Change KVM boot order with multiple virtio disks in guest

Question

I just started playing with KVM, so learning quite a bit here. I have a guest running, finally got the OS setup the way I want with Virtio SCSI and Net drivers (Win2k3) and am very happy with everything. Then I shutdown the system and added a second data volume as Virtio as well. Once I did this, it bumped my original "Target device" from "VirtIO Disk 1" to "VirtIO disk 2" and now it won't boot unless I manually F12 and select the (now second) disk. Why did it make my original disk the 2nd one, when it was added first? And more importantly, how do I rearrange them? Maybe just remove them both and add them back in reverse order? Seems like there should be a config option or an edit in XML file for this.

I did try editing the vmname.xml file and found the option. I added that to each disk device in the order I prefereed, yet, it always comes up unbootable. Its like it will only try the first HDD and stops there. And it seems to ignore the boot order paremeters in XMl config.

I will go ahead and remove and re-add for now, but I am curious, shouldn't this be a configurable without removing devices?

I am running Ubuntu 14.04, its fairly up to date. I think libvirtd is 1.2.2. Any other specs that may help, just let me know. Thanks for the help! Greg

Quick Update: I tried removing both disks, closing virt-manager, and reopening. Then I added datavol first, then added OSVolume (which should be 1st disk), and it really insists on keeping that backwards order! It didn't work.

How do I get the guest to boot then if the disk order is backwards? (without manually booting to F12 option)

[EDIT: virsh dumpxml of the guest]

I see the boot order tags are removed now though, since I re-added the disks. I'd like this disk to be first: /dev/zvol/dpool/vm/kvm/disk/alinos/osvol

