How To Install Incus on Rocky Linux 10

Modern containerization technology has revolutionized the way system administrators deploy and manage applications. Incus, a powerful container and virtual machine manager, stands out as an exceptional solution for Rocky Linux environments. This comprehensive guide walks you through the complete installation process of Incus on Rocky Linux 10, ensuring you can leverage this cutting-edge containerization platform effectively.

Whether you’re a seasoned system administrator or a developer looking to streamline your infrastructure, installing Incus on Rocky Linux 10 provides numerous advantages over traditional virtualization solutions. The combination of Rocky Linux’s enterprise-grade stability and Incus’s advanced container management capabilities creates a robust foundation for your containerized applications.

Understanding Incus and Rocky Linux 10 Compatibility

Incus Project Background and Architecture

Incus emerged as a fork from the LXD project in 2023, maintaining backward compatibility while introducing enhanced features and improved performance. The project focuses on providing a comprehensive container and virtual machine management solution that bridges the gap between traditional virtualization and modern containerization technologies.

The current stable version of Incus offers long-term support (LTS) capabilities, making it ideal for production environments. This containerization platform excels in resource efficiency, providing near-native performance while maintaining strong isolation between containers.

Rocky Linux 10 Integration Benefits

Rocky Linux 10 serves as an excellent foundation for Incus deployment due to its enterprise-grade stability and Red Hat Enterprise Linux compatibility. The operating system’s robust security features, extensive package repositories, and predictable release cycles align perfectly with Incus’s requirements.

Key compatibility advantages include:

• Kernel compatibility with advanced container features
• SELinux integration for enhanced security
• SystemD service management for reliable startup sequences
• Package management through DNF and established repositories

System Requirements and Hardware Specifications

Before proceeding with the installation, ensure your system meets the following requirements:

Minimum Requirements:

• 2 GB RAM (4 GB recommended)
• 2 CPU cores
• 20 GB available disk space
• Network connectivity for package downloads

Recommended Production Specifications:

• 8 GB RAM or more
• 4+ CPU cores
• 100 GB+ SSD storage
• Dedicated network interface for container networking

Pre-Installation System Preparation

System Updates and Security Baseline

Begin by updating your Rocky Linux 10 system to ensure all packages are current. This step prevents potential conflicts during the installation process.

sudo dnf update -y
sudo dnf upgrade -y

Reboot your system after major kernel updates to ensure all changes take effect:

sudo reboot

Configure basic firewall rules to allow necessary traffic:

sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --add-service=ssh
sudo firewall-cmd --reload

User Account and Permission Configuration

Create dedicated administrative users for Incus management. This approach enhances security by avoiding direct root access for container operations.

sudo useradd -m -s /bin/bash incusadmin
sudo usermod -aG wheel incusadmin

Configure sudo access for seamless administrative tasks:

echo "incusadmin ALL=(ALL) NOPASSWD:ALL" | sudo tee /etc/sudoers.d/incusadmin

Network Infrastructure Verification

Verify network connectivity and DNS resolution before proceeding with repository installations:

ping -c 4 google.com
nslookup google.com

Identify available network interfaces for container networking:

ip addr show
nmcli device status

Document your network configuration as this information will be essential during Incus initialization.

Storage Planning and Optimization

Storage backend selection significantly impacts Incus performance. Evaluate your available storage options:

lsblk
df -h

For optimal performance, consider dedicating separate partitions or disks for:

• Container storage pools
• Image storage
• Backup locations

Installing Required Repositories

EPEL Repository Installation

The Extra Packages for Enterprise Linux (EPEL) repository provides essential packages not included in the base Rocky Linux distribution.

sudo dnf install epel-release -y
sudo dnf update -y

Verify EPEL repository activation:

dnf repolist | grep epel

OpenZFS Repository Configuration

OpenZFS provides advanced storage features including snapshots, compression, and data integrity verification. Install the official OpenZFS repository:

sudo dnf install https://zfsonlinux.org/epel/zfs-release-2-3$(rpm --eval "%{dist}").noarch.rpm -y

