Linux KVM – Error: ioctl(KVM_CREATE_VM) failed: 16 Device or resource busy

When you try to install virtual machine with virt-install or the Virtual Machine Manager you get the following Error:

root@syss:~# 
virt-install --connect qemu:///system
--name syss-test
--ram 1024
--disk syss-test.img,size=8
--network=network:default
--vnc
--noautoconsole
--os-type linux
--accelerate
--cdrom /home/syss/Downloads/debian-7.6.0-amd64-netinst.iso

Starting install...
ERROR internal error: Process exited while reading console log output: char device redirected to /dev/pts/45 (label charserial0)
ioctl(KVM_CREATE_VM) failed: 16 Device or resource busy
failed to initialize KVM: Device or resource busy

This is mostly because you have either VirtualBox or VMware running on the same machine. The reason (at least that’s what I think) is that the kernel module of VirtualBox or VMware and KVM can’t take Advantage of Intel VT-x or AMD-V at the same time.

So if you want to run both at the same time you have to deactivate the virtualisation in one of them.

This is a way where you can at least have the machines emulated with QEMU

root@syss:~# 
virt-install --connect qemu:///system
--name syss-test
--ram 1024
--disk syss-test.img,size=8
--network=network:default
--vnc
--noautoconsole
--os-type linux
--accelerate
--cdrom /home/syss/Downloads/debian-7.6.0-amd64-netinst.iso
--virt-type=qemu

Just add –virt-type=qemu at the end. This is not as fast as Intel VT-x or AMD-V but it works in parallell.