Adding and Managing VM Devices

Using the Create Virtual Machine wizard configures at least one disk and NIC, and optionally a CD-ROM and display as part of the process, but you can add more devices to suit your use case. Go to Virtual Machines, then click anywhere on a VM entry to expand it and show the options for the VM.

The VM options change when the VM is running.

Click device_hub Devices to open the Devices screen for that VM. Click the more_vert icon at the right of each listed device to see device options.

The devices for the VM display as a list.

Device notes:

• A virtual machine attempts to boot from devices according to the Device Order, starting with 1000, then ascending.
• A CD-ROM device allows booting a VM from a CD-ROM image like an installation CD. The CD image must be available in the system storage.
• A Display device provides remote clients with a way to connect to VM display sessions.

Before adding, editing, or deleting a VM device, stop the VM if it is running. Click the Running toggle to stop or restart a VM, or use the Stop and Restart buttons on the expanded VM screen.

Expand the VM, then click on Devices to open the Devices Screen. Click Add to create a new device, or click on the more_vert at the right of each device row to edit or delete a device for the selected VM.

Click on the more_vert at the right of the device row, then click on Edit to open the Edit Device screen. The screen settings change based on the device type selected. For example, if you edit a disk (example provided below), you can change the type of virtual hard disk, the storage volume to use, or change the boot order for the device.

With the VM stopped, and the Edit option selected for a device. We show the procedure below using a disk device. Steps below are optional. Change them based on your use case.

1. (Optional) Select a new path to the zvol created when setting up the VM on the Zvol dropdown list.
2. (Optional) Select the type of hard disk emulation from the Mode dropdown list. Select AHCI for better software compatibility, or select VirtIO for better performance if the guest OS installed in the VM has support for VirtIO disk devices.
3. (Optional) Specify the disk sector size in bytes in Disk Sector Size. Leave set to Default or select either 512 or 4096 byte values from the dropdown list. If set to Default, the sector size uses the ZFS volume values.
4. (Optional) Enter a number that reflects the boot order or priority level in Device Order to move this device up or down in the sequence. The lower the number, the higher the priority in the boot sequence.
5. Click Save.
6. Click on the Virtual Machines breadcrumb at the top of the screen, and restart the VM.

Deleting a device removes it from the list of available devices for the selected VM.

To delete a device:

1. Stop the VM if it is running, then click Devices to open the Devices screen showing the devices for the selected VM.

2. Click Edit on the more_vert icon dropdown list to the right of the device to open the Edit Device screen for that display device. The dialog shows the name or identifier for the selected device. The example below shows * undefined 8* as the name.

   

3. Select Force Delete to force the system to delete the device (example device is a CD-ROM). When deleting a disk, it forces the system to delete the zvol even if other devices or services are using it or are affiliated with the zvol device.

4. Click Delete Device.

Changing the device order moves the device up or down in the boot order when the VM or system is restarted. A VM attempts to boot from devices according to the Device Order, starting with 1000, then ascending.

After stopping the VM and clicking Devices to open the Devices screen:

1. Click on the more_vert at the right of the device row, then click on Edit to open the Edit Device screen.
2. Enter a new number that represents where in the boot sequence you want to place this device in Device Order. The lower the number, the higher the device is in the boot sequence.
3. Click Save.
4. Click on the Virtual Machines breadcrumb at the top of the screen, and restart the VM.>}}

After stopping the VM and clicking Devices to open the Devices screen:

1. Click Add and select CD-ROM on the Device Type dropdown list.

   

2. Enter or browse to select the mount path to the CD-ROM device. Click on the to the left of /mnt to expand or collapse the directory tree.

3. Enter a new number that represents where in the boot sequence you want to place this device in Device Order.

4. Enter a new number that represents where in the boot sequence you want to place this device in Device Order. The lower the number, the higher the device is in the boot sequence.

5. Click Save.

6. Click on the Virtual Machines breadcrumb at the top of the screen, and restart the VM.

After stopping the VM and clicking Devices to open the Devices screen:

1. Click Add to open the Add Device screen.

2. Select NIC on the Device Type dropdown list to show the network interface card settings.

   

3. Select the adapter type from the Adapter Type dropdown list. Choose Intel e82585 (e1000) for maximum compatibility with most operating systems. If the guest OS supports VirtIO paravirtualized network drivers, choose VirtIO for better performance.

