I love virtualization in Linux and I would like to have operating system which will work only as minimal, air-gapped as much is possible host for my guest operating systems. Qubes OS project really interested me but it’s based on Xen hypervisor so it might cause troubles with GPU Passthrough which is really important for me also I’m more interested in KVM. In my case it’s not only about security and privacy but also about fun and learning. What can you recommend? I think that good choice might be Gentoo Linux because it allows for minimal installation and remove unnecessary software like CUPS, Bluetooth entirely with flags which will be great option for host only OS. But I had experience with Gentoo and it’s not easiest way 😅 Debian might be easier option but I will have less control over my system. Maybe you have other interesting options?
Sounds like “minimal” just went out the door?
What? I’m looking for minimal setup but for desktop use (by this I mean machine which I’ll be using as my workstation), not for a server. I don’t think that Proxmox will be minimal option for this purpose when it have features which I don’t need at all because the software on it is primarily designed for remotely controlled servers. For example I don’t need WebUI function, instead I need simple desktop environment to manage my machines directly from a machine. Of course I can install desktop environment on it but why when it have completely different use case?
The short answer is any. KVM is built in to the kernel. You can run VMM (Virtual Machine Manager) for a simple, easy GUI, but you can also manually edit the VM files if that’s your thing. You can air gap them by creating a bridge that doesn’t bind to a nic.
Anything debian (which includes ubuntu based) just run
See: https://youtu.be/FNcImbM8ugg
The much longer answer is, it really depends on your needs for a daily driver, not for virtualization. Figure out what you need for a dd, then use that and install the tools.
Which isn’t a “minimal” Linux installation. Which is fine - you don’t actually need a “minimal” system. I’m not sure you even know why you want that. Just install any Linux distro and go to town. You can remove things if you like.