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Windows VM

Keystone workstations can run Windows virtual machines through the keystone.os.hypervisor module.

This uses libvirt and QEMU/KVM with:

  • OVMF for UEFI firmware,
  • swtpm for TPM 2.0 emulation,
  • SPICE for display access, and
  • virt-manager on desktop hosts.

Enable the hypervisor

keystone.os.hypervisor = {
  enable = true;
  defaultUri = "qemu:///session";
  connections = [ ];
};

On Keystone Desktop systems, this also enables virt-manager and the related desktop integration.

Why this works well for Windows

The hypervisor module already sets up the pieces that Windows guests usually need:

  • UEFI boot via OVMF
  • TPM emulation via swtpm
  • managed libvirt connections
  • session or remote libvirt URIs for desktop users

That makes it a reasonable base for Windows 11 guests, test VMs, and desktop application compatibility workflows.

Typical workflow

  1. Enable keystone.os.hypervisor
  2. Rebuild the workstation
  3. Open virt-manager
  4. Create a Windows guest with UEFI firmware and TPM enabled
  5. Install Windows normally

Notes

  • Keystone documents the hypervisor stack in terms of the shared libvirt workflow, so Windows VMs fit into the same host setup used for NixOS testing and general virtualization
  • Desktop users are automatically integrated with libvirt through the hypervisor module

Related docs