This repository is a proof-of-concept to run PiKVM (kvmd) in Docker on a BliKVM v1 (using Raspberry CM4). The installation procedure was inspired by srepac. KVMD is only supported on their ArchLinux and I prefer to run it on Raspberry Pi OS, but the changes in software, configuration, version, etc makes it very prone to errors (where a docker image is static and predictable).

The following kvmd versions are available as Docker container:

• 3.333
• 4.85
• 4.87
• 4.90

The following features has been tested:

• WebGUI
• OTG (keyboard, mouse and mass storage)
• KVM switch

Following services are disabled and not tested (but should work):

• IPMI
• VNC

This has been tested successfully on Raspberry Pi 12 (Bookworm)

Run the install-host.sh script to update the system with required kernel parameters and modules. Reboot after you run it.

There is normally no external storage/configuration required to run the default installation. Login credentials are admin/admin.

docker-compose.yaml Example for kvmd 3.333

services:

  pikvm:
    container_name: pikvm
    hostname: pikvm # used in WebGUI
    image: ualex73/pikvm:3.333-1
    restart: unless-stopped
    #network_mode: host # not required for MJPEG 
    privileged: true # privileged is required for GPIO
    ports:
      - 443:443 # HTTPS
      # - 80:80 # HTTP, with redirection
      # - 5900:5900 # VNC
    volumes:
     - /dev:/dev # Required for USB/Video devices
     - /sys:/sys # required for USB OTG (keyboard/mouse/msd)

docker-compose.yaml Example for kvmd 4.90

services:

  pikvm:
    container_name: pikvm
    hostname: pikvm # used in WebGUI if network_mode is disabled
    image: ualex73/pikvm:4.90-1
    restart: unless-stopped
    network_mode: host # Required for WebRTC, for H264/MJPEG it is not needed
    privileged: true # privileged is required for GPIO
    volumes:
     - /dev:/dev # Required for USB/Video devices
     - /sys:/sys # required for USB OTG (keyboard/mouse/msd)

    # Port(s) are required when "network_mode: host" is not used
    #ports:
    #  - 443:443 # HTTPS
    #  - 80:80 # HTTP, with redirection
    #  - 5900:5900 # VNC

    # You can set the hostname/ip/iface in the oled screen
    # this is handy if you do not use "network_mode: host"
    #environment:
    # - KVMD_HOSTNAME=ualex73.domain.com
    # - KVMD_IPADDR=192.168.1.1
    # - KVMD_IFACE=eth0

Create a file like msd.yaml:

kvmd:
    msd:
        type: otg

Create a file as follows:

fallocate -l 8000M storage.img
mkfs.ext4 storage.img

Mount it in the volume section like:

volumes:
  - ./msd.yaml:/etc/kvmd/override.d/msd.yaml
  - ./storage.img:/storage.img

NOTE: filename /storage.img in container is hardcoded

Question: I get an error, where are the logfiles?
Answer: They are stored inside the container in the directory /var/log/journal

Question: Can i enable IPMI, VNC or other services?
Answer: Yes, but need to be repeated if you re-create the container. Go into the container and executed for example for IPMI systemctl enable kvmd-ipmi.service and restart the container.

Question: Can i customize the /etc/kvmd configuration?
Answer: Yes. You can mount the file via the volume configuration. For example to overrule the EDID configuration, you can do following steps:

docker cp <container-name>:/etc/kvmd/tc358743-edid.hex ./tc358743-edid.hex

(modify the file)
Add to the docker-compose.yaml the following line:

- ./tc358743-edid.hex:/etc/kvmd/tc358743-edid.hex

Question: Can I change the HTTP and/or HTTPS port from 80/443 to something else?
Answer: Create a file like nginx-change.yaml:

nginx:
    http:
        port: 81
    https:
        port: 543

Mount it in the volume section like:

volumes:
  - ./nginx-change.yaml:/etc/kvmd/override.d/nginx-change.yaml

Restart the container

Question: Can I install signed certificates?
Answer: Create the CER/PEM file and the private key and mount them as follows:

volumes:
  - ./fullchain.pem:/etc/kvmd/nginx/ssl/server.crt
  - ./privkey.pem:/etc/kvmd/nginx/ssl/server.key

If the container is restarted a few times, it could happen KVMD stops working (no clear reproduction scenario just yet). A reboot of the node will fix this again.