Updates for installation and remove pre-release auto command

alexellis · alexellis · commit 8aa0c76fe4e1 · 2026-03-16T15:32:52.000Z
Signed-off-by: Alex Ellis (OpenFaaS Ltd) &lt;alexellis2@gmail.com&gt;
diff --git a/docs/getting-started/install.md b/docs/getting-started/install.md
@@ -1,65 +1,77 @@
 # Installation for Slicer for Linux
 
-Don't wait for the perfect system. Slicer can run practically anywhere.
+Looking for Slicer for Mac? See the [Slicer for Mac installation guide](/mac/installation).
 
-To activate Slicer, pick the tier that matches your use-case on the [Slicer pricing page](https://slicervm.com/pricing). A free trial is available.
+## System requirements
 
-If you need Slicer for Mac instead, use the [Slicer for Mac installation guide](/mac/installation) first.
+You can run Slicer on a varied range of hardware, from mini PCs, to your Mac, to cloud-based VMs with nested virtualisation support.
 
-After the installation, when you run `slicer activate` you'll get an invite link to the Discord server. We highly recommend joining.
+* Bare-metal or nested virtualisation
+* x86_64 or Arm64 (including Raspberry Pi)
+* Ubuntu LTS is the preferred/supported OS (Debian, and RHEL-like should also work)
 
-## System requirements
+See the [appendix](#appendix) for suggested local hardware and cloud-based options.
 
-Any reasonably modern computer can run Slicer, the requirements are very low - x86_64 or Arm64 (including the Raspberry Pi).
+Slicer is designed to run on a basic OS installation, without Docker, Kubernetes, or other virtualisation tools. Slicer installs and manage its own dependencies, such as Firecracker, Cloud Hypervisor, and containerd.
 
-Ideal for labs and the home office:
+## Quick installation
 
-* Low powered mini PC i.e. [Intel N100](https://blog.alexellis.io/n100-mini-computer/), Beelink,  Minisforum,  Acemagic, etc
-* [Adlink Ampere Developer Platform](https://www.adlinktech.com/Products/computer_on_modules/COM-HPC-Server-Carrier-and-Starter-Kit/Ampere_Altra_Developer_Platform?lang=en) / [system76 Thelio Astra](https://system76.com/desktops/thelio-astra-a1.1-n1/configure) / [Raspberry Pi 4 or 5](https://www.raspberrypi.com/products/raspberry-pi-5/) (an NVMe is better than SD card)
-* Mac Mini M1 or M2 (with [Asahi Linux](https://asahilinux.org/) installed)
-* PC, laptop, or used server from eBay - under your desk or in your basement.
+The default slicer installation only enables support for [`image` storage](/storage/overview). Additional storage backends for [zfs](/storage/zfs) or [devmapper](/storage/devmapper) can be enabled using the `--zfs` and `--devmapper` flags. See [Snapshot-based storage](#snapshot-based-storage).
 
-Cloud-based bare-metal:
+```sh
+curl -sLS https://get.slicervm.com | sudo bash
+```
 
-* [Hetzner bare-metal](https://www.hetzner.com/bare-metal-server) aka "robot" (cheapest, best value)
-* [Phoenix NAP](https://phoenixnap.com/bare-metal-cloud/instances)
-* [Latitude.sh](https://www.latitude.sh/features)
+> See also: [installation script](https://github.com/slicervm/slicervm.com/blob/master/get.sh)
 
-Additional cloud-based options for KVM are [included on this page on our sister site (Actuated)](https://docs.actuated.com/provision-server/)
+The installer sets up [Firecracker](https://firecracker-microvm.github.io), [Cloud Hypervisor](https://github.com/cloud-hypervisor/cloud-hypervisor), [containerd](https://containerd.io/) for storage, and a few networking options.
 
-Enterprise:
+**Setup the license key**
 
-* On-premises datacenter with your own bare-metal servers
-* OpenStack / VMware (with nested virtualisation)
-* Azure, DigitalOcean, GCP VMs (with nested virtualisation)
+If you have a subscription for Slicer Individual, Team or Platform, then you'll have received a license key via email. Save it to ~/.slicer/LICENSE`. This license will not expire, so long as your subscription remains active.
 
-A Linux system with KVM is required (bare-metal or nested virtualisation), so if you see `/dev/kvm`, Slicer will work there.
+If you're paying for Slicer Individual via GitHub Sponsors, then after installation, you should run `slicer activate` to link your GitHub account to your Slicer installation. The keys for sponsors last for 30 days, but can be refreshed using the same command.
 
-Ubuntu LTS is formally supported, whilst Debian, Fedora, RHEL-like Operating Systems (Rocky, Alma, CentOS), and Arch Linux should work - we won't be able to debug your system.
+Next, start your first VM with the [walk through](/getting-started/walkthrough).
 
-Ideally, nothing else should be installed on a host that runs Slicer. It should be thought of as a basic appliance - a bare OS, with minimal packages.
+For production, use [snapshot based storage](#snapshot-based-storage) for near-instance VM creation times.
 
-## Quick installation
+### Updating slicer
 
-The default slicer installation only enables support for [`image` storage](/storage/overview). Additional storage backends for [zfs](/storage/zfs) or [devmapper](/storage/devmapper) can be enabled using the `--zfs` and `--devmapper` flags. See [Snapshot-based storage](#snapshot-based-storage).
+To update Slicer, use the `slicer update` command:
 
-```sh
-curl -sLS https://get.slicervm.com | sudo bash
+```bash
+sudo slicer update
 ```
 
-The installer sets up [Firecracker](https://firecracker-microvm.github.io), [Cloud Hypervisor](https://github.com/cloud-hypervisor/cloud-hypervisor), [containerd](https://containerd.io/) for storage, and a few networking options.
+## Appendix
 
-> Feel free to read/verify [the installation script](https://get.slicervm.com) before running it.
+### Local hardware for Slicer
 
-Additional storage backends can always be enabled later by running the installer again with the appropriate flags.
+Ideal for labs/or and the home office:
 
-If you have a subscription for Slicer Individual, Team or Platform, then you'll have received a license key via email. Save it to ~/.slicer/LICENSE`.
+* Low powered mini PC i.e. [Intel N100](https://blog.alexellis.io/n100-mini-computer/), Beelink,  Minisforum,  Acemagic, etc
+* [Adlink Ampere Developer Platform](https://www.adlinktech.com/Products/computer_on_modules/COM-HPC-Server-Carrier-and-Starter-Kit/Ampere_Altra_Developer_Platform?lang=en) / [system76 Thelio Astra](https://system76.com/desktops/thelio-astra-a1.1-n1/configure) / [Raspberry Pi 4 or 5](https://www.raspberrypi.com/products/raspberry-pi-5/) (an NVMe is better than SD card)
+* Mac Mini M1 or M2 (with [Asahi Linux](https://asahilinux.org/) installed)
+* PC, laptop, or used server from eBay - under your desk or in your basement.
 
-If you're using the GitHub Sponsors bundle for SlicerVM, K3sup Pro and Superterm, then you can run `slicer activate` to obtain a key with your GitHub account. The key will last for 30 days, but can be refreshed via `slicer activate`. When refreshing, it'll use the stored GitHub token, instead of running the device flow again.
+### Cloud options for Slicer
 
-Next, start your first VM with the [walk through](/getting-started/walkthrough).
+Cloud-based bare-metal:
 
-## Snapshot-based storage
+* [Hetzner bare-metal](https://www.hetzner.com/bare-metal-server) aka "robot" (cheapest, best value)
+* [Phoenix NAP](https://phoenixnap.com/bare-metal-cloud/instances)
+* [Latitude.sh](https://www.latitude.sh/features)
+
+Enterprise:
+
+* On-premises datacenter with your own bare-metal servers
+* OpenStack / VMware (with nested virtualisation)
+* Azure, DigitalOcean, GCP VMs (with nested virtualisation)
+
+Additional cloud-based options for KVM are [included on this page on our sister site (Actuated)](https://docs.actuated.com/provision-server/)
+
+### Snapshot-based storage
 
 Snapshot-based storage is not required for development and testing, instead, it's recommended that most users use the `image` storage approach instead, until they want to trade a little extra setup, for much improved VM disk clone times.
 
@@ -100,17 +112,3 @@ curl -sLS https://get.slicervm.com | sudo bash -s -- \
 
 The `--devmapper` and `--zfs` flags can be used together to enable both storage backends.
 
-## Updating slicer
-
-To update Slicer, use the `slicer update` command:
-
-```bash
-sudo slicer update
-```
-
-Alternatively, if you're on an earlier version, repeat this command from the installation step:
-
-```bash
-sudo arkade oci install ghcr.io/openfaasltd/slicer:latest \
-  --path /usr/local/bin
-```
diff --git a/docs/getting-started/walkthrough.md b/docs/getting-started/walkthrough.md
@@ -60,158 +60,75 @@ sudo slicer up ./vm-image.yaml
 
 Having customised the `github_user` to your own username, your SSH keys will have been fetched from your profile, and preinstalled into the VM.
 
-On your workstation, add any routes that are specified so you can access the VMs on their own network.
+**Getting a shell**
 
-If you need to get the route output back again, you can use the `slicer vm route` command on the host itself, specifying the config file as the argument.
+You can get an interactive shell with `slicer vm shell` - this is the simplest option and can be run directly on the host, or from another machine over the network if you have the API bound to a TCP address.
 
-Never run any route commands outputted by Slicer on the host itself. It's not required and will break the networking.
+When using `bridge` networking, you can run the routing commands printed out on start-up or via `slicer route` on another machine. then you can connect via SSH i.e. `ssh ubuntu@192.168.137.2`.
 
-Then, you can connect with SSH:
+Do not run the route commands on the host itself because it'll break the networking.
 
-```bash
-ssh ubuntu@192.168.137.2
-```
-
-## Quick start with slicer auto
+## View the serial console
 
-If you want to skip the configuration step, use `slicer auto`:
+The logs from the serial console including the output from the boot process are available on disk:
 
-```bash
-sudo slicer auto
 ```
+$ sudo tail -f /var/log/slicer/vm-1.txt
 
-This will:
-
-* Auto-detect a free bridge network range from `10.0.0.0/8` that doesn't conflict with your existing interfaces
-* Pick a random API port (so multiple instances don't clash)
-* Import your SSH keys from `~/.ssh/*.pub`
-* Write an `auto.yaml` config in the current directory
-* Start the API server ready for VMs to be launched
-
-The API port is printed on startup and written to `auto.yaml` for reference.
-
-To launch a VM, open a new terminal and run:
+         Starting OpenBSD Secure Shell server...
+[  OK  ] Started OpenBSD Secure Shell server.
+[  OK  ] Reached target Multi-User System.
+[  OK  ] Reached target Graphical Interface.
+         Starting Record Runlevel Change in UTMP...
+[  OK  ] Finished Record Runlevel Change in UTMP.
 
-```bash
-export SLICER_URL="http://127.0.0.1:PORT"
-export SLICER_TOKEN_FILE="/var/lib/slicer/auth/token"
+Ubuntu 22.04.5 LTS vm-1 ttyS0
 
-slicer vm add
+vm-1 login:
 ```
 
-Replace `PORT` with the port shown in the `auto.yaml` file or the startup output.
-
-### Flags
-
-| Flag | Default | Description |
-|---|---|---|
-| `--count` | `0` | Number of VMs to pre-start (0 means API-only, launch with `slicer vm add`) |
-| `--ram` | `4` | RAM in GiB per VM |
-| `--cpu` | `2` | vCPUs per VM |
-| `--isolated` | `false` | Use isolated networking instead of bridge |
-| `--ssh-key` | | SSH public key(s) to add (can be repeated) |
-| `--github` | | GitHub username to import SSH keys from |
-| `--find-ssh-keys` | `true` | Scan `~/.ssh/` for public keys |
-| `--api-port` | auto | Explicit API server port (default: auto-assign free port) |
-| `--api-bind` | `127.0.0.1` | API bind address or unix socket path |
-| `--socket` | `false` | Use a unix socket at `./auto.sock` instead of TCP |
-| `--kernel` | | Path to a custom kernel, or leave blank to extract one from the rootfs |
-
-### Examples
-
-Pre-start VMs with the daemon instead of launching them separately:
+If you want to tail the logs from all available VMs at once, use `fstail` via `arkade get fstail`:
 
