In version python-virtinst-0.400.3-1.el5

./virt-install --connect test:///default --name foo --ram 64 --nographics --nodisks --location http://download.fedora.devel.redhat.com/pub/fedora/linux/releases/test/11-Preview/Fedora/x86_64/os/


Starting install...
Retrieving file .treeinfo...                             | 1.2 kB     00:00     
Retrieving file vmlinuz...                               | 3.0 MB     00:01     
Retrieving file initrd.img...                            |  19 MB     00:06     
OS variant 'fedora11-preview; does not exist in our dictionary for OS type 'linux'
Domain installation may not have been
 successful.  If it was, you can restart your domain
 by running 'virsh start foo'; otherwise, please
 restart your installation.
ERROR    OS variant 'fedora11-preview; does not exist in our dictionary for OS type 'linux'
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "./virt-install", line 865, in <module>
    main()
  File "./virt-install", line 763, in main
    start_time, guest.start_install)
  File "./virt-install", line 818, in do_install
    dom = install_func(conscb, progresscb, wait=(not wait))
  File "/mnt/storage.bos/boston/crobinso/sandbox/rhel/python-virtinst/python-virtinst/RHEL-5/virtinst-0.400.3/virtinst/Guest.py", line 539, in start_install
    self._prepare_install(meter)
  File "/mnt/storage.bos/boston/crobinso/sandbox/rhel/python-virtinst/python-virtinst/RHEL-5/virtinst-0.400.3/virtinst/Guest.py", line 594, in _prepare_install
    meter = meter)
  File "/mnt/storage.bos/boston/crobinso/sandbox/rhel/python-virtinst/python-virtinst/RHEL-5/virtinst-0.400.3/virtinst/DistroInstaller.py", line 233, in prepare
    self._prepare_kernel_and_initrd(guest, distro, meter)
  File "/mnt/storage.bos/boston/crobinso/sandbox/rhel/python-virtinst/python-virtinst/RHEL-5/virtinst-0.400.3/virtinst/DistroInstaller.py", line 192, in _prepare_kernel_and_initrd
    guest.os_variant = os_variant
  File "/mnt/storage.bos/boston/crobinso/sandbox/rhel/python-virtinst/python-virtinst/RHEL-5/virtinst-0.400.3/virtinst/Guest.py", line 240, in set_os_variant
    {'var' : val, 'ty' : self._os_type}
ValueError: OS variant 'fedora11-preview; does not exist in our dictionary for OS type 'linux'


This issue is fixed via the following upstream commits:

http://hg.et.redhat.com/cgi-bin/hg-virt.cgi/applications/virtinst--devel/rev/9768e52d4d62
http://hg.et.redhat.com/cgi-bin/hg-virt.cgi/applications/virtinst--devel/rev/db997572bdc8

The second patch is the most important: this protects against possible bogus autodetection in the future from preventing an install. This could be valid for e.g. RHEL5 beta installs (won't know offhand until I see the .treeinfo file).

Fix is isolated, and has passed the upstream URL fetching regression test suite, so I have high confidence it doesn't impact other code.