Converting VirtualBox VMs to Qubes HVMs

[agrozdanov]

Hello Everyone.
Happy New 2024, and I hope all is well with you !
I am following the materials published in :
Converting VirtualBox VMs to Qubes HVMs, and
How to convert raw to iso without copying to dom0?
I have ubuntu.vdi from VirtualBox.
I have converted it following - Converting between image formats :

" in MS Win 10 :
cd C:\Program Files\Oracle\VirtualBox
VBoxManage clonehd “C:\Users\abc\VirtualBox VMs\ubuntu.vdi” ubuntu.img --format raw

It is 40 G big.
I have attached it to a Qubes’ PHV called “storage” that is 100 G big : /home/def/Downloads/ubuntu.img.
I have created, using GUI, the HVM called “Ubuntu” with RAM = 4 G, 1 x CPU, Net = sys-firewall, Template = NONE, Kernel = ’ ', HDD = 75 G.
Then, from Dom0, I have tried :

cd /dev/qubes_dom0/
ls -l # … and found the /dev/dm-61 for vm-ubuntu
qvm-run -p storage ‘cat /home/def/Downloads/ubuntu.img’ > /dev/dm-61
bash: /dev/dm-61: Permission denied

Do I miss something so to get this message ?
Please, advise back.
Thanks, and Best,

[DVM]

Standalones and HVMs

Use the following command instead after bringing the .img file to dom0:

qvm-create --property=virt_mode=hvm --property=memory=4096 --property=kernel='' --label red --standalone --root-move-from /home/def/Downloads/ubuntu.img ubuntu-hvm

[agrozdanov]

Thank you for your prompt reply @DVM.
The free space I have in Dom0 is not enough to bring the ubuntu.img file there, so I need a way to use it from some of the other qubes …

[DVM]

Check this:

Importing a large (> dom0 disk size) standalone VM

It’s possible with a named pipe (FIFO). You have to do the volume import separately after VM creation, because qvm-create cannot automatically detect the correct volume size in this case so it has to be passed manually - which is only implemented for qvm-volume import. Continuing after the qemu-img convert step: [user@dom0 ~]$ mkfifo /tmp/fifo [user@dom0 ~]$ qvm-run --pass-io untrusted 'cat "/media/user/externalhd/win10.raw"' > /tmp/fifo While this^ is still running, open another terminal and…

[agrozdanov]

Thank you very much, @DVM !
The proposed solution is working.

# in Dom0 :
mkfifo /tmp/fifo
qvm-run --pass-io storage ‘cat “/home/def/Downloads/ubuntu.img”’ > /tmp/fifo
# opened another terminal in Dom0 :
qvm-create --property=virt_mode=hvm --property=memory=4096 --property=kernel=‘’ --label=red --standalone ubuntu_lts
qvm-run --pass-io storage ‘stat -c %s “/home/def/Downloads/ubuntu.img”’
# appears on the screen :
26687091200
qvm-volume import --size=26687091200 ubuntu_lts:root /tmp/fifo
rm /tmp/fifo

Best,

[agrozdanov]

@DMV, I am not sure how to mark your last Reply as “solved by”.
Could you guide me, please ?
Thanks, and Best

[DVM]

You should see a little “check” icon under the post you want to set as the solution, close to the “like” button.

[agrozdanov]

This is what I see :

[DVM]

Strange.

@deeplow is this supposed to happen?

[deeplow]

You can now mark it as the solution. You coukdn’t befire because onoy posts in User Support can be marked as solved. Before it was in General Discussion.

[agrozdanov]

Thank you @deeplow.
I checked it, and it should be shown as “Solution” now @DVM.
Best,