RockOS KVM Demo

RockOS supports KVM virtualization based on H Extension (RISC-V Hypervisor Extension).

Currently the following are verifed as working:

Ubuntu 24.04.1 LTS & 24.10
openEuler 24.03 LTS & 24.09
FreeBSD 14.1-RELEASE
Debian testing netinst CD

Environment

OS Version: RockOS github
Ubuntu preinstalled image: https://cdimage.ubuntu.com/releases/24.10/release/ubuntu-24.10-preinstalled-server-riscv64.img.xz
openEuler 24.09 QEMU: https://repo.openeuler.org/openEuler-24.09/virtual_machine_img/riscv64/
FreeBSD 14.1-RELEASE: https://download.freebsd.org/releases/VM-IMAGES/14.1-RELEASE/riscv64/Latest/
Debian testing netinst CD: https://cdimage.debian.org/cdimage/weekly-builds/riscv64/iso-cd/debian-testing-riscv64-netinst.iso
Debian sid cloud image: https://cdimage.debian.org/images/cloud/sid/daily/latest/debian-sid-nocloud-riscv64-daily.qcow2
qemu-system-riscv64 is installed by default
Manually install wget or curl to download the image
u-boot-qemu and qemu-efi-riscv64 are provided in the repo, manually install them if needed

You can try other mirrors if the official server is too slow for you.

Steps

Currently QEMU does not support loading M Mode firmware via -bios while KVM is enabled. See comments here. So here are some of the options we have now:

Use u-boot.elf provided by u-boot-qemu package
- You can boot Ubuntu and FreeBSD with this method.
Use other firmwares
- e.g. openEuler RISC-V + EDK II (distributed along side with system image)
- EDK II comes with qemu-efi-riscv64 package
Use -initrd -kernel -append flags
- You can boot Ubuntu with this method.
- The BusyBox KVM Demo is also using this method.
- You can also boot FreeBSD this way according to FreeBSD Wiki.
  - Not tested & not demonstrated in this article.

By default RockOS does not load KVM module on boot, so before we start, manually load it:

sudo modprobe kvm

Install required packages:

sudo apt update; sudo apt install -y wget u-boot-qemu qemu-efi-riscv64

Method A: Acquire U-Boot from u-boot-qemu package

For this method, we have Ubuntu preinstalled server image, FreeBSD and Debian netinst CD as examples.

Ubuntu

wget https://cdimage.ubuntu.com/releases/24.10/release/ubuntu-24.10-preinstalled-server-riscv64.img.xz
xz -dkv -T0 ubuntu-24.10-preinstalled-server-riscv64.img.xz
sudo qemu-system-riscv64 --enable-kvm -M virt -cpu host -m 2048 -smp 2 -nographic \
        -device virtio-net-device,netdev=eth0 -netdev user,id=eth0 \
        -device virtio-rng-pci \
        -kernel /usr/lib/u-boot/qemu-riscv64_smode/uboot.elf \
        -drive file=ubuntu-24.10-preinstalled-server-riscv64.img,format=raw,if=virtio

The default username and password are both ubuntu.

For Ubuntu preinstalled image, you'll be prompted to change your password on first boot. Follow the steps and you're good to go.

FreeBSD

wget https://download.freebsd.org/releases/VM-IMAGES/14.1-RELEASE/riscv64/Latest/FreeBSD-14.1-RELEASE-riscv-riscv64.qcow2.xz
xz -dkv -T0 FreeBSD-14.1-RELEASE-riscv-riscv64.qcow2.xz
sudo qemu-system-riscv64 --enable-kvm -M virt -cpu host -m 2048 -smp 2 -nographic \
        -device virtio-net-device,netdev=eth0 -netdev user,id=eth0 \
        -device virtio-rng-pci \
        -kernel /usr/lib/u-boot/qemu-riscv64_smode/uboot.elf \
        -drive file=FreeBSD-14.1-RELEASE-riscv-riscv64.qcow2,format=qcow2,if=virtio

Use username root for a passwordless login.