Configure ZFS repository preferences:

sudo dnf config-manager --disable zfs
sudo dnf config-manager --enable zfs-kmod

CodeReady Builder Repository Activation

Enable the CodeReady Builder (CRB) repository for additional development packages:

sudo dnf config-manager --set-enabled crb

Verify repository activation:

dnf repolist | grep -i crb

Incus COPR Repository Setup

Add Neil Hanlon’s COPR repository which provides pre-built Incus packages for Rocky Linux:

sudo dnf copr enable neil/incus -y

Verify repository GPG keys and configuration:

dnf repolist | grep incus

Repository Priority Management

Configure repository priorities to prevent package conflicts:

sudo dnf install dnf-plugins-core -y
echo "priority=1" | sudo tee -a /etc/yum.repos.d/rocky.repo
echo "priority=10" | sudo tee -a /etc/yum.repos.d/epel.repo

Core Package Installation

Essential System Packages

Install fundamental packages required for Incus operation:

sudo dnf install dkms vim kernel-devel bash-completion -y

These packages provide:

• DKMS: Dynamic kernel module compilation
• Kernel-devel: Kernel headers for module building
• Bash-completion: Enhanced command-line experience

Verify kernel-devel version matches your running kernel:

uname -r
rpm -qa | grep kernel-devel

Incus Package Installation

Install the core Incus packages and tools:

sudo dnf install incus incus-tools -y

Verify successful installation:

rpm -qa | grep incus
incus version

OpenZFS Installation and Module Loading

Install ZFS packages for advanced storage capabilities:

sudo dnf install zfs -y

Load ZFS kernel modules:

sudo modprobe zfs
echo zfs | sudo tee -a /etc/modules-load.d/zfs.conf

Verify ZFS functionality:

sudo zpool status
sudo zfs version

Service Configuration and Activation

Enable and start the Incus service:

sudo systemctl enable incus
sudo systemctl start incus

Check service status and logs:

sudo systemctl status incus
sudo journalctl -u incus -f

System Reboot and Verification

Reboot the system to ensure all kernel modules and services start correctly:

sudo reboot

After reboot, verify all services are operational:

sudo systemctl status incus
lsmod | grep zfs

System Environment Configuration

File Descriptor Limits Configuration

Containers require increased file descriptor limits for optimal operation. Configure system limits in /etc/security/limits.conf:

sudo tee -a /etc/security/limits.conf << EOF
* soft nofile 1048576
* hard nofile 1048576
root soft nofile 1048576
root hard nofile 1048576
EOF

Verify limit changes take effect:

ulimit -n

Kernel Parameter Optimization

Create custom kernel parameter configuration for Incus:

sudo tee /etc/sysctl.d/90-incus-override.conf << EOF
fs.inotify.max_queued_events=1048576
fs.inotify.max_user_instances=1048576
fs.inotify.max_user_watches=1048576
vm.max_map_count=262144
kernel.dmesg_restrict=1
net.ipv4.neigh.default.gc_thresh3=8192
net.ipv6.neigh.default.gc_thresh3=8192
net.core.bpf_jit_limit=3000000000
kernel.keys.maxkeys=2000000
kernel.keys.maxbytes=25000000
fs.aio-max-nr=524288
EOF

Apply kernel parameter changes:

sudo sysctl --system

Verify parameter application:

sysctl fs.inotify.max_user_instances
sysctl vm.max_map_count

User Group Management

Add users to the incus-admin group for management access:

sudo usermod -aG incus-admin $USER
sudo usermod -aG incus-admin incusadmin

Verify group membership:

groups $USER
id incusadmin

Log out and back in to activate group changes, or use:

newgrp incus-admin

Incus Initialization and Basic Configuration

Initial Incus Setup Process

Initialize Incus with the interactive setup wizard:

sudo incus admin init

Configuration Options:

1. Clustering: Choose “no” for single-node setup
2. Storage backend: Select “zfs” for optimal performance
3. Storage pool creation: Accept default or specify custom pool
4. Network configuration: Create new bridge or use existing
5. Address binding: Configure for local or remote access
6. Certificate management: Generate new certificates

For automated setup, use minimal initialization:

sudo incus admin init --minimal

Storage Pool Configuration

Create additional storage pools for specific workloads:

incus storage create default zfs
incus storage create fast-pool zfs

Configure storage quotas:

incus storage set default volume.size 50GiB
incus storage set fast-pool volume.size 100GiB

List and verify storage pools:

incus storage list
incus storage show default

Network Bridge Configuration

Configure network bridges for container connectivity:

incus network create incusbr0
incus network set incusbr0 ipv4.address 10.0.100.1/24
incus network set incusbr0 ipv4.nat true
incus network set incusbr0 ipv6.address none

