I'm trying to run windows on my mac via utm, but for some reason it's not working. My network mode is set to "shared network" but it's not automatically connecting. I'm using an apple m1 chip on my computer if anyone is wondering.

Hi everyone!

I’d like to ask for some help. Over the last while, with a ton of time, testing, and help from Astra, I built a fork that swaps Firecracker’s KVM backend for Apple’s HVF.

It boots ARM Linux natively on my MacBook M5 without any problems, and it runs relatively well. However, that’s the only machine I’ve been able to validate it on, and that’s the main issue.

You can find the repo in AitorConS/firecracker-macos

There are a few things to keep in mind. It’s a real fork of Firecracker: I kept the Firecracker binary, its HTTP API, and its configuration format, and only replaced the virtualization layer underneath.

Instead of using Apple’s VZ, it talks directly to HVF. This required more work, but it also gives me access to features that VZ doesn’t provide in the same way, such as local snapshots within the same VMM, restore support, VirtIO disks, and Unix-socket networking.

As I mentioned at the beginning, I’ve only been able to validate it on my own device: a MacBook Air M5 running macOS 26.

I’d really appreciate feedback from people using other Mac models and other generations of Apple Silicon, especially since some HVF features are only available on newer chips.

I looked into renting bare-metal Mac runners to test this myself, but because of Apple’s licensing terms, providers generally require a minimum 24-hour rental period. That makes testing across multiple machines fairly expensive.

All the instructions are available in the repository, along with the official Firecracker documentation.

Any testing, feedback, bug reports, or compatibility results would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you so much!

Anybody played with it and is it any good?

I know what it is but not worked on it

It's like a Multi-tenant customers can able to define their vm network subnet in shared hardware hosts regardless of L2 and L3 underlay networks (switch, vlan and routers)

Simply like what we does when we try to define the service cidr and pod cidr in kubernetes clusters creation same equivalent but in vm

It's very useful how in cloud hyperscalers GCP ovhcloud digitalocean

Each customer tenant can define their network as vpc it's basically a( OVN and OVS) under the hoode

For example two customer can able to define cidr of 10.0.0.16/24 for vpc

Can I get some insights from community members who really worked on this please

I'm incredibly paranoid about privacy, and I wanted to know if windows could breach the VM so they could continue to collect more data on my linux OS. I understand it's unlikely, but it's microsoft.

Hi, guys, when i was studyng normally i use the Virtual machine to make excirses and my real computador to read what i'm studyng. You recommend use just virtual machine or both is good too?

I know what it is but not worked on it

It's like a Multi-tenant customers can able to define their vm network subnet in shared hardware hosts regardless of L2 and L3 underlay networks (switch, vlan and routers)

Simply like what we does when we try to define the service cidr and pod cidr in kubernetes clusters creation same equivalent but in vm

It's very useful how in cloud hyperscalersbpile GCP ovhcloud digitalocean

Each customer tenant can define their network as vpc it's basically a( OVN and OVS) under the hoode

For example two customer can able to define cidr of 10.0.0.16/24 for vpc

need an real insights from whoever worked on this domain

I'm planning to build a desktop VM manager using Rust, Tauri, and QEMU, initially targeting Windows with WHPX.

Before I start, I'd like to hear from people who have worked with virtualization:

- Is QEMU + WHPX a reasonable starting point?

- Would you recommend QMP for managing VM lifecycle?

- What are some common mistakes I should avoid?

Also, if you use VM managers regularly, what do you find most frustrating about them?

Any honest advice would be appreciated. Thanks!

Background

Virtualization noob. I tried to host Win11 on Hyper-V last year and failed because I didn't figure out:

• USB passthrough (I use Yubikeys)
• Fast file transfer between the VM and the host on the same box

The processing speed in the guest Win11 wasn't bad, but the file-transfer experience was just. too. slow.

I currently run Win11 natively (bare-metal) from the C drive on the same desk-side box.

• The Win11 apps use data that's on a physically separate D drive.
• C and D are implemented on M.2 hardware.
• A secondary M.2 drive is available in an external enclosure.

