Secure Boot in a Libvirt (KVM) VM with ZFS on LUKS Impermanence

Initial VM Setup

When creating the VM in virt-manager:

1. Before clicking “Finish”, check the “Customize configuration before install” box

2. In the Overview section, change Firmware from BIOS to UEFI x86_64: /usr/share/edk2/ovmf/OVMF_CODE_4M.secboot.qcow2

3. Proceed with the NixOS installation as normal.

Known Issue: After running nixos-install and rebooting, the SATA CDROM source path may be cleared. If the VM fails to boot, manually reselect the NixOS ISO in the SATA settings and reboot. ​

Configure Firmware for Custom Secure Boot Keys

The default configuration uses Microsoft’s pre-enrolled keys, which won’t trust your custom-signed kernel. To enable custom key enrollment, you need to modify the VM’s XML configuration. ​

On your host, find your VM name:

virsh -c qemu:///system list --all

Example Output:

 Id   Name             State
---------------------------------
 -    nixos-unstable   shut off
 -    nixos            shut off

Edit the VM configuration:

virsh edit nixos-unstable

Make the following changes to the <os> section:

1. Change the enrolled-keys feature from yes to no:

<feature enabled='no' name='enrolled-keys'/>

2. Delete the explicit <loader> and <nvram> lines. These conflict with libvirt’s firmware autoselection when using enrolled-keys='no':

<!-- DELETE THESE TWO LINES -->
<loader readonly='yes' secure='yes' type='pflash' format='qcow2'>/usr/share/edk2/ovmf/OVMF_CODE_4M.secboot.qcow2</loader>
<nvram template='/usr/share/edk2/ovmf/OVMF_VARS_4M.secboot.qcow2' templateFormat='qcow2' format='qcow2'>/var/lib/libvirt/qemu/nvram/nixos-unstable_VARS.qcow2</nvram>

Your final <os> section should look like this:

<os firmware='efi'>
  <type arch='x86_64' machine='pc-q35-10.1'>hvm</type>
  <firmware>
    <feature enabled='no' name='enrolled-keys'/>
    <feature enabled='yes' name='secure-boot'/>
  </firmware>
  <boot dev='hd'/>
</os>

3. Add the <serial> tag as a best practice

    <disk type='file' device='disk'>
      <driver name='qemu' type='qcow2' discard='unmap'/>
      <source file='/var/lib/libvirt/images/nixos-unstable-1.qcow2'/>
      <serial>disk01</serial>
      <target dev='vda' bus='virtio'/>
      <address type='pci' domain='0x0000' bus='0x04' slot='0x00' function='0x0'/>
    </disk>

• This enables commands like: zpool import -d /dev/disk/by-id rpool

Save and exit the editor. Libvirt will now automatically create a new NVRAM file in Setup Mode (no keys enrolled).

NixOS Installation with ZFS on root with LUKS

• ZFS on root with LUKS & Impermanence

Add the impermanence flake input.(Edited: If you use a current lanzaboote you don’t need to pin anything)

inputs = {
   impermanence.url = "github:nix-community/impermanence";
   nixpkgs.url = "github:nixos/nixpkgs/nixos-unstable";
    lanzaboote = {
      url = "github:nix-community/lanzaboote/v1.0.0";
      inputs.nixpkgs.follows = "nixpkgs";
    };
};

{ pkgs, lib, inputs, ... }: {
# configuration.nix
imports = [ inputs.lanzaboote.nixosModules.lanzaboote ];

environment.systemPackages = [ pkgs.sbctl ];

boot.loader.systemd-boot.enable = lib.mkForce false;

boot.lanzaboote = {
  enable = true;
  pkiBundle = "/var/lib/sbctl";
};
}

And impermanence.nix:

{ inputs, lib, ... }: {
   imports = [
      inputs.impermanence.nixosModules.impermanence
   ];
   boot.initrd.postMountCommands = lib.mkAfter ''
     zfs rollback -r rpool/local/root@blank
   '';
   environment.persistence."/persist" = {
      directories = [ "/var/lib/sbctl" "/var/lib/nixos" ];
   };
   fileSystems."/persist" = {
      device = "rpool/safe/persist";
      fsType = "zfs";
      neededForBoot = true;
   };
}

Lanzaboote Installation

• Secure Boot with Lanzaboote

Enroll the Secure Boot Keys

After the XML changes, boot the VM and enter the firmware setup (press ESC during boot).

1. Navigate to Device Manager → Secure Boot Configuration

2. Switch to “Custom mode”, uncheck Attempt Secure Boot [ ], select “Reset Secure Boot Keys”, save with F10, and reboot.

3. Enroll the keys: sudo sbctl enroll-keys -m

4. Reboot: After enrolling the keys and rebooting, the system will automatically be placed in “Standard mode”, and Attempt Secure Boot [x] selected. You do not need to re-enter firmware setup mode.

5. Verify Secure Boot Status: bootctl status