upc/ravada

Remote Virtual Desktops Manager

ravada

Remote Virtual Desktops Manager

Ravada is an open-source project that provides a web-based user interface for managing and accessing virtual machines (VMs) based on the QEMU/KVM virtualization technology. Ravada aims to simplify the management of virtual machines by offering a user-friendly interface accessible through a web browser.Ravada is meant for sysadmins who have some background in GNU/Linux, and want to deploy a VDI project.

Users can use Ravada to create, configure, and manage virtual machines without the need for a dedicated desktop client. It provides features such as remote console access, snapshot management, and the ability to manage multiple VMs from a central interface. Ravada's back-end has been designed and implemented in order to allow future hypervisors to be added to the framework.

The client only requirements are: a web-browser and a remote viewer supporting the spice protocol.

In the current release we use the KVM Hypervisors: KVM as the backend for the Virtual Machines.

Features

• KVM backend for Windows and Linux Virtual machines
• LDAP and SQL authentication
• Kiosk mode
• Remote Access with Spice for Windows and Linux
• Light and fast virtual machine clones for each user
• Instant clone creation
• USB redirection
• Easy and customizable end users interface
• Administration from a web browser

Install

Read INSTALL.

Install Ravada in Ubuntu Install Ravada in Debian Install Ravada on Fedora Install Ravada on Rocky Linux 9 or RHEL9 Install Ravada - Ubuntu Xenial

Production

See production for production fine-tuning guidelines.

Operation

See operation.

• Create users
• Import KVM virtual machines
• View all rvd_back options
• Admin Operations

Update

See update.

ravada's Issues

Suspend idle machines

Check if the domain has been idle for more than X minutes and suspend it,

New machine parameters

Add parameters to the new machine:

• Memory
• Disk

Too many open files from many connections to libvirt

The frontend tries to connect to libvirt for every domain and crashes the server with too many open files

Take screenshot of the domain

Call virsh screenshot feature for KVM domains.

Check for disk space

Some jobs require a lot of disk space. Add a disk space check for the storage before:

• Creation of a new domain
• Prepare a base
• Clone a domain

Create a systemd start script for rvd_back

There is already a systemd script for rvd_front. Create one like this for rvd_back.
etc/systemd/rvd_back.service

Frontend customization through configuration file

Configuration by default unless there are config parameters in /etc/ravada.conf
e.g. corporative logo, background image, footer message, ...

Clone disk names confusing

The disk filenames for the KVM clones are a little bit odd. The qcow files for the base are called "name.ro.qcow2" , and the incremental disk files for the clones are "name.ro.qcow2.qcow2". They should be called something like "basename.newname.qcow2"

replace list machines by list bases

Some requests fetch all the machines when it only needs the bases. So it tries to get missing screenshots.

Add remote USB support for KVM

When creating a KVM domain, add remote USB support.

Available machines buttons go to base instead of clone

At the main user page "Available Machines" , it is listed each base with some buttons: Start , shutdown , pause. The start button calls /machine/clone/id.html . That is correct because we want to clone the id base. But the other buttons: shutdown, pause , should call the the cloned id, not to the base id.

So we should check , if that machine has clones for that user and make those buttons call that clone. Hide the buttons if there are not clones.

Add access check to json routes

Many JSON routes from rvd_front.pl have no access check. Everybody can get that information. Make them available only to logged users. In case of sensitive information, make sure it is an admin user.

Information when mouseover base options in Machine List

More information about this option

Polish the frontend

Review the frontend, we found those things to improve so far.

• Consider changing the login background image
• Remove support form
• Message list : checkbox to mark as read or unread
• Message list : click on subject to view message

New machine button does nothing

The New Machine button from the /machines/ page does nothing when clicked.

Check clone exists by id_base and id_user not by name

When provisioning a new domain , it searches if it exists by name. The name of a domain may change, so search by id_base and id_user.

Mark temporary users as such

Add a field in the users table for temporary users and set it true when created.