Debian cloud

Debian sid currently provides qcow2 disk images.

wget https://cdimage.debian.org/images/cloud/sid/daily/latest/debian-sid-nocloud-riscv64-daily.qcow2
sudo qemu-system-riscv64 --enable-kvm -M virt -cpu host -m 2048 -smp 2 -nographic \
        -device virtio-net-device,netdev=eth0 -netdev user,id=eth0 \
        -device virtio-rng-pci \
        -kernel /usr/lib/u-boot/qemu-riscv64_smode/uboot.elf \
        -drive file=debian-sid-nocloud-riscv64-daily.qcow2,format=qcow2,if=virtio

Debian testing netinst CD

wget https://cdimage.debian.org/cdimage/weekly-builds/riscv64/iso-cd/debian-testing-riscv64-netinst.iso
qemu-img create -f qcow2 debian.qcow2 16G
sudo qemu-system-riscv64 --enable-kvm -M virt -cpu host -m 2048 -smp 2 -nographic \
        -boot d -cdrom debian-testing-riscv64-netinst.iso \
        -device virtio-net-device,netdev=eth0 -netdev user,id=eth0 \
        -device virtio-rng-pci \
        -kernel /usr/lib/u-boot/qemu-riscv64_smode/uboot.elf \
        -drive file=debian.qcow2,format=qcow2,if=virtio

Execute the commands above will create a 16G qcow2 disk image, and bring you to the Debian installer.

After the installation process, power off the VM, delete -boot d -cdrom debian-testing-riscv64-netinst.iso \, and then you can boot straight into the installed system.

Method B: Use other firmwares (e.g. TianoCore EDK II)

Currently, openEuler, Ubuntu and Debian are verified.

For openEuler use the EDK II firmware distributed with the main system image; for Ubuntu and Debian, install qemu-efi-riscv64 and use the firmware provided by this package.

Current version of EDK II might get stuck at Press ESCAPE within 5 seconds for boot options (~50s). Press Enter to skip.

openEuler

Obtain and decompress the image:

wget https://repo.openeuler.org/openEuler-24.09/virtual_machine_img/riscv64/RISCV_VIRT_CODE.fd \
     https://repo.openeuler.org/openEuler-24.09/virtual_machine_img/riscv64/RISCV_VIRT_VARS.fd \
     https://repo.openeuler.org/openEuler-24.09/virtual_machine_img/riscv64/openEuler-24.09-riscv64.qcow2.xz \
     https://repo.openeuler.org/openEuler-24.09/virtual_machine_img/riscv64/start_vm.sh
xz -dkv -T0 openEuler-24.09-riscv64.qcow2.xz

Modify the VM start script:

nano start_vm.sh

The following parts need to be changed:

Add --enable-kvm flag
Change RAM allocate size: memory=2 for 2G
- ram1 and ram2 also need to be changed:object memory-backend-ram,size=1G,id=ram1 object memory-backend-ram,size=1G,id=ram2
Add if=none flag to boot disk

The edited script should look like this:

#!/usr/bin/env bash

# The script is created for starting a riscv64 qemu virtual machine with specific parameters.

RESTORE=$(echo -en '\001\033[0m\002')
YELLOW=$(echo -en '\001\033[00;33m\002')

## Configuration
vcpu=2
memory=2
drive="$(ls *.qcow2)"
fw1="RISCV_VIRT_CODE.fd"
fw2="RISCV_VIRT_VARS.fd"
ssh_port=12055

cmd="qemu-system-riscv64 \
  -nographic -machine virt,pflash0=pflash0,pflash1=pflash1,acpi=off \
  --enable-kvm \
  -smp "$vcpu" -m "$memory"G \
  -object memory-backend-ram,size=1G,id=ram1 \
  -numa node,memdev=ram1 \
  -object memory-backend-ram,size=1G,id=ram2 \
  -numa node,memdev=ram2 \
  -blockdev node-name=pflash0,driver=file,read-only=on,filename="$fw1" \
  -blockdev node-name=pflash1,driver=file,filename="$fw2" \
  -drive file="$drive",format=qcow2,id=hd0,if=none \
  -object rng-random,filename=/dev/urandom,id=rng0 \
  -device virtio-vga \
  -device virtio-rng-device,rng=rng0 \
  -device virtio-blk-device,drive=hd0 \
  -device virtio-net-device,netdev=usernet \
  -netdev user,id=usernet,hostfwd=tcp::"$ssh_port"-:22 \
  -device qemu-xhci -usb -device usb-kbd -device usb-tablet"

