to do that. This is my first time with KVM, and someone else set up the Centos image using some GUI wizard. Here be my scurvy dog question(s): Is it possible to create a KVM image using an existing gentoo partition (/dev/sda3) for the filesystem, such that once I get the gentoo install finished, I can boot directly to the gentoo partition and not have to purify it or sanitize it after KVM has meddled with it? (and how do I do this? :-) If not, seems like the simplest workaround would be to create a KVM image from scratch and do a complete install there, then use cp, tar, cpio, or something similar to copy everything over to the real partition. But that sounds ugly for some reason. -- ... _._. ._ ._. . _._. ._. ___ .__ ._. . .__. ._ .. ._. Felix Finch: scarecrow repairman & rocket surgeon / felix@crowfix.com GPG = E987 4493 C860 246C 3B1E 6477 7838 76E9 182E 8151 ITAR license #4933 I've found a solution to Fermat's Last Theorem but I see I've run out of room o