The most valuable feature of KVM is the hypervisor environment and how we can configure it with ease. Additionally, the interface is intuitive.
Simple configuration, helpful support, and intuitive interface
Pros and Cons
- "I have found KVM to be scalable."
- "I have previously used VMware and KVM is easier to use. However, they both have their strengths depending on their use cases. They are mostly equal. One of VMware's advantages is it has better support."
What is most valuable?
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using KVM for approximately two years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
KVM is a stable solution.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I have found KVM to be scalable.
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How are customer service and support?
The technical support has been good, we are able to receive help for complex environments.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I have previously used VMware and KVM is easier to use. However, they both have their strengths depending on their use cases. They are mostly equal. One of VMware's advantages is it has better support.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup of KVM is simple.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
KVM is priced reasonably.
What other advice do I have?
I rate KVM an eight out of ten.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
IT Manager at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
Helps to deploy application servers and host websites
Pros and Cons
- "I appreciate the network passcode feature in KVM, as it provides a convenient way to manage DNS and cloud hosting."
- "I have encountered difficulties in getting the tool's documentation."
What is our primary use case?
We primarily use KVM to deploy application servers and host websites. We aim to explore its features further to enhance our projects and implement diverse environments within this virtualization software.
What is most valuable?
I appreciate the network passcode feature in KVM, as it provides a convenient way to manage DNS and cloud hosting.
What needs improvement?
I have encountered difficulties in getting the tool's documentation.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using the product for two years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
In my experience, I haven't encountered any issues with stability. Since I installed and started using it, the system has been working very well.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
My company has five users for the product.
How are customer service and support?
I haven't contacted technical support yet.
How was the initial setup?
KVM's initial installation was a bit challenging for me, but I believe it's more manageable for those with Linux expertise, especially given the available documentation. It took me approximately five days, working about three hours per day, to fully implement it.
What about the implementation team?
I did the deployment myself.
What other advice do I have?
I rate the overall product a seven out of ten. You need to have good knowledge of Linux and networks. I would recommend the product to my colleagues.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Last updated: Mar 11, 2024
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KVM
November 2024
Learn what your peers think about KVM. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: November 2024.
816,406 professionals have used our research since 2012.
System Engineer at NoBoring Lda
Open Source Virtualization that works with Linux
Pros and Cons
- "I like that this is an open-source solution. It is very powerful, and it's easy."
- "The virtual manager and the graphical QEMU for KVM need some improvement."
What is our primary use case?
I am using this solution in my home lab because I don't know this solution well enough to put it into production. I have many clients, and by putting KVM into production it would require several changes, which would require more experience.
In the meantime, I will continue to use VMware and ESXi.
I use both on-premises and cloud-based deployment models. I typically use this solution on the cloud because I have many dedicated servers. However, I also use it on low-powered hardware machines, like old laptops, to create a firewall, access the router, or use as an access point.
What is most valuable?
I like that this is an open-source solution. It is very powerful, and it's easy.
When you install Hypervisor with KVM, you can transform it into a server with the graphical QEME in minutes, then look at what you have and remove all graphical things and then you can restore what you had originally.
What needs improvement?
The virtual manager and the graphical QEMU for KVM need some improvement.
In the next release, I would like to see some changes made to the dashboard as it would be nice to see some icons and some graphics when you are showing this solution to clients.
MOP made some changes to the dashboard, but it made it more difficult and it's a bit complicated. Maybe this was done intentionally because this is an open-source solution with technical support as an additional fee.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this solution for more than three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
This solution is very stable.
It's straightforward and recoverable, it's easy to do anything.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
This solution is scalable. Ubuntu is the best version to scale because with the MAS you can set load balancing, and they offer a free account to manage the load balancing for up to ten servers.
Currently, I am the only user.
How are customer service and technical support?
I haven't contacted technical support.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I have been using VMware, ESXi, and Linux and will continue to use them while I get more experience with KVM.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is straightforward.
There is a lot of information available online. You can do it all by yourself, you just need the time and the will to do it.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
This solution is an open-source, free platform with paid support.
What other advice do I have?
You can virtualize anything now, but in my experience, they are good for Linux and Unix systems. I have also used Windows.
Even if you are using another platform hypervisor, as I do with VMware, you may get yourself in a situation where you want to install the KVM or at least the key tools. You can access RAM drives, or broken virtual hard drives, or migrate them to another type of hard drive.
KVM is very complete, it is very powerful, but people are used to graphical QEMU and that is an issue.
The solution performs well and has many tools. It offers everything that all other paid versions have. Everything is in your hands, all you need is the internet to access all of the information on KVM.
