[libvirt-users] Error installing VM: "Process exited while reading console log output"

[Patrick 'P. J.' McDermott]

Hi,

I'm trying to install a qemu-kvm virtual machine on a Debian GNU/Linux
squeeze amd64 host, using virtinst 0.500.3 and libvirt 0.8.3.

First I tried this command as a normal user (in groups kvm and libvirt):

    $ virt-install --connect qemu:///system --name test1 \
    > --ram $((128 * 1024 * 1024)) --vcpus=1 --description 'Test VM 1' \
    > --location=http://http.us.debian.org/debian/dists/squeeze/main/installer-amd64/ \
    > --extra-args='auto url=http://10.0.0.128/baldr1.cfg' \
    > --os-type=linux --os-variant=debiansqueeze \
    > --disk path=/mnt/data/vms/test1.img --network bridge=br0 \
    > --nographics --hvm --virt-type=kvm --serial pty --autostart

This failed, giving me the following output:

    Starting install...
    Retrieving file MANIFEST...                  | 3.3 kB     00:00 ...
    Retrieving file linux...                     | 4.6 MB     00:13 ...
    Retrieving file initrd.gz...                 |  13 MB     00:38 ...
    ERROR    internal error Process exited while reading console log output: char device redirected to /dev/pts/4

    Domain installation does not appear to have been
     successful.  If it was, you can restart your domain
     by running 'virsh start test1'; otherwise, please
     restart your installation.
    ERROR    internal error Process exited while reading console log output: char device redirected to /dev/pts/4
    Traceback (most recent call last):
      File "/usr/bin/virt-install", line 1033, in <module>
        main()
      File "/usr/bin/virt-install", line 915, in main
        start_time, guest.start_install)
      File "/usr/bin/virt-install", line 957, in do_install
        dom = install_func(conscb, progresscb, wait=(not wait))
      File "/usr/lib/pymodules/python2.6/virtinst/Guest.py", line 973, in start_install
        return self._do_install(consolecb, meter, removeOld, wait)
      File "/usr/lib/pymodules/python2.6/virtinst/Guest.py", line 1038, in _do_install
        "install")
      File "/usr/lib/pymodules/python2.6/virtinst/Guest.py", line 1009, in _create_guest
        dom = self.conn.createLinux(start_xml, 0)
      File "/usr/lib/python2.6/dist-packages/libvirt.py", line 1277, in createLinux
        if ret is None:raise libvirtError('virDomainCreateLinux() failed', conn=self)
    libvirtError: internal error Process exited while reading console log output: char device redirected to /dev/pts/4

I tried the same virt-install command without "--serial pty" and as
root, to no avail.

I then tried setting "console" using --extra-args, i.e.:

    $ virt-install --connect qemu:///system --name test1 \
    > --ram $((128 * 1024 * 1024)) --vcpus=1 --description 'Test VM 1' \
    > --location=http://http.us.debian.org/debian/dists/squeeze/main/installer-amd64/ \
    > --extra-args='console=tty0 console=ttyS0,115200n8' \
    > --os-type=linux --os-variant=debiansqueeze \
    > --disk path=/mnt/data/vms/test1.img --network bridge=br0 \
    > --nographics --hvm --virt-type=kvm --serial pty --autostart

Again, I get the same error.

Can anyone tell me why I'm getting this error or give me some hints to
troubleshoot this?  So far nothing in the Python or C code of libvirt
stands out at me, and nothing in ~/.virtinst/virt-install.log looks
helpful.

Since there's no specific error message to say why the process exited,
does this perhaps mean that debian-installer is simply shutting down
immediately after booting?

(I'm sending this to the libvirt-users list because it looks like a
libvirt issue.  Let me know if I should query a different list.)

Thanks,
-- 
Patrick "P. J." McDermott
http://www.pehjota.net/
http://www.pehjota.net/contact.html