# accessing /dev/kvm

## curmudgeon

Have no idea if I am posting this to the right place, but here goes.

I am administering a machine where I just installed Android Studio for the user. I know absolutely nothing about Android Studio.

The user has told me that using /dev/kdm is recommended. I recompiled the kernel with the kvm stuff enabled, but the permissions are:

```

crw------- 1 root root 10, 232 2016-10-17 03:51:03 /dev/kvm

```

When the user tries to create a new virtual device, he is (of course) getting "permission" denied.

What is the preferred (easiest and least risky) way of allowing an ordinary user access to /dev/kvm?

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## fturco

On my system:

```
$ ls -l /dev/kvm

crw-rw---- 1 root kvm 10, 232 Oct 16 11:21 /dev/kvm
```

And my user belong to the kvm group.

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## curmudgeon

I don't have a kvm group.

Am I supposed to have some other package installed?

Should I change the permissions manually (and create the group myself)?

If I do, will that be remembered across reboots?

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## fturco

On my system the kvm group was created by installing app-emulation/qemu. From its ebuild:

```
pkg_setup() {

        enewgroup kvm 78

}
```

It seems android-studio ebuild doesn't do the same thing.

Also, did you load the kvm/kvm-intel (or amd) module?

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## Ant P.

 *curmudgeon wrote:*   

> Am I supposed to have some other package installed?

 

qemu installs udev rules, or you can write an mdev.conf yourself.

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