I would rate this solution a nine out of ten.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
IT-Leiter (IP) at IN-telegence GmbH
I like the ability to execute live migrations
What is our primary use case?
Running virtualization clusters with more than 300 VMs.
How has it helped my organization?
The platform changes from hardware to virtualized whenever possible.
What is most valuable?
- Open source
- The ability to execute live migrations
- Linux, a base OS.
What needs improvement?
Management of underlying volumes.
For how long have I used the solution?
Three to five years.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Founder at Element Flux
Stable, easy to set up, and very easy to use
Pros and Cons
- "If you prefer command-line, there are all kinds of command-line options."
- "One thing that maybe could be improved is making it easier to scale. It needs to be more clear on how to scale the storage space for virtual machines."
What is our primary use case?
I've used it a little bit for virtualization. I've been messing with it for the past month and a half, in an actual environment that goes to the outside world, anyway.
I have a cloud server running. I also have a web server. I'm using it mostly for hosting websites and basically having a cloud service, such as OneDrive or Google Drive.
How has it helped my organization?
The product overall has been useful, however, the solution is still too new to really give a concrete example as to how it's changed how the organization functions.
What is most valuable?
The solution is really easy to use. Basically, it takes just a few command-line statements to install and have it set up and running. From there, you can use the virtual manager, which is command-line. However, there's also a graphical user interface for it. It's just really easy to use. all-around
If you prefer command-line, there are all kinds of command-line options. You can pretty much run and manage all of the virtual machines straight from the command line, or you can use the practical user interface and do the same thing.
I noticed that there are even other services like Multitask. You can use Multitask on KVM.
What needs improvement?
From my skill set and what I'm capable of, I wouldn't know how to say what could be improved as it works exceptionally well. I know that things can always be improved.
One thing that maybe could be improved is making it easier to scale. It needs to be more clear on how to scale the storage space for virtual machines. That's one thing that's a little bit confusing. That's more systems administration, in general. If they would make it a little easier to do, then you wouldn't have to have so much systems admin knowledge in order to use one feature.
I tried to follow the information provided, however, then the partitions were added, the logical drive, and it didn't actually end up being initialized correctly. I'm pretty sure it's due to my own error, and not using it correctly. However, if they would have been clear on how to do it, or if they could even build a command that literally executes the necessary commands for you, just by typing, or using the virtual manager, that would have been helpful.
I've only used the solution for a short period of time, so maybe it's there, however, I'd like it if maybe they could combine some network manager type item in there to be able to bridge connections a little easier. Then, you wouldn't have to do it as a separate task. Perhaps their existing network management already includes that. I'm not sure.
For how long have I used the solution?
I haven't used the solution for very long at all. I started using it about a month and a half or so ago, since I've had this server. It's all very new to me right now.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution seems to be quite stable. I haven't had any crashing, or any bugs or glitches so far.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I'm not sure if the solution can scale well or how easy it can scale as right now I'm having trouble figuring out how to do it correctly. It seems like it is a bit of a confusing process.
Basically, I'm a freelance contractor. Therefore, it's just me using the solution at this time.
How are customer service and technical support?
I haven't used technical support yet. I haven't been on the solution for very long.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I didn't previously use a different solution. I just recently got this server.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is pretty straightforward. It's not too complex. There are just a few commands from the command line, and then you're good to go. It's very easy and very quick.
What other advice do I have?
I'm just a customer and an end-user. I don't have a business relationship with KVM at this time.
I'm using what should be the latest version of the solution right now.
I would advise other organizations that this solution is definitely a good choice. It's definitely something that's easy to use, however, you can have it on a fully functioning operating system that you're familiar with. Or, if you have a little less experience, it's something that you can get up and going really quickly. That said, it is still a type 2. That is a great thing. It functions, and it's under two pounds. It's basically like being on bare metal, which is really nice.
Overall, I'd rate the solution at a nine out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Business process Advisor for RTP at a energy/utilities company with 10,001+ employees
I had lots of issue with it.
I have used KVM with centos 7. Unfortunately, I had lots of issue with it. First of all, I wanted all the VMs to share the same network. I had to modify the centos network interface files myself. I had to do it with every single VM.
At some point it created lots of issue in the module firewalld which also act as the nat to connect the VM with the physical interface. I could read "command failed" for rules of a VM that was already deleted in KVM.
Then, I had issues with virsh the command line of KVM. Among other things, it exports and imports VM. I wanted to move a Virtual Machines from kvm on centos bare metal server to kvm on debian bare metal server and I discovered that in order to do so, I had to modify the XML configuration inside the VM file.