echo ${YELLOW}:: Starting VM...${RESTORE}
echo ${YELLOW}:: Using following configuration${RESTORE}
echo ""
echo ${YELLOW}vCPU Cores: "$vcpu"${RESTORE}
echo ${YELLOW}Memory: "$memory"G${RESTORE}
echo ${YELLOW}Disk: "$drive"${RESTORE}
echo ${YELLOW}SSH Port: "$ssh_port"${RESTORE}
echo ""
echo ${YELLOW}:: NOTE: Make sure ONLY ONE .qcow2 file is${RESTORE}
echo ${YELLOW}in the current directory${RESTORE}
echo ""
echo ${YELLOW}:: Tip: Try setting DNS manually if QEMU user network doesn\'t work well. ${RESTORE}
echo ${YELLOW}:: HOWTO -\> https://serverfault.com/a/810639 ${RESTORE}
echo ""
echo ${YELLOW}:: Tip: If \'ping\' reports permission error, try reinstalling \'iputils\'. ${RESTORE}
echo ${YELLOW}:: HOWTO -\> \'sudo dnf reinstall iputils\' ${RESTORE}
echo ""

sleep 2

eval $cmd

Start the KVM:

sudo bash start_vm.sh

Or manually execute:

sudo qemu-system-riscv64 \
  -nographic -machine virt,pflash0=pflash0,pflash1=pflash1,acpi=off \
  --enable-kvm \
  -smp 2 -m 2G \
  -object memory-backend-ram,size=1G,id=ram1 \
  -numa node,memdev=ram1 \
  -object memory-backend-ram,size=1G,id=ram2 \
  -numa node,memdev=ram2 \
  -blockdev node-name=pflash0,driver=file,read-only=on,filename=RISCV_VIRT_CODE.fd \
  -blockdev node-name=pflash1,driver=file,filename=RISCV_VIRT_VARS.fd \
  -drive file=openEuler-24.09-riscv64.qcow2,format=qcow2,id=hd0,if=none \
  -object rng-random,filename=/dev/urandom,id=rng0 \
  -device virtio-vga \
  -device virtio-rng-device,rng=rng0 \
  -device virtio-blk-device,drive=hd0 \
  -device virtio-net-device,netdev=usernet \
  -netdev user,id=usernet,hostfwd=tcp::12055-:22 \
  -device qemu-xhci -usb -device usb-kbd -device usb-tablet

Default username: root or openeuler

Default password: openEuler12#$

If needed, you can press ESC to interrupt EDK II autoboot while promting Press ESCAPE within 5 seconds for boot options, and enter EDK II menu to edit settings.

Ubuntu

wget https://cdimage.ubuntu.com/releases/24.10/release/ubuntu-24.10-preinstalled-server-riscv64.img.xz
xz -dkv -T0 ubuntu-24.10-preinstalled-server-riscv64.img.xz
cp /usr/share/qemu-efi-riscv64/RISCV_VIRT_*.fd .
sudo qemu-system-riscv64 --enable-kvm -M virt,pflash0=pflash0,pflash1=pflash1,acpi=off -cpu host -m 2048 -smp 2 -nographic \
        -blockdev node-name=pflash0,driver=file,read-only=on,filename=RISCV_VIRT_CODE.fd \
        -blockdev node-name=pflash1,driver=file,filename=RISCV_VIRT_VARS.fd \
        -device virtio-net-device,netdev=eth0 -netdev user,id=eth0 \
        -device virtio-rng-pci \
        -drive file=ubuntu-24.10-preinstalled-server-riscv64.img,format=raw,if=virtio