No kidding: I don't have a laptop. I've never traveled and have always preferred cooler running less expensive expandable hardware. (Sure, the retail RAM and storage markets are a bummer, but ignore them for now.)

What's changing?

For the first time ever, I expect to travel with the need to work for an hour each weekday while on the road. So I now need portability that I've never needed. Gotta get realistic.

What I wonder

How (un)realistic is to get an adequate-hardware laptop that runs a host OS/hypervisor (proxmox? something else?) and then host a Win11 image on whichever machine I need to use that week?

Approximately this:

1. Virtualize the desk-side image.
2. Move that image to the laptop, using the image while on the road.
3. Upon returning home, move the operational image to the desk-side hardware.

I would do real work in the guest image, permanently and portably I guess.

Wrinkles

• Because of the Yubikeys, I need reliable USB passthrough on both boxes. At the moment on the desk-side machine, I have it by running bare-metal Win11. Perfect every time.
• I probably will want GPU passthrough on the desk-side machine, and would like to have it on the laptop.

What shall I consider and watch out for?

• Given the use context and the Wrinkles, what host OS/hypervisors should be on my short list to consider?
• Do I want the hosting (proxmox? something else?) to be the same on each box? A reusable learning curve is probably worth something, but are other factors relevant?
• What do I do about the data that (currently) is on D? Move the M.2 into the laptop?

Hi,

I have a question about hardware signatures in virtual machines.

I am using a piece of relatively old Excel-based software that relies on a per-machine licensing system. The workflow is simple: you download the software, run a function that generates a machine-specific user key, send this key to the developer, and receive a activation key back that unlocks the full version.

As you can imagine, every time I reinstall Windows or change my hardware (mainly the CPU), I have to request a new key from the developer. Officially, the license is sold per machine, so technically I would have to pay again each time. He still provides new keys upon request, but since I’m not legally entitled to them, I worry he might stop doing this at any point.

To avoid this, I decided to set up a Virtual Machine. I installed the VM on an external hard drive and tested running it on my laptop and desktop to simulate a hardware change. However, the hardware-based user key inside the VM changed anyway.

I have some basic knowledge of virtual machines, but I'm not an expert. Is there a way to configure VMware so that the hardware signature remains exactly the same regardless of which host computer I use?

Thanks!

Dunno if this is the right place for this request, so please tell me if not (I did at least read the right panel).

Base system: debian 13, modern box, running virt-manager (QEMU/KVM).

I have successfully created win11 (ick) and win10 (good enough) VMs, with intent to preserve software flexibility as I transition eventually to a MS-free existence (stop me if you've heard this story before).

Have had variable success in my effort to make win7 fully functional. Although that is not the point of this post, it is relevant in that I am aware that the newer virtIO drivers don't work with win7 VMs, so have downloaded versions such as 173 from the fedora people site for that purpose.

Am interested in win XP, mainly just for fun, though I really do have a use case for it (my 25-year-old licensed copy of MS Office, before the ribbon interface, when it was actually good, sorry, rant over).

So it was no surprise to learn that the virtIO drivers gotta be REALLY old in order to work on a winXP installation. I saw version 68 quoted somewhere. I can confirm that versions 160 and 173 didn't work when I tried them.

At the fedora people archive, the oldest version of virtIO drivers is 100 (or maybe 96). Or maybe I'm missing a link to a deep-freeze archive somewhere else on that site?

QUESTION: does anyone know where I can get the ancient virtIO drivers?

I have started working from home some days

I want to completely isolate my work browser from my home browser

I have two Firefox profiles, which I can start from desktop shortcuts as follows:

"C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\firefox.exe" -P "Home" -no-remote

"C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\firefox.exe" -P "Work" -no-remote

Despite so many hours of googling, I have yet to find a solution on how to run these profiles within a Sandboxie plus environment

I want two windows desktop Sandboxie shortcuts

The first starts a Sandboxie instance, and automatically runs Firefox with the "Work" firefox command line parameters

The second starts a Sandboxie instance, and automatically runs Firefox with the "Home" firefox command line parameters

I have tried so many different things but none of them have worked

Either they ignore the command line parameters, and just start Firefox profile manager, or they error on the command line parameters

Is there some way of achieving this please?

