Bhyve Windows Server 1709

[kevanbrown]

I have a virtual machine with two CD-ROMs attached; one for the OS and one for the Bhyve drivers. When booting the VM, it drops into the UEFI shell. This is where I need assistance as the help command doesn't seem to support any pagination.

Does anyone know how to:
1) Run a command to tell the UEFI shell to boot from the first CD-ROM?
2) Paginate the output of the help command?

Thanks!

[UPDATE]
So it seems like an issue with reconfiguring a VM after it has been created. If I destroy the VM that I added the second CD-ROM to, and then recreate it with both CD-ROMs before booting it the first time, the UEFI loader actually boots from the first CD-ROM as expected.

[UPDATE 2]
Ha, well never mind. I'm trying to install Windows Server 1709 and as soon as I select the viostor driver from the second CD-ROM, and then the virtual disk for installation, the VM crashes. I found the same reported in this post back from 2016: https://forums.freenas.org/index.php?threads/windows-server-vm-virtio-drivers.47027/. Too bad we're in 2018 now and the issue still hasn't been resolved. Back to the old E1000 and AHCI options (which the docs say are less performing, but I suppose that doesn't matter when they don't work at all).

[UPDATE 3]
So AHCI works fine for the storage, however the Windows Server 1709 VM kept freezing after a while. Found the following bug report which said that there is something wrong with the E1000 network driver: https://redmine.ixsystems.com/issues/24350. Switched to the VirtIO driver for the network (using driver version 100.74.104.14100 (virtio-win-0.1.141.iso)) and haven't seen the VM freeze once since. Also performance seems much better using the VirtIO driver for the networking.

 

[Tsaukpaetra]

Don't use the storage drivers for virtio on windows, the network virtio is fine though. Bug being tracked here: https://redmine.ixsystems.com/issues/23457
It's a bhyve issue itself and waiting for a fix upstream.

 

[soulburn]

Don't use the storage drivers for virtio on windows, the network virtio is fine though. Bug being tracked here: https://redmine.ixsystems.com/issues/23457
It's a bhyve issue itself and waiting for a fix upstream.

Looks like this is still an issue because I just tried to install Windows Server 2019 VM in FreeNAS 11.2-U3 and it crashes when I try to load the VirtIO drives for storage to get the hard disk to show up.

 

[Tsaukpaetra]

Looks like this is still an issue

Yes, the bhyve team have not yet had time to resolve issues stemming from how the disk information is presented and how the VirtIO drivers end up interpreting it in Windows.

Soon as someone figures out a good solution it will be posted here I think.

 

[ChrisChros]

Hi, has something changed since 11.3 RC1 is released with problem of VirtIO Disk Driver and Windows or is it still not solved. Can't find no newer informations about this problem.

 

[Tsaukpaetra]

A great question! Since I've been on the 11.3 nightlies for... a while, I can say it's been working since July, so in theory it should be in the RC.

Easiest way to test it is to create a VM with the Windows 10 (or Server 2016/2019) installer ISO, the VirtIO driver ISO, VNC display, and a disk of any size in VirtIO mode. Then, start it, and proceed through the wizard until you get to the Disk selection (it should be empty). Click the "Load driver" button, Browse, select the folder \viostor\w10\amd64\, hit OK, click Next, and in theory the hard drive should thence appear in the disks window.

If it immediately crashes the VM when you click next, it's still not working, but if not it should work now.

 

[ChrisChros]

@Tsaukpaetra
Your instruction in the following post helps me to change from AHCI to VirtIO.
Thanks

Windows VM For Small Business?

I do all the IT work for a small business & will be building them a new server very soon. My plan has been to run FreeNAS for backups of all PC's in the office and other general file storage & have a Windows VM installed. Some of the software they use (accounting & estimates) requires a Windows...

www.ixsystems.com

 

[Tsaukpaetra]

:D