How to update a documentation wiki

[aljames]

I’m sure I should already know this, but embarrassingly, I don’t…

I would like to rewrite, or at least update this documentation wiki on how to install and set up KVM, including how to install your first VM.

KVM/Installation - Community Help Wiki

Can someone please let me in on proper etiquette around this and how to get started?

Thanks!

[rubi1200]

Hi,

Best place to start is here:

A new Ubuntu wiki, Part 2: Features

This post is the second in a series about our project to create a new Ubuntu wiki. In A New Ubuntu Wiki Part 1: Announcement, I gave some background on the wiki project, the history of the Ubuntu wiki, and some issues with the current implementation. Here, I discuss our choice of wiki engine, Ubuntu theming, and the features that we have been testing so far. Call for feedback The wiki engine that we have selected provides a solid platform for developing a new Ubuntu wiki. Canonical engineers …

I am sure @shanecrowley would be happy to answer any questions you have.

Thank you for contributing to the community.

[shanecrowley]

Hi @aljames . Thanks for your interest in updating that content.

I believe the requirements mentioned in this section of the wiki still apply for contributors. Namely: a Launchpad (LP) account and membership of the wiki editors team on LP. You should then be able to log in and edit.

I would note that the wiki is expected to be decommissioned in Summer 2026, although we are working on a replacement and the old wiki will be publicly archived.

I’m pinging @marek-suchanek also, who manages the official Ubuntu Desktop documentation (not on the wiki) and might be interested in this topic. Marek, do you have any plans for content related to KVM and virtualization in the Desktop docs?

[aljames]

@shanecrowley

I would note that the wiki is expected to be decommissioned in Summer 2026, although we are working on a replacement and the old wiki will be publicly archived.

Thanks @shanecrowley , if the wiki will live in some form, even if just publicly read only, it should probably be updated. I would be happy to work on the content in either the current wiki location or some other documentation platform.

Thanks again!

[guiverc]

@aljames

Thanks @shanecrowley , if the wiki will live in some form, even if just publicly read only, it should probably be updated. I would be happy to work on the content in either the current wiki location or some other documentation platform.

You can view the existing page using https://help.ubuntu.com/community/KVM/Installation?action=raw which you may notice is your initial link with ?action=raw added.

If I view the page, I get an “Edit” option to the left of the “Page History/Login to Edit” near the top you maybe seeing. I’m getting that as I’m within the Ubuntu Wiki Editors in Launchpad group, but aren’t you?

Is this you? https://launchpad.net/~aljames as that account is a Wiki Editor & I’d expect the edit option to exist. I’d check you’re logged in.

This view is how I see the page in ‘private browsing’ mode, so I’m not logged in.

I do recall various people having trouble logging in at various times, but I’ve not edited pages on the wiki since the UWN started being published on this site instead, which was some time ago now.

[Wild_Man]

The old wiki is in such bad shape even if you are in the wiki editors group it can take several tries to get logged in and even once you do make sure you save your changes often because of technical issues.

It can be very difficult and slow editing or creating new pages using the old wiki system that’s exactly the reason a new wiki system is being created which I am very grateful for and excited that it is coming this year and plan to help test out the system early on.

[aljames]

Thanks for the link! I was able to “Login to edit”. I made no changes yet.

There are large sections of this old wiki that need to go. I think it should speak to supported releases only and remove deprecated processes. I think I will start to write some edits and keep a draft on my local machine, then try to submit them once ready. Are there any review or approval processes needed on wiki edits?

@Wild_Man The page loaded very slow for me, and I also had to attempt login several times. Looking forward to seeing the new system.

[Wild_Man]

No approval process needed that is why you must be a member of the wiki editors team on launchpad that make you considered and trusted editor however a notice will be sent that you edited the wiki after you save it.

Also you can preview before you save an edit but like I said I wouldn’t go very long between savings because the system messes up often and you can lose your edit quickly.

Like you said probably a good idea to write it on your machine then copy it into the wiki and format it properly.

[marek-suchanek]

@shanecrowley

I’m pinging @marek-suchanek also, who manages the official Ubuntu Desktop documentation (not on the wiki) and might be interested in this topic. Marek, do you have any plans for content related to KVM and virtualization in the Desktop docs?

I don’t think this content fits into the Ubuntu Desktop documentation, which mainly covers GUI use cases. I could image a brief virtualization guide there if it was focused on using an application like GNOME Boxes, virt-manager or similar.

That being said, we have lots of content on virtualization in the Ubuntu Server documentation:

https://documentation.ubuntu.com/server/how-to/virtualisation/

@aljames, take a look. Maybe it makes more sense to contribute there? It would definitely be easier as long as you’re familiar with the pull request workflow on GitHub.

Edit: Eventually, we could redirect the Community Wiki page on virtualization to the Ubuntu Server page. In fact, we should do it as soon as we can, in my opinion.

[shanecrowley]

Good pointer on the Server docs @marek-suchanek .

There will, of course, also be space for updated content on virtualization in the new wiki, if some of it can’t find a home elsewhere. Especially as it is a broad topic touching on different Ubuntu systems and use-cases. But it will be some time before the wiki is ready to go live.

Thanks all.

[aljames]

Makes sense, thanks all!