Guide to run virt-manager on a Windows box bare metal, instead of using X11 forwarding to a remote window of virt-manager.

CYGWIN + Virt-Manager

Download: https://www.cygwin.com/setup-x86_64.exe

Install Cygwin64.

The bare minimum packages required:

Click View: Full

Use the search box and look for these packages by name.

X11 => xinit: X.Org X server launcher
X11 => xlaunch: GUI tool for configuring and starting the XWin X server
X11 => xorg-server: X.Org X servers
Net => openssh: The OpenSSH server and client programs
Gnome => gnome-openssh-askpass: Gnome GTK+ passphrase grabber ssh-add
Debug => gnome-ssh-askpass-debuginfo: Debug info for gnome-ssh-askpass
Debug => python-gi-debuginfo: Debug info for python-gi
Python => python-gi-devel: Python GObject Introspection bindings
Python => python27-cairo: Python bindings to libcairo
Python => python-cairo-devel: Python bindings to libcairo
Python => python37-cairo: Python bindings to libcairo
System => virt-manager: Virtualization manager

Right click “Cygwin64 Terminal” run as administrator.

or

If you want Cygwin64 to always run as administrator right click the “Cygwin64 Terminal”.

Click Properties.

Click Compatibility Tab.

Priviledge Level (Check) Run this program as an administrator

Note: If it is disabled click “Change settings for all users” first.

Then run “Cygwin64 Terminal”.

Create A Batch File & Start virt-manager From GUI Icon With askpass

lxqt-openssh-askpass (password popup) instead of the terminal password entry below.

Make sure you followed the steps above to add the system link to fix askpass for virt-manager.

Create a batch file to start X11.

Note: You will see a tray icon next to the windows clock when it loads.

x11start.bat

C:\cygwin64\bin\run.exe /usr/bin/bash.exe -l -c /usr/bin/startxwin

If the only reason you have Cygwin64 installed is to run virt-manager you can make it auto start when it runs X11.

Make a file C:\cygwin64\home<USERNAME>.startxwinrc

.startxwinrc

virt-manager

When X11 Loads it will also run virt-manager.

Otherwise run “Virtual Machine Manager” from the “x applications menu on :0” (Taskbar beside the clock CYGWIN logo)

Click System Tools => Virtual Machine Manager

Wait for virt-manager to load…

Add a Hypervisor connection: File => Add Connection...

Click Connect To Remote Host Checkmark.

Type in the IP address to the Hypervisor in the Hostname box.

Click Connect.

Then you should just have to click on your connection and type yes in askpass to add the ssh key and then type the password for the hypervisor into askpass.

Start virt-manager From GUI Icon With No askpass

Run lxterminal from the “x applications menu on :0” (Taskbar beside the clock CYGWIN logo)

Type virt-manager --no-fork

Note: no-fork makes so you don’t require the use of openssh-askpass

Wait for virt-manager to load…

Add a Hypervisor connection: File => Add Connection...

Click Connect To Remote Host Checkmark.

Type in the IP address to the Hypervisor in the Hostname box.

Click Connect.

Look in the LXTerminal window, it should be waiting for you to type your hypervisor password.

You should now see your VM’s load.

Start X11 & lxterminal From a batch file To Run virt-manager

Create a batch file to start X11.

Note: You will see a tray icon next to the windows clock when it loads.

x11start.bat

C:\cygwin64\bin\run.exe /usr/bin/bash.exe -l -c /usr/bin/startxwin

Make a file C:\cygwin64\home<USERNAME>.startxwinrc

.startxwinrc

lxterminal

When X11 Loads it will also run lxterminal which you then can just type:

virt-manager --no-fork

Note: After you click your virtual machine pay attention to the terminal window as you will have to type your hypervisor password there.

or just virt-manager if you setup askpass properly above.

Manual Run From Cygwin64 Terminal

If you don’t want to configure stuff above just run it all manually.

Load X11 in the background, export x11’s display to our current CLI, run virt-manager in that display.

startxwin >/dev/null 2>&1 &
export DISPLAY=:0.0
virt-manager --no-fork

Example

windowsuser@windowsbox ~
$ startxwin >/dev/null 2>&1 &
[1] 7840

windowsuser@windowsbox ~
$ export DISPLAY=:0.0

windowsuser@windowsbox ~
$ virt-manager --no-fork
root@10.0.1.10's password:

Note: The password prompt will show up after you make a connection in the virt-manager window.

or just virt-manager if you setup askpass properly above, which will fire off a GUI password box instead of using the terminal.

Troubleshooting

Trouble

Unable to connect to libvirt qemu+ssh://root@X.X.X.X/system. End of file while reading data: sh: nc: command not found: Input/output error

Shoot

Install BSD Version of NetCat on your Hypervisor.

pacman -S openbsd-netcat

Trouble

Unable to connect to libvirt qemu+ssh://root@X.X.X.X/system. The remote host requires a version of netcat/nc which supports the -U option.

Shoot

Install BSD Version of NetCat on your Hypervisor.

pacman -R gnu-netcat
pacman -S openbsd-netcat

Trouble

Askpass dialog not popping up.

Shoot

You may have installed lxqt-openssh-askpass instead of gnome-openssh-askpass either reinstall gnome-openssh-askpass or make a systemlink for lxqt-openssh-askpass to work.

Only if you install lxqt-openssh-askpass. Not if you install gnome-openssh-askpass

Create a system link to fix the broken link for askpass in virt-manager, virt-manager points to /usr/sbin/ssh-askpass, cygwin installs it to /bin/lxqt-openssh-askpass.

ln -s /bin/lxqt-openssh-askpass /usr/sbin/ssh-askpass