I have also been unable to clone VMs meaning they when i tried to run some VMs after cloning, they refused to start. I have also crashed the Centos host. At that point, I have decided to stop and move to my old friend Vmware workstation on Linux. I didn't have to modify any interface files and I could use a "bridge" mode by choosing it in the options so that all my VM were on the same network. Ok, Vmware workstation isn't a bare metal hypervisor but it is reliable.
By the way, I prefer to spend time on developing stuff than spending my time setting up KVM or learning the commands of virsh to do basic stuff with it.
On the internet, many geeks pinpoint the performance of KVM. It is true but it is futile issue as compared to issues related to a production environment.
I am sorry to say that online propaganda made believe that KVM is a mature product that should be considered for production. I think KVM may be good for a lab where the VMs aren't critical.
Now, when I see Web hosting providers who run the Vps on top of KVM, I don't see them the same way.
This made me aware of the issue related to the Type 1 hypervisor. Since a type 1 is a bare metal type hypervisor, it deals with masquerading (NAT), security, kernel, memory, data IO... Because of that, every module has to extremely stable and bug free. As I said before, I have been able to crash a centos 7 bare metal host (meaning it didn't reboot) without tweaking any packages or renaming any files. Just by doing heavy normal maintenance over Virtual machines. (Deleting, adding, cloning, changing virtual hardware, changing network data, Changing name...).
On the other hand Vmware workstation is a Type 2 hypervisor meaning that this software is going to interact with the host without really modifying it. I did the same things as with KVM without any crash.
I am a MCSE and i have started "hypervising" with Ms Hyper V which is way better than KVM. As i am writing this, I think about all the good things, people write online about KVM. It makes believe that KVM is as good as Hyper V. However, it is not close to the truth. Hyper V is more stable. Its files are more portable. The migration features are robust. More importantly, it uses hardware better than Linux based KVM.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Senior Linux System Administrator at Dana Energy
Very easy to configure, stable and open source
Pros and Cons
- "This solution is open source and easy to configure."
- "There are some issues with the graphics and some software that is very complex."
What is our primary use case?
I'm a senior Linux system administrator and we are customers of KVM.
What is most valuable?
I like that this solution is open source, it was easy for me to configure and I haven't had any problems with it.
What needs improvement?
I think the UI could be developed more in the future because there are some issues with the graphics and some software that is very complex. A GUI for controlling the VMs would be a good additional feature. It's easy for us but it's difficult for others working with CLI.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using this solution for over three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
KVM is stable, but the product from VMware E6 is not stable and I sometimes have issues with it and then the usage of RAM and CPU is costly in my experience.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
This solution is scalable.
How are customer service and technical support?
We did not initially have support but when I have used it recently it's been good.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is quite easy for me, I use CentOS.
What other advice do I have?
KVM is good and I recommend it. In the future, containers will be substituted by virtual machines and KVM need to adapt to be able to support that.
I rate this product an eight out of 10.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Project Leader at Logicalis
Easy to manage with a central interface, but the setup process can be improved
Pros and Cons
- "The KVM service is well managed with a central policy interface."
- "The initial setup of this solution is more difficult than some of the competing products and it could be improved."
What is our primary use case?
We are an integrator and this is one of the solutions that we implement for our clients. I have more than twenty years of experience working with these kinds of technologies.
We are using this solution for virtualization on IBM servers.
What is most valuable?
KVM is a very good solution for the user ecosystem.
The KVM service is well managed with a central policy interface.
What needs improvement?
The initial setup of this solution is more difficult than some of the competing products and it could be improved.
I would like to be able to see virtual networking integrated with the virtual machine.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using KVM for more than five or six years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
We have experienced some strange problems with instability using KVM. If you install a new driver, HBA, or a new PC network adapter, then you can have problems because of the process of certification for these devices. It happens because KVM is a solution that supports many different kinds of hardware, unlike VMware which is much more restrictive in terms of what it is compatible with. The problem with having such an open solution is that it can also be the cause of issues with stability.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability of KVM is not as good as that of VMware.
We have approximately twenty people who are using this solution.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We were using VMware prior to KVM. It is a very reliable and very strong solution, but it is also very expensive. We are switching to try and reducts cost both in terms of licensing and managing.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is more difficult than some other products, such as Nutanix. However, it is easier and more compact than the VMware setup.
What about the implementation team?
We implement KVM for our clients and we have a technical support team of about fifteen people.
What other advice do I have?
The most important thing for people to do when they are researching this kind of solution is to try and understand the main reason and concerns behind virtualization. They should learn the strong points and weakness of this technology, and try to have a base knowledge to understand the concept and how it can be used and managed on a daily basis.
I would rate this solution a seven out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Private Cloud
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
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