How to clone existing KVM virtual machine images on Linux

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To clone an existing KVM virtual machine image on Linux, you can use the virt-clone tool. The virt-clone tool allows you to clone a virtual machine by creating a new virtual machine based on the configuration and disk image of an existing virtual machine. Here’s how to clone an existing KVM virtual machine:

  1. Install the libguestfs-tools package:
    sudo apt-get update
    sudo apt-get install libguestfs-tools
  2. List the existing virtual machines:
    sudo virsh list --all
  3. Clone the virtual machine:
    sudo virt-clone --original <source-vm-name> --name <clone-vm-name> --file <clone-vm-disk-path>

    where <source-vm-name> is the name of the existing virtual machine, <clone-vm-name> is the name of the cloned virtual machine, and <clone-vm-disk-path> is the path to the cloned virtual machine’s disk image.

  4. Start the cloned virtual machine:
    sudo virsh start <clone-vm-name>

Now, you have a new virtual machine that is an exact copy of the original virtual machine, including its disk image. You can customize the cloned virtual machine as needed.

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