can't add more than CPU to VM

[digity]

In FreeNAS 11 (Release) I get the error message "Only one Virtual CPU is allowed in this system" when entering 2 or more for the Virtual CPU amount during VM creation. Any idea why I get this error and how do I fix it so I can add multiple vCPUs?

P.S. - I'm running single XEON X5550 (4 cores/8 threads) with 24 GB of DDR3 RAM and VT enabled in BIOS.

 

[SweetAndLow]

In FreeNAS 11 (Release) I get the error message "Only one Virtual CPU is allowed in this system" when entering 2 or more for the Virtual CPU amount during VM creation. Any idea why I get this error and how do I fix it so I can add multiple vCPUs?

P.S. - I'm running single XEON X5550 (4 cores/8 threads) with 24 GB of DDR3 RAM and VT enabled in BIOS.

Thanks for posting hardware info it makes answering your question easy.

Basically that cpu(Nehalem) does not have unrestricted guest (UG) support. Ug is what allows you to use more than 1 CPU core in a vm. If you had the next version newer, Westmere, then you could have multiple CPU core in your VM.

Not the answer you wanted to hear but that's how it works.

https://forums.freebsd.org/threads/58539/

 

[digity]

ahhh, I think I ran into this issue already and you already clarified this, LOL. I need X5650, Sandy Bridge generation or better CPU, correct?

wait... actually, I'm running this same CPU (X5550) in my ESXi server and the VMs use more than 1 core (typically 2 x vCPUs with 2 or 4 vcores each). Is this is bhyve/iohyve, FreeNAS, FreeBSD or UNIX limitation (the 1 core limit with this generation processor)?

 

[Stux]

You only need Westmere or better. Westmere should be compatible with your current system, and they are quite cheap on eBay these days.

http://ark.intel.com/products/codename/63616/Westmere-EP

I use a pair of X5680s myself (not for FreeNAS), nice upgrade over the original X5550. Basically 50% more cores and 50% faster ;)

 

[digity]

You only need Westmere or better. Westmere should be compatible with your current system, and they are quite cheap on eBay these days.

http://ark.intel.com/products/codename/63616/Westmere-EP

I use a pair of X5680s myself (not for FreeNAS), nice upgrade over the original X5550. Basically 50% more cores and 50% faster ;)

Ya, I thought about it, but it looks like this era of CPU and their mobos don't support UEFI which is needed for VNC/GUI support with VMs (i.e., for OSes with GUI installers). I can't even get VMs to boot with this system. I think I'll give up on this build soon and hopefully a Sandy Bridge or better setup will fall in my lap.

 

[Stux]

Okay, but afaik, the systems BIOS maked no difference to the VM manager

 

[SweetAndLow]

ahhh, I think I ran into this issue already and you already clarified this, LOL. I need X5650, Sandy Bridge generation or better CPU, correct?

wait... actually, I'm running this same CPU (X5550) in my ESXi server and the VMs use more than 1 core (typically 2 x vCPUs with 2 or 4 vcores each). Is this is bhyve/iohyve, FreeNAS, FreeBSD or UNIX limitation (the 1 core limit with this generation processor)?

It's a bhyve thing.

VMware has had way more time to mature and it's backed by a huge company so they have figured out ways around these things over the years. They use emulation of different things to make it work. And actually bhyve has only been around for a couple years so it's actually impressive they bothered to make it work on stuff as old as they did.

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

 

[digity]

Okay, but afaik, the systems BIOS maked no difference to the VM manager

So far in want I'm experiencing it looks like it does make a difference. I'm running FN11 on BIOS/legacy only server mobo with XEON X5550 CPU and VMs stops immediately after starting and can't VNC in. I'm testing FN11 on a UEFI consumer mobo with i3 2100 series CPU and VMs starts, runs and I can VNC in no problem. It looks like bhyve utilizes the framebuffer feature in UEFI to deliver VNC/graphical console support.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

 

[digity]

It's a bhyve thing.

VMware has had way more time to mature and it's backed by a huge company so they have figured out ways around these things over the years. They use emulation of different things to make it work. And actually bhyve has only been around for a couple years so it's actually impressive they bothered to make it work on stuff as old as they did.

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

Thanks. So can someone else with a BIOS only/non-UEFI mobo verify that VMs either don't start in FreeNAS 11 or if they do start, that you can't VNC in? I'd like to make sure it's not just my hardware (Supermicro X8DTL-i rev. 2.01 mobo with 1 x XEON X5550 CPU).

 

[SweetAndLow]

Thanks. So can someone else with a BIOS only/non-UEFI mobo verify that VMs either don't start in FreeNAS 11 or if they do start, that you can't VNC in? I'd like to make sure it's not just my hardware (Supermicro X8DTL-i rev. 2.01 mobo with 1 x XEON X5550 CPU).

I know in the rc releases I could start vms when freenas was installed in bios/legacy mode. And vnc worked just fine. I don't really understand why your motherboard would affect a vm starting or not.

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

 

[digity]

SOLVED!!! As suggested by @Stux, I bought a XEON X5650 (Westmere, $20) and swapped out my X5550 (Nehalem) and I'm now able to give VMs more than 1 virtual CPU.

Also, my theory was wrong and @SweetAndLow was right; a UEFI mobo is not required for VNC/graphical capabilities on a FreeNAS VM. My mobo is BIOS only, the new CPU has the UG (unrestricted guest mode) instruction set, the VMs are configured with the UEFI boot method and my VMs boot, stay running and I can VNC in with no problem (actually until FreeNAS runs low on memory, than the VMs crash). Though, it does appear, from my testing at least, that a CPU with UG is required for VMs to even run properly (I tested this on two different machines without a UG CPU and VMs stop running immediately after).

So, as long as your CPU supports POPCNT, EPT and UG you should have full VM capabilities in FreeNAS (and essentially bhyve). That means a Westmere Intel CPU or higher/newer (not sure what the AMD equivalent is). This means the bare minimum is a XEON 5600 series (E, L and X, I believe) or Core i7 970, 980, 980X or 990X CPU (NOTE: the 975 is NOT Westmere).


I apologize for the lengthy post, but I've ran into a lack of concrete/verified information while trying to make this project happen and it added a lot of confusion, a lot of frustration and way more time than it should have. Hopefully this info helps others who've been and will also search endlessly for confirmation on Nehalem and Westmere setups. Good luck!

 

[fNasNoob]

removed

 

[SweetAndLow]

Hello All,

I am currently experiencing a similar issue. However, I am using Hyper V Server 2016 (Standalone) as my HyperVisor. Whenever I add more than one processor, FreeNAS starts to boot but midway through the boot it starts this boot-loop where it shows what looks like Stack traces, it get stuck here and does not boot any further(See Image 1 & 2). I have tried several configurations, but the only way that FreeNAS is able to boot is with one processor only.

My Hardware Configuration:

Processor: Intel Dual Xeon E5-2670 --> Intel Specs
Motherboard: Intel S2600CP2J Motherboard --> Intel
Ram: 128 GB PC3

FreeNAS Version: FreeNAS-11.0-U4

Image 1: Before the BootLoop starts
Image 2: During BootLoop (several variations of this screen flash by)

This question is different than yours. The original question was about vm's running on freenas in bhyve. This question is about hyperv running freenas. Might want to make your own thread.