4. Click Generate to have TrueNAS populate MAC Address with a new random MAC address to replace the default random address, or enter your own custom address.

5. Select a physical interface on your TrueNAS system from the NIC To Attach dropdown list.

6. (Optional) Select Trust Guest Filters to allow the virtual server to change its MAC address and join multicast groups. This is required for the IPv6 Neighbor Discovery Protocol (NDP).

   Setting this attribute has security risks because it allows the virtual server to change its MAC address and receive all frames delivered to this address. Determine your network setup needs before setting this attribute.

7. Click Save.

8. Click on the Virtual Machines breadcrumb at the top of the screen, and restart the VM.

After stopping the VM and clicking Devices to open the Devices screen:

1. Click Add and select Disk from the Device Type dropdown list.

   

2. Select the path to the zvol created when setting up the VM on the Zvol dropdown list.

3. Select the hard disk emulation type from the Mode dropdown list. Select AHCI for better software compatibility, or VirtIO for better performance if the guest OS installed in the VM supports VirtIO disk devices.

4. Select the sector size in bytes in Disk Sector Size. Leave set to Default or select either 512 or 4096 from the dropdown list. Default uses the ZFS volume values.

5. Enter a new number that represents where in the boot sequence you want to place this device in Device Order. The lower the number, the higher the device is in the boot sequence.

6. Click Save.

7. Click on the Virtual Machines breadcrumb at the top of the screen, and restart the VM.

Depending upon the type of device installed in your system, you might see a warning: PCI device does not have a reset mechanism defined. You may experience inconsistent or degraded behavior when starting or stopping the VM. Determine if you want to proceed with this action in such an instance.

After stopping the VM and clicking Devices to open the Devices screen:

1. Click Add and select PCI Passthrough Device from the Device Type dropdown list.

2. Enter a value in PCI Passthrough Device using the format of bus#/slot#/fcn#.

   

3. Enter a new number that represents where in the boot sequence you want to place this device in Device Order. The lower the number, the higher the device is in the boot sequence.

4. Click Save.

5. Click on the Virtual Machines breadcrumb at the top of the screen, and restart the VM.

After stopping the VM and clicking Devices to open the Devices screen:

1. Click Add and select USB Passthrough Device from the Device Type dropdown list to configure the USB passthrough device.

   

2. Select the Controller Type from the dropdown list.

3. Select the hub controller type from the Device dropdown list. If the type is not listed, select Specify custom, then enter the Vendor ID and Product ID.

4. Enter a new number that represents where in the boot sequence you want to place this device in Device Order. The lower the number, the higher the device is in the boot sequence.

5. Click Save.

6. Click on the Virtual Machines breadcrumb at the top of the screen, and restart the VM.

Display devices have a 60-second inactivity timeout. If the VM display session appears unresponsive, try refreshing the browser tab.

After stopping the VM and clicking Devices to open the Devices screen:

1. Click Add and select Display from the Device Type dropdown list to configure a new display device.

   

2. Select the Display Device option from the dropdown list. TrueNAS allows a VM to have two different display devices, a VNC display device added through the VM creation wizard if the Enable Display (VNC) option is selected, and a second SPICE display device added to the VM using the Add Device screen with Device Type set to display.

   If you created the VM without the display, the Display Type dropdown list shows the VNC and SPICE options. Select the display type on the dropdown list. (VNC is recommended). To add a second display device, repeat this procedure and select SPICE (the only option for the second display device).

3. Enter a fixed port number in Port. To allow TrueNAS to assign the port after restarting the VM, set the value to zero (leave the field empty).

4. Specify the display session settings: a. Select the screen resolution to use for the display from the Resolution dropdown. b. Select an IP address for the display device to use in Bind. The default is 0.0.0.0. c. Enter a unique password for the display device to securely access the VM.

5. Select Web Interface to allow access to the VNC web interface.

6. Click Save.

7. Click on the Virtual Machines breadcrumb at the top of the screen, and restart the VM.