KVM Linodes are, by default, paravirtualized, supporting the Virtio disk and network drivers. However, we also now support fully virtualized guests – which means you can run alternative operating systems like FreeBSD, BSD, Plan 9, or even Windows – using emulated hardware (PIIX IDE and e1000). We’re also working on a graphical console (GISH?) which should be out in the next few weeks.
I just got an OpenBSD install on this, and it was remarkably painless.
https://forum.linode.com/viewtopic.php?f=26&t=11818#p67319 has most of the details - do the Right Thing instead of the FreeBSD thing. Just be sure to set your default hypervisor to KVM, set the disk to direct boot, and use full virtualization. Works like a charm. I was expecting more drama…
I was about to make a joke about this article needing more tags, then I realized it was missing the virtualization one.
D'oh.