VNC Resolutions greater than 800x600 on VMs

[Kevo]

Is there a way to get higher resolutions working with VMs?

I have been testing with a minimal install of Debian 9 and the default 1024x768 resolution doesn't display properly. Nothing I tried higher works either. So far I have been using 800x600 successfully, but it's not really enough for a typical desktop install. 1024x768 is usually my minimum for anything with a graphical desktop. 800x600 is fine for a minimal server setup for now, and that seems to be working well so far.

 

[scrappy]

What are your system specs? FreeNAS version? (see forum guidelines)

I seem to recall something being said about this issue being fixed in newer versions of FreeNAS.

 

[Kevo]

I am running FreeNAS under ProxMox on a Ryzen 2600. I'm running the latest 11.2-U2.1. I've been running this setup since 11.1U4 IIRC. Never had any problems with it other than some update bugs. This is the first time I'm attempting to run a VM in FreeNAS. For the most part it seems fine, just this inconvenient resolution issue so far.

 

[scrappy]

Just booted up and installed a Debian VM on my FreeNAS server. Everything functions properly. Even tried two different VNC resolutions to be sure. I wonder if it has anything to do with your particular hardware setup? I know there have been more issues running Bhyve virtualization on AMD CPUs.

 

[KrisBee]

These problems are not limited to AMD, they've have been around a long time in FreeNAS due to the VNC implementation. To be free of screen res and non-us keyboard mangling post-install, use ssh for server VMs and install a vncserver or x11vnc on linux graphical installs.

But is there a particular reason for running a a guest linux vm inside a FreeNAS VM running on proxmox, apart for test purposes? What's wrong with linux VM + qemu-vdagent + spice?

 

[Kevo]

It's just for test purposes. I'm testing before depolying a VM on a freenas box that runs bare metal.

 

[artlessknave]

it's possible that your resolution is being limited by something in your nested chain of nested VM's

 

[Kevo]

it's possible that your resolution is being limited by something in your nested chain of nested VM's

How so? I've nested VMs on other platforms before and I can't recall ever having any issues with the display on those nested VMs.

 

[artlessknave]

you are basically running a hack on top of a hack on top of virtualization....it's a miracle it works at all. unsupported configurations are unsupported for a reason; trying to fix them takes a ton of time that volunteers don't want to waste, and corporations don't want to waste their money on. if everything else is working correctly, install freenas on actual hardware and see if you still have the reduced resolution, if so that would be a bug that you can submit, and that someone will help you fix.

not only do you not give your hardware, you also don't seem to give your freenas version. these are critical to diagnostics. if a bug was fixed in the version after what you are using then any troublshooting would be a literal waste of everybodys time for no reason, since you should be updating first.

 

[Kevo]

you are basically running a hack on top of a hack on top of virtualization....it's a miracle it works at all. unsupported configurations are unsupported for a reason; trying to fix them takes a ton of time that volunteers don't want to waste, and corporations don't want to waste their money on. if everything else is working correctly, install freenas on actual hardware and see if you still have the reduced resolution, if so that would be a bug that you can submit, and that someone will help you fix.

not only do you not give your hardware, you also don't seem to give your freenas version. these are critical to diagnostics. if a bug was fixed in the version after what you are using then any troublshooting would be a literal waste of everybodys time for no reason, since you should be updating first.

I thought you had a theory about how the nested VMs might be causing the resolution issue. Apparently that wasn't the case.

Also I did give info on my hardware and FreeNAS version.

I simply asked a questions about what I was observing. One user said they tried it and it worked, and another said the issue has been around for a long time and suggested a workaround. Both helpful.

If you do have something helpful to add, please do so.

 

[KrisBee]

The problem seems to lie in the FreeNAS/FreeBSD libvncserver. For the keyboard mangling see this issue first raised over two years ago: https://redmine.ixsystems.com/issues/24450 AFAIK it's never been resolved and I can reproduce the problem right now in the latest FN11.2-U3. Not fix on offer apart from using US keyboard!

For screen res problems there is the kind of thing described here: https://www.ixsystems.com/community...ooting-with-cd-cant-boot-with-raw-disk.60829/ or here https://www.ixsystems.com/community/threads/freenas-11-debian-9-vm-installation-gui-issue.61516/ This has been around ever since web VNC device was first introduced in FreeNAS.

 

[artlessknave]

Also I did give info on my hardware and FreeNAS version.

sorry, I see that that is there, so that was my mistake missing that.

my theory is that eliminating the questionable reliability of the nested VM's is the first troubleshooting step, if you do not wish to that's your choice, but YMMV.

 

[Kevo]

The problem seems to lie in the FreeNAS/FreeBSD libvncserver. For the keyboard mangling see this issue first raised over two years ago: https://redmine.ixsystems.com/issues/24450 AFAIK it's never been resolved and I can reproduce the problem right now in the latest FN11.2-U3. Not fix on offer apart from using US keyboard!

For screen res problems there is the kind of thing described here: https://www.ixsystems.com/community...oting-with-cd-can't-boot-with-raw-disk.60829/ or here https://www.ixsystems.com/community/threads/freenas-11-debian-9-vm-installation-gui-issue.61516/ This has been around ever since web VNC device was first introduced in FreeNAS.

Yes, those threads describe the same issue I have. Hopefully there will be a patch at some point. For now I will just stick to ssh. At least for the particular use case I have now, the graphical issue isn't a real problem as I can stick to ssh for pretty much everything I need to do.