Commands

Cloud Hypervisor is composed of multiple binaries. This document shows what they are and their help output.

cloud-hypervisor binary

The main cloud-hypervisor has the following help output (as of v18.0):

cloud-hypervisor --help
cloud-hypervisor v18.0
The Cloud Hypervisor Authors
Launch a cloud-hypervisor VMM.

USAGE:
    cloud-hypervisor [FLAGS] [OPTIONS]

FLAGS:
    -h, --help        Prints help information
    -v                Sets the level of debugging output
    -V, --version     Prints version information
        --watchdog    Enable virtio-watchdog

OPTIONS:
        --api-socket <api-socket>          HTTP API socket (UNIX domain socket): path=</path/to/a/file> or fd=<fd>.
        --balloon <balloon>                Balloon parameters "size=<balloon_size>,deflate_on_oom=on|off"
        --cmdline <cmdline>                Kernel command line
        --console <console>                Control (virtio) console: "off|null|pty|tty|file=/path/to/a/file,iommu=on|off" [default: tty]
        --cpus <cpus>                      boot=<boot_vcpus>,max=<max_vcpus>,topology=<threads_per_core>:<cores_per_die>:<dies_per_package>:<packages>,kvm_hyperv=on|off,max_phys_bits=<maximum_number_of_physical_bits> [default: boot=1]
        --device <device>                  Direct device assignment parameters "path=<device_path>,iommu=on|off,id=<device_id>"
        --disk <disk>                      Disk parameters
                                           "path=<disk_image_path>,readonly=on|off,direct=on|off,iommu=on|off,num_queues=<number_of_queues>,queue_size=<size_of_each_queue>,vhost_user=on|off,socket=<vhost_user_socket_path>,poll_queue=on|off,bw_size=<bytes>,bw_one_time_burst=<bytes>,bw_refill_time=<ms>,ops_size=<io_ops>,ops_one_time_burst=<io_ops>,ops_refill_time=<ms>,id=<device_id>"
        --event-monitor <event-monitor>    File to report events on: path=</path/to/a/file> or fd=<fd>
        --fs <fs>                          virtio-fs parameters "tag=<tag_name>,socket=<socket_path>,num_queues=<number_of_queues>,queue_size=<size_of_each_queue>,dax=on|off,cache_size=<DAX cache size: default 8Gib>,id=<device_id>"
        --initramfs <initramfs>            Path to initramfs image
        --kernel <kernel>                  Path to loaded kernel. This may be a kernel or firmware that supports a PVH entry point (e.g. vmlinux) or architecture equivalent
        --log-file <log-file>              Log file. Standard error is used if not specified
        --memory <memory>                  Memory parameters "size=<guest_memory_size>,mergeable=on|off,shared=on|off,hugepages=on|off,hugepage_size=<hugepage_size>,hotplug_method=acpi|virtio-mem,hotplug_size=<hotpluggable_memory_size>,hotplugged_size=<hotplugged_memory_size>" [default: size=512M]
        --memory-zone <memory-zone>        User defined memory zone parameters
                                           "size=<guest_memory_region_size>,file=<backing_file>,shared=on|off,hugepages=on|off,hugepage_size=<hugepage_size>,host_numa_node=<node_id>,id=<zone_identifier>,hotplug_size=<hotpluggable_memory_size>,hotplugged_size=<hotplugged_memory_size>"
        --net <net>                        Network parameters
                                           "tap=<if_name>,ip=<ip_addr>,mask=<net_mask>,mac=<mac_addr>,fd=<fd1:fd2...>,iommu=on|off,num_queues=<number_of_queues>,queue_size=<size_of_each_queue>,id=<device_id>,vhost_user=<vhost_user_enable>,socket=<vhost_user_socket_path>,vhost_mode=client|server,bw_size=<bytes>,bw_one_time_burst=<bytes>,bw_refill_time=<ms>,ops_size=<io_ops>,ops_one_time_burst=<io_ops>,ops_refill_time=<ms>"
        --numa <numa>                      Settings related to a given NUMA node "guest_numa_id=<node_id>,cpus=<cpus_id>,distances=<list_of_distances_to_destination_nodes>,memory_zones=<list_of_memory_zones>,sgx_epc_sections=<list_of_sgx_epc_sections>"
        --pmem <pmem>                      Persistent memory parameters "file=<backing_file_path>,size=<persistent_memory_size>,iommu=on|off,mergeable=on|off,discard_writes=on|off,id=<device_id>"
        --restore <restore>                Restore from a VM snapshot. 
                                           Restore parameters "source_url=<source_url>,prefault=on|off" 
                                           `source_url` should be a valid URL (e.g file:///foo/bar or tcp://192.168.1.10/foo) 
                                           `prefault` brings memory pages in when enabled (disabled by default)
        --rng <rng>                        Random number generator parameters "src=<entropy_source_path>,iommu=on|off" [default: src=https://www.cloudhypervisor.org/dev/urandom]
        --seccomp <seccomp>                 [default: true]  [possible values: true, false, log]
        --serial <serial>                  Control serial port: off|null|pty|tty|file=/path/to/a/file [default: null]
        --sgx-epc <sgx-epc>                SGX EPC parameters "id=<epc_section_identifier>,size=<epc_section_size>,prefault=on|off"
        --user-device <user-device>        Userspace device socket=<socket_path>,id=<device_id>"
        --vsock <vsock>                    Virtio VSOCK parameters "cid=<context_id>,socket=<socket_path>,iommu=on|off,id=<device_id>"

ch-remote binary

The ch-remote binary that is used for controlling an running Virtual Machine has the following help output (as of v18.0):

ch-remote --help
ch-remote 
The Cloud Hypervisor Authors
Remotely control a cloud-hypervisor VMM.

USAGE:
    ch-remote --api-socket <api-socket> <SUBCOMMAND>

FLAGS:
    -h, --help       Prints help information
    -V, --version    Prints version information

OPTIONS:
        --api-socket <api-socket>    HTTP API socket path (UNIX domain socket).

SUBCOMMANDS:
    add-device           Add VFIO device
    add-disk             Add block device
    add-fs               Add virtio-fs backed fs device
    add-net              Add network device
    add-pmem             Add persistent memory device
    add-user-device      Add userspace device
    add-vsock            Add vsock device
    counters             Counters from the VM
    help                 Prints this message or the help of the given subcommand(s)
    info                 Info on the VM
    pause                Pause the VM
    power-button         Trigger a power button in the VM
    reboot               Reboot the VM
    receive-migration    Receive a VM migration
    remove-device        Remove VFIO device
    resize               Resize the VM
    resize-zone          Resize a memory zone
    restore              Restore VM from a snapshot
    resume               Resume the VM
    send-migration       Initiate a VM migration
    shutdown             Shutdown the VM
    snapshot             Create a snapshot from VM
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