Does FreeBSD make you happy? Explain why

[Machiaveli]

For all of the reasons well explained by most if not all by others in this thread!
Predictable, reliable, stable, easy to manage.

To summarize: give me peace of mind since more than 20 years now, both professionally and personally.

 

[AlfredoLlaquet]

This has to be constabumped to the top for some major well-deserved nonstop Lovefest times.

 

[skhal]

Run any OS or app in a virtual environment (hypervisor or jail) and retain intellectual control over the hosting environment. The mix of virtualization and ZFS plays really well - it gives full freedom to do anything without fear of breaking the world.

 

[DerTeufel]

I like the stability and the "no-nonsense" concept of it. I use it on a server. The documentation is much better and more structured, as there are not so many ways how configuration can be handled.

 

[yjqg6666]

So far, the only thing that bothers me is how Windows 11 guest operates under BHYVE.

Try vm-bhyve.

 

[Andrey Lanin]

Try vm-bhyve.

vm-bhyve adds nothing to bhyve (I think).

 

[vermaden]

vm-bhyve adds nothing to bhyve (I think).

Here you have both Windows 10 and Windows 11 covered for Bhyve:

- https://vermaden.wordpress.com/2023/08/18/freebsd-bhyve-virtualization/

 

[Andrey Lanin]

Here you have both Windows 10 and Windows 11 covered for Bhyve:

- https://vermaden.wordpress.com/2023/08/18/freebsd-bhyve-virtualization/

Thanks, I've already read this (I always read your articles!). But as for bhyve, I don't need these advanced virtual machine management features yet. My problem is described here:

D

bhyve Thread 'Bhyve: Update to win11 24H2 guest causes large increase in CPU and VCSW.'

May 13, 2025

I have been running quite a few windows 11 virtual machines on a couple of servers using BHYVE and 14.2-RELEASE.
Upon upgrading win11 to 24H2 the host cpu usage at idle (4 cpu guest) has increase from ~2% to %20 of a CPU (based on top). This has happened on both
intel and AMD CPUs. The other item of note is that the number of voluntary context switches for the BHYVE process has increased from approx 330/sec to 12000/sec.
As part of testing, I have created a fresh windows install (win11 21H2), then updated to 23H2, then 24H2. There was a slight jump to 23H2, but the huge jump was upon...

• Duncan

• 

And a reasonable explanation of the problem is here:

bhyve Post in thread 'Idle Windows 11 bhyve guests high CPU usage'

Nov 24, 2025

One has to wonder if Windows 11 uses the hlt instruction less.

The other issue I notice with VMs running on Intel hypervisors (ESXi [VMware], VirtualBox, bhyve that I'm familiar with) is that VMs spend a lot of their time in the host's kernel mode. Unlike IBM's zVM which the guest O/S spends the majority of its time in user mode. This is a failing of the underlying hardware architecture -- read the paper by Popek and Goldberg about hardware requirements for virtualization.

Unlike the IBM mainframe's instruction set which userspace does not affect CPU state, on Intel machines it does, which is...

• cy@

• 
• 

 

[vermaden]

Thanks, I've already read this (I always read your articles!). But as for bhyve, I don't need these advanced virtual machine management features yet. My problem is described here:

D

bhyve Thread 'Bhyve: Update to win11 24H2 guest causes large increase in CPU and VCSW.'

May 13, 2025

I have been running quite a few windows 11 virtual machines on a couple of servers using BHYVE and 14.2-RELEASE.
Upon upgrading win11 to 24H2 the host cpu usage at idle (4 cpu guest) has increase from ~2% to %20 of a CPU (based on top). This has happened on both
intel and AMD CPUs. The other item of note is that the number of voluntary context switches for the BHYVE process has increased from approx 330/sec to 12000/sec.
As part of testing, I have created a fresh windows install (win11 21H2), then updated to 23H2, then 24H2. There was a slight jump to 23H2, but the huge jump was upon...

• Duncan

• 

And a reasonable explanation of the problem is here:

bhyve Post in thread 'Idle Windows 11 bhyve guests high CPU usage'

Nov 24, 2025

One has to wonder if Windows 11 uses the hlt instruction less.

