I set up an AlmaLinux 9 VM on my Arch Linux server using libvirt and virt-install. My requirements:

• VM gets its own IP from my router (bridged to LAN)

• VM autostarts with the host

• Installation is headless

• I’m not using NetworkManager—I use systemd-networkd

Step 1: Install Required Packages

sudo pacman -S libvirt qemu virt-manager dnsmasq bridge-utils edk2-ovmf

Enable and start libvirt:

sudo systemctl enable --now libvirtd

Step 2: Create a Bridge with systemd-networkd

Create the following files:

/etc/systemd/network/br0.netdev

[NetDev]
Name=br0
Kind=bridge

/etc/systemd/network/br0.network

[Match]
Name=br0

[Network]
DHCP=yes

/etc/systemd/network/ethernet.network

[Match]
Name=enp3s0  # Replace with your actual interface

[Network]
Bridge=br0

Enable and restart systemd-networkd:

sudo systemctl enable --now systemd-networkd

You should now see br0 come up with an IP address from your LAN’s DHCP server.

Step 3: Create a Libvirt Network for the Bridge

Save this as lanbridge.xml:

<network>
  <name>lanbridge</name>
  <forward mode="bridge"/>
  <bridge name="br0"/>
</network>

Apply it:

sudo virsh net-define lanbridge.xml
sudo virsh net-autostart lanbridge
sudo virsh net-start lanbridge

Step 4: Mount the AlmaLinux ISO

sudo mount -o loop AlmaLinux-9.5-x86_64-dvd.iso /mnt

Step 5: Install the VM (Text-Only, Headless)

virt-install \
  --connect qemu:///system \
  --name wazuh-server \
  --ram 4096 \
  --vcpus 4 \
  --os-variant almalinux9 \
  --location /mnt \
  --disk path=/var/lib/libvirt/images/almalinux9.qcow2,size=20 \
  --network network=lanbridge \
  --graphics none \
  --console pty,target_type=serial \
  --extra-args='console=ttyS0,115200 inst.text' \
  --autostart

Notes

Exit console: Ctrl+]

Reconnect to VM:

sudo virsh --connect qemu:///system console wazuh-server

VM autostarts with the host and gets a DHCP lease like a normal device.