Creating Definition File And Template Image

The definition file is just a libvirt xml file. The template image is just a VM disk image. This is how to create them:

• create a base VM and install OS
• shut down the base VM

virsh shutdown basevm

• dump its XML file to template.xml and copy its image to template.qcow2

virsh dumpxml basevm > /var/lib/libvirt/images/template.xml
cp /var/lib/libvirt/images/basevm.qcow2 /var/lib/libvirt/images/template.qcow2

• in template.xml point the disk source file to template.qcow2

<disk type='file' device='disk'>
  <driver name='qemu' type='qcow2' cache='none'/>
  <source file='/var/lib/libvirt/images/template.qcow2'/>
  <target dev='vda' bus='virtio'/>
  <address type='pci' domain='0x0000' bus='0x00' slot='0x04' function='0x0'/>
</disk>

• run virt-sysprep on template.qcow2.

This will reset the image, e.g. will remove the host SSH keys, will create new MAC address for network interfaces, adjust udev persistent net rules, clean up log files, etc...

virt-sysprep -a /var/lib/libvirt/images/template.qcow2

• after this poin you don't need the base VM anymore. Delete it.

virsh undefine basevm
rm /var/lib/libvirt/images/basevm.qcow2

Cloning new VMs from Template

• clone new VMs from template.xml and template.qcow2

virt-clone --connect qemu:///system                    \
  --original-xml /var/lib/libvirt/images/template.xml  \
  --name newvm                                         \
  --file /var/lib/libvirt/images/newvm.qcow2

Done