Installing Windows Server 2008r2 in a Bhyve VM?

[Greg_E]

OK, so I'm just getting going on my FreeNAS 11 system, brand new SuperMicro Superserver with dual Xeon E5 2603v4 processors (12 cores) and 32GB of ram (for now) and a bunch of disks for a ZRaid pool. Are there any tips that can offer to help me get going? I did check the virtual machine capabilities with the following command:

Code:

grep VT-x /var/run/dmesg.boot 

and it returns the EPT and UG features so it looks like hardware wise I should be OK.

Got the two 1GB NIC's set up as LACP (for now, if it works will upgrade to 10GB NIC cards).

My goal is to replace a Windows file share, but I also need a Windows install to handle my McAfee ePO virus scanner for my network (it won't run on Linux or BSD).

I did read through this thread which offers some clues into what I may need to do:

https://forums.freenas.org/index.php?threads/windows-7-vm-fails-to-install-in-freenas-v-11.55426/

But are there other tips or guides that you can point me toward?

Thanks

 

[Greg_E]

reading around a bit and it looks like I may want to install the beta for FN11.1 as they are doing a bunch of work on Bhyve functions. I'll still probably try on FN 11u4 since I have it installed already, but won't spend much time on it if I run into problems.

 

[Greg_E]

Making very little progress with this, can't get or keep the VNC connected to do an install. Decided to load up a CentOS7 image and try that, it will boot and sort of connect the VNC, but only long enough to see the boot menu where it asks if you want to inspect the media. After that I get a recurring "trying to reconnect" message on the VNC screen. Tried with a VNC viewer from Chrome (never connects), then tried Real VNC and got the almost success.

Still not even sure that Windows is trying to load for the install, can't ever see anything with that VM.

OK, just checked again and all I get on the Windows VM after setting the Chrome app to fastest is the UEFI, trying to navigate that to see what I can find.

 

[Greg_E]

Copied all the EFI files from a 2016 iso but still no luck, has to be a bootloader issues in Imgburn. The 2016 iso comes right up in the VM just like it is supposed to work.

Also tried the Microsoft alternative EFI files, still no luck but haven't given up yet.

I'd try the compatibility mode, but you don't get VNC with that mode so you can't see what's going on.

 

[Greg_E]

Talking to myself... Switched to a more powerful laptop and a better network connection... Now I can get VNC running more reliably and can boot the stock Win 2008r2 iso. With the NIC set to virtio I can get the os to go through the install process, but eventually it fails (after a couple of reboots) with the common error of Windows can not be installed on this machine. So I think, fine, I'll flip the disk over to virtio as well. Mount a second CDROM with one of the virtio iso's and just load a driver and start again... Windows installer says that it can't find any signed drivers to install to allow me to see the disk.

Uggg!

Also the Real VNC (installer version or Chrome Extension) does not give me a mouse. The pointer is present but it will not move.

 

[Rilo Ravestein]

can't get or keep the VNC connected to do an install.

Set the VNC connection quality setting to highest (2nd tab)

Also Real VNC does not give me a mouse. The pointer is present but it will not move.

You can move your mouse by left-click hold and move (so dragging the mouse). It's a pain, but it works.

 

[Greg_E]

Any tips on getting 2008r2 working with UEFI? Not having any luck at all. All the custom ISO guides I find leave me with an ISO that won't boot in EFI mode. Going to try one more experiment but I doubt it will work any better.

Wish VNC worked with the compatibility mode in the VM, might be able to get somewhere with that if I could see it.

 

[Rilo Ravestein]

Any tips on getting 2008r2 working with UEFI?

Unfortunately not.

Wish VNC worked with the compatibility mode in the VM, might be able to get somewhere with that if I could see it.

Maybe you can try another VNC client, see if it works better. Maybe TightVNC.