|
| 1 | +--- |
| 2 | +meta: |
| 3 | + title: Understanding the QEMU Guest Agent in Scaleway Instances |
| 4 | + description: Discover how the QEMU Guest Agent works with Scaleway Instances. |
| 5 | +content: |
| 6 | + h1: Understanding the QEMU Guest Agent in Scaleway Instances |
| 7 | + paragraph: Discover how the QEMU Guest Agent works with Scaleway Instances. |
| 8 | +tags: instance qga guemu guest agent |
| 9 | +dates: |
| 10 | + validation: 2024-10-28 |
| 11 | +categories: |
| 12 | + - compute |
| 13 | +--- |
| 14 | + |
| 15 | +Some features of the Instances product require Scaleway's infrastructure to query or exchange information with your Instance. To enable this communication, a software component must run on the guest operating system: the QEMU Guest Agent (QGA). |
| 16 | + |
| 17 | +This page provides essential insights into this mechanism. |
| 18 | + |
| 19 | +<Message type="note"> |
| 20 | + This documentation page does not apply to Instances running the Microsoft Windows operating system. |
| 21 | +</Message> |
| 22 | + |
| 23 | +## What are the features provided by QGA? |
| 24 | + |
| 25 | +Running the QEMU Guest Agent (QGA) on your Instance currently enables the following feature: |
| 26 | + |
| 27 | +- **Automatic network reconfiguration** upon flexible IP attachment or detachment [Learn how to enable/disable this feature](/compute/instances/reference-content/understanding-automatic-network-hot-reconfiguration/). |
| 28 | + |
| 29 | +Additional features may be added in the future. |
| 30 | + |
| 31 | +## Checking QGA's status |
| 32 | + |
| 33 | +Since March 1st, 2024, all Scaleway-provided GNU/Linux and InstantApp images for Instances come with QGA pre-installed and enabled by default. |
| 34 | + |
| 35 | +To verify that QGA is running on your Instance, use the following command: |
| 36 | + |
| 37 | +```bash |
| 38 | +# systemctl is-active qemu-guest-agent.service |
| 39 | +``` |
| 40 | + |
| 41 | +If the output is `active`, QGA is running, and you are ready to benefit from the associated features. If the output is `inactive`, you may need to install and/or activate QGA. |
| 42 | + |
| 43 | +## Opting in |
| 44 | + |
| 45 | +Follow these steps to enable QGA on an Instance where it is currently inactive. |
| 46 | + |
| 47 | +### Installation |
| 48 | + |
| 49 | +Instances created from images older than March 1st, 2024 may require manual installation of the `qemu-guest-agent` package: |
| 50 | + |
| 51 | +- **Fedora / AlmaLinux / RockyLinux / CentOS** |
| 52 | + |
| 53 | + ```bash |
| 54 | + # yum -y --best install qemu-guest-agent |
| 55 | + ``` |
| 56 | + |
| 57 | +- **Debian / Ubuntu** |
| 58 | + |
| 59 | + ```bash |
| 60 | + # apt-get update |
| 61 | + # apt-get -y install qemu-guest-agent |
| 62 | + ``` |
| 63 | + |
| 64 | +### Activation |
| 65 | + |
| 66 | +After installing the package, start the `qemu-guest-agent.service` by either: |
| 67 | + |
| 68 | +- Rebooting your Instance, or |
| 69 | +- Running the following command: |
| 70 | + |
| 71 | + ```bash |
| 72 | + # systemctl start qemu-guest-agent.service |
| 73 | + ``` |
| 74 | + |
| 75 | +## Opting Out |
| 76 | + |
| 77 | +Follow these steps to disable QGA and the associated Scaleway features. |
| 78 | + |
| 79 | +### Deactivation |
| 80 | + |
| 81 | +<Message type="important"> |
| 82 | + Disabling QGA is not recommended, as doing so also disables all the [Scaleway features](#what-are-the-features-provided-by-qga) it provides. |
| 83 | +</Message> |
| 84 | + |
| 85 | +To stop and disable QGA, run: |
| 86 | + |
| 87 | +```bash |
| 88 | +# systemctl stop qemu-guest-agent.service |
| 89 | +# systemctl mask qemu-guest-agent.service |
| 90 | +``` |
| 91 | + |
| 92 | +This stops the service and prevents it from starting on subsequent reboots. |
| 93 | + |
| 94 | +### Deinstallation (Optional) |
| 95 | + |
| 96 | +<Message type="note"> |
| 97 | + You do not necessarily need to deinstall QGA to opt out. [Deactivating the service](#deactivation) is sufficient. |
| 98 | +</Message> |
| 99 | + |
| 100 | +If you prefer to completely remove QGA, ensure the service is stopped first, then run: |
| 101 | + |
| 102 | +- **Fedora / AlmaLinux / RockyLinux / CentOS** |
| 103 | + |
| 104 | + ```bash |
| 105 | + # yum -y remove qemu-guest-agent |
| 106 | + ``` |
| 107 | + |
| 108 | +- **Debian / Ubuntu** |
| 109 | + |
| 110 | + ```bash |
| 111 | + # apt-get -y purge qemu-guest-agent |
| 112 | + ``` |
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