{"id":4699,"date":"2019-05-22T22:19:26","date_gmt":"2019-05-22T16:49:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pheonixsolutions.com\/blog\/?p=4699"},"modified":"2026-10-23T17:13:05","modified_gmt":"2026-10-23T11:43:05","slug":"openvz-installation-centos-6","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pheonixsolutions.com\/blog\/openvz-installation-centos-6\/","title":{"rendered":"OpenVZ Installation on CentOS 6: Step-by-Step Setup Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Post Date: May 22, 2019<br>Last Updated: October 23, 2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Introduction<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>OpenVZ installation on CentOS 6<\/strong> allows administrators to configure a legacy Linux virtualization environment for running multiple isolated containers on a single physical server. OpenVZ uses the host system&#8217;s kernel to provide container-based virtualization and efficient resource utilization.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In this guide, we cover the OpenVZ setup process, including repository configuration, kernel installation, system parameters, management tools, and OS template preparation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Note:<\/strong> CentOS 6 and the legacy OpenVZ platform are obsolete and unsupported. This guide is intended for historical reference or isolated legacy environments. Use a supported virtualization platform for new production deployments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Prerequisites<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>CentOS 6 or a compatible legacy Linux system.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Root or administrator access.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Active internet connection.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Sufficient CPU, RAM, and disk space.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A dedicated <code>\/vz<\/code> partition is recommended for container storage.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Back up important data before installation.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Implementation &#8211; OpenVZ Installation on CentOS 6<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For instance,  to use a separate partition for containers by default  \/<strong>vz<\/strong>  directory path.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com\/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRqFj2AN40kGwbImTLrR5RwG7eqgX-BZifBh5FeTmkNCGILBDkZ\" alt=\"Related image\" style=\"width:190px;height:189px\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Step-by-Step OpenVZ Setup Procedure<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In addition, download openvz.repo file and put it to your<strong> \/etc\/yum.repos.d\/ <\/strong>repository <\/p>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"EnlighterJSRAW\" data-enlighter-language=\"generic\" data-enlighter-theme=\"\" data-enlighter-highlight=\"\" data-enlighter-linenumbers=\"\" data-enlighter-lineoffset=\"\" data-enlighter-title=\"\" data-enlighter-group=\"\">wget -P \/etc\/yum.repos.d\/ https:\/\/download.openvz.org\/openvz.repo<\/pre>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Therefore, import OpenVZ GPG key used for signing RPM packages, as shown below<\/p>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"EnlighterJSRAW\" data-enlighter-language=\"generic\" data-enlighter-theme=\"\" data-enlighter-highlight=\"\" data-enlighter-linenumbers=\"\" data-enlighter-lineoffset=\"\" data-enlighter-title=\"\" data-enlighter-group=\"\">rpm --import http:\/\/download.openvz.org\/RPM-GPG-Key-OpenVZ<\/pre>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Similarly, the signed packages you should verify the fingerprint of the key you imported into the rpm key database as described on the Package signatures page.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">OpenVZ Kernel Installation<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On the other hand OpenVZ containers have no kernel, so it uses VZkernel as common and OpenVZ containers cannot be operated using Linux kernel <\/p>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"EnlighterJSRAW\" data-enlighter-language=\"generic\" data-enlighter-theme=\"\" data-enlighter-highlight=\"\" data-enlighter-linenumbers=\"\" data-enlighter-lineoffset=\"\" data-enlighter-title=\"\" data-enlighter-group=\"\"># yum install vzkernel<\/pre>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Configure Sysctl Parameters for OpenVZ<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As a result, number of kernel parameters that should be set for OpenVZ to work correctly. Therefore parameters are stored in <strong>\/etc\/sysctl.conf file. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-preformatted\">On Hardware Node we generally need\n packet forwarding enabled and proxy arp disabled\n net.ipv4.ip_forward = 1\n net.ipv6.conf.default.forwarding = 1\n net.ipv6.conf.all.forwarding = 1\n net.ipv4.conf.default.proxy_arp = 0\n Enables source route verification\n net.ipv4.conf.all.rp_filter = 1\n Enables the magic-sysrq key\n kernel.sysrq = 1\n We do not want all our interfaces to send redirects\n net.ipv4.conf.default.send_redirects = 1\n net.ipv4.conf.all.send_redirects = 0<\/pre>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Disable SELinux<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">SELinux should be disabled. That is to say,&nbsp;put <strong>SELINUX=disabled<\/strong> to \/<strong>etc\/sysconfig\/selinux<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Install OpenVZ Management Tools<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Above all, it needs some user-level tools installed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"EnlighterJSRAW\" data-enlighter-language=\"generic\" data-enlighter-theme=\"\" data-enlighter-highlight=\"\" data-enlighter-linenumbers=\"\" data-enlighter-lineoffset=\"\" data-enlighter-title=\"\" data-enlighter-group=\"\"># yum install vzctl vzquota ploop<\/pre>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Further, reboot the machine and therefore choose \u201cOpenVZ\u201d on the boot loader menu.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"EnlighterJSRAW\" data-enlighter-language=\"generic\" data-enlighter-theme=\"\" data-enlighter-highlight=\"\" data-enlighter-linenumbers=\"\" data-enlighter-lineoffset=\"\" data-enlighter-title=\"\" data-enlighter-group=\"\"># reboot<\/pre>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><br>Configure OpenVZ OS Templates<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To sum up, download precreated template caches from <strong>Downloads \u00bb Templates \u00bb Precreated<\/strong> or directly from <strong>download.openvz.org\/template\/precreated<\/strong>, or from one of the mirrors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"> In short, Place those tar files  to the <strong>\/vz\/template\/cache\/<\/strong> directory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In this guide, we covered the basic steps required to install and configure OpenVZ on CentOS 6. These steps include configuring the OpenVZ repository, installing the virtualization kernel and management tools, adjusting kernel parameters, disabling SELinux, rebooting the server, and preparing OS templates for container creation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Once the setup is complete, administrators can use OpenVZ management tools such as <code>vzctl<\/code> to create, configure, and manage Linux containers. Proper resource allocation, network configuration, regular backups, and security monitoring are essential for reliable container operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Since CentOS 6 and the legacy OpenVZ platform are no longer supported, use this procedure only where compatibility with an existing legacy environment is required. For new deployments, choose a supported virtualization platform. For additional information about OpenVZ virtualization, refer to the official <a href=\"https:\/\/openvz.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Link<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For more Linux, virtualisation, and system administration tutorials, visit <a href=\"https:\/\/pheonixsolutions.com\/blog\">pheonixsolutions.com<\/a> or contact our team <a href=\"https:\/\/pheonixsolutions.com\/contact\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">FAQs<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>1. What is OpenVZ?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">OpenVZ is an operating system-level virtualization technology that allows multiple isolated Linux containers to run on a single physical server.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>2. What are the prerequisites for installing OpenVZ?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You need a compatible Linux system, root access, an internet connection, and sufficient CPU, RAM, and disk space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>3. What is the purpose of the OpenVZ kernel?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The OpenVZ kernel provides the underlying environment required to run and manage OpenVZ containers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Related Articles<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pheonixsolutions.com\/blog\/virtuozzo-vps-commands-open-vz-commands\/\">Virtuozzo \u2013 VPS commands \u2013 Open VZ commands<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pheonixsolutions.com\/blog\/how-to-install-openvz-7-on-centos-7\/\">How to Install OpenVZ 7 on CentOS 7<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Need Help with OpenVZ Installation and Configuration?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Need help with OpenVZ installation, Linux virtualization, or container management? Our experts can assist with server administration, virtualization solutions, Linux configuration, DevOps, cloud hosting, and other technical requirements. Get in touch with our team <a href=\"https:\/\/pheonixsolutions.com\/contact\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Post Date: May 22, 2019Last Updated: October 23, 2026 Introduction OpenVZ installation on CentOS 6 allows administrators to configure a 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