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author	date	footer	header	section	title
Martin Wimpress	May 14, 2024	quickemu	Quickemu User Manual	1	QUICKEMU

NAME

quickemu - A quick VM builder and manager

SYNOPSIS

quickemu [OPTION]...

DESCRIPTION

quickemu will create and run highly optimised desktop virtual machines for Linux, macOS and Windows

OPTIONS

--vm: vm configuration file

You can also pass optional parameters

--access: Enable remote spice access support. 'local' (default), 'remote', 'clientipaddress'
--braille: Enable braille support. Requires SDL.
--delete-disk: Delete the disk image and EFI variables
--delete-vm: Delete the entire VM and its configuration
--display: Select display backend. 'sdl' (default), 'gtk', 'none', 'spice' or 'spice-app'
--fullscreen: Starts VM in full screen mode (Ctl+Alt+f to exit)
--ignore-msrs-always: Configure KVM to always ignore unhandled machine-specific registers
--kill: Kill the VM process if it is running
--offline: Override all network settings and start the VM offline
--shortcut: Create a desktop shortcut
--snapshot apply <tag>: Apply/restore a snapshot.
--snapshot create <tag>: Create a snapshot.
--snapshot delete <tag>: Delete a snapshot.
--snapshot info: Show disk/snapshot info.
--status-quo: Do not commit any changes to disk/snapshot.
--viewer <viewer>: Choose an alternative viewer. @Options: 'spicy' (default), 'remote-viewer', 'none'
--width <width>: Set VM screen width; requires '--height'
--height <height>: Set VM screen height; requires '--width'
--ssh-port <port>: Set SSH port manually
--spice-port <port>: Set SPICE port manually
--public-dir <path>: Expose share directory. @Options: '' (default: xdg-user-dir PUBLICSHARE), '', 'none'
--monitor <type>: Set monitor connection type. @Options: 'socket' (default), 'telnet', 'none'
--monitor-telnet-host <ip/host>: Set telnet host for monitor. (default: 'localhost')
--monitor-telnet-port <port>: Set telnet port for monitor. (default: '4440')
--monitor-cmd <cmd>: Send command to monitor if available. (Example: system_powerdown)
--serial <type>: Set serial connection type. @Options: 'socket' (default), 'telnet', 'none'
--serial-telnet-host <ip/host>: Set telnet host for serial. (default: 'localhost')
--serial-telnet-port <port>: Set telnet port for serial. (default: '6660')
--keyboard <type>: Set keyboard. @Options: 'usb' (default), 'ps2', 'virtio'
--keyboard_layout <layout>: Set keyboard layout: 'en-us' (default)
--mouse <type>: Set mouse. @Options: 'tablet' (default), 'ps2', 'usb', 'virtio'
--usb-controller <type>: Set usb-controller. @Options: 'ehci' (default), 'xhci', 'none'
--sound-card <type>: Set sound card. @Options: 'intel-hda' (default), 'ac97', 'es1370', 'sb16', 'none'
--extra_args <arguments>: Pass additional arguments to qemu
--version: Print version

EXAMPLES

quickemu --vm ubuntu-mate-22.04.conf: Launches the VM specified in the file ubuntu-mate-22.04.conf

Introduction

Quickemu is a wrapper for the excellent QEMU that automatically "does the right thing" when creating virtual machines. No requirement for exhaustive configuration options. You decide what operating system you want to run and Quickemu takes care of the rest 🤖

quickget automatically downloads the upstream OS and creates the configuration 📀
quickemu enumerates your hardware and launches the virtual machine with the optimum configuration best suited to your computer ⚡️

The original objective of the project was to enable quick testing of Linux distributions where the virtual machines and their configuration can be stored anywhere (such as external USB storage or your home directory) and no elevated permissions are required to run the virtual machines.

Today, Quickemu includes comprehensive support for macOS, Windows, most of the BSDs, novel non-Linux operating systems such as FreeDOS, Haiku, KolibriOS, OpenIndiana, ReactOS, and more.

