Kernel modules:

• vmm - Required to run the guests as this allocates the resources.
• nmdm(4) - Required for serial console access to the guests.
• if_tap(4) - Required for network access to the guests.
• if_bridge(4) - Required for network access to the guests.
• bridgestp - Required by if_bridge.
• netmap(4) - Required for VALE support. Not compiled into GENERIC on 10.3.

Enhancing Binaries:

• bhyve Custom variants required for VALE or UEFI SUPPORT for pre-11.0-ALPHA* builds. Manually compile from /usr/src.
• BHYVE_UEFI_20151002.fd UEFI firmware required to boot UEFI guests. In Peter Grehan´s public FreeBSD file directory.
• BHYVE_UEFI_20160526.fd UEFI firmware required to boot UEFI guests with VNC support. In Peter Grehan´s public FreeBSD file directory.
• grub2-bhyve Required for booting non-FreeBSD or non-UEFI guests. In ports and pkg.
• tmux Required when using the command chyves <guest> console tmux. In ports and pkg.
• vale-ctl Required for VALE networking support. In ´/usr/src´.

Hardware dependencies:

There is an early series of CPUs from Intel (Xeon 5500) that has most of the necessary virtualization capabilities but lack a feature Intel later implemented called unrestricted guest (´UG´ in dmesg(8) under "VT-x:"). Without this feature bhyve is limited to FreeBSD guests with only one CPU core. AMD has the ´UG´ functionality in all of it´s RVI implementations.

PCI Pass-through support is also provided through another sub-set of hardware virtualization CPU features called I/O MMU virtualization. Intel calls their implementation ´VT-d´ and AMD calls their implementation ´AMD-Vi´. See the pcidev_{n} property under Guest Properties section for instructions on attaching PCI pass-through devices. A check is ran before starting a guest that has PCI pass-through devices configured and will not start the guest if the host does not have the necessary CPU feature.

GUEST STORAGE

There is limited support for raw file backed guest storage. This is a manual process and there are not any chyves commands that create, modify, or delete these raw image files. All files in the ´img/´ folder and child folders are attached to the guest on start. To have independent snapshots for each raw image, create a child datasets under <pool>/chyves/guests/<guest>/img, this has an advantage over ZFS volumes as there is no refreservation cost associated with the snapshots. The command chyves info reports the raw image files and size. To create a sparse raw image run:

truncate -s 16G /chyves/<pool>/guests/<guest>/img/<image-name>.

AUTO DESIGN NETWORK MODE

On a fresh simple installation, the only command needed is ´chyves network bridge0 attach em0´. This tells chyves to associate the interface ´em0´ with the default bridge. To change the default bridge, the command would be ´chyves network bridge64 default´ to set ´bridge64´ as the default. All tap interfaces created for guests are then associated with the bridge set in defaults.

As indicated above, tap interfaces are attached to a bridge, which optionally can be attached to a physical or vlan interface. If the bridge is not associated with a physical or vlan interface, the bridge must be put into ´private´ mode. This is done by running ´chyves network bridge64 private´. A private bridge allows sensitive traffic to transverse the bridge without the possibility of traffic being monitored from an outside network. A private bridge can also use pf(4) for NAT capabilities but this is not built into chyves.

SYSTEM DESIGN NETWORK MODE

Converting from ´system´ to ´auto´ will not automatically start to work. Each device will need to be manually associated with each other.

Pool Properties

•

dataset_role={primary|secondary|offline}

Managed through ´chyves dataset´ commands.

Vital in multi-pool configurations, each role type has different characteristics as explained below:

primary - Pools in this role are utilized exclusively for the following purposes: Store ISO and Firmware resources. Reference point for global properties. New guest are defaulted to be created on this pool unless otherwise specified as a property for ´chyves create´. Only one ZFS pool can be in the primary role per system and is the only role for single zpool configurations.

secondary - Pools in this role are utilized for storing other active guests not stored on the primary ZFS pool.

offline - Pools in this role are not utilized, this role is intended for backup. Guests on these pools are omitted from all subcommands. To further prevent action on ´offline´ pools, the dataset is renamed to ´chyves_offline´ which chyves will completely ignore.

•

pool_version={dataset-version}

Managed through ´chyves dataset´ commands.

This property indicates the current version of the chyves pool. This an upgrade mechanism to ensure the dataset and it´s child datasets contain the correct architecture. The command ´chyves dataset pool upgrade´ brings a dataset incrementally to the latest version when there is a discrepancy between the dataset version and the chyves version. A check is ran before execution to ensure the version of the pool is compatible with the version of chyves.

Global Configuration Properties

Many of these properties are not recommended to be changed directly unless the scope of their impact is understood or when managed through subcommands such as ´chyves network´. The preferred management method is given on the first line after each property in bold text.

Usage:

chyves global set <property>=<value>

chyves list global [<pool>]

Properties:

•

auto_load_kernel_mods={yes|no}

User managed and settable.

When set to "yes", chyves will load the kernel modules necessary for guests. When set to ´no´, chyves will simply check if the modules are loaded and exit with a message if not loaded.

•

bridge{n}_phy_attach={interface|private}

Managed through ´chyves network´ commands.