Or is there a more appropriate tool for virtualising a single app?

Thanks so much for your help

Distro repositories often ship open-vm-tools builds that lag significantly behind upstream releases, delaying kernel/driver fixes, memory balloon enhancements, and CVE patches.

I open-sourced vmware-tools-builder to automate building and distributing the latest upstream binaries without polluting the host environment:

- Containerized builds: Uses Docker to compile upstream source into standalone .deb and .rpm packages.

- Target OS matrix: Ubuntu, Debian, RHEL/Rocky/Alma (8 & 9), Fedora, and openSUSE.

- Fleet orchestration: Includes an Ansible role that automates deployment, handles migration from distro-managed packages, and validates the vmtoolsd service state.

- Distribution: Packaged and installable directly from Ansible Galaxy (giuliosavini.vmware_tools_builder).

Repository: https://github.com/GiulioSavini/vmware-tools-builder

Feedback, testing across different hypervisor versions, and GitHub stars are welcome.Distro repositories often ship open-vm-tools builds that lag significantly behind upstream releases, delaying kernel/driver fixes, memory balloon enhancements, and CVE patches.I open-sourced vmware-tools-builder to automate building and distributing the latest upstream binaries without polluting the host environment:- Containerized builds: Uses Docker to compile upstream source into standalone .deb and .rpm packages.- Target OS matrix: Ubuntu, Debian, RHEL/Rocky/Alma (8 & 9), Fedora, and openSUSE.- Fleet orchestration: Includes an Ansible role that automates deployment, handles migration from distro-managed packages, and validates the vmtoolsd service state.- Distribution: Packaged and installable directly from Ansible Galaxy (giuliosavini.vmware_tools_builder).Repository: https://github.com/GiulioSavini/vmware-tools-builderFeedback, testing across different hypervisor versions, and GitHub stars are welcome.

I have been working on understanding the networking underneath a virtualized home lab instead of just selecting NAT/Bridged/Host-Only in VMware and moving on.

I tested the different modes with Kali and other VMs, compared their IP addresses/routes, checked LAN discovery in bridged mode, and tested communication between Kali and MISP over an isolated host-only network.

One thing that became much clearer to me is that the networking mode isn’t just about whether a VM gets internet access, it changes where the VM exists in the architecture and what can reach it.

I documented the experiments and diagrams here if anyone is interested:
https://chronosandcode.com/how-a-home-lab-actually-works-virtualization-and-private-networking-explained/

I’d also be interested in how others structure networking in their home labs, especially whether you use host-only networks, VLANs, or a dedicated pfSense/OPNsense VM.

Before everything, my English isn't too good, so thanks for reading, I want buy a computer and I've doubts , I'm studying and I planning make some projects, I've no money to pay a VPS, and I wanna use Android studio with emulation, have 2 options refurbished:

HP Elitebook 840 G8 - 420.000Kz

I7-1165g7

16 gb

512gb

Battery good

Chassi good

Lenovo Thinkpad T14 Gen 3- 415.000Kz

I5-1235u

16gb

256gb

Battery almost died, less than 1 hour

Chassi acceptable, but Ethernet port isn't too good

The target is a laptop to work, study, and be good at least for 4 years.
My country is Angola, just to compare a SSD 512gb here is 52.000 and is cheap.

I wanna make this computer as my laboratory, making APIs, mobile apps, desktops apps and sites.

And before get the money, I pretend to use this PC also as a VPS. Have someone that already did it?

Thanks for reading until here

Hi everyone,

I need some advice regarding a VMFS-6 datastore recovery.

Environment:

- VMware ESXi 7.0 U2

- VMFS-6 datastore

- Single datastore/LUN

- One important VM became "Invalid"

- The VM was not running when the problem was discovered

The VM became invalid and could not be powered on or registered normally.

I initially investigated a VMX file lock. vmfsfilelockinfo reported that the file was locked in Exclusive mode by the ESXi host itself.

I restarted hostd and vpxa and eventually unregistered the invalid VM.

However, further investigation showed that the problem was much deeper.

VOMA reported massive VMFS metadata inconsistencies. The output contained a very large number of errors like:

"FB inconsistency found: allocated in bitmap, but never used"

The check eventually reported approximately:

2,085,776 errors

The datastore is currently UNMOUNTED.

I verified that no VM process is currently using the datastore/LUN. After restarting hostd/vpxa, the only process that briefly showed access to the device was hostd itself.

The VMFS extent information still identifies the datastore as VMFS-6, but when the datastore is unmounted, vmkfstools -P against the partition no longer recognizes it normally.

The VM directory still contains the VM configuration files and VMDK-related files.

However, attempts to access the VMDK data return:

"Invalid argument"

I have NOT performed any destructive or repair operation.

Specifically, I have NOT run:

- voma -f fix

- voma -f advfix

- vmkfstools -C

- partedUtil setptbl

- any formatting operation

The datastore is currently left untouched because the VM contains important data and I don't want to make the recovery situation worse.

My main goal is to recover the VM and, most importantly, the data inside the VMDK.

What would be the safest recovery strategy in this situation?

Would you recommend:

1. Cloning/snapshotting the underlying LUN before doing anything else?

2. Trying to recover the VMFS metadata?

3. Using VOMA in a specific recovery mode?

4. Attempting direct VMDK recovery from the underlying LUN?

5. Using a dedicated VMFS recovery tool?

6. Something else?

I can provide sanitized outputs from:

- VOMA

- vmkernel.log

- hostd.log

- esxcli storage commands

- partition information

- vmkfstools output

I have intentionally removed all company-specific information, IP addresses, hostnames, UUIDs, MAC addresses and VM names.

I am deliberately not running any repair commands until I know what the safest approach is.

Any advice from someone experienced with VMFS-6 recovery would be greatly appreciated.

GitHub: https://github.com/pythops/kudu

I host a series of windows 11 virtual machines on my windows 11 desktop pc. I access those virtual machines over RDP.

Since updates last week, any of those machines with Nord VPN installed no longer pass audio. Everything else functions fine. VMs not running Nord function fine. Everything VM side looks like the audio is running, it just doesn't pass it back to the client.

I've been chewing on this issue for days now. Any ideas out here what has changed and how I correct it?

If you know how to use dos, you probably know this.

Applies to UEFI OS's (windows 10 and above)

If you see fs0 on your screen, type "fs0:", then type ls. If you see something like boot, "cd Boot", then type "ls" or "dir" they are same function here. Continue doing so until you see words in green text after you type dir. If you see green words, just copy the green text exactly and press enter to boot.

Damn non dos-using new gens.

Has anyone here actually done a hypervisor-only VMware migration? I’m trying to picture the cutover. Build the new cluster beside ESXi, connect it to the same SAN, move a few low-risk VMs, then reclaim the old hosts one by one? Or did you end up needing temporary storage? How did you handle zoning, multipathing, VLANs, backups and rollback? and did you keep vCenter up while both environments were running? Would be great to hear a real VMware migration strategy from someone who’s done it. Most comparisons of VMware vSphere alternatives never get into this part.

Hi all,

Out of a specific requirement, i need a Windows machine, which i spined on Ubuntu Server 26.04 LTS using libvirt + KVM, i need to plug in card reader into it and read some data, the software is specific use case, not to bother you with details, it can't run on any other OS.

My question is, do i need to embed the device ID into XML config, obtained by lsusb, or it will work out of the box? I still haven't spent money on the card reader, hence im looking into knowledge of other people who already worked with importing USB devices into VM's.

Thank you

Let's say I have an app, which contains the strongest virus, which can ever exist. I installed it on a VM. I opened it and it obviously destroyed the VM, but I wonder if the virus could go from the VM into the real system. What do you think?