bhyve / virtual machines over network including USB-redirect

[traeumerle]

Hallo everyone,

first of: At the moment I don't have a Truenas running but had a Freenas-System a couple of weeks some years ago but my hardware was not ideal (some sort of Mini-PC and I wanted to add storage via USB3).

Now I have some spare-Metal around (Core i7-4790, 16GB of RAM) I want to use as a family-storage. The only thing that I want archive and cannot find in any documentation:

The PC was running a Manjaro-Linux as a Desktop. As I sometime need to run a Windows10 there is an Installation of Windows10 in a kvm-based VM. I can control and use this VM using Virt-Manager on my current Desktop or Laptop and redirect USB-Devices (As a USB-Headset or my camera for Firmware-Updates) from my Desktop to the VM over the network.

Is it possible to archive this using TrueNAS Core and bhyve?

 

[Patrick M. Hausen]

Running a Windows 10 VM? Of course.
Redirecting USB devices? That depends.

I recommend using RDP, so your redirection options are limited to what the Microsoft RDP client can do. Storage & printer definitely work. The options for camera and microphone are greyed out on my desktop system, but I don't know if that is because I use a Mac or if there's something missing in the VM ...

HTH,
Patrick

 

[traeumerle]

OK, but that would be a solution in the guest-OS not in the virtualisation like when using Virt-Manager + libvirt + spice. Maybe another approach.

So I could migrate my current VM to my Desktop-PC (for having a fallback-solution), install / try TrueNAS Core, Migrate / Install Win 10 in a bhyve - VM, try the RDP-approach and/or if there is something similar to the USB-Redirect in libvirt and if everything fails use the fallback-VM and/or try proxmox ;)

 

[kaulex]

Running a Windows 10 VM? Of course.
Redirecting USB devices? That depends.

I recommend using RDP, so your redirection options are limited to what the Microsoft RDP client can do. Storage & printer definitely work. The options for camera and microphone are greyed out on my desktop system, but I don't know if that is because I use a Mac or if there's something missing in the VM ...

HTH,
Patrick

Still encountering issues with using mic/headset on Mac via RDP?

There are setting to me made both on the RDP client (Mac) as well as the RDP host (Win 10) for it to work. Here is one of the results via google search, which gives some instructions:

How to enable microphone on Remote Desktop

Use the local microphone on Remote Desktop remotely. Know how? Learn, How to enable the microphone on Remote Desktop.

howto.hyonix.com

Let me know, if it helps / works.

 

[kaulex]

OK, but that would be a solution in the guest-OS not in the virtualisation like when using Virt-Manager + libvirt + spice. Maybe another approach.

So I could migrate my current VM to my Desktop-PC (for having a fallback-solution), install / try TrueNAS Core, Migrate / Install Win 10 in a bhyve - VM, try the RDP-approach and/or if there is something similar to the USB-Redirect in libvirt and if everything fails use the fallback-VM and/or try proxmox ;)

I have currently decided against proxmox,as proxmox seems to me a hypervisor running on ZFS, while TrueNAS is a file /storage server based on ZFS with option to additionally run virtualized applications on top.

For my use case, TrueNAS has the better usability and more intuitive user interface and management experience evolving around ZFS pool handling with a bit of VM management on top. Up to now, I can run
- Debian (2GB),
- Win 10 (8-6 GB),
- Win 11 (6-8 GB)
in separate VMs or all together in parallel (my system has 32 GB of ECC RAM). The VM users (me and other family members) can connect to multiple VMs at the same time, if they want, even from the same desktop computer.

So all in all, it works for my use case.