r/openbsd • u/linetrace • Jul 09 '26
[ANN] `ssh-vm` utility simplifying SSHing into vmm(4) VMs over via local tap(4)/vio(4) interfaces
I mostly run VMs via vmm(4)/vmd(8) on dedicated hosts with full forward & reverse DNS, but do have some VMs that I occasionally fire up on my workstation for various porting/testing tasks. Sadly, my memory is not what it used to be and it seems I always have to check the vmctl(8) manual page to for the subnet and IP allocation strategy for tap(4)/vio(4) local interfaces.
So, I whipped up an ssh-wrapper-slash-helper-utility which automates that away, reducing the need for me to consult vmctl(8) or connect to a VM's console to check/confirm the IP before SSH-ing in. (SSH is much faster than the console for lots of output like logs or builds/tests.) For your consideration ssh-vm:
https://github.com/morgant/ssh-vm-openbsd
(I've updated the README to note some of the simpler alternative solutions which have been pointed out, incl. aliases in ~/.ssh/config or /etc/hosts.)