This property contains a physical or vlan interface name for a bridge to belong. When set to ´private´ the bridge is not joined with a outside network.

Example values:

bridge0_attach=em0

bridge10_phy_attach=vlan52

bridge512_phy_attach=private

Usage:

chyves network bridge{n} attach {<interface>|private}

•

bridge{n}_tap_members={tap{n}[,tap{n},tap{n}]}

Managed through ´chyves network´ commands.

This property is a comma separated list of the tap members for bridge{n}, where {n} is the interface number. Valid values for {n} are 0 to 32768. Guests are automatically added to this property using the bridge{n} that is set in ´defaults´ under the ´bridge´ property.

Examples values:

bridge0_tap_members=t0

bridge70_tap_members=t20,t30

A tap can be moved to another bridge by first removing the tap from the original bridge and adding to the desired bridge. Use the following command syntax to do this:

chyves network bridge{n} unjoin tap{n}

chyves network bridge{n} join tap{n}

•

check_for_updates={daily|weekly|monthly|always}

User managed and settable.

This determines how often to check for updates for chyves on the GitHub repository. The keyword ´always´ means to check every time chyves is ran.

•

check_for_updates_last_check=YYYYMMDD

Managed internally.

This contain the date of last check.

•

check_for_updates_last_check_status={1|0}

Managed internally.

When set to ´1´ an update is available.

•

check_for_updates_timeout_seconds={n}

User managed and settable.

This number is used to set the network timeout for fetch(1) before giving up.

•

check_for_updates_unique_id=UUID

Managed internally.

This contains a UUID used for identification. It is set when the primary pool was created.

•

console_start_offset={integer}

User managed and settable.

This is a compatibility mechanism used to offset the first chyves null console modem number so that a collision are less likely with another application or bhyve front end manager. The initial default is set to ´50´. After the first guests are created, then the next highest console number is used to create the next guest.

•

consolidate_bhyve_pci_devices={no|yes}

User managed and settable.

The default is set to ´no´ as it may have performance implications, however this may be necessary if more than 26 PCI devices are connect to a guest. This property signals the bhyve string generators to use all PCI functions for similar devices.

On all hosts, 8 PCI functions can be used per PCI slot. However, up to 32 ahci-hd devices can be attached to a single PCI slot for hosts running 12-CURRENT after commit r302459, 11-STABLE after commit r304422, or hosts running 10-STABLE after commit r304420. Meaning in ideal conditions up to 208 PCI devices can be attached on any host or up to 832 devices on supported hosts.

•

default_clone_flag

User managed and settable.

Flag to use when cloning a guest and the clone type flag is omitted. See clone command under GUEST CLONE SUB-SUB-COMMAND section.

•

default_info_flags

User managed and settable.

Flags set here are passed to ´chyves info´ when no flags are used. See command ´chyves info´ for valid flags.

•

default_list_flags

User managed and settable.

Flags set here are passed to ´chyves info´ WHEN the command ´chyves list´ is used. Both commands use the same backend function and ´chyves list´ is kept around for legacy reasons. See command ´chyves info´ for valid flags.

•

dev_mode={off|on|-xvn}

User managed and settable, advanced feature.

Setting to ´on´ allows for functions to be called direct from the command line using chyves dev. Using the -xvn flags instead of the word on will use Bourne´s set command to turn on special option flags during chyves dev execution. These flags can be used individually (-x|-v|-n) or combined (-xv). See sh(1).

•

eject_iso_on_n_reboot={n}

User managed and settable.

See same property name under the Guest Properties section below for description of functionality.

•

log_mode={host|guest|dual}

User managed and settable.

Determines the source of information to save in the log files when ´log_to_file´ is set to ´yes´. When set to ´guest´ only guest actions are recorded. When set to ´host´ only actions not involving guests are recorded. When set to dual, both are recorded.

•

log_to_file={yes|no}

User managed and settable.

Turns on logging to a file. For general logging the file is saved at ´/chyves/logs/YYYYMM.log´ and for guests the file is saved at ´/chyves/guests/guest/log/YYYYMM.log´ or at ´/chyves/poolguests/guest/ log/YYYYMM.log´.

•

network_design_mode={auto|system}

User managed and settable.

The default is ´auto´, which means chyves manages everything above the physical or vlan Ethernet interface, all the way to the guest. This is managed through ´chyves network´ commands. When set to ´system´, chyves only attaches the tap or VALE interfaces to the guest and leaves it to the user to have configured everything else (correctly). See NETWORK section above.

•

restrict_new_property_names=[off|on]

User managed and settable, advanced feature.

Setting to "on" allows for new properties to be created with ´chyves set´. The default is set to "off" to prevent creating new properties due to typos. Even when set to ´on´ this will not allow a creation of new global or defaults properties.

•

stdout_level={0-3}

User managed and settable.

Determines the amount of output to send to the terminal. The four numeric settings do the following. This does not impact the log files.

0 - off - No output

1 - minimal Sub command action shown

2 - regular + Each step in the sub command shown

3 - verbose ++ Outputs bhyve and loader command used.

4 -- Never print to screen. Used in __return* functions that would break even with the value set to ´0´.

