Getting Started with KVM on Z

KVM on Z in Linux Distributions

Formal Support is available in the following distributions:

• KVM Host
• RHEL 7.6 Structure A or later
• SLES 12 SP2 or later
• Ubuntu 16.04 LTS or later
• Guests
• RHEL 7.1 or later
• SLES 12 or later
• Ubuntu 16.04 LTS or later

Installing Guests

The preferred way to install guests is to use virt-install. See here for further details.

However, here is a collection of step-by-step instructions on how to quickly get a KVM guest up and running with major Linux distributions on IBM Z. For generic instructions, see here.
Each of the following tutorials will guide you through the process of enabling the respective Linux distribution for KVM, and setting up a sample KVM guest.

• SLES12 SP3
• Ubuntu 16.04
• Ubuntu 16.10 and later
• Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7.5

Note: This article on how to use vnc for guest installs might also be of interest to you.

Looking for alternatives to running the host distro in your KVM on Z guests? Then check these guides for alternative images:

• Ubuntu Cloud Images
• Alpine Linux

Note: Due to the availability of virt-install for KVM on Z, the instructions above will not receive further updates.