Verify network configuration:

incus network list
incus network show incusbr0

Profile Configuration and Customization

Create custom profiles for different use cases:

incus profile create production
incus profile create development

Configure resource limits for production profile:

incus profile set production limits.cpu 4
incus profile set production limits.memory 8GiB
incus profile device add production root disk path=/ pool=default
incus profile device add production eth0 nic network=incusbr0

Security and Certificate Setup

Configure TLS certificates for secure access:

incus config set core.https_address :8443
incus config set core.trust_password SecurePassword123

Generate client certificates for remote access:

incus config trust add client.crt

Post-Installation Testing and Verification

Creating Your First Container

Download and launch a test container to verify installation:

incus launch ubuntu:22.04 test-container

Monitor container creation process:

incus list
incus info test-container

Network Connectivity Testing

Test container network functionality:

incus exec test-container -- ping -c 4 google.com
incus exec test-container -- curl -I https://www.google.com

Verify container-to-host communication:

incus exec test-container -- ping -c 4 $(hostname -I | awk '{print $1}')

Storage Functionality Verification

Create and test container snapshots:

incus snapshot test-container snap1
incus info test-container

Test storage pool utilization:

incus storage info default

Performance Baseline Testing

Measure container startup performance:

time incus launch ubuntu:22.04 perf-test
incus delete perf-test --force

Monitor resource utilization:

incus monitor test-container

Web Interface Access

Access the Incus web interface through your browser:

1. Navigate to https://your-server-ip:8443
2. Accept the security certificate
3. Enter your trust password
4. Explore the web management interface

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Installation and Repository Problems

Package dependency conflicts:

sudo dnf clean all
sudo dnf makecache
sudo dnf install incus --allowerasing

Repository access issues:

sudo dnf repolist
sudo dnf config-manager --disable problematic-repo
sudo dnf config-manager --enable problematic-repo

Service and Configuration Issues

Incus service fails to start:

sudo systemctl status incus -l
sudo journalctl -u incus --no-pager

ZFS module loading problems:

sudo modprobe -r zfs
sudo modprobe zfs
sudo dmesg | grep zfs

Container Creation and Network Issues

Container fails to start:

incus info container-name --show-log
incus config show container-name

Network connectivity problems:

sudo iptables -L
sudo firewall-cmd --list-all
incus network list-leases incusbr0

Permission and Access Problems

User permission issues:

sudo usermod -aG incus-admin $USER
newgrp incus-admin
incus list

Security Considerations and Best Practices

System Security Hardening

Configure firewall rules specifically for Incus:

sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --add-port=8443/tcp
sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --add-masquerade
sudo firewall-cmd --reload

SELinux considerations:

sudo setsebool -P container_manage_cgroup on
sudo semanage fcontext -a -t container_file_t "/var/lib/incus(/.*)?"
sudo restorecon -R /var/lib/incus

Container Security Best Practices

Implement resource quotas and limits:

incus profile set default limits.cpu 2
incus profile set default limits.memory 2GiB
incus profile set default limits.processes 1000

Configure security policies:

incus config set security.privileged false
incus config set security.nesting false

Backup and Disaster Recovery

Create automated backup scripts:

#!/bin/bash
BACKUP_DIR="/backup/incus"
DATE=$(date +%Y%m%d_%H%M%S)

incus export container-name $BACKUP_DIR/container-name_$DATE.tar.gz
incus config show > $BACKUP_DIR/config_$DATE.yaml

Regular system maintenance:

incus image list
incus image delete unused-image-fingerprint
incus storage list

Next Steps and Advanced Configuration

Advanced Storage Features

Explore ZFS advanced capabilities:

incus storage create encrypted zfs encryption=on
incus storage set pool volume.zfs.compression on

Clustering and High Availability

Prepare for multi-node clusters:

incus admin init --cluster
incus cluster list

Integration and Automation

Integrate with automation tools:

# Ansible playbook integration
# Terraform provider usage
# CI/CD pipeline integration

Community Resources

• Official Documentation: Comprehensive guides and references
• Community Forums: Active support communities
• GitHub Repository: Source code and issue tracking
• IRC Channels: Real-time community support

Congratulations! You have successfully installed Incus. Thanks for using this tutorial for installing Incus container and virtual machine manager on Rocky Linux 10 system. For additional help or useful information, we recommend you check the official Incus website.