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Based on recent list questions about the proposed addition of virDomainCheckpointCreateXML(REDEFINE), it is worth adding some clarification to the existing snapshot redefine documentation that is serving as the basis for checkpoints. Normal snapshot creation requires very few elements from the user XML (libvirt can pick sane defaults for items that are omitted, and many fields, including <domain>, are documented as readonly output fields ignored on input, produced by drivers that track it). But during REDEFINE, the API wants the complete XML produced by an earlier virDomainSnapshotGetXMLDesc; as the domain definition has likely changed since the snapshot was first created, libvirt is unable to recreate a <domain> sub-element that matches the original output representing the domain state at the time the snapshot was first created. In fact, reverting without a <domain> sub-element is risky enough that we had to add a FORCE flag for virDomainSnapshotRevert(). In short, we only support omitting domain for qemu because of backwards-compatibility to snapshots created before 0.9.5 started capturing <domain>; even though there are other drivers like vbox that do not output <domain> because they have other reliable ways to revert. And based on the confusion caused when omitting <domain> from snapshot XML, the initial design for checkpoints in later patches will make <domain> a mandatory element during its REDEFINE. [Side note: the fact that <domain> can appear in <domainsnapshot> is a reason we cannot add a new API for a bulk listing or redefine of all snapshots of a single domain in one XML call (for example, a 1M <domain> XML * 16 snapshots explodes into 16M in a bulk form, which gets difficult to send over RPC). Perhaps we could add a flag to request that the <domain> sub-element be omitted on output, but such output is no longer suitable for sane REDEFINE input.] Signed-off-by: Eric Blake <eblake@redhat.com> Reviewed-by: Daniel P. Berrangé <berrange@redhat.com>
Libvirt API for virtualization
Libvirt provides a portable, long term stable C API for managing the virtualization technologies provided by many operating systems. It includes support for QEMU, KVM, Xen, LXC, bhyve, Virtuozzo, VMware vCenter and ESX, VMware Desktop, Hyper-V, VirtualBox and the POWER Hypervisor.
For some of these hypervisors, it provides a stateful management daemon which runs on the virtualization host allowing access to the API both by non-privileged local users and remote users.
Layered packages provide bindings of the libvirt C API into other languages including Python, Perl, PHP, Go, Java, OCaml, as well as mappings into object systems such as GObject, CIM and SNMP.
Further information about the libvirt project can be found on the website:
License
The libvirt C API is distributed under the terms of GNU Lesser General
Public License, version 2.1 (or later). Some parts of the code that are
not part of the C library may have the more restrictive GNU General
Public License, version 2.1 (or later). See the files COPYING.LESSER
and COPYING for full license terms & conditions.
Installation
Libvirt uses the GNU Autotools build system, so in general can be built and installed with the usual commands. For example, to build in a manner that is suitable for installing as root, use:
$ ./configure --prefix=/usr --sysconfdir=/etc --localstatedir=/var
$ make
$ sudo make install
While to build & install as an unprivileged user
$ ./configure --prefix=$HOME/usr
$ make
$ make install
The libvirt code relies on a large number of 3rd party libraries. These will
be detected during execution of the configure script and a summary printed
which lists any missing (optional) dependencies.
Contributing
The libvirt project welcomes contributions in many ways. For most components the best way to contribute is to send patches to the primary development mailing list. Further guidance on this can be found on the website:
https://libvirt.org/contribute.html
Contact
The libvirt project has two primary mailing lists:
- libvirt-users@redhat.com (for user discussions)
- libvir-list@redhat.com (for development only)
Further details on contacting the project are available on the website: