VIRTIO_BALLOON(4)

✨ VIRTIO_BALLOON ✨

okay bestie, pull up a chair 🫶 you're reading the Kernel Interfaces Manual page for virtio_balloon — aka the VirtIO Memory Balloon driver. yes it's a real thing, no I'm not making it up, the memory is literally in a balloon 💅

🌸 NAME 🌸

virtio_balloon — the VirtIO Memory Balloon driver 🎈

🦋 SYNOPSIS 🦋

so there's two ways to get this driver into your life, and you gotta pick one:

Option A — bake it right into the kernel. drop these lines into your kernel configuration file:

device virtio_balloon

Option B — load it as a module at boot time. instead, drop this line into loader.conf(5):

virtio_balloon_load="YES"

either one works, you're iconic either way 💖

👑 DESCRIPTION 👑

the virtio_balloon device driver provides support for VirtIO memory balloon devices. that's the whole job. that's the gig. ✨

the memory balloon lets the guest — at the request of the hypervisor — return memory allocated to the hypervisor so it can be made available to other guests. sharing is caring fr fr 🫶

and then later? the hypervisor can signal the balloon to return the memory. give it back, take it away, the balloon just keeps on floating 🎈

🌈 SEE ALSO 🌈

• virtio(4) — the whole VirtIO family, go say hi 👋

🎀 HISTORY 🎀

the virtio_balloon driver was written by Bryan Venteicher <bryanv@FreeBSD.org> — absolute legend, no cap 👑

it first appeared in FreeBSD 9.0. main character energy since day one 💅

and that's the whole page, bestie!! 🥰 this one's from the Debian crew, dated January 22, 2012, and you just read the VIRTIO_BALLOON(4) manual page. go forth and balloon responsibly 🎈💖