•

tap_start_offset={integer}

User managed and settable.

This is a compatibility mechanism used to offset the first chyves tap interface so that a collision is less likely with another application or bhyve front end manager. The initial default is set to "50", valid values are from 0 to 32767.

•

tap_up_by_default={off|on}

User managed and settable.

When set to "yes", the sysctl: net.link.tap.up_on_open is set to "1" when running script. Default is "on" but it is recommended to set to "off" and update your /boot/loader.conf to set this sysctl.

•

vlan_iface_base_name=vlan_base_name

User managed and settable.

When using a non-standard vlan naming nomenclature this needs to reflect the change. The default is "vlan" when using the standard "vlan{n}" naming nomenclature.

•

uefi_vnc_port_start_offset={integer}

User managed and settable.

This is a compatibility mechanism used to offset the first VNC port used by UEFI guests. The initial default is set to "5900", valid values are from 1 to 65536.

Guest Properties

Usage:

chyves <guest> get <property>

chyves <guest> get all

chyves list properties

chyves list <property>

chyves <guest>|MG|all set <property1>=<value> [<property2>=<value>] [<property3>=<value>]

chyves <guest>|MG|all set <property1>=<value> [<property2>=<value>] [<property3>=<value>] [<guest2> [<property1>=<value>] [<property2>=<value>]]

•

bargs

For advanced users to pass additional flags directly to bhyve. See bhyve(8) for complete list of flag options. To find out which flags are used when starting a specific guest, turn on global configuration ´stdout_level´ to ´3´ or check the global log file.

•

bhyveload_flags

For advanced users to pass additional flags directly to bhyveload. This is primarily intended to pass ´-e´ flags for environment variables. See bhyveload(8) for a complete list of flag options. To find out which flags are used when starting a specific guest, turn on global configuration ´stdout_level´ to ´3´ or check the global log file.

•

bhyve_disk_type={virtio-blk|ahci-hd}

Sets the method to attach ZFS volumes and disk images to the guest. Most guests do not support Virt-IO block devices without installing drivers at installation.

•

bhyve_net_type={virtio-net|e1000}

Sets the method to attach tap interfaces to the guest. Intel e1000 emulation is available on hosts on 12-CURRENT after commit r302504, 11-STABLE after commit r304424, and on 10-STABLE after commit r304425.

•

cpu={n}

Assigns {n} number of CPU cores to a guest, up to 16.

•

chyves_guest_version=MMmm

Managed through ´chyves guest upgrade´ command.

Used to ensure the guest contains latest properties when moved between hosts on different versions of chyves. "MM" signifies the major version as an integer and "mm" as the minor version as an integer. Changes to the major version require an upgrade via ´chyves guest upgrade´ because a guest property value format has changed or a new required property was added. Differences in the minor version do no require an upgrade but may not have full functionality.

•

description="INSERT BRIEF DESCRIPTION"

Used to describe guest. Use double quotes when description contains spaces.

•

eject_iso_on_n_reboot={n}

This property determines if and when to eject the optical media when installing an OS. By default this is set to ´1´ because most *nix systems install on the first boot. Live CD should be turned to ´0´ and Windows systems should be set to ´2´ or greater.

There is a global property which shares the same name has has the same functionality. The global property is used if not set on the guest.

•

loader={bhyveload|uefi|grub-bhyve}

Tells which loader to use to boot guest. bhyveload is for FreeBSD based guests, uefi is used for UEFI based guests, and grub-bhyve is used for all other guests.

When setting a guest to use the uefi loader, some uefi_* properties are populated. One of these properties is uefi_firmware which is required for guests to start.

•

net_ifaces=tap{n}|vale{n}[:{p}]

Managed through ´chyves network´ commands when ´network_design_mode´ is set to ´auto´.

User settable when ´network_design_mode´ is set to ´system´.

Stores which tap and VALE interfaces are assigned to a guest. Where {n} is a unique interface number. Taps are process locked and can not be shared simultaneously by multiple guests. Multiple devices are stored using commas as delimiters.

VALE interface names must be vale{n}[:{p}] where {n} can be alpha-numeric up to 9 characters long. Optionally a port can be specified where :{p} starts with a separating colon and either a single alphabetical character or a number 0-9999.

Usage:

chyves network <guest> add {tap|tap{n}|vale{s}[:{p}]}

chyves network <guest> add {tap|tap{n}} bridge{n}

chyves network <guest> remove {tap{n}|vale{s}[:{p}]}

See NETWORK SUB-COMMANDS section for complete list of commands to manage this property.

•

notes="INSERT FURTHER NOTES"

Used to further describe guests. Use double quotes when description contains spaces.

•

os=operating-system

Used to determine the properties to use for the grub.cfg and device.map files when the loader property is set to grub-bhyve.

Supported values are openbsd60, openbsd59, openbsd58, openbsd57, netbsd, debian, d8lvm, centos6, centos7, arch, gentoo, coreos, coreossecure, default, or custom. Any other values are invalid. default is the generic catch-all value.

When ´coreos´ is used, the flag ´coreos.autologin´ is used to bypass authentication for the console. When ´coreossecure´ is used, the console requires a username and password.

