FreeBSD Guest Notes

Tweaks and tips for better performance with FreeBSD on KVM.

Note: This has been tested with FreeBSD 10.3 RELEASE (and patch levels). Some steps have been removed as they have been deprecated in newer FreeBSD versions.

Create VM

• Download the FreeBSD 10.3-RELEASE-amd64 DVD ISO (from here) and transfer it to your VM server.
• Create a new VM:
  • CPU: dual-socket and/or dual-core
  • RAM: 2GB (minimum)
  • Network: Virtio
  • Disk: 32GB (or higher), virtio, qcow2
  • Add FreeBSD 10.3-RELEASE-amd64 DVD ISO as an optical drive.

Install FreeBSD

• Power on the VM.
• It should boot to the FreeBSD 10.3-RELEASE-amd64 DVD ISO.
• System Components: Disable optional (games, etc).
• Disks: Automatic ZFS-On-Root Guided, use entire disk.
• Network: Use ipv4 only (unless you also use ipv6).
• Services: Add ntpd.
• This should leave you with FreeBSD 10.3-RELEASE installed on the primary drive.
• Shut down the VM after installation.
• Remove the ISO from the VM's optical drive (set to empty).
• Verify the VM's boot order is set to the primary hard disk first.

First Boot

• Power on the VM and log in.
• Set the time:

ntpdate -s pool.ntp.org

• Update the system:

freebsd-update fetch
freebsd-update install

• Reboot