The other issue I notice with VMs running on Intel hypervisors (ESXi [VMware], VirtualBox, bhyve that I'm familiar with) is that VMs spend a lot of their time in the host's kernel mode. Unlike IBM's zVM which the guest O/S spends the majority of its time in user mode. This is a failing of the underlying hardware architecture -- read the paper by Popek and Goldberg about hardware requirements for virtualization.

Unlike the IBM mainframe's instruction set which userspace does not affect CPU state, on Intel machines it does, which is...

• cy@

• 
• 

As I used both Windows 10 and 11 inside Bhyve (and also on physical laptops) I noticed that 11 as a lot slower and less responsive then 10 on the same hardware - does not matter if virtual or physical.

As support for 'regular' Windows 10 has ended (with some extension if you did some additional bullshit) I still use Windows 10 but LTSC version which has official updates up to 2027 year ... and after that I will move to Windows 10 LTSC IoT version which officially has support and patches up to 2032 ... and maybe then I will take into consideration upgrading to anything else ... as I use Windows ONLY for casual gaming.

 

[Andrey Lanin]

Unfortunately, I need Windows for my work. We develop operating systems for microcontrollers, and all the developer tools and emulators only work on Windows. I'm also currently using Windows 10 bhyve guests. If the vendors of my developer tools switch to Windows 11, I'll have to install Windows 11 on bare metal or switch to VMware on Linux.

 

[AlfredoLlaquet]

Unfortunately, I need Windows for my work. We develop operating systems for microcontrollers, and all the developer tools and emulators only work on Windows. I'm also currently using Windows 10. If the vendors of my developer tools switch to Windows 11, I'll have to install Windows 11 on bare metal or switch to VMware on Linux.

Probably I'm not bringing anything valuable to the table, but, just in case, I use Windows 11 in a VirtualBox VM on FreeBSD 15 quite happily. It shouldn't result in a better performance than Bhyve, but you never know. You may give it a try.

 

[Andrey Lanin]

Thanks. But I stopped using VirtualBox in 2022... I was still working in Linux back then:

vbox Post in thread 'VirtualBox or bhyve'

Aug 8, 2024

After 11 (2011-2022) years of working on Linux (and Virtualbox in it) I switched from Linux to FreeBSD precisely because VirtualBox simply broke, and the developers were in no hurry to fix it and the situation remained unchanged for several months.
Sorry for referring to myself (post #13) : https://forums.freebsd.org/threads/why-do-you-use-freebsd-on-desktop.88480/post-603281
Of course, this applies to VirtualBox on Linux, but still...

• Andrey Lanin

• 
• 

 

[AlfredoLlaquet]

I stopped using VirtualBox in 2022

Ooooo... kay. One can revert certain decisions in life, anyhow. It's not like going back to smoking. Maybe things have changed in 4 years. I'd rather try again VirtualBox than ditch FreeBSD altogether. But that's just me. Also, you have several versions to try in the packages: 5.2, 6.1, 7.0, 7.1, 7.2. I'm using 7.2.

 

[Andrey Lanin]

You're right. It's better to give VirtualBox a second chance than to completely abandon FreeBSD...

Do USB 2.0 / 3.x devices work in VirtualBox on FreeBSD? Or is it only USB 1.x ?

 

[fmc000]

Probably I'm not bringing anything valuable to the table, but, just in case, I use Windows 11 in a VirtualBox VM on FreeBSD 15 quite happily. It shouldn't result in a better performance than Bhyve, but you never know. You may give it a try.

+1 I had much better success with W11 under FreeBSD with Virtualbox versus Bhyve. BTW, 7.2.4 works great.

 

[AlfredoLlaquet]

Do USB 2.0 / 3.x devices work in VirtualBox on FreeBSD? Or is it only USB 1.x ?

At this point I can't help you anymore because I am no expert. I just make my things work and live another day. I could make this screenshot, though, which seems to answer affirmatively to your question, but I can't assure it does:

 

[Andrey Lanin]

Thanks! This is exactly what I needed. Yes, I should definitely try VirtualBox.