Using custom relies on the user to manually create the grub.cfg and device.map files in the guest directory /chyves/<pool>/guests/<guest>.

Example:

For an OpenBSD guest "obsd59" located in /chyves/kubota/obsd59/ and an install ISO in /chyves/dozer/ISO/install59.iso/, your files will look like this:

device.map file:

(hd0) /dev/zvol/kubota/chyves/obsd59/disk0
(cd0) /chyves/dozer/ISO/install59.iso/install59.iso
    

grub.cfg file for installation:

kopenbsd -h com0 (cd0)/5.9/amd64/bsd.rd
boot
    

grub.cfg file after installation is complete:

kopenbsd -h com0 -r sd0a (hd0,openbsd1)/bsd
boot
    

The chyves project welcomes any OS submissions to help other users from re-discovering leg work done by others.

•

pcidev_{n}={bhyve-pci-dev}

This is an advance feature and assumes you have read bhyve(8) AND understood it. This property does NOT have a complete input verification suite or complete host support verification.

This property attaches a bhyve PCI device to the guest. The ´{n}´ is completely arbitrary number and is only a matter of the order of attachment. ´{bhyve-pci-dev}´ is the bhyve PCI device to attach. See bhyve(8) for a complete list or below for common uses.

chyves attaches each custom PCI device alone on the PCI bus, except for pass-through devices.

To create a virtio RNG, the command would be

chyves <guest> set pcidev_0=virtio-rnd

To create a permanently attached optical media device using a chyves ISO resource where "cd.iso" is the ISO name, the command would be:

chyves <guest> set pcidev_1=ahci-cd,/chyves/<primary-pool>/ISO/cd.iso/cd.iso

To create a sparse 16G disk and attach, the commands would be:

truncate -s 16G /chyves/<pool>/guests/<guest>/01.img

chyves <guest> set pcidev_2=ahci-hd,/chyves/<pool>/guests/<guest>/01.img[,block-options]

Although not recommended, a tap interface can be manually attached using this command:

chyves <guest> set pcidev_3=virtio-net,tap10

...using Intel e1000 emulation (only 12-CURRENT hosts):

chyves <guest> set pcidev_5=e1000,tap10

...with an associated mac address:

chyves <guest> set pcidev_4=virtio-net,tap10,mac=58:9C:FC:00:00:00

PCI pass-through devices which share the same physical PCI slot number on the host also will share the same virtual physical slot number in the guest. This is due to the potential for kernel panics on certain devices such as Fiber Channel PCI cards. Keep in mind, only eight PCI functions can be assigned to a virtual physical slot in bhyve, additional devices are ignored. To set a PCI pass-through device use the follow commands, where ´6´ and ´7´ are arbitrary values and ´9/0/0´ and ´9/0/1´ is the PCI bus/slot/function device triplet.

chyves <guest> set pcidev_6=passthru,9/0/0

chyves <guest> set pcidev_7=passthru,9/0/1

To get the PCI triplet on the host, run:

root@bhost:~ # pciconf -lv | grep -A4 -E ´^ppt´
ppt0@pci0:9:0:0: class=0x0c0400 card=0x01461077 chip=0x24321077 rev=0x02 hdr=0x00
vendor     = ´QLogic Corp.´
device     = ´ISP2432-based 4Gb Fibre Channel to PCI Express HBA´
class      = serial bus
subclass   = Fibre Channel
ppt1@pci0:9:0:1: class=0x0c0400 card=0x01461077 chip=0x24321077 rev=0x02 hdr=0x00
vendor     = ´QLogic Corp.´
device     = ´ISP2432-based 4Gb Fibre Channel to PCI Express HBA´
class      = serial bus
subclass   = Fibre Channel
    

Normally the device in the example above would use the isp(4) drivers. However, the devices need to be using the ppt drivers. In this context, the ppt drivers tell the host to ignore the device as it will be pass-through to a virtualized guest. To get a PCI device to load the ppt drivers instead of it´s normal drivers, edit the /boot/loader.conf file to contain the PCI triplet of each device in the pptdevs directive. The following is consistent with our examples above:

pptdevs="9/0/0 9/0/1"
    

A reboot is necessary after editing the /boot/loader.conf.

The ´-S´ flag must be appended to the current ´bargs´ guest property to wire the guest memory for PCI pass-through to work.

To remove a pcidev_{n} from a guest run: chyves <guest>|MG|all unset <pcidev_{n}>.

VGA/GPU Passthrough has not been reported to work. chyves issue #3 on GitHub was opened to document success and failures of bhyve passthrough of VGA/GPU devices. Check there for the latest status.

•

ram={n}[S]

{n} is the number of bytes and [S] is the size denomination in "K" kilobytes, "M" megabytes, "G" gigabytes, or "T" terabytes. Megabytes are assumed if no suffix is given.

•

rcboot={n}

Any non-zero number tells chyves to start the guest upon host boot when the ´chyves_enable=YES´ directive is used in ´/etc/rc.conf´. The integer represents the boot priority where the highest numbered guest is started first. Using ´0´ disables starting on host boot. If multiple guest share the same priority number, then those guests are started alphabetically.