Debian cloud

wget https://cdimage.debian.org/images/cloud/sid/daily/latest/debian-sid-nocloud-riscv64-daily.qcow2
cp /usr/share/qemu-efi-riscv64/RISCV_VIRT_*.fd .
sudo qemu-system-riscv64 --enable-kvm -M virt,pflash0=pflash0,pflash1=pflash1,acpi=off -cpu host -m 2048 -smp 2 -nographic \
        -blockdev node-name=pflash0,driver=file,read-only=on,filename=RISCV_VIRT_CODE.fd \
        -blockdev node-name=pflash1,driver=file,filename=RISCV_VIRT_VARS.fd \
        -device virtio-net-device,netdev=eth0 -netdev user,id=eth0 \
        -device virtio-rng-pci \
        -drive file=debian-sid-nocloud-riscv64-daily.qcow2,format=qcow2,if=virtio

Method C: Directly load vmlinuz and initrd

In RockOS system image, we have a busybox based KVM demo built in, at /home/debian for users to try out.

Usage: just execute /home/debian/start_kvm.sh.

Aside from that, you can also boot Ubuntu using the similar steps.

You'll need to extract initrd and vmlinuz images from the disk image.

Use the steps below:

wget https://cdimage.ubuntu.com/releases/24.10/release/ubuntu-24.10-preinstalled-server-riscv64.img.xz
xz -d ubuntu-24.10-preinstalled-server-riscv64.img.xz
sudo losetup -f # Check the first available loop device, usually /dev/loop0
sudo losetup -P loop0 ubuntu-24.10-preinstalled-server-riscv64.img
sudo fdisk -l /dev/loop0 # Check partition table
sudo mount /dev/loop0p1 /mnt # By default the first partition is the rootfs
ls /mnt/boot
cp /mnt/boot/initrd.img .
sudo cp /mnt/boot/vmlinuz .
sudo umount /mnt
sudo losetup -D # Detach all loop devices
sudo qemu-system-riscv64 --enable-kvm -M virt -cpu host -m 2048 -smp 2 -nographic \
        -device virtio-net-device,netdev=eth0 -netdev user,id=eth0 \
        -device virtio-rng-pci \
        -kernel vmlinuz \
        -initrd initrd.img \
        -append "root=LABEL=cloudimg-rootfs ro  efi=debug earlycon=sbi" \
        -drive file=ubuntu-24.10-preinstalled-server-riscv64.img,format=raw,if=virtio

The default username and password are both ubuntu.

For Ubuntu preinstalled image, you'll be prompted to change your password on first boot. Follow the steps and you're good to go.

Screen Records

Here are some asciinema screen records during the boot process for your reference.

Ubuntu 24.10 + U-Boot:

Ubuntu 24.10, initrd + vmlinuz:

openEuler 24.09 + TianoCore EDK II:

FreeBSD 14.1-RELEASE + U-Boot:

Debian testing netinst CD + U-Boot:

Notes

Make sure you've added acpi=off to QEMU's cmdline while using EDK II.
If you get stuck at EDK II and can't boot into the system, try manually selecting boot device inside EDK II menu, or choose EFI file from the boot partition.

RockOS KVM Demo

Environment​

Steps​

Method A: Acquire U-Boot from u-boot-qemu package​

Ubuntu​

FreeBSD​

Debian cloud​

Debian testing netinst CD​

Method B: Use other firmwares (e.g. TianoCore EDK II)​

openEuler​

Ubuntu​

Debian cloud​

Method C: Directly load vmlinuz and initrd​

Screen Records​

Notes​

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Environment

Steps

Method A: Acquire U-Boot from u-boot-qemu package

Ubuntu

FreeBSD

Debian cloud

Debian testing netinst CD

Method B: Use other firmwares (e.g. TianoCore EDK II)

openEuler

Ubuntu

Debian cloud

Method C: Directly load vmlinuz and initrd

Screen Records

Notes

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new products information and more
from us.