Features

macOS Sonoma, Ventura, Monterey, Big Sur, Catalina & Mojave
Windows 10 and 11 including TPM 2.0
Windows Server 2022 2019 2016 2012-r2
Ubuntu and all the official Ubuntu flavours
Nearly 1000 operating system editions are supported!
Full SPICE support including host/guest clipboard sharing
VirtIO-webdavd file sharing for Linux and Windows guests
VirtIO-9p file sharing for Linux and macOS guests
QEMU Guest Agent support; provides access to a system-level agent via standard QMP commands
Samba file sharing for Linux, macOS and Windows guests (if smbd is installed on the host)
VirGL acceleration
USB device pass-through
Smartcard pass-through
Automatic SSH port forwarding to guests
Network port forwarding
Full duplex audio
Braille support
EFI (with or without SecureBoot) and Legacy BIOS boot

When installing from source, you will need to install the following requirements manually:

QEMU (6.0.0 or newer) with GTK, SDL, SPICE & VirtFS support
bash (4.0 or newer)
Coreutils
curl
EDK II
gawk
grep
glxinfo
jq
LSB
pciutils
procps
python3
mkisofs
usbutils
util-linux
sed
socat
spicy
swtpm
xdg-user-dirs
xrandr
zsync
unzip

For Ubuntu, Arch and NixOS hosts, the ppa, AUR or nix packaging will take care of the dependencies. For other host distributions or operating systems it will be necessary to install the above requirements or their equivalents.

These examples may save a little typing:

Install requirements on Debian hosts

This also applies to derivatives:

sudo apt install qemu bash coreutils ovmf grep jq mesa-utils pciutils procps python3 genisoimage usbutils util-linux sed socat spice-client-gtk libtss2-tcti-swtpm0 xdg-user-dirs zsync unzip

Install requirements on Fedora hosts

sudo dnf install qemu bash coreutils edk2-tools grep jq mesa-demos pciutils procps python3 genisoimage usbutils util-linux sed socat spice-gtk-tools swtpm xdg-user-dirs xrandr unzip

Install requirements on Gentoo

Please note that you may have to use sys-firmware/edk2-ovmf instead of sys-firmware/edk2-ovmf-bin - depending on how your system is configured.

sudo emerge --ask --noreplace app-emulation/qemu \
 app-shells/bash \
 sys-apps/coreutils \
 net-misc/curl \
 sys-firmware/edk2-ovmf-bin \
 sys-apps/gawk \
 sys-apps/grep \
 x11-apps/mesa-progs \
 app-misc/jq \
 sys-apps/pciutils \
 sys-process/procps \
 app-cdr/cdrtools \
 sys-apps/usbutils \
 sys-apps/util-linux \
 sys-apps/sed \
 net-misc/socat \
 app-emulation/spice \
 app-crypt/swtpm \
 x11-misc/xdg-user-dirs \
 x11-apps/xrandr \
 net-misc/zsync \
 app-arch/unzip

Install requirements on macOS hosts

This is a work in progress (see issue 447 for other steps and changes that may enable running on MacOS)

brew install qemu bash coreutils curl grep jq pciutils python@3.10 cdrtools gnu-sed spice-gtk zsync

Alternative Frontends

Quickgui

While quickemu and quickget are designed for the terminal, a graphical user interface is also available:

Quickgui by Mark Johnson and Yannick Mauray.

To install Quickgui on Ubuntu:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:yannick-mauray/quickgui
sudo apt update
sudo apt install quickgui

Many thanks to Luke Wesley-Holley and Philipp Kiemle for creating the Quickemu icons 🎨

qqX

There is also a multi option desktop integrated text interface, the quickemu quickget X terminal project, or qqX, with lots of unique tools and utilities to help you make light work of installations, snapshots and disk management

qqX is independently curated by Alex Genovese (see the github pages)

Creating Linux guests 🐧

Ubuntu

quickget will automatically download an Ubuntu release and create the virtual machine configuration.

