ZKM Python

exhibition-vm-controller

VM management for exhibition environments — start, stop, and monitor virtual machines running artworks.

virtualizationmuseumkvmlibvirtinfrastructure

What it does

A management tool for virtual machines running artwork software in museum exhibitions. Provides centralized control for starting, stopping, and monitoring VMs across exhibition hardware, with scheduling and health monitoring.

Key features

  • Centralized control — manage all exhibition VMs from a single interface
  • Scheduling — automatic start/stop based on exhibition opening hours
  • Health monitoring — detect crashed or unresponsive VMs and auto-restart
  • libvirt integration — works with KVM/QEMU virtual machines via libvirt
  • Status dashboard — web interface showing real-time VM status

Tech stack

Python with libvirt bindings for VM management. Scheduling via systemd timers. Optional web dashboard for status monitoring.

Museum context

Museums run dozens of artworks on dedicated PCs. Virtualizing them simplifies hardware management, enables snapshots for quick recovery, and allows one physical machine to run multiple artworks.