•

revert_to_snapshot=@snapshot-name

Describes the snapshot to revert to based on the handling method specified in ´revert_to_snapshot_method´. If this property is blank but a method is specified, then the latest snapshot is used.

•

revert_to_snapshot_method={both|off|reboot|start}

Prior to starting and/or rebooting, a guest can be reverted to a previous snapshot state. This is helpful for guests that get modified outside of specification such as frequently compromised web server or VDI instances. Setting to ´start´ only reverts the guest when starting the guest, ´reboot´ only on reboots, ´both´ for both starts and restarts, and ´off´ to disable this feature on the guest.

The snapshot rollback impacts the entire dataset including guest properties. The guest properties are reloaded after the rollback to ensure there is a consistent guest state. See the snapshot rollback command under the GUEST SNAPSHOT SUB-SUB-COMMANDS section for details on what actions are taken during a rollback.

•

serial=nmdm{n}

Attaches null modem console. {n} must be a unique number and can not be shared between started guests. A unique number is given on creation. Not recommended to be changed and can never be changed while guest is running.

•

tap{n}_mac={xx:xx:xx:yy:yy:yy}

Where {n} is the tap interface number to assign the specified MAC address to be attached to the network adapter inside the guest OS. The MAC address is an ASCII string in ethers(5) format.

Usage:

chyves <guest> set tap10_mac=58:9C:FC:00:00:00

•

template={yes|no}

When set to ´yes´ chyves will not start the guest. The guest´s datasets are set to readonly so no changes can be made until set back to ´no´.

•

uefi_console_output={vnc|serial}

When set to "serial", a UEFI guest will use the standard serial interface. Guests set to "vnc" will use a VNC connection on supported hosts. VNC output is experimental and introduced to bhyve in May 2016. VNC support requires at least 11-CURRENT (r300097) or later, a modified bhyve binary with graphics support, and the UEFI firmware "BHYVE_UEFI_20160526.fd".

•

uefi_firmware=firmware-resource-name

UEFI firmware bootrom file used to boot UEFI guests. These are available in Peter Grehan´s public FreeBSD file directory or sysutils/uefi-edk2-bhyve. The value must be the exact name as displayed in ´chyves list firmware´.

•

uefi_vnc_client={print|freerdp|custom}

This stores the preferred VNC client used to start a session with the guest properties pre-populated.

•

uefi_vnc_client_custom_cmd

This contains the command to start the VNC client when ´uefi_vnc_client´ is set to ´custom´.

•

uefi_vnc_ip=x.x.x.x

Specifies the IP for the host to bind-to for VNC connections for the guest. The default is "0.0.0.0" which binds to all IPs on the host.

•

uefi_vnc_mouse_type=ps2|usb3

This property is only used when the property "uefi_console_output" is set to "vnc". When set to "ps2" a PS/2 mouse is connected to the guest. When set "usb3" a USB 3.0 tablet is emulated which provides much better mouse performance but is only supported on newer guest OSes.

•

uefi_vnc_pause_until_client_connect={on|off}

When set to "on" the guest will wait to boot until a VNC client connects. This is helpful for installations requiring a key press within a short timing window.

•

uefi_vnc_port={n}

Specifies the port for the host to listen on for VNC connections for the guest. Valid values are from 1 to 65536.

•

uefi_vnc_res=widthxheight

Specifies the resolution the VNC client will connect with. The following resolutions are supported:

1920x1200

1920x1080

1600x1200

1600x900

1280x1024

1280x720

1024x768

800x600

640x480

•

uuid=uuid

Sets UUID for bhyve instance. Set by /bin/uuidgen at creation.

•

virtio_block_options_disk{n}=[nocache[,direct][,ro][,sectorsize=logical[/physical]]]

This is an advance feature and assumes you have read zfs(8) man page AND completely understood it. This property does NOT have a complete input verification suite.

This is a per disk setting used to append bhyve virtio-block options to a disk. While there is a very limited use case of these options, they can be utilized but it is not recommended. See bhyve(8) for what these options do.

Keep in mind that the logical sectorsize is already used by chyves and pulled from the zvol´s ´volblocksize´ ZFS property when the virtio_block_options is not set. When the property "virtio_block_options_disk{n}" exists, the sectorsize is no longer automatically populated to prevent collision.

To set this property for disk0 to have read only with a 512 sector size and a 4096 physical size:

chyves <guest> set virtio_block_options_disk0=ro,sectorsize=512/4096

Default Guest Properties

The some UEFI properties are not assigned until the ´loader´ value is set to ´uefi´. This is to prevent assigning properties to guests which can not utilize those features.

The UEFI VNC properties are not assigned until the ´uefi_console_output´ value is set to ´vnc´. This is to prevent unused VNC port numbers from being assigned to guests which can not utilize those features.

Usage:

chyves defaults set <property>=<value>

chyves list defaults

Defaults and initial values:

•

bargs

"-A -H -P" - default for guests running on FreeBSD less than 10.3.

"-A -H -P -S" - default for guests running on FreeBSD 10.3 or later.

• bhyve_net_type=virtio-net
• bridge=bridge0

Used to set the bridge to join tap interfaces to for new guests.