quickget ubuntu 22.04
quickemu --vm ubuntu-22.04.conf

Complete the installation as normal.
Post-install:
- Install the SPICE agent (spice-vdagent) in the guest to enable copy/paste and USB redirection
  - sudo apt install spice-vdagent
- Install the SPICE WebDAV agent (spice-webdavd) in the guest to enable file sharing.
  - sudo apt install spice-webdavd

Ubuntu daily-live images

quickget can also download/refresh daily-live images via zsync for Ubuntu developers and testers.

quickget ubuntu daily-live
quickemu --vm ubuntu-daily-live.conf

You can run quickget ubuntu daily-live to refresh your daily development image as often as you like, it will even automatically switch to a new series.

Ubuntu Flavours

All the official Ubuntu flavours are supported, just replace ubuntu with your preferred flavour.

The project wiki may have further information.

edubuntu (Edubuntu)
kubuntu (Kubuntu)
lubuntu (Lubuntu)
ubuntu-budgie (Ubuntu Budgie)
ubuntucinnamon (Ubuntu Cinnamon)
ubuntukylin (Ubuntu Kylin)
ubuntu-mate (Ubuntu MATE)
ubuntu-server (Ubuntu Server)
ubuntustudio (Ubuntu Studio)
ubuntu (Ubuntu)
ubuntu-unity (Ubuntu Unity)
xubuntu (Xubuntu)

You can also use quickget with advanced options :

  --download      <os> <release> [edition] : Download image; no VM configuration
  --create-config <os> [path/url]          : Create VM config for a OS image
  --open-homepage <os>                     : Open homepage for the OS
  --show          [os]                     : Show OS information
  --version                                : Show version
  --help                                   : Show this help message
  --url           [os] [release] [edition] : Show image URL(s)
  --check         [os] [release] [edition] : Check image URL(s)
  --list                                   : List all supported systems
  --list-csv                               : List everything in csv format
  --list-json                              : List everything in json format

Here are some typical uses

    # show an OS ISO download URL for {os} {release} [edition]
    quickget --url fedora 38 Silverblue
    # test if an OS ISO is available for {os} {release} [edition]
    quickget --check nixos unstable plasma5
    # open an OS distribution homepage in a browser
    quickget --open-homepage  ubuntu-mate
    # Only download image file into current directory, without creating VM
    quickget --download elementary 7.1

The --url, --check, and --download options are fully functional for all operating systems, including Windows and macOS.

Further information is available from the project wiki

Other Operating Systems

quickget also supports:

alma (AlmaLinux)
alpine (Alpine Linux)
android (Android x86)
antix (Antix)
archcraft (Archcraft)
archlinux (Arch Linux)
arcolinux (Arco Linux)
artixlinux (Artix Linux)
athenaos (Athena OS)
batocera (Batocera)
bazzite (Bazzite)
biglinux (BigLinux)
blendos (BlendOS)
bodhi (Bodhi)
bunsenlabs (BunsenLabs)
cachyos (CachyOS)
centos-stream (CentOS Stream)
chimeralinux (Chimera Linux)
crunchbang++ (Crunchbangplusplus)
debian (Debian)
deepin (Deepin)
devuan (Devuan)
dragonflybsd (DragonFlyBSD)
easyos (EasyOS)
elementary (elementary OS)
endeavouros (EndeavourOS)
endless (Endless OS)
fedora (Fedora)
freebsd (FreeBSD)
freedos (FreeDOS)
garuda (Garuda Linux)
gentoo (Gentoo)
ghostbsd (GhostBSD)
gnomeos (GNOME OS)
guix (Guix)
haiku (Haiku)
holoiso (HoloISO)
kali (Kali)
kdeneon (KDE Neon)
kolibrios (KolibriOS)
linuxlite (Linux Lite)
linuxmint (Linux Mint)
lmde (Linux Mint Debian Edition)
mageia (Mageia)
manjaro (Manjaro)
mxlinux (MX Linux)
netboot (netboot.xyz)
netbsd (NetBSD)
nitrux (Nitrux)
nixos (NixOS)
nwg-shell (nwg-shell)
openbsd (OpenBSD)
openindiana (OpenIndiana)
opensuse (openSUSE)
oraclelinux (Oracle Linux)
parrotsec (Parrot Security)
peppermint (PeppermintOS)
popos (Pop!_OS)
porteus (Porteus)
primtux (PrimTux)
pureos (PureOS)
reactos (ReactOS)
rebornos (RebornOS)
rockylinux (Rocky Linux)
siduction (Siduction)
slackware (Slackware)
slax (Slax)
slint (Slint)
slitaz (SliTaz)
solus (Solus)
sparkylinux (SparkyLinux)
spirallinux (SpiralLinux)
tails (Tails)
tinycore (Tiny Core Linux)
trisquel (Trisquel-)
truenas-core (TrueNAS Core)
truenas-scale (TrueNAS Scale)
tuxedo-os (Tuxedo OS)
vanillaos (Vanilla OS)
void (Void Linux)
vxlinux (VX Linux)
zorin (Zorin OS)

