Immutable (atomic) Linux - any users here -- trying to create Windows VM via distrobox and container (KVM/QEMU)

Hi folks
Love the Aurora rel 42 (based on Fedora 42) immutable distro -- but trying to get a VM inside a container is just driving me round in circles !!!
You need some containerisation as the KVM/QEMU virtualisation requires some access to the hardware via config files which in an immutable system isn't permitted (the root '/' system is essentially read only and user stuff is in a rw area usually /var. So a VM is created in a contaijner - inside the container you can do what you like - so that allows VM creation via a url - but the whole thing just doesn't work (or I can't get it to work) as you can't reboot the container and you cant start the services (systemctl doesn't work).

I've cheated by enabling "developer mode" on the host - but that's really not or shouldn't be the solution !!!!

Anybody got this working on any of these "Atomic" / immutable distros -- love the whole container thing -- apart from the VM issue it's brilliant.

Cheers
jimbo

this is not much help.
i had a nightmare getting Win 11 24H2 to install in Gnome boxes on Fedora SilverBlue
because of /root being read only. no access to USB or attached USB drives.

first i had to install Win 10 22H2 from ISO into Gnome boxes then
i had to transfer all the files from a Rufus Win 11 24H2 USB to a folder
then upload that folder to OneDrive. download that 5.4 GB folder to the Win 10 VM
and then try the in place upgrade from the downloaded Rufus folder.

its taken several hours but i am now using Win 11 24H2 26100.4484 fully updated
in Gnome boxes (flatpak) on Fedora SilverBlue.

best of luck, Steve ..

XxXxX said:

this is not much help.
i had a nightmare getting Win 11 24H2 to install in Gnome boxes on Fedora SilverBlue
because of /root being read only. no access to USB or attached USB drives.

first i had to install Win 10 22H2 from ISO into Gnome boxes then
i had to transfer all the files from a Rufus Win 11 24H2 USB to a folder
then upload that folder to OneDrive. download that 5.4 GB folder to the Win 10 VM
and then try the in place upgrade from the downloaded Rufus folder.

its taken several hours but i am now using Win 11 24H2 26100.4484 fully updated
in Gnome boxes (flatpak) on Fedora SilverBlue.

best of luck, Steve ..

Click to expand...

@XxXxX
I've given up on these for the moment -- even if you do "Classic installs" via "Layering" there's still problems with things like usb redirect or adding usb / pci hardware. See my post on "The ugly side of this stuff" - even though it's a good idea for the future.


I'll make you jealous !! with a classical distro I don't have much experience of (opensuse rawhide) I got a whole KVM /QEMU VM (Windows 11 Enterprise) system with a whole slew of my apps including Office 2021 LTSC) up and running in around 30 mins flat on an old 8 year old laptop with a gen 6 i5 intel processor and only 8GB RAM in it !!!

Actually I can't believe how fast the Windows VM runs - and this is a really old laptop !!! - probably down to the Germans legendary teutonic efficiency !!! -- opensuse isn't probably much used outside of Europe but SUSE (the commercial arm) is used quite a bit though in the EU countries.

The basic idea is good but still needs A LOT OF WORK !! to make these mainstream for users who do want to install software that doesn't exist in the "official repos". 3rd party stuff is fine -- competition is always good !!! Who needs "N,Korean" type state controlled software !!!.

Cheers
jimbo

@jimbo45
im finding Fedora SilverBlue a breath of fresh air
i haven't managed to break it.

best of luck, Steve ..