Description of problem:
 After installing "cockpit-machines" the "virt-install" component is not also installed. This results in an error when attempting to install a system.


Version-Release number of selected component (if applicable):
 cockpit-machines-176-4.el7.x86_64


How reproducible:
 Easily


Steps to Reproduce:
1. Install "cockpit-machines"
    # yum install cockpit-machines -y

2. Attempt to install a VM in the "Virtual Machines" UI
   Login -> "Virtual Machines" -> "Create VM" -> <Fill out information> -> "Create"

Actual results:
 --: line 82: virt-install: command not found

Expected results:
 Completed successfully, or noted that the package is necessary and prompt to confirm installation.

Additional info:
 Seen, and addressed, in RHEL 8 with the following bug report:

  1557039 – cockpit-machines missing dependency on virt-install
  https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1557039

In RHEL 8 this is done via "Recommends: virt-install". We can't do that in RHEL 7 as that doesn't have Recommends:. Adding it as a Requires would force this fairly heavy dependency onto everyone's system, which we prefer to avoid. cockpit-machines is useful for managing existing VMs without virt-install, so it's not absolutely required to have virt-install  all the time.

@Martin,

That's a fair statement, but the error condition is surprising. To the average user, this would infer breakage in the utility as opposed to something that is per design and can be easily corrected. Is there any possibility that we could check if virt-install is installed in the "Create VM" menu? From there, we could either indicate that the package is necessary to proceed (with instructions how to install it), or we could prompt the user to see if they want to have cockpit install it for them. Similar to what is already done with the libvirt service status.

We could look into installing it on demand, same as for pcp, tuned, firewalld and so on.

Fixed upstream with:

commit 42958b53b7c2bbd1375ae28fc499a2c3e5abecbd (origin/master, origin/HEAD, master)
Author: Katerina Koukiou <kkoukiou>
Date:   Tue Jul 2 09:24:27 2019 +0200

    machines: Disable Create VM button if virt-install command is not available

$ git describe 42958b
197-37-g42958b53b

Test Versions:
cockpit-machines-195.4-2.el7.x86_64
libvirt-dbus-1.3.0-1.el7.x86_64


Test Steps:
1.Provision the host and install packages without virt-install
2.Login cockpit, then switch to 'Virtual Machines' page
3.install virt-install, then refresh the page


Test Results:
1.In step 2, the 'Create VM' button is gray and unclickable
2.In step 3, the 'Create VM' button is clickable


According to the results, move the status to VERIFIED.

Since the problem described in this bug report should be
resolved in a recent advisory, it has been closed with a
resolution of ERRATA.

For information on the advisory, and where to find the updated
files, follow the link below.

If the solution does not work for you, open a new bug report.

https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHBA-2020:1219