[Qemu-devel] [Bug 614958] Re: copy-paste between client and host

[Michal Suchanek]

I use serial console to cut&paste between host and guest without
networking.

It's nice SPICE is addressing this but I agree this is not really
something qemu itself should do. There is no  hardware cut&paste device
qemu can emulate, the video hardware has not notion of cut&paste.

At the very least qemu could support paste but since the SDL interface
has no controls and is direct input to the virtual machine there would
be need for different interface with more features.

You can copy screenshots. To support true clipboard copy you need in-
client software for every OS you run. While a nice project, and nice
thing to point people to in qemu docs (if it exists) it is definitely
out of the scope of qemu - a hardware emulator. Note that for SPICE
cut&paste to work you will surely need some SPICE driver installed in
the guest, and few platforms are supported.

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https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/614958

Title:
  copy-paste between client and host

Status in QEMU:
  New

Bug description:
  Hi,

  I propose that copy/paste between VMs be implemented somehow directly in QEMU.
  This has been discussed repeatedly elsewhere; various solutions are proposed. 
 See below.

  As it is, each user has to do their own research and testing if they
  are to find a solution.   This makes the product frustratingly
  unattractive for many.

  Most solutions involve either running vnc and using a vnc client that
  supports copy/paste (this can be tricky to find itself), or running
  some other tcp-based copy-paste application.

  For many users, the networking in a client VM is unimportant--they
  just want to run some application there, and setting up netoworking in
  a VM itself can be an issue.  Most of these solutions rely on un-
  maintained software, and some require that other software be installed
  to make them work (Basic interpreter, Java, etc).  Any of these
  solutions take some work to set up.

  I can tell you, the absence of a copy/paste mechanism makes the
  project an immediate no-go for many users.  I work with a guy who
  spent a lot of time trying, gave up, and switched to VirtualBox for
  this exact reason.

  It would be much better if copy/paste worked out of the box.  Ideally,
  it should work independently of networking.

  Cheers!

  Some discussions and proposed solutions:
  -----------------------------------------------------
  http://qemu-forum.ipi.fi/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=161
      Somebody suggests VNC into the virtual host, and use vncviewer
      Somebody else suggests TCP/IP Clipboard (text editor with tcp/ip)

  http://qemu-forum.ipi.fi/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=2626
      primitive app for sharing text across machines (in Basic)
      http://homepage.mac.com/bnej/shareclip/

  http://borderworlds.dk/blog/20070217-00.html
      Says doesn't know a good solution but points to unmaintained package
      Qemu Guest Tools
      http://wolfpackally.wo.funpic.de/qemu/qgt/

  http://bonzoli.com/docs/How_to_setup_Qemu_on_Fedora_8.html
      proposes Java remoteclip running on client and server
      http://www.cs.cmu.edu/afs/cs/user/rcm/WWW/RemoteClip/

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