Introduction
In this article, we will discuss how to create a virtual machine using Virt-Manager with UEFI firmware and VirtIO SCSI as the virtual disk CD drive, instead of the default virtio-blk disk (SATA). We will also cover the issue of UEFI firmware not recognizing SCSIs devices in a virtual machine.
Creating a Virtual Machine with UEFI Firmware and VirtIO SCSI
To create a virtual machine with UEFI firmware and VirtIO SCSI, follow these steps:
- Open Virt-Manager and click on the New button to create a new virtual machine.
- Select Local install media as the installation source and click Forward.
- Enter the name and path for the virtual machine, select the OS type and version, and click Forward.
- On the Memory and CPU screens, set the desired values and click Forward.
- On the Storage screen, select the VirtIO SCSI controller and click Add Hard Disk. In the Create new virtual disk dialog, set the size and other options as desired, and click Finish.
- On the Storage screen, select the CD-ROM device and click Change. In the Select a CD-ROM image dialog, select the UEFI firmware image and click OK.
- Click Forward and review the summary screen. Make any necessary changes and click Finish to create the virtual machine.
UEFI Firmware Not Recognizing SCSIs Devices
If you are using UEFI firmware and VirtIO SCSI in a virtual machine, you may encounter an issue where the UEFI firmware does not recognize the SCSIs devices. This is because the UEFI firmware in many virtual machines does not support the SCSI protocol by default.
To work around this issue, you can use the virtio-scsi-pci device instead of the virtio-scsi device. The virtio-scsi-pci device is a PCI-based device that is supported by most UEFI firmware implementations. To use the virtio-scsi-pci device, follow these steps:
- Edit the virtual machine configuration file and replace the
virtio-scsidevice with thevirtio-scsi-pcidevice. - Add the
scsi-genericmodule to the UEFI firmware configuration. This module provides support for the SCSI protocol in the UEFI firmware. - Start the virtual machine and verify that the UEFI firmware recognizes the SCSIs devices.
Example:
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scsi-generic
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In this article, we have discussed how to create a virtual machine using Virt-Manager with UEFI firmware and VirtIO SCSI as the virtual disk CD drive. We have also covered the issue of UEFI firmware not recognizing SCSIs devices in a virtual machine and provided a workaround using the virtio-scsi-pci device and the scsi-generic module in the UEFI firmware configuration.
References
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Virt-Manager User Guide: https://libvirt.org/formatdomain.html#elementsVirtualDisk
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VirtIO SCSI Driver: https://www.redhat.com/archives/libvir-list/2015-September/msg01201.html
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SCSI-Generic Module: https://www.kernel.org/doc/html/latest/scsi/scsi-generic.html