Custom Linux guests

Or you can download a Linux image and manually create a VM configuration.

Download a .iso image of a Linux distribution
Create a VM configuration file; for example debian-bullseye.conf

guest_os="linux"
disk_img="debian-bullseye/disk.qcow2"
iso="debian-bullseye/firmware-11.0.0-amd64-DVD-1.iso"

Use quickemu to start the virtual machine:

quickemu --vm debian-bullseye.conf

Complete the installation as normal.
Post-install:
- Install the SPICE agent (spice-vdagent) in the guest to enable copy/paste and USB redirection.
- Install the SPICE WebDAV agent (spice-webdavd) in the guest to enable file sharing.

Supporting old Linux distros

If you want to run an old Linux , from 2016 or earlier, change the guest_os to linux_old. This will enable the vmware-svga graphics driver which is better supported on older distros.

Creating macOS Guests 🍏

Installing macOS in a VM can be a bit finicky, if you encounter problems, check the Discussions for solutions or ask for help there 🛟

quickget automatically downloads a macOS recovery image and creates a virtual machine configuration.

quickget macos catalina
quickemu --vm macos-catalina.conf

macOS mojave, catalina, big-sur, monterey, ventura and sonoma are supported.

Use cursor keys and enter key to select the macOS Base System
From macOS Utilities
- Click Disk Utility and Continue
  - Select QEMU HARDDISK Media (~103.08GB) from the list (on Big Sur and above use Apple Inc. VirtIO Block Device) and click Erase.
  - Enter a Name: for the disk
  - If you are installing macOS Mojave or later (Catalina, Big Sur, Monterey, Ventura and Sonoma), choose any of the APFS options as the filesystem. MacOS Extended may not work.
- Click Erase.
- Click Done.
- Close Disk Utility
From macOS Utilities
- Click Reinstall macOS and Continue
Complete the installation as you normally would.
- On the first reboot use cursor keys and enter key to select macOS Installer
- On the subsequent reboots use cursor keys and enter key to select the disk you named
Once you have finished installing macOS you will be presented with an the out-of-the-box first-start wizard to configure various options and set up your username and password
OPTIONAL: After you have concluded the out-of-the-box wizard, you may want to enable the TRIM feature that the computer industry created for SSD disks. This feature in our macOS installation will allow QuickEmu to compact (shrink) your macOS disk image whenever you delete files inside the Virtual Machine. Without this step your macOS disk image will only ever get larger and will not shrink even when you delete lots of data inside macOS.
- To enable TRIM, open the Terminal application and type the following command followed by pressing enter to tell macos to use the TRIM command on the hard disk when files are deleted:

sudo trimforce enable

You will be prompted to enter your account's password to gain the privilege needed. Once you've entered your password and pressed enter the command will request confirmation in the form of two questions that require you to type y (for a "yes" response) followed by enter to confirm.

