Xen Virtualization & Intel VT-d: Direct Hardware Access to Graphics Card by Windows Virtual Machines

[yenik]

Ummm... Teo could you possibly do a STEP-BY-STEP TUTORIAL from 0? going through instalation and xen configuration to do vga passthrough and vt-x and vt-d for a Windows7 in a Linux based sistem as a host?

Thanks ^^

[gmarchenko]

@yenik As I know tehre is no an sbs tutorial. But you need something like this: 1) System wth support vt-x and vt-d 2) Xen enabled kernel with options: CONFIG_XEN_PCIDEV_BACKEND=y CONFIG_XEN_PCIDEV_BACKEND_PASS­=y (I got it from git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/l­inux/kernel/git/konrad/xen.git­) 3) XEN 4.1 4) binary of your vga bios 5) some correct patch for XEN code to load it. I don't know what patch need to do it with xen-unstable code - it doesn't seems like it already applied. could you help?)

[yenik]

@gmarchenko hummm. I've got at least 1st and 3rd step,

i've trouble with the second one, it cant find the url neither know to configure it

then... the VGA binary file what is it ? drivers of my graphic card? and how can i get them? i've got an NVIDIA GTX 460. Next.. Xen needs a patch? O.o isn't it Stable with the 4.1 version? or just being stable with the pair numbers like 4.2?

Please if you manage to find those out tell me ^^

[gmarchenko]

@yenik

2) check your current xen enabled kernel config:

cat /boot/config-2.6.XX|grep CONFIG_XEN_PCIDEV_BACKEND if no - download xen enabled sources of kernel, add this options and build/run

4) VGA binary file is the video bios that your videocard contains, you must read it from there to file

5) On XEN 4.1 I able to direct access from HVM/DomU only for buildin Intel IGD, no x800gto or 5450 :(

[yenik]

@gmarchenko 2: I'm on my actual PC on Windows 7 I've got to build my other PC from the start, when I get it I'll tell.

4: if I don't have those options how can I add those options (I'm Really a newbie here... linux novice ^^')

5: don't understand what do you mean... my motherborard is a Gigabyte and my processor a I5 2400.

(sorry for my poor English, I'm Spanish though :P If you don't understand somehting don't doubt and ask =))

[gmarchenko]

@yenik Spanish? Ha-ha ;) I'm russian and my english isn't well too ))

4. So, If you don't have any Linux I have 2 questions for you:

a) why you need xen virtualization and vga passthru

b) If I told you how to add this options to a new kernel, where you will check it? :))

5. Your computer have not only motherboard and processor, it have videocard too, and videcard has a chip with bios. This bios you need read from the chip and write it to file with special utils like nvflash.exe

[yenik]

@gmarchenko to number a: to my personal PC for gaming W7/working SUSE and for a school task/how to, I will make a guide with video ( I may post it here as a reply also =) )

b: well.. if you already tell me how then.. I will check it where you tell me xD, if you mean about performance then I'll search for some software aproximately like the en ming one in the other videos testing the machine =)

5: how do i read it.. may I put my grapic card stats here and you can find it out?

hh

[yenik]

@yenik ASUS ENGTX460 DirectCU

nVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 (GF104)

PCIe v2.0 x16 (2.5 Gb/s) @ x16 (2.5 Gb/s)

1024 MB GDDR5 SDRAM bus 256-bit

pixel pipelines 32 Shaders: Unified: 336

[gmarchenko]

@yenik

I'm sorry I don't undestand what are you saying for..

5. What as you said I must found for you? I said you what YOU need to DO if you need same result as on the this video ;)

So YOU need to READ bios from your videocard and WRITE what are you readed to the file with utils. Then you done the 4th step. ) I can't do it for you )))

[yenik]

@gmarchenko first of all i dont know which file is it :P if you can tell me plz =)

[gmarchenko]

@yenik There is no file at now. You create this file by yourself with special PROGRAMM and your VIDEOCARD which contains of it's future content.

[yenik]

@gmarchenko OH... I see... mind to explain me exactly how to do it? =)

[gmarchenko]

@yenik what about to number a, you may use your windows without any problem and run your suse in virtual machine like vmware or virtualbox.

Why you need to do something as on the video? O_o

[yenik]

@gmarchenko because I want to get the major stability from a UNIX System =) hosting and then get my w7 to max performance

[gmarchenko]

@yenik I'm start to work with linux for 10 years ago. And I have to say you:

There is no major stability with linux without your hard work every day. Cause it not so stable if you use it only `as is` e.g. download-install-play.

[yenik]

@gmarchenko I think there is... the OpenSUSE HOST won't be touched, only updated anb mantained .

The one i will be playing with is W7 and the one I will be working with and doing some research is another virtualized opensuse

so... if something goes wrong while at it i can easily restore them up with a snapshot and dont have to go through major restoring =) (that's what i meant this for)

[gmarchenko]

@yenik first of all: check that system you have full control and ready to kill HAS VT-d/IOMMU support.

[yenik]

@gmarchenko it has it: intel i5 2400 processor socker 1155

[gmarchenko]

@yenik unfortunately only cpu is not enough. Your motherboard/chipset must has support of vt-d too.

[law1213]

Do you have a tutorial on how to do this?

[jplunario]

Nice

[LinkBulletBill]

I don't quite understand what you have done...

May you elaborate?

[rwese]

@LinkBulletBill "VGA passthrough"

See 7:45 usually you would have a generic gfx there instead.