• cpu=1
• loader=bhyveload
• os=default
• ram=256M
• rcboot=0
• revert_to_snapshot=""
• revert_to_snapshot_method=off
• size=8G

Used during guest and disk creation when the size property is omitted. No longer a guest property. The ZFS property ´used´ is used to show the size in ´chyves info -z´.

• template=no
• uefi_console_output=serial
• uefi_firmware="-"
• uefi_vnc_client=print
• uefi_vnc_ip=0.0.0.0
• uefi_vnc_mouse_type=ps2
• uefi_vnc_pause_until_client_connect=no
• uefi_vnc_res=800x600

These default disk properties are direct ZFS values used when creating disks for the guest. These properties are not recommended to be changed, a person is liable to chainsaw a foot off and then massacre a nearby litter of kitten and or puppies in the process. Heed this warning! The value "inherit" will inherit the value set by the ZFS (*grand)parents. See zfs(8) on settable values but remember, think of the kittens and puppies. The initial default values are:

• disk_volmode=dev
• disk_volblocksize=512
• disk_dedup=inherit
• disk_compression=inherit
• disk_primarycache=inherit
• disk_secondarycache=inherit

VNC CLIENT SUPPORT

DATASET SUB-COMMANDS

•

install

chyves dataset <pool> install

Creates ZFS datasets and properties on the specified pool. The first pool is always setup as the primary pool. This is the first step to getting chyves running.

•

upgrade

chyves dataset <pool> upgrade

Upgrades dataset version from an old version to the newest version incrementally. This is done by adding, removing, and updating properties which are required by the latest version of chyves. It is recommended to upgrade the primary pool first in case their are new defaults, otherwise the ´chyves guest upgrade´ will need to be manually ran against the guests on secondary pools.

FIRMWARE SUB-COMMANDS

•

import

chyves firmware import {URL|<local-path-to-firmware>}

Imports a firmware resource into chyves. Either a local or remote source can be given. Remote sources can be from http or ftp sources.

•

rename

chyves firmware rename {firmware-name} <desired-name>

Rename an firmware resource.

•

delete

chyves firmware delete {firmware-name}

Delete an firmware resource.

•

list

chyve firmware list

List available firmware resources.

GUEST SUB-COMMANDS

•

clone

See GUEST CLONE SUB-SUB-COMMAND section below.

•

console

See GUEST CONSOLE SUB-SUB-COMMANDS section below.

•

create

chyves <guest> create [<size>] [<pool>]

Where guest is a uniquely identifying name used to reference the guest, optionally [size] is the size of the block device, and optionally [pool] is the pool to create the guest on in multi-pool configurations. If [size] is not supplied, then ´size´ in defaults is used. If [pool] is not supplied, then the primary pool is used. A tap interface is added and associated with the bridge set in defaults. Support for multi-guest.

•

delete

chyves <guest>|MG delete [force|keepnet]

Permanently delete a guest from the host. If the ´force´ keyword is used, then dependent clones are deleted as well. The ´keepnet´ keyword is used to keep the network associations, this is useful for clones that share the exact properties.

•

disk

See GUEST DISK SUB-SUB-COMMANDS section below.

•

get

chyves <guest> get {<property>|all}

Gets property for guests. See PROPERTIES section above for more detail. Use ´chyves list global´ or ´chyves list defaults´ for respective property types.

•

reclaim

chyves <guest>|MG reclaim

Reclaims a guest´s VMM resources. This does not delete a guest from the host, it destroys the guest´s VMM resources (bhyvectl vernacular).

•

rename

chyves <guest> rename <new-guest-name>

Renames the guest

•

set

chyves <guest>|MG|global|defaults set [<prop1>=<value>]...

Sets ZFS properties for guests. Using the guest name of ´defaults´ sets the default values for newly created guests. Using the guest name of ´global´ sets global properties.

•

snapshot

See GUEST SNAPSHOT SUB-SUB-COMMANDS section below.

•

start

chyves <guest>|MG start [<iso>]

Where iso is optionally the name of an ISO resource, this media is ejected after x amounts of boots as set by global or guest property ´eject_iso_on_n_reboot´. This command starts bhyveload, grub-bhyve, and UEFI guests.

For grub-bhyve guests if a ISO is supplied, it is assumed to be the installation ISO for whichever OS is set by the ´os´ property. This means the device.map and the grub.cfg files generated reflect booting from the installation CD. If a non-booting CD is needed to be attached to a guest using grub-bhyve, then manually adding a custom PCIDEV device is suggested. See the pcidev{n}_ property under Guest Properties section for instructions.

•

stop

chyves <guest>|MG stop [force]

Attempts to gracefully stop a guest. This is effectively like pressing the power button on a computer tower, this means the guest OS determines how to respond. Running ´poweroff´ (or the equivalent) will shutdown a guest and the VMM resources are reclaimed. Using the [force] option forces the guest to stop by running ´kill -9´ and then reclaiming the guest´s VMM resources. USE EXTREME CAUTION WITH ´force´ AND ONLY AS A LAST RESORT, THIS CAN CAUSE A CORRUPT OS.

