NAME

bvm — Bhyve Virtual machines Management tool

SYNOPSIS

DESCRIPTION

The bvm is a bhyve(8) virtual machine management tool based on FreeBSD that allows you to easily manage virtual machines.

The virtual machine's network is handled by one or more virtual switches. Each switch has a simple name, which is stored in the corresponding configuration file and can be modified by the bvm create one or more bridge(4) devices for each virtual switch and dynamically assign them to the virtual machine tap(4) interface. When the virtual machine is shut down normally, the bvm will automatically clean up the useless network devices.

The bvm supports multiple network cards and multiple hard disks. Each virtual machine can have multiple network cards or multiple hard disks, and can easily add, delete, and modify network cards or hard disks.

BASIC SETUP

Once bvm is installed, the first thing you have to do is set up the virtual machine's storage directory.

Edit the value of vmdir in /usr/local/etc/bvm/bvm.conf

vmdir=/your/vm/dir/

If you want to automatically boot the specified list of virtual machines in order while the host is booting, add the following lines to /etc/rc.conf to enable:

bvmd_enable="YES"

OPTIONS

--abinfo

Show information for all auto-bootstrap virtual machines.

--addisk name

Add a hard disk to the virtual machine.

--autoboot

Start the automatic booting virtual machine in order. Boot option, which is usually not required in administrator manual maintenance mode. Sometimes the host is powered on again after shutdown or unexpected downtime. At this time, the administrator-set virtual machine can be automatically started by the rc script. The method is to use bvm --config to modify the default value of the auto boot menu to yes.

In self-start mode, bvm will refer to the boot level and delay options of vm. The boot level is the boot priority. When there are multiple self-starting virtual machines, the lower the startup priority, the more the virtual machine starts. Back to front. Boot time (boot time) After starting the current virtual machine, it can also be said that the number of seconds is tentative before starting the next virtual machine. The reason for designing these two parameters is because some services may need to be activated first to ensure normal business.

For example, the relationship between the database and the web service, if the data virtual machine library is not prioritized, it may cause the web service to be abnormal!

The correct way to use this option is to add the startup script:

# sysrc bvmd_enable=yes

--clone name new-name

Clone a new virtual machine from an existing virtual machine.

--config name

Edit the configuration of the virtual machine. This option needs to be used in the case of a virtual machine. Options that allow users to configure independently are: cpus, ram, iso path, boot from, hostbridge, uefi, TPM, VNC settings, shared folder, audio, auto boot, disk config, and network config.

cpus

The total number of virtual CPUs used by the current virtual machine.

ram

The size of the memory requested by the current virtual machine, the unit of which can be M/G, etc.

iso path

The directory where the iso disc image is located (is the directory, non-iso absolute address). When the directory is specified, bvm will automatically list the iso files contained in the current directory. The user can select the menu number.

boot from

This is an important option. When the system is first installed, bvm will automatically adjust this option to hd0 for system startup. When you need to use iso disc for system maintenance, you can change this option to cd0.

CD

Enable or disable CD-ROM support (on/off).

cd numbers

Number of CD-ROM drives (1-4). Multiple CDs are useful for scenarios like Windows driver installation.

cd(N) iso

ISO path for CD N. Enter '-' or 'none' to clear the ISO path for cd1-cd3. The cd(0) is required and cannot be cleared when CD is enabled.

boot type

Select the boot method. Options are:

grub

Standard Bhyve loader (bhyveload/grub-bhyve). Recommended for most BSD and Linux VMs.

uefi

UEFI boot mode. Required for Windows and some modern Linux distributions. Often used with VNC for GUI.

uefi_csm

UEFI Compatibility Support Module (Provides Legacy BIOS compatibility).

Note: UEFI modes might have limited console support with --login depending on the guest OS configuration.

TPM (UEFI)

Enable TPM 2.0 (Trusted Platform Module) support. This is required for Windows 11 installation and needs UEFI boot mode. The swtpm package must be installed on the host.

VNC settings

VNC configuration includes bind address (default 0.0.0.0), port number, display resolution (width/height), optional password protection, and wait option (wait for VNC connection before boot).

audio

Enable HDA audio device support for the virtual machine. Requires /dev/dsp0 on the host.

auto boot

See --autoboot for details.

hostbridge

This is a schema attribute whose attribute value should be hostbridge when using the Intel system CPU; its attribute value should be amd_hostbridge when using the AMD series CPU.

disk config

The option can add or delete the hard disk of the current virtual machine. Supports multiple storage interfaces: ahci-hd (AHCI), virtio-blk (VirtIO Block), and nvme (NVM Express). If you only want to add the hard disk, it is recommended to use bvm --addisk shortcut command.

shared folder

VirtIO-9P file sharing. This option allows sharing host directories with the virtual machine. When enabled, you can set the share name (used in guest to identify the share), share path (host directory to share), and read-only mode. Linux guests can mount the share using:

mount -t 9p -o trans=virtio sharename /mnt/point

Note: FreeBSD 14 guests lack virtio_p9fs support; FreeBSD 15+ has full support.