<domain type='kvm' id='80'>
<name>alinos</name>
    <uuid>a161efe4-245a-953b-89e3-04fa3b914f79</uuid>
  <memory unit='KiB'>3145728</memory>
  <currentMemory unit='KiB'>2097152</currentMemory>
  <vcpu placement='static'>2</vcpu>
  <resource>
    <partition>/machine</partition>
  </resource>
  <os>
    <type arch='i686' machine='pc-i440fx-trusty'>hvm</type>
    <boot dev='hd'/>
    <bootmenu enable='yes'/>
  </os>
  <features>
    <acpi/>
    <apic/>
    <pae/>
  </features>
  <cpu mode='custom' match='exact'>
    <model fallback='allow'>SandyBridge</model>
    <vendor>Intel</vendor>
    <feature policy='require' name='vme'/>
    <feature policy='require' name='dtes64'/>
    <feature policy='require' name='vmx'/>
    <feature policy='require' name='erms'/>
    <feature policy='require' name='xtpr'/>
    <feature policy='require' name='smep'/>
    <feature policy='require' name='pcid'/>
    <feature policy='require' name='est'/>
    <feature policy='require' name='monitor'/>
    <feature policy='require' name='smx'/>
    <feature policy='require' name='tm'/>
    <feature policy='require' name='acpi'/>
    <feature policy='require' name='osxsave'/>
    <feature policy='require' name='ht'/>
    <feature policy='require' name='pdcm'/>
    <feature policy='require' name='fsgsbase'/>
    <feature policy='require' name='f16c'/>
    <feature policy='require' name='ds'/>
    <feature policy='require' name='tm2'/>
    <feature policy='require' name='ss'/>
    <feature policy='require' name='pbe'/>
    <feature policy='require' name='ds_cpl'/>
    <feature policy='require' name='rdrand'/>
  </cpu>
  <clock offset='localtime'/>
  <on_poweroff>destroy</on_poweroff>
  <on_reboot>restart</on_reboot>
  <on_crash>restart</on_crash>
  <devices>
    <emulator>/usr/bin/kvm-spice</emulator>
    <disk type='file' device='cdrom'>
      <driver name='qemu' type='raw' cache='none'/>
      <target dev='hdc' bus='ide' tray='open'/>
      <readonly/>
      <alias name='ide0-1-0'/>
      <address type='drive' controller='0' bus='1' target='0' unit='0'/>
    </disk>
    <disk type='file' device='floppy'>
      <driver name='qemu' type='raw' cache='none'/>
      <target dev='fda' bus='fdc'/>
      <alias name='fdc0-0-0'/>
      <address type='drive' controller='0' bus='0' target='0' unit='0'/>
    </disk>
    <disk type='block' device='disk'>
      <driver name='qemu' type='raw' cache='none'/>
      <source dev='/dev/zvol/dpool/vm/kvm/disk/alinos/datavol'/>
      <target dev='vda' bus='virtio'/>
      <alias name='virtio-disk0'/>
      <address type='pci' domain='0x0000' bus='0x00' slot='0x07' function='0x0'/>
    </disk>
    <disk type='block' device='disk'>
      <driver name='qemu' type='raw' cache='none'/>
      <source dev='/dev/zvol/dpool/vm/kvm/disk/alinos/osvol'/>
      <target dev='vdb' bus='virtio'/>
      <alias name='virtio-disk1'/>
      <address type='pci' domain='0x0000' bus='0x00' slot='0x08' function='0x0'/>
    </disk>
    <controller type='pci' index='0' model='pci-root'>
      <alias name='pci.0'/>
    </controller>
    <controller type='ide' index='0'>
      <alias name='ide0'/>
      <address type='pci' domain='0x0000' bus='0x00' slot='0x01' function='0x1'/>
    </controller>
    <controller type='fdc' index='0'>
      <alias name='fdc0'/>
    </controller>
    <controller type='scsi' index='0'>
      <alias name='scsi0'/>
      <address type='pci' domain='0x0000' bus='0x00' slot='0x06' function='0x0'/>
    </controller>
    <controller type='usb' index='0' model='ich9-ehci1'>
      <alias name='usb0'/>
      <address type='pci' domain='0x0000' bus='0x00' slot='0x04' function='0x7'/>
    </controller>
    <controller type='usb' index='0' model='ich9-uhci1'>
      <alias name='usb0'/>
      <master startport='0'/>
      <address type='pci' domain='0x0000' bus='0x00' slot='0x04' function='0x0' multifunction='on'/>
    </controller>
    <controller type='usb' index='0' model='ich9-uhci2'>
      <alias name='usb0'/>
      <master startport='2'/>
      <address type='pci' domain='0x0000' bus='0x00' slot='0x04' function='0x1'/>
    </controller>
    <controller type='usb' index='0' model='ich9-uhci3'>
      <alias name='usb0'/>
      <master startport='4'/>
      <address type='pci' domain='0x0000' bus='0x00' slot='0x04' function='0x2'/>
    </controller>
    <interface type='bridge'>
      <mac address='52:54:00:89:65:18'/>
      <source bridge='br0'/>
      <target dev='vnet0'/>
      <model type='virtio'/>
      <alias name='net0'/>
      <address type='pci' domain='0x0000' bus='0x00' slot='0x03' function='0x0'/>
    </interface>
    <input type='mouse' bus='ps2'/>
    <input type='keyboard' bus='ps2'/>
    <graphics type='vnc' port='5901' autoport='yes' listen='127.0.0.1'>
      <listen type='address' address='127.0.0.1'/>
    </graphics>
    <video>
      <model type='vmvga' vram='9216' heads='1'/>
      <alias name='video0'/>
      <address type='pci' domain='0x0000' bus='0x00' slot='0x02' function='0x0'/>
    </video>
    <memballoon model='virtio'>
      <alias name='balloon0'/>
      <address type='pci' domain='0x0000' bus='0x00' slot='0x05' function='0x0'/>
    </memballoon>
  </devices>
  <seclabel type='none'/>
</domain>

Solution 1

Set the wanted disk as virtio-disk0, with target of /dev/vda. The order the disks appear in, in the XML is also important, so make sure the OS disk comes first

Solution 2

If you have multiple hard disks a better solution is to use

<boot order='1'/>

for the first device you want to boot and

<boot order='2'/>

for the 2nd etc You put this into each device you want to boot from. I did it as the last line of my config for the device.

My disks were different types and so I needed to use the boot order config.

It does not work with just changing disk names when they different e.g. a virtual disk and a hard drive partition.

You also have to remove the

<boot dev='hd'/>

From the os section

Comments

[David Corsalini]

Please post the domxml and which disk you want to be first

[gregthegeek]

I updated the xml and the disk dev I'd like first. Hopefully that xml dump of the guest what you meant by domxml. (correct?) Thank you for your help! :)

[David Corsalini]

well, it obvious, set the wanted disk as virtio-disk0, with target of /dev/vda. The order the disks appear in, in the XML are also important, so make sure the OS disk comes first

[gregthegeek]

Yep... easy! Just swapped the position and vda and vdb targets, changed the alias names. Then in virt-manager I disabled any boot options, and it booted perfectly! thanks! Hey, add an answer below so you get credit for this.

[David Corsalini]

you've got it :)