•

upgrade

chyves <guest>|MG upgrade

Upgrades a guest to the latest chyves guest version. This add, removes, and modifies guest properties to be compatible with the the current version of chyves. See ´chyves_guest_version´ guest property for details.

•

unset

chyves <guest>|MG|all unset <property>

Only the following properties may be removed from guests:

• eject_iso_on_n_reboot
• pcidev_{n}
• virtio_block_options_disk{n}

GUEST CLONE SUB-SUB-COMMAND

This clones a guest, there are four cloning methods that chyves uses. The cloning method is determined by the clone flag after the clone name(s). The first letter of the flag indicates the clone´s dependency on the parent´s datasets, the second letter indicates whether new unique properties are created for the clone. If the cloning method flag is omitted, the default is used as defined in global property ´default_clone_flag´, this is initially set to ´-iu´ as it is the safest and more performant.

The [pool] property is used to clone the guest to a different pool than where the guest currently resides. This can only be done for independent clones.

Dataset dependency:

•

-c

Creates a ZFS clone of the guest´s disks. Initially the clone shares the same blocks as the parent and only a few KB are consumed to point the clone dataset to the parent´s dataset. This also means, the clones must be deleted before the parent guest is deleted. See ´chyves list clones´ to display the clone hierarchy. The [pool] property is ignored as the clone must reside on the same pool as it´s parent.

•

-i

Creates an independent clone which is not dependent on the parent´s datasets. Using the [pool] property will clone the guest to the specified pool, otherwise the guest´s pool is used.

Guest properties:

•

-e

Copies the guest properties exactly as the parent´s. This means the parent can not start while the clone is running, or vise-versa due to the overlapping serial and tap interfaces. Use the ´keepnet´ option when deleting these guests to prevent removing the network association.

•

-u

Sets new a unique: serial interface, a new tap is created for each interface of the parent under the same bridge, VALE interfaces are copied over and ports removed, a new unique port is used for uefi_vnc_port, and a new UUID is generated.

If the guest´s property ´template´ is set to ´yes´, then the property is temporarily set to ´no´ to create unique properties, then after cloning the guests and clones have their property ´template´ set to ´yes´.

GUEST CONSOLE SUB-SUB-COMMANDS

•

$null

chyves <guest> console

Establishes a serial connection to a guest using cu(1) via the nmdm(4) device as configure in the ´serial´ property. To escape the cu connection, press tilde (~) twice, then period (.), sometimes hitting ENTER before that sequence is required. If that fails to exit the console, try pressing tilde (~), then press Control + d (^d). If all else fails then use ´chyves guest console reset´.

•

reset

chyves <guest>|MG console reset

Resets the serial connection for a guest by using ´kill´ against the cu processes associated with the guest as set by the ´serial´ property.

•

tmux

chyves <guest>|MG console tmux

Creates a tmux session named chyves, then creates a window named after the guest, and then creates a vertically splits the window with two panes. The right pane is intended for guest management and the left pane contains the serial interface which is started with ´chyves guest console´. See TMUX SUPPORT section above.

•

vnc

chyves <guest>|MG console vnc

Requires a UEFI guest that is configured for VNC use on a host that supports UEFI graphics support. See UEFI SUPPORT above. Opens a X11 VNC client to the guest using the uefi_vnc_client_* global properties. See VNC CLIENT SUPPORT section above.

GUEST DISK SUB-SUB-COMMANDS

•

add

chyves <guest> disk add [<size>]

Adds a new disk to the guest. The [size] field is optional and will use the guest defaults when not specified.

•

description

chyves <guest> disk disk{n} description <description>

Sets a description property for a disk.

•

list

chyves <guest> disk list

Lists the disks attached to a guest and each size, description, and notes for each disk.

•

notes

chyves <guest> disk disk{n} notes <note>

Sets a notes property for a disk.

•

remove

chyves <guest> disk remove disk{n}

Removes a disk from the guest.

•

resize

chyves <guest> disk resize disk{n} <new-size>

Resizes a disk. THIS CAN BREAK THINGS ON THE GUEST IF THE SIZE IS REDUCED.

GUEST SNAPSHOT SUB-SUB-COMMANDS

•

$null

chyves <guest> snapshot [@snapshot]

Takes a snapshot of a guest and it´s child datasets. Auto generates a name when no name is given. Must start with an ´@´ sign. Appends ´-LIVE-SYSTEM´ to the snapshot name when the guest is running to both auto-generate and user supplied names.

•

delete

chyves <guest> delete [@snapshot]

chyves <guest> delete [@snapshot%[snapshot]]

Deletes a snapshot or a range of snapshots. Use the ´%´ symbol to indicate a range of snapshots to be deleted. If a second name is not specified then then all snapshots are deleted up to the specified snapshot name. If a first name is not specified, then the latest top level guest snapshot is destroyed. Before deletion the amount of of space that will be recovered is displayed.

•

rollback

chyves <guest> snapshot rollback [@snapshot]

Rolls back a guest and it´s datasets to a previous snapshot state including guest properties. When no name is given, the latest snapshot is the rollback point. If there are multiple snapshots in-between the given snapshot and current snapshot(s), those are displayed before deletion. A guest can not be rollback past a clone snapshot point until those clones are deleted.