passthru

PCI passthrough. This option allows passing physical PCI devices directly to the virtual machine for exclusive use (e.g., GPU, network cards). Prerequisites: CPU must support Intel VT-d or AMD-Vi. Device must support MSI/MSI-x interrupts and be reserved in /boot/loader.conf (pptdevs="bus/slot/func"). When enabled, BVM automatically detects available passthrough devices and displays them in a selection list. Only devices bound to the ppt driver and not allocated to other VMs will appear. Configuration options: passthru (on/off), ppt devices (1-8), ppt(N) device (select from list). When enabled, bhyve uses -S flag to wire guest memory. Use 'bvm --pci' to find device addresses.

network config

This option allows you to configure the networking of virtual machines. Supports Bridge, NAT, and Switch network modes with built-in DHCP server.

--create name [from template-name [options]]

Create a new virtual machine.

# bvm --create vm1
# bvm --create vm2 from vm1
# bvm --create vm3 from Linux -s -U=4 -m=512m -d=10g -n=bridge -i=em0

Standard templates available:

freebsd

FreeBSD standard configuration.

linux

Linux standard configuration.

windows

Windows standard configuration.

You can also use any existing VM name as a template.

When using from to create from a template, optional parameters can override template settings:

-s

Set boot type to grub.

-U=N

Set CPU count (e.g. -U=4).

-m=SIZE

Set memory size (e.g. -m=512m, -m=2g).

-d=SIZE

Set first disk size (e.g. -d=10g, -d=1t).

-n=MODE

Set network mode (bridge or nat).

-i=NIC

Set bind NIC (e.g. -i=em0).

--deldisk name

Delete the disks in the virtual machine.

--decrypt name

Decrypt the virtual machine.

--encrypt name

Encrypt the virtual machine.

--help

Show all options and descriptions.

--login name

Login to a running virtual machine from the console. For UEFI mode, console support depends on the guest OS configuration; if it fails, please use the VNC client or SSH.

To enable serial console output in guest OS:

Debian/Ubuntu

Edit /etc/default/grub, set GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX="console=tty0 console=ttyS0,115200", then run update-grub and reboot.

RHEL/CentOS/AlmaLinux

Edit /etc/default/grub, add "console=tty0 console=ttyS0,115200" to GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX. Remove "rhgb quiet" for full boot messages. Run grub2-mkconfig -o /boot/efi/EFI/centos/grub.cfg (adjust path for distro) and reboot.

Fedora

Same as RHEL, but use path /boot/grub2/grub.cfg.

openSUSE

Edit /etc/default/grub, add "console=tty0 console=ttyS0,115200" to GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT. Remove "splash=silent quiet" for full boot messages. Run grub2-mkconfig -o /boot/grub2/grub.cfg and reboot.

OpenBSD

Modify /etc/boot.conf:

echo "set tty com0" >> /etc/boot.conf
echo "stty com0 115200" >> /etc/boot.conf

Enable login in /etc/ttys: Find 'tty00' line, change 'std.9600' to 'std.115200', 'unknown' to 'vt100', and 'off' to 'on secure'.

--ls [byname | byos | bystatus | online]

Show a list and status of all virtual machines. By default, the output is sorted in ascending order by name, or one of the following options is specified.

byname

Output list in ascending order by name.

byos

Output list in ascending order by OS.

bystatus

Output list in ascending order by virtual machine status.

online

Only show running virtual machines.

# bvm --ls byos
NAME        GUEST           CPU     MEMORY  DISK        STATE
c           Debian          1       512M    [2]5.5G     off
d           Debian          1       512M    [1]5G       off *
abc         Debian          1       512M    [1]10G      on
b           FreeBSD         1       1G      [1]10G      off
bb          FreeBSD         1       1G      [1]10G      off

# bvm --ls
NAME        GUEST           CPU     MEMORY  DISK        STATE
abc         Debian          1       512M    [1]10G      on
b           FreeBSD         1       1G      [1]10G      off
bb          FreeBSD         1       1G      [1]10G      off
c           Debian          1       512M    [2]5.5G     off
d           Debian          1       512M    [1]5G       off *

The meaning of the list items is as follows:

NAME

The name of the virtual machine.

GUEST

Virtual machine operating system.

CPU

Number of CPUs.

MEMORY

Size of memory.

DISK

Disk capacity, the number in square brackets represents the number of disks, and the capacity is the sum of all disk capacities.

STATE

The state of the virtual machine, off or on, if the virtual machine is locked, a yellow symbol '*' is also displayed, if the virtual machine is encrypted, a red symbol '*' is also displayed.

--ll [byname | byip | byos | bystatus | online]

Show a list and status of all virtual machines in long format. By default, the output is sorted in ascending order by name, or one of the following options is specified.

byname

Output list in ascending order by name.

byip

Output list in ascending order by IP-addr.

byos

Output list in ascending order by OS.

bystatus

Output list in ascending order by virtual machine status.

online

Only show running virtual machines.

