How to clone existing KVM virtual machine images on Linux

2 Feb 2023Best/Tutorial

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:

Install the libguestfs-tools package:

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install libguestfs-tools

List the existing virtual machines:
```
sudo virsh list --all
```
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.
Start the cloned virtual machine:
```
sudo virsh start <clone-vm-name>
```

rnNow, 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.