If you press enter without first typing y the system will consider that a negative response as though you said "no":

IMPORTANT NOTICE: This tool force-enables TRIM for all relevant attached devices, even though such devices may not have been validated for data integrity while using TRIM. Use of this tool to enable TRIM may result in unintended data loss or data corruption. It should not be used in a commercial operating environment or with important data. Before using this tool, you should back up all of your data and regularly back up data while TRIM is enabled. This tool is provided on an "as is" basis. APPLE MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF NON-INFRINGEMENT, MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, REGARDING THIS TOOL OR ITS USE ALONE OR IN COMBINATION WITH YOUR DEVICES, SYSTEMS, OR SERVICES. BY USING THIS TOOL TO ENABLE TRIM, YOU AGREE THAT, TO THE EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, USE OF THE TOOL IS AT YOUR SOLE RISK AND THAT THE ENTIRE RISK AS TO SATISFACTORY QUALITY, PERFORMANCE, ACCURACY AND EFFORT IS WITH YOU.
Are you sure you with to proceed (y/N)?

And a second confirmation once you've confirmed the previous one:

Your system will immediately reboot when this is complete.
Is this OK (y/N)?

As the last message states, your system will automatically reboot as soon as the command completes.

The default macOS configuration looks like this:

guest_os="macos"
img="macos-catalina/RecoveryImage.img"
disk_img="macos-catalina/disk.qcow2"
macos_release="catalina"

guest_os="macos" instructs Quickemu to optimise for macOS.
macos_release="catalina" instructs Quickemu to optimise for a particular macOS release.
- For example VirtIO Network and Memory Ballooning are available in Big Sur and newer, but not previous releases.
- And VirtIO Block Media (disks) are supported/stable in Catalina and newer.

macOS compatibility

There are some considerations when running macOS via Quickemu.

Supported macOS releases:
- High Sierra
- Mojave
- Catalina (Recommended)
- Big Sur
- Monterey
- Ventura
- Sonoma
quickemu will automatically download the required OpenCore bootloader and OVMF firmware from OSX-KVM.
Optimised by default, but no GPU acceleration is available.
- Host CPU vendor is detected and guest CPU is optimised accordingly.
- VirtIO Block Media is used for the system disk where supported.
- VirtIO usb-tablet is used for the mouse.
- VirtIO Network (virtio-net) is supported and enabled on macOS Big Sur and newer, but earlier releases use vmxnet3.
- VirtIO Memory Ballooning is supported and enabled on macOS Big Sur and newer but disabled for other support macOS releases.
USB host and SPICE pass-through is:
- UHCI (USB 2.0) on macOS Catalina and earlier.
- XHCI (USB 3.0) on macOS Big Sur and newer.
Display resolution can only be changed via macOS System Preferences.
Full Duplex audio requires VoodooHDA OC or pass-through a USB audio-device to the macOS guest VM.
- NOTE! Gatekeeper and System Integrity Protection (SIP) need to be disabled to install VoodooHDA OC
File sharing between guest and host is available via virtio-9p and SPICE webdavd.
Copy/paste via SPICE agent is not available on macOS.

macOS App Store

If you see "Your device or computer could not be verified" when you try to login to the App Store, make sure that your wired ethernet device is en0. Use ifconfig in a terminal to verify this.

If the wired ethernet device is not en0, then then go to System Preferences -> Network, delete all the network devices and apply the changes. Next, open a terminal and run the following:

sudo rm /Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration/NetworkInterfaces.plist

Now reboot, and the App Store should work.

There may be further advice and information about macOS guests in the project wiki.

Creating Windows guests 🪟

quickget can download Windows 10 and Windows 11 automatically and create an optimised virtual machine configuration. This configuration also includes the VirtIO drivers for Windows.

Windows 8.1 is also supported but doesn't feature any automated installation or driver optimisation.

quickget can also download Windows 10 LTSC and Windows Server 2012-r2, 2016, 2019, and 2022. No automated installation is supported for these releases.

quickget windows 11
quickemu --vm windows-11.conf

Complete the installation as you normally would.
All relevant drivers and services should be installed automatically.
A local administrator user account is automatically created, with these credentials:
- Username: Quickemu
- Password: quickemu