Install Virtualizor on AlmaLinux with KVM | Comprehensive Guide

Virtualizor is a powerful and user-friendly Linux-based control panel designed for creating and managing Virtual Private Servers (VPSs) across a large infrastructure of servers. This comprehensive guide will walk you through the process of how to Install Virtualizor on AlmaLinux server with the Kernel-based Virtual Machine (KVM) hypervisor, and then configure it for optimal performance.

Learn To Install Virtualizor on the AlmaLinux Server with the KVM kernel

Before diving into the installation process, it’s essential to prepare your AlmaLinux server. Ensure that your server meets the minimum system requirements for Virtualizor and KVM. If you are new to AlmaLinux, refer to these helpful resources: Introducing AlmaLinux As a Replacement for CentOS and Initial Server Setup with AlmaLinux.

Step 1 – Update the AlmaLinux Server

The first step is to update your AlmaLinux server. This ensures you have the latest security patches and software packages, which are crucial for a stable and secure environment. Execute the following commands in your terminal:

# dnf clean all -y
# dnf update -y

These commands will clear the DNF cache and update all installed packages to their latest versions.

Step 2 – Install Virtualizor main panel

To proceed with the Virtualizor installation on your AlmaLinux server, execute the following commands. It’s important to note that if you’re managing multiple servers, you’ll designate one as the master server, while the others will be configured as slaves.

In this guide, we’ll assume you have a single server and intend to install Virtualizor directly on it.

# wget -N http://files.virtualizor.com/install.sh
# chmod 0755 install.sh
# ./install.sh email=youremail@domain.com kernel=kvm

Replace "youremail@domain.com" with your actual email address. This email will be used for Virtualizor notifications and license registration. The kernel=kvm parameter specifies that you want to use KVM as the virtualization technology.

Step 3 – Adding Virtualizor ports to Firewalld

Like any control panel, Virtualizor relies on specific ports for its functionality. These ports need to be open in your server’s firewall to allow access to the panel.

Virtualizor uses ports from 4081 to 4085. Add these ports to your firewall using the following command:

firewall-cmd --zone=public --permanent --add-port=4081-4085/tcp

This command adds the specified port range to the public zone of Firewalld, allowing TCP traffic on those ports. The --permanent flag ensures that these changes persist after a reboot.

Step 4 – Restart Firewalld to Apply Changes

After adding the necessary ports, you need to restart Firewalld to apply the changes. This will activate the new firewall rules and allow external access to the Virtualizor panel.

systemctl restart firewalld

This command restarts the Firewalld service, loading the updated configuration.

Step 5 – How to Access the Virtualizor Panel?

With the ports properly configured in your server’s firewall, you can now access the Virtualizor web panel through port 4085 on your AlmaLinux server.

Simply enter your server’s IP address followed by port 4085 in your web browser:

**<mark>yourserverIP:4085</mark>**

For example:

***192.168.1.10:4085***

Use your server’s root login credentials (username and password) to log in and access the panel.

[Image of Virtualizor login page would be inserted here, replicating the original article]

Once logged in, you’ll be presented with the Virtualizor panel’s main interface.

[Image of Virtualizor panel view would be inserted here, replicating the original article]

Conclusion

This article provided a detailed, step-by-step guide on how to Install Virtualizor on AlmaLinux with KVM. We covered the essential pre-installation steps, the installation process itself, firewall configuration, and how to access the Virtualizor web panel.

In future articles, we will explore post-installation configuration, a detailed overview of the Virtualizor panel, and advanced features.

We hope you found this tutorial helpful. If you have any questions or need further assistance, please feel free to leave a comment below.

Alternative Solutions for Installing Virtualizor

While the provided method is a standard approach, here are two alternative solutions for installing Virtualizor on AlmaLinux:

1. Using a Configuration Management Tool (Ansible)

Instead of manually executing commands, you can automate the entire installation process using a configuration management tool like Ansible. Ansible allows you to define the desired state of your server in a playbook, and it will automatically configure the server to match that state.

Explanation: Ansible uses SSH to connect to your server and execute tasks. This approach ensures consistency and repeatability, especially when managing multiple servers. It also allows you to easily revert changes if needed.

Code Example (Ansible Playbook):

Create an install_virtualizor.yml file:

---
- hosts: your_server_group
  become: true
  tasks:
    - name: Update the server
      dnf:
        name: '*'
        state: latest

    - name: Install wget
      dnf:
        name: wget
        state: present

    - name: Download Virtualizor installer
      get_url:
        url: http://files.virtualizor.com/install.sh
        dest: /root/install.sh
        mode: '0755'

    - name: Install Virtualizor
      command: /root/install.sh email=youremail@domain.com kernel=kvm
      args:
        chdir: /root/

    - name: Add Virtualizor ports to Firewalld
      firewalld:
        port: "{{ item }}"
        permanent: true
        state: enabled
        immediate: true
      loop:
        - 4081/tcp
        - 4082/tcp
        - 4083/tcp
        - 4084/tcp
        - 4085/tcp

Replace your_server_group with the name of your server group in your Ansible inventory, and youremail@domain.com with your email. Run the playbook using:

ansible-playbook install_virtualizor.yml

2. Using Docker Containerization

Although less common for the main panel, you could potentially explore running certain components of Virtualizor (like a specific service or a test environment) within a Docker container.

Explanation: Docker provides a lightweight and isolated environment for running applications. While Virtualizor is designed to manage full system virtualization, Docker could be used for testing or isolating specific services related to Virtualizor. However, direct full-fledged installation inside docker is generally not recommended or officially supported.
Code Example (Docker Compose – for testing a related service, NOT the main panel):

Create a docker-compose.yml file (this is a conceptual example and requires modification to fit specific Virtualizor services, and may not be a fully functioning example):
```
version: "3.9"
services:
  virtualizor-service:
    image: your_custom_virtualizor_service_image:latest #Replace with a suitable image or build instructions
    ports:
      - "8080:8080"
    environment:
      - SOME_VIRTUALIZOR_CONFIG=some_value
```
Build and run the container:
```
docker-compose up -d
```
Important Note: The Docker example is a conceptual demonstration. Virtualizor’s primary function is system-level virtualization. Running the core Virtualizor panel within Docker is not a typical or officially supported configuration. This example demonstrates how related microservices could theoretically be containerized for development or testing purposes.

These alternative solutions offer different approaches to installing and managing Virtualizor. Ansible provides automation and consistency, while Docker (in a limited scope) offers isolation and portability. Choose the method that best suits your needs and infrastructure.