QEMU / KVM

QEMU / KVM Deployment

Arrow produces a QCOW2 (QEMU Copy-On-Write 2) image for QEMU/KVM environments. This format is compatible with QEMU, KVM, libvirt/virt-manager, and Proxmox VE.

VM Credentials

Credentials are randomly generated during the build process. You can retrieve them from the ARROW Portal under your device’s details page.

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QEMU / KVM (Command Line)

Prerequisites

Install QEMU and KVM on your Linux host:

# Debian/Ubuntu
sudo apt install qemu-system-x86 qemu-utils libvirt-daemon-system

# Fedora/RHEL
sudo dnf install qemu-kvm qemu-img libvirt

# Arch
sudo pacman -S qemu-full libvirt

Verify KVM support:

kvm-ok
# or
ls /dev/kvm

Launch the VM

qemu-system-x86_64 \
  -enable-kvm \
  -m 16G \
  -smp 4 \
  -cpu host \
  -bios /usr/share/ovmf/OVMF.fd \
  -drive file=kali-arrow-client.qcow2,format=qcow2,if=virtio \
  -netdev user,id=net0,hostfwd=tcp::2222-:22 \
  -device virtio-net-pci,netdev=net0 \
  -device virtio-vga \
  -display gtk

Flag	Purpose
-enable-kvm	Use hardware virtualization (much faster)
-m 16G	Allocate 16 GB RAM
-smp 4	Allocate 4 CPU cores
-cpu host	Pass through host CPU features
-bios OVMF.fd	UEFI firmware boot
hostfwd=tcp::2222-:22	Forward host port 2222 to VM port 22 (SSH)

Headless Mode

For servers without a display:

qemu-system-x86_64 \
  -enable-kvm \
  -m 16G \
  -smp 4 \
  -cpu host \
  -bios /usr/share/ovmf/OVMF.fd \
  -drive file=kali-arrow-client.qcow2,format=qcow2,if=virtio \
  -netdev user,id=net0,hostfwd=tcp::2222-:22 \
  -device virtio-net-pci,netdev=net0 \
  -nographic \
  -serial mon:stdio

Then SSH in:

ssh -p 2222 arrow@127.0.0.1

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virt-manager (GUI)

Import the Image

1. Open virt-manager
2. Click Create a new virtual machine
3. Select Import existing disk image
4. Browse to the .qcow2 file
5. Set OS type to Linux > Debian 12 (or Generic Linux)
6. Allocate resources:
   • Memory: 16384 MB
   • CPUs: 4
7. Configure networking (default NAT or select a bridge)
8. Check Customize configuration before install
9. In the configuration window:
   • Overview > Firmware: Select UEFI x86_64: /usr/share/OVMF/OVMF_CODE.fd
10. Click Begin Installation

Recommended Settings

Setting	Minimum	Recommended	High Performance
vCPU	2	4	8
Memory	8 GB	16 GB	32 GB
Disk bus	virtio	virtio	virtio
Network	virtio	virtio	virtio

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Proxmox VE

Upload the Image

Upload the QCOW2 image to your Proxmox storage:

# Via SCP to the Proxmox host
scp kali-arrow-client.qcow2 root@proxmox-host:/var/lib/vz/images/

Create the VM

# Create a VM (adjust VMID as needed)
qm create 200 \
  --name kali-arrow-client \
  --memory 16384 \
  --cores 4 \
  --bios ovmf \
  --machine q35 \
  --net0 virtio,bridge=vmbr0 \
  --ostype l26 \
  --agent enabled=1

# Add EFI disk
qm set 200 --efidisk0 local-lvm:1,format=qcow2

# Import the disk
qm importdisk 200 kali-arrow-client.qcow2 local-lvm

# Attach the imported disk
qm set 200 --scsi0 local-lvm:vm-200-disk-1 \
  --scsihw virtio-scsi-single \
  --boot order=scsi0

Start via GUI

1. Open the Proxmox Web UI
2. Select the VM (ID 200)
3. Click Start
4. Open the Console to access the VM

Start via CLI

qm start 200

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Troubleshooting

Issue	Solution
”KVM not available”	Enable VT-x/AMD-V in BIOS. Verify with kvm-ok or ls /dev/kvm.
VM boots to UEFI shell	Ensure OVMF/UEFI firmware is specified. Install ovmf package if missing.
No network in VM	Check that virtio-net is used and the host bridge/NAT is configured correctly
Slow disk performance	Use if=virtio for the disk and ensure the image is QCOW2 format
Proxmox import fails	Ensure the target storage supports QCOW2. Use local-lvm with raw format if needed: qm importdisk 200 image.qcow2 local-lvm --format raw
Password doesn’t work	Credentials are generated at build time. Retrieve them from the ARROW Portal under your device’s details page.