HexOS in a VM?

[ulfn]

So, I’ve noticed several members here using HexOS in a VM. I have to ask this question, as a novice. I’ve built my own computers since 2008, and some to relatives, so I’m quite into computers. I also tried various tastes of Linux in VirtualBox under Windows. I know this means you need to have RAM enough to cope with the host OS and the one in the VM. But what’s the advantage of using HexOS in a VM? What’s the downside?

[Sonic]

It really depends on what you want to use your home server for. And of course, your personal preferences. In HexOS/TrueNAS, you can run VMs, but you could also choose a different virtualization platform. This is an interesting article to read: https://b3n.org/truenas-vs-proxmox/

I run HexOS as a Proxmox VM. My main considerations are:

• HexOS is still in Beta. Running it in a VM allows me to experiment easily, and if something goes wrong, I can restore a backup within minutes.
• TrueNAS and HexOS are my preferred storage platforms. However, for virtualization, I prefer using Proxmox. Especially in combination with Proxmox Backup Server, which makes for a rock-solid setup.
• Maximizing hardware usage. Most of the time, a (home) server sits idle. Running multiple services on the same hardware makes better use of resources.

One thing to watch out for, especially with SSDs, is the file system you use. If you run ZFS on Proxmox and then again inside a TrueNAS VM, you generate a huge number of write operations, which wears out SSDs quickly. For a test setup, that’s not a big deal, but for long-term use, it’s something to keep in mind.

I’ve set up SATA passthrough in Proxmox, so my HexOS VM can access the HDDs directly (as if HexOS were running on bare metal).

[PsychoWards]

Pretty much exactly what @Sonic says.

Hexos in a VM only makes sense if you want to run multiple OS on the same machine and if the VMs are the important part for you. 

If you primarily want a NAS and running other OS in a VM is not important and the built-in apps are enough for you, go bare metal there is no point in going down the VM part.

If, however, VMs are important to you and Hexos is only a piece of your setup and not the most import part, proxmox or similar is the way to go.