When the ´network_design_mode´ is set to ´auto´ and there is a discrepancy in the network configuration, the conflicting tap interfaces are added and removed from host configuration. When a tap interface only exists on the current configuration, the tap is removed. When a tap interface only exists in the snapshot state, the tap is added. Added tap interfaces are joined to the default bridge device as the historic bridge associations are not tracked.

INFO COMMAND

• -z [size] Displays size, for guests this show what is being used by the dataset. For disks the size displays the volume size.
• -b [basic] CPU core count, and RAM allocation.
• -p [pool] Display the pool for the guest.
• -r [role] Display what role the pool is set to.
• -v [verbose] Display OS, loader, chyves guest version, net interfaces, and console port.
• -s [status] Display status of VMM , bhyve instance, and the rcboot value.
• -t [template] Displays if guest is a template.
• -c [clone] Displays clone relationship, if any.
• -u [uefi] Print UEFI console output type, firmware, VNC IP and port, mouse type, pause boot until VNC connect, and VNC resolution.`
• -d [description] Displays description property.
• -n [notes] Dispays notes property.
• -a [all] Display all fields above.
• -k [no-disks] Do not display guests´ disks.
• -h [help] Display this message.
• -w [truncate-to-width] Truncate output to the width of the terminal
• -l [less] Pipes the output to less.

ISO SUB-COMMANDS

•

import

chyves iso import {URL|<local-path-to-iso>}

Imports an ISO resource into chyves. Either a local or remote source can be give. Remote sources can be from http or ftp. The user is prompted for a file hash when a remote source is given. After the download completes the file hash is compared with what is actually hashed. MD5, SHA1, SHA256, and SHA512 are currently supported. If the hashes mis-match then the user is prompted to optionally delete the file. If no hash is supplied, the user is heckled.

Supplied ISO resources can be compressed with current support for files ending in .xz and .gz. Upon import these files are extracted.

•

rename

chyves iso rename {ISO-name} <desired-name>

Rename an ISO resource.

•

delete

chyves iso delete {ISO-name}

Delete an ISO resource.

•

list

chyves iso list

List available ISO resources.

LIST SUB-COMMANDS

•

$null

Lists properties about the guests and their disks. User configurable, uses same backend as chyves info and can be configured by setting ´default_info_flags´.

•

bridges

List bridges configured for with ´chyves network´ and the attached physical or vlan interfaces.

•

clones

List dependent clones in a hierarchical tree.

•

defaults

List default values newly created guests.

•

disks

List disks.

•

firmware

Lists the UEFI firmware resources.

•

global

Lists all the global properties for all the chyves pools.

•

global [<pool>|primary]

Lists all the global properties for a chyves pools. The word "primary" can be used instead of the primary pool´s name.

•

iso

Lists the ISO resources. More ISO resource commands under ISO SUB-COMMANDS section.

•

pools

Lists all the pools and their roles. Helpful when no guests have been created.

•

processes

Lists all the processes *hyve processes.

•

processes [<guest>]

Lists all the processes *hyve processes for a guest.

•

properties

List all properties on system.

•

<property>

List the property given for all the guests. See Guest Properties section above for a list

•

snapshots

Lists all of the top level snapshots for all the guests. Does not show snapshots of disks (they are there, though).

•

snapshots <guest>

Lists all of the snapshots for a guest. Does show snapshots of disks and other child datasets.

•

tap active

List all the tap interfaces from /dev/tap*

NETWORK SUB-COMMANDS

•

add

chyves network <guest> add {tap|tap{n}|vale{s}[:{p}]}

chyves network <guest> add {tap|tap{n}} bridge{n}

Used to add a tap or VALE interface to a guest, this also adds the tap interface to the default bridge as set in defaults. When the ´tap´ keyword is used, the next available tap interface is used. {n} is the tap number, {s} is the VALE switch number, and optionally {p} is the port on the VALE switch.

•

attach

chyves network bridge{n} attach iface{n}

Used to associate a vlan or physical interface with a bridge. Keep in mind that a physical or vlan interface can only be on one bridge group. See ifconfig(8) for details.

•

default

chyves network bridge{n} default

Used to set the default bridge to use for newly created guests.

•

join

chyves network bridge{n} join tap{n}

Used to add a tap to a bridge interface.

•

migrate

chyves network bridge{n} migrate bridge{n}

Used to migrate a set of interfaces from an existing to another bridge interface. If migrating to an existing bridge the external interface is overwritten with the interface from the bridge being migrated from and the tap interface lists are combined.

•

private

chyves network bridge{n} private

Used to set the bridge to private mode. This means there is not an external network connected. This can be useful when sensitive data is being exchanged over a network but not necessarily needing outside access such as a SQL database. This could also be used with NAT. However NAT support is not build into chyves.

•

remove

chyves network <guest> remove {tap{n}|vale{s}[:{p}]}

Used to remove a tap or vale interface from a guest, this also removes tap devices from the bridge configuration.

•

unjoin

chyves network bridge{n} remove tap{n}

Used to remove a tap from a bridge interface.