Remove the volume if create domain fails

If the process of creating the domain fails, it lefts an unassigned volume in the storage. Remove it.

Remove base

Add a new feature to remove a base. Delete the base files and don't allow more clones from this machine.

Rename domains

Allow the admin users a method to rename the domain.

Change domain NIC

Allow different NIC configurations:

• NAT ( default )
• bridged
• macvtap

Check for available memory

Add a free memory check before starting a domain.

Reconnect LDAP after connection timed out

If the LDAP has no requests in a while, it may timeout and disconnect. Check in the LDAP Auth module for this, and reconnect.

Allow anonymous access

Allow anonymous users run some domains. Restrict from the network they come from.

Check if name of new machine already exists

When creating a new machine, it fails if the name of the new domain already exists. Add a check to the new_machine.html template.

Disable locked domains

When a domain is locked, all the buttons should be disabled.

Messages without content should be marked as viewed on listing

If all the content of the message is in the subject, there is no point in viewing or marking the message as read. The listing should mark it read after it is displayed.

New machine auto select type

When creating a new machine, if there is only one VM type, don't put a select or at least, show it already selected.

Add Help

New Help menu:

• About
• Requirements

Requirements something like:

Linux: virt-viewer
Windows: Spice plugin for Firefox http://bfy.tw/5Nur

Slow clone shows error

If the clone takes long, it shows a blank page with a brief message. Reloading shows the clone started. It is probably that clone was in process.

• Wait a little longer before showing the error
• Show a better error message: "working ... please reload" or something

Messages Table Format

Change the line size of the table and change the color of the collapsable messages content.

Send link of new machine

When a new domain successfully is created, in the message to the user send a link to view the machine. <a href="/machine/view/$id.html">Start</a>

Networks management

Add a networks management feature. Allow the admin add new networks and grant permission to the clients in that network to run virtual machines.

• run all virtual machines
• disable access from that network
• select specific bases to run from that network
• enable anonymous users

Improve machines list

At /machines

• Sort by name
• Show only bases and hide other machines
• Show only active machines
• Add Button "remove base"

LDAP add user fails

After fixing the search of users in LDAP with the same uid in many branches. Adding LDAP user fails.

New method $domain->clone

Allow a domain to clone itself. It will call create_domain.

Ping the backend

Check the backend if it is alive. It can be done with the API: $RAVADA->ping_backend. It returns 1 if success, 0 otherwise. Add a warning in the frontend if the backend is not available.

No screenshot when click in Machine Name

Always link to /img/screenshots/6.png

Get Domain info

Add a method to the domain to get the info:

• max_mem
• memory
• cpu_time
• n_virt_cpu
• state

Access denied function

Solve problems

Make volatile domains really volatile

Actually they are created as any domain, only the owner is created as a temporary flagged issue. Try to create the domain as transient

Add display_ip config

Add an entry at the config file to define the display ip. It will be used to define the IP for the remote display.

Screenshot button is missing

In /machines there was a "screenshot" button and now it is missing.

New domain arguments

When creating a new virtual machine, the user must be able to specify:

• Memory
• Disk size

Make buttons without post

The shutdown button may be called in some places : the main page and the machines list page. As now it always redirects to the machine list.

Make the shutdown button only do a get of a URL and don't make the client request a new page.
Some other buttons could benefit from this too:

• shutdown
• prepare base
• pause
• resume

Get SNMP info from the Domain

Create a new way to get information from the Domain via SNMP

• Add snmp_community field in domains table

Fetch:

• CPU load
• Used Memory, probably : memory - cached
• Swap
• Disk usage
• Network interfaces

Machine definitions for 64 bits fail

amd64 is not a known architecture for virsh

Only our javascript code in repo

We should have only our javascript code in repository.

Remove clones

Remove all the clones of a domain.

View Domains at fullscreen

Add a new button FullScreen that launches a domain with the maximum width and height.