 ```bash
-sudo slicer auto --count=1
-
-sudo slicer auto --count=3 --ram=8 --cpu=4
+sudo -E fstail /var/log/slicer/
 ```
 
-SSH keys from `~/.ssh/*.pub` on the host are imported automatically. You can also import keys from a GitHub profile:
+Additionally, you can run `slicer vm logs`.
 
-```bash
-sudo slicer auto --github=alexellis
-```
+## Managing VMs
 
-Use isolated networking (no bridge, access VMs via `slicer vm exec` / `slicer vm forward`):
+Copy a file to the VM:
 
 ```bash
-sudo slicer auto --isolated
+slicer vm cp ./file vm-1:~/file
 ```
 
-Use a unix socket instead of TCP for the API:
+Copy a file back to the host:
 
 ```bash
-sudo slicer auto --socket
+slicer vm cp vm-1:~/file ./file
 ```
 
-Set a fixed API port instead of auto-assigning:
+Copy a folder to the VM:
 
 ```bash
-sudo slicer auto --api-port=9090
+slicer vm cp --mode=tar ~/go/src/github.com/alexellis/arkade vm-1:~/arkade
 ```
 
-### Re-run behavior
-
-On subsequent runs, `sudo slicer auto` reuses the existing `auto.yaml` - including the same port and CIDR. Pass any flag (like `--count=3`) to regenerate it with new settings.
-
-The generated `auto.yaml` is a standard Slicer config - you can inspect or edit it to learn the format, then graduate to `slicer new` + `slicer up` for full control over networking, storage, and naming.
-
-## Ignore changing SSH host keys
-
-If, like the developers of Slicer, you'll be re-creating many hosts with the same IP addresses, you have two options:
-
-* Memorise and get familiar with the `ssh-keygen -R <ip-address>` command
-* Or add the following to your `~/.ssh/config` file to stop it complaining
-
-```
-Host 192.168.137.*
-    StrictHostKeyChecking no
-    UserKnownHostsFile /dev/null
-    GlobalKnownHostsFile /dev/null
-    CheckHostIP no
-    LogLevel QUIET
-    User ubuntu
-```
-
-Repeat it once for each IP range you use with Slicer.
-
-And bear in mind that you should not do this for production or long-running hosts.
-
-## View the serial console
-
-The logs from the serial console including the output from the boot process are available on disk:
-
-```
-$ sudo tail -f /var/log/slicer/vm-1.txt
-
-         Starting OpenBSD Secure Shell server...
-[  OK  ] Started OpenBSD Secure Shell server.
-[  OK  ] Reached target Multi-User System.
-[  OK  ] Reached target Graphical Interface.
-         Starting Record Runlevel Change in UTMP...
-[  OK  ] Finished Record Runlevel Change in UTMP.
-
-Ubuntu 22.04.5 LTS vm-1 ttyS0
-
-vm-1 login:
-```
-
-If you want to tail the logs from all available VMs at once, use `fstail` via `arkade get fstail`:
+Copy a folder back to the host:
 
 ```bash
-sudo -E fstail /var/log/slicer/
+slicer vm cp --mode=tar vm-1:~/arkade ~/go/src/github.com/alexellis/arkade
 ```
 
-## Managing VMs
 
 List running VMs:
 
 ```bash
 slicer vm list
 ```
 
-Launch additional VMs without restarting the daemon:
+Launch ephemeral VMs:
 
 ```bash
 slicer vm add
