How to use other hypervisors in CollabVM 1.2: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 07:01, 5 May 2024

In CollabVM version 1.2.x and below, it is possible to run other hypervisors or even connect to a physical machine that is not running QEMU. This comes with a several limitations.

Vote for Resets and File Uploads are not possible in this mode.
The collab-vm-server becomes a lot more unstable and can crash more frequently.
If the VNC connection dies, it will need to be restarted manually.

This article documents an unsupported version of the CollabVM Server software.
If you are planning to set up the CollabVM Server, please do NOT use this version!
Current stable: 1.x (TS)

Using other hypervisors in CollabVM 1.2.x is highly discouraged. You will face stability issues, and no support will be given.

If you ever find yourself following the instructions in this article, stop and take a moment to think about what you're doing.

How to do it:

Create a text document somewhere with the name "run.sh" (if using Windows, run.bat), or whatever you prefer.
In the text document, add the following command:

Linux/BSD: qemu-system-i386 -m 4 -no-shutdown -qmp unix:/tmp/collab-vm-qmp-customvm,server -nographic

Windows: "C:\Program Files\qemu\qemu-system-i386.exe" -m 4 -no-shutdown -qmp tcp::5800,server,nodelay -nographic

- Replace "customvm" with whatever you set the "URL Name". For example, if you set the URL name to "vm1", then you would change the qmp command to "collab-vm-qmp-vm1,server".
Make sure it is allowed to execute by running chmod +x run.sh.
Start collab-vm-server.
Make a VM like normal, but change the "VNC Address" to your desired VNC server. You can even hook it up to another IP outside of the localhost. This does not work if the VNC has a password so make sure it does not have a password.
In the startup command, insert the location of your .sh file, e.g. if it is in your home, you could do ~/run.sh.
Save the VM. Make sure Vote Resets and File Uploads are disabled.
Start the VM.

If everything went well, you should have successfully connected. Most things will work in this - turns, homepage screenshots etc will work. Again, this is an unsupported method and we are not responsible for any instability it might cause.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{UnsupportedCVM}}
-{{obsolete|Object = CollabVM and its server}}
+{{Warn|Using other hypervisors in CollabVM 1.2.x is ''highly'' discouraged. You will face stability issues, and no support will be given.}}
-'''THIS METHOD IS UNSUPPORTED AND NO HELP WILL BE GIVEN IF YOU HAVE ANY PROBLEMS. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!'''
+{{Warn|If you ever find yourself following the instructions in this article, stop and take a moment to think about what you're doing.}}
 In CollabVM version 1.2.x and below, it is possible to run other hypervisors or even connect to a physical machine that is not running QEMU. This comes with a several limitations.
@@ Line 11: / Line 12: @@
 *Create a text document somewhere with the name "run.sh" (if using Windows, run.bat), or whatever you prefer.
 *In the text document, add the following command:
-'''Linux/BSD''': <code>qemu-system-i386 -m 4 -no-shutdown -qmp unix:/tmp/collab-vm-qmp-customvm,server -vnc 127.0.0.1:5</code>
+'''Linux/BSD''': <code>qemu-system-i386 -m 4 -no-shutdown -qmp unix:/tmp/collab-vm-qmp-customvm,server -nographic</code>
-'''Windows''': <code>"C:\Program Files\qemu\qemu-system-i386.exe" -m 4 -no-shutdown -qmp tcp::5800,server,nodelay -vnc 127.0.0.1:5</code>
+'''Windows''': <code>"C:\Program Files\qemu\qemu-system-i386.exe" -m 4 -no-shutdown -qmp tcp::5800,server,nodelay -nographic</code>
 **Replace "customvm" with whatever you set the "URL Name". For example, if you set the URL name to "vm1", then you would change the qmp command to "collab-vm-qmp-vm1,server".
 *Make sure it is allowed to execute by running chmod +x run.sh.
@@ Line 22: / Line 23: @@
 *Start the VM.
-If everything went well, you should have successfully connected. Most things will work in this - turns, homepage screenshots etc will work. Again, this is an unsupported method and we are not responsible for any instability it might cause. In CollabVM Server 2.0, you have raw access to the Guacamole parameters, so you can connect to any VNC server using it, and also passworded VNCs.
+If everything went well, you should have successfully connected. Most things will work in this - turns, homepage screenshots etc will work. Again, this is an unsupported method and we are not responsible for any instability it might cause.
 [[Category:Tutorials]]