Install Debian 12 Bookworm in Expert Mode via libvirt Text Console on Graphics-Less Server

Explore the process of installing Debian 12 Bookworm in expert mode on a machine without graphics, utilizing the libvirt text console.

Installation

According to Debian installer docs:

If you are booting with a serial console, generally the kernel will autodetect this. If you have a videocard (framebuffer) and a keyboard also attached to the computer which you wish to boot via serial console, you may have to pass the console=device argument to the kernel, where device is a serial device of the target, which is usually something like ttyS0.

When priority=low is used, all messages are shown (this is equivalent to the expert boot method).

Run the installation with virt-install:

sudo virt-install --name debian-virtual --extra-args="console=ttyS0 priority=low" --location debian-12.1.0-amd64-netinst.iso --accelerate --nographics --memory ... --disk ... --os-variant debiantesting --network network=default

You should pass these parameters to virt-install:

--location ... --nographics

For --location, provide the path to your installation ISO, such as a net install ISO. Note that this won’t work with a live CD ISO.

Additionally, you need to pass extra boot parameters to the installer when it boots:

--extra-args "console=ttyS0 priority=low"
  • console=ttyS0 instructs the kernel to use the text console.
  • priority=low is an option for enabling expert installation mode.

Remember to adjust the network, location, disk, and memory parameters according to your specific requirements.

Boot Installed System in Text Mode

To boot in text mode and access the machine console, you’ll need to change kernel boot parameters to the GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX in /etc/default/grub. To boot into text mode, remove the quiet and splash options and add text as follows:

GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX="text"

After making this change, update GRUB by running:

sudo update-grub

Connect To Serial Console

To determine which device is being used for the serial console, run the following command:

sudo virsh dumpxml debian-virtual | grep console

The output will resemble the following:

<console type='pty' tty='/dev/pts/1'>

In this example, your console device is /dev/pts/1. You can connect to it using tools like screen, minicom, or any other appropriate terminal application.

References: