A simple project for running VMs using propolis-standalone on older Helios systems that don't support newer CPU instructions (post-2012). This project facilitates VM management using ZFS volumes, cloud-init, and Propolis virtualization.

• 🚀 Interactive VM Configuration - Complete TOML + cloud-init generation
• 🌤️ NoCloud Support - Built-in cloud-init with user creation, SSH keys, packages
• 💾 ZFS Integration - Efficient storage with snapshots and cloning
• 🔗 Network Management - Automatic VNIC creation and management
• 📱 Console Access - Integrated serial console with sercons
• ⚡ Fast Deployment - ZFS cloning for instant VM provisioning

Required on Helios:

• Propolis Standalone binary in bin/
• Sercons for console access
• OVMF bootrom file in images/
• Ubuntu cloud image (converted to raw format)

Required on Linux (for image conversion):

• qemu-img for format conversion
• Docker (alternative for Helios users)

1. Get the required binaries:

   # Build propolis-standalone and place in bin/
   # Download OVMF_CODE.fd and place in images/
   # Download Ubuntu cloud image

2. Convert image to raw format (on Linux or Docker):

   # On Linux
   qemu-img convert -f qcow2 -O raw ubuntu-24.04.img ubuntu-24.04.raw
   
   # Or using Docker on Helios
   docker run --rm -v "$PWD:/work" kwart/qemu-img \
     qemu-img convert -f qcow2 -O raw /work/ubuntu-24.04.img /work/ubuntu-24.04.raw

3. Configure and deploy VMs:

   # Single VM with interactive configuration
   ./scripts/configure-vm.sh
   
   # Multiple VMs with shared settings
   ./scripts/configure-multiple-vms.sh

4. Start and access VMs:

   ./scripts/start-vm.sh vm-name
   ./scripts/vm-manager.sh console vm-name

├── bin/                    # Binaries (propolis-standalone)
├── images/                 # VM images and bootrom files
├── scripts/               # Management scripts
│   ├── configure-vm.sh           # Interactive single VM setup
│   ├── configure-multiple-vms.sh # Batch VM configuration
│   ├── start-vm.sh              # Start VM with isolated console
│   ├── vm-manager.sh            # VM management utilities
│   ├── import-raw-img.sh        # Import images to ZFS
│   └── vm-helpers.sh            # Helper functions
├── CLAUDE.md              # AI assistant guidance
├── CHEAT_SHEET.md         # Quick reference commands
└── example-vm-config.yaml # Legacy YAML configuration example

Single VM:

./scripts/configure-vm.sh

This script guides you through:

• VM specifications (CPU, memory)
• Network configuration (VNIC creation)
• Storage options (import image or clone existing)
• Cloud-init setup (users, SSH keys, packages)
• Generates complete TOML configuration

Multiple VMs:

./scripts/configure-multiple-vms.sh

Configure shared settings once, then specify VM names. Uses ZFS cloning for fast deployment.

# 1. Edit configuration file
cp example-vm-config.yaml my-vms.yaml
# Edit with your VM specifications

# 2. Deploy VMs
./scripts/vm-manager.sh deploy my-vms.yaml

Malaprops uses Propolis's native NoCloud support for cloud-init configuration:

Features:

• User creation with hashed passwords or SSH-only access
• Passwordless sudo setup
• Package installation and system updates
• SSH key configuration
• Custom hostname and timezone
• Automatic service enablement

Example Configuration:

[cloudinit]
user-data = '''#cloud-config
users:
  - name: ubuntu
    ssh_authorized_keys:
      - ssh-ed25519 AAAA...
    sudo: 'ALL=(ALL) NOPASSWD:ALL'
    shell: /bin/bash

packages:
  - curl
  - wget
  - vim
  - htop

package_update: true
'''

VMs use ZFS volumes for storage, providing:

• Snapshots for easy backup and restore
• Cloning for fast VM provisioning
• Compression for space efficiency
• Performance optimized for virtualization

Images are stored as: /dev/zvol/rdsk/rpool/instances/img/<vm-name>

Each VM gets its own VNIC for network isolation:

• Automatic VNIC creation: vm-name-vnic
• Bridges to physical interface (e.g., e1000g0)
• DHCP networking by default
• Custom network configuration via cloud-init

VMs run with isolated console sockets:

• Each VM: vm-instances/<vm-name>/ttya
• Access via: ./scripts/vm-manager.sh console <vm-name>
• Uses sercons for proper terminal handling

# VM lifecycle
./scripts/configure-vm.sh          # Create new VM
./scripts/start-vm.sh vm-name      # Start VM
./scripts/vm-manager.sh console vm-name  # Connect to console
./scripts/vm-manager.sh cleanup vm-name  # Remove VM

# Status and information
./scripts/vm-manager.sh list       # List configured VMs
./scripts/vm-manager.sh status     # Show VM and network status

# Storage management
./scripts/import-raw-img.sh image.raw vm-name  # Import disk image

Common Issues:

1. VNIC creation fails: Check physical interface name with dladm show-phys
2. VM won't start: Verify OVMF bootrom path and ZFS volume exists
3. Console connection fails: Ensure sercons is installed and VM is running
4. Cloud-init not working: Check user-data syntax and SSH key format

Debug Commands:

# Check ZFS volumes
zfs list -t volume | grep instances

# Check VNICs
dladm show-vnic

# Check running VMs
ps -ef | grep propolis-standalone

This project is designed for Helios systems with older CPUs. Contributions welcome for:

• Enhanced cloud-init templates
• Additional OS support
• Performance optimizations
• Documentation improvements

Open source - see individual component licenses for Propolis, Sercons, etc.

• Propolis - Rust-based hypervisor
• Sercons - Serial console tool
• Cloud-init - VM initialization
• ZFS - Advanced filesystem