The added list items have the following meanings:

IP

The IP address of the virtual machine.

LOADER

The boot loader for the virtual machine.

AUTOSTART

The state in which the virtual machine is automatically started, "Yes" is automatically started, and the number next to it is the startup sequence.

--lock name

Locks the specified virtual machine, and can't --config , --remove , --start , and so on. Only simple read operations can be performed, such as --vminfo , --ls , this option also prevents the risk of virtual machine files being accidentally deleted.

--lockall

Lock all virtual machines, behaving the same as --lock.

--netstat

Show all network configuration information of virtual machines, including NIC, mode, IP address, gateway, port forwarding, bridge, and TAP device, etc.

--os

Show a list of operating systems supported by bvm.

--log [name [-e | -n=N | -a]]

Show VM log entries.

-e

Show error logs only.

-n=N

Show last N lines (default: 50).

-a

Show all logs (no line limit).

--passthru

Show PCI passthrough device list. Displays all PCI devices that are bound to the ppt driver and ready for passthrough to virtual machines. Devices shown as "Passthru Ready" can be assigned to VMs, while "Allocated" devices are currently in use by a running VM.

--pci

Show all host PCI devices. Displays a complete list of PCI devices on the host system, including their bus/slot/function addresses, driver, vendor, device name, and class information.

--poweroff name

Force the virtual machine to power off. When there are some special reasons that prevent the virtual machine from shutting down properly, you need to use this option to force the virtual machine to power off.

--reload-nat

Reload the NAT port redirect. In general, you do not need to use this option, bvm will automatically handle port redirection, this option is manual mode.

--remove name ...

Destroy one or more virtual machines and they cannot be recovered. Note that the virtual machines cannot be running when you run this command.

--rename name new-name

Rename the virtual machine.

--restart name

Restart a virtual machine.

--reboot name

Restart a virtual machine (alias for --restart).

--rollback name

Roll back to the snapshot point.

--set-hd-boot name

Set the virtual machine to boot from the hard disk.

--setnat nat ip/mask

Set the IP address and mask of the NAT.

# bvm --setnat nat0 172.16.1.1/24

--setpr ip

Port redirection is set dynamically with immediate effect. In general, the virtual machine must be turned off to set the virtual machine parameters, but this option can set the port redirection at any time in the virtual machine on state, and take effect immediately.

# bvm --setpr 10.10.30.10

--showpr

Show all list of port redirect.

# bvm --showpr
PROTO   VM IP:PORT            HOST PORT   VM NAME
tcp     172.16.1.10:22        2224        freebsd-14
tcp     172.16.1.10:80        8080        freebsd-14
udp     192.168.1.254:53      9953        abc
tcp     10.10.30.10:22        3322        ob

--setsw switch ip/mask

Set the ip address and mask of the virtual switch. The same method as --setnat.

--showdev

Select a network device and show its relationship to the virtual machine NIC.

--showdevall

Show a relationship table for all network devices.

--showdevuse

Show a relational table of all network devices in use.

--showdhcp

Show all DHCP clients.

--showsnap name

Show snapshots list of the virtual machine.

--showsnapall

Show snapshots list of the all virtual machines.

--showstats name

Show the statistics of the virtual machine, including CPU/Memory usage, Disk I/O, Network traffic, and Service status.

--snapshot name

Generating snapshots for the virtual machine.

--start name

Start a virtual machine.

--stop name

Shut down a virtual machine.

--unlock name

Unlock a virtual machine.

--unlockall

Unlock all virtual machines.

--unsetsw switch

Delete the IP address of the virtual switch.

--version

Show the version number of bvm installed.

--vminfo name

Shows the configuration of the virtual machine.

CONFIGURE FILES

/usr/local/etc/bvm/bvm.conf

This file records the virtual machine's directory and a list of all supported
operating systems.

/usr/local/etc/bvm/nat.conf

This file records the configuration information for all NAT.

nat0=172.16.1.1/24
nat1=10.10.30.1/24
nat2=192.168.1.1/24

/usr/local/etc/bvm/switch.conf

This file records the configuration information of all virtual switches.
The default 0-2 sets the IP address, and 3-7 is not set.

switch0=10.0.1.0/24
switch1=10.0.2.0/24
switch2=10.0.3.0/24
switch3=
switch4=
switch5=
switch6=
switch7=

/usr/local/etc/bvm/dhcp.conf

This file records DHCP configuration information, including lease time,
DNS, IP address pool, etc.

SEE ALSO

tmux(1), bridge(4), tap(4), bhyve(8), bhyveload(8), zfs(8)

BUGS

Please report all bugs/issues/feature requests to the GitHub project at https://github.com/bigdragonsoft/bvm

AUTHORS

Qiang Guo <bigdragonsoft@gmail.com>