Libvirt Utilities

netlab libvirt performs these libvirt-related functions:

package – create a Vagrant box from a VM virtual disk in qcow2 or vmdk format.
remove – remove a Vagrant box and associated libvirt volume(s)
config – display box building recipe.

% netlab libvirt

Usage:

    netlab libvirt <action> <parameters>

The 'netlab libvirt' command can execute the following actions:

package   Help you create a Vagrant box from a qcow/vmdk virtual disk
config    Print the build recipe for the specified Vagrant box
remove    Remove the specified Vagrant box or related libvirt volumes

Use 'netlab libvirt <action> --help' to get action-specific help

Building a Vagrant Box

The netlab libvirt package command:

Creates a temporary build directory under the /tmp directory
Copies the specified virtual disk into the build directory.
Starts a VM from the copied virtual disk and connects your terminal to its console
When you disconnect from the VM (follow the build recipe), stops and destroys the VM and builds a Vagrant box
Asks you for the software version you’re using and installs the Vagrant box

usage: netlab libvirt package [-h] [-v] [-q]
              {arubacx,asav,csr,dellos10,eos,iosv,iosxr,nxos,routeros7,vptx,vsrx}
              disk

Package a virtual machine into a libvirt Vagrant box

positional arguments:
  {arubacx,asav,csr,dellos10,eos,iosv,iosxr,nxos,routeros7,vptx,vsrx}
                        Network device you want to create
  disk                  Virtual machine disk (vmdk or qcow2)

options:
  -h, --help            show this help message and exit
  -v, --verbose         Verbose logging (add multiple flags for increased verbosity)
  -q, --quiet           Report only major errors

The Vagrant box name/version can be specified in three formats:

Just the version number (for example, 4.35.2F). netlab takes the default device box name, appends the specified version, and builds the box. You can start using the box immediately[1].
Device name and version (for example, ubuntu:26.04). netlab will prepend netlab/ to the specified box name to prevent clashes with other boxes you might be using. You will have to specify the default box name you want to use for your devices or change it for a specific node with the node box attribute.
Full box name (for example, test/ubuntu:26.04).

Removing a Vagrant Box

The netlab libvirt remove command:

Finds a Vagrant box to remove based on the box name or device name
Uses vagrant command to remove the box from your Vagrant box directory
Uses virsh vol-delete command to remove libvirt volume created from the Vagrant box.

netlab libvirt remove -h
usage: netlab libvirt remove [-h] [--box BOX] [--version VERSION] [--cleanup]
                             [--pool POOL]
                             [{arubacx,asav,cat8000v,csr,cumulus,cumulus_nvue,dellos10,eos,fortios,frr,iosv,iosvl2,iosxr,linux,none,nxos,routeros,routeros7,sonic,vptx,vsrx,vyos}]

Remove a libvirt Vagrant box

positional arguments:
  {arubacx,asav,cat8000v,csr,cumulus,cumulus_nvue,dellos10,eos,fortios,frr,iosv,iosvl2,iosxr,linux,none,nxos,routeros,routeros7,sonic,vptx,vsrx,vyos}
                        Remove a Vagrant box for the specified device

options:
  -h, --help            show this help message and exit
  --box BOX             Specify the Vagrant box you want to remove
  --version VERSION     Specify the version of the Vagrant box you want to remove
  --cleanup             Remove the volume(s) related to the specified Vagrant box
  --pool POOL           Specify the libvirt storage pool ('default' usually works)

Displaying Box-Building Recipe

Vagrant boxes are usually created from “unconfigured” VM disks supplied by device vendors. The netlab libvirt package command creates a VM from such a disk and expects you to stop the zero-touch provisioning (or a similar mechanism) and copy-paste the initial configuration to the virtual device.

The netlab libvirt config command displays the box-building recipe (they are also available as part of the box-building instructions)

% netlab libvirt config -h
usage: netlab libvirt config [-h]
                             {eos,dellos10,fortios,nxos,iosxr,arubacx,sonic,cat8000v,asav,vptx,vsrx,routeros7,csr,iosvl2,iosv}

Display Vagrant network device box configuration guidelines

positional arguments:
  {eos,dellos10,fortios,nxos,iosxr,arubacx,sonic,cat8000v,asav,vptx,vsrx,routeros7,csr,iosvl2,iosv}
                        Network device you want to create

options:
  -h, --help            show this help message and exit