I have shortened my how-to and left only the LM 16 related instructions.
For those who run Linux Mint 13 or 14, here is the old version (dated 05.02.2014 in the change log):
Xen VGA passthrough how-to for Linux Mint 13, 14, and 16 - release 2.1.2
Change log:
05.02.2014 - added link to alternative guide, shortened introduction, changed caption ("Hardware requirements")
27.01.2014 - removed outdated comments re Xen versions, added note re Fedora 20 guide
13.01.2014 - removed /etc/modules xen-pciback entry as we use the initramfs method, shortened text
11.01.2014 - fixed win7.cfg file formating errors (the " ' etc. quotes got messed up)
09.01.2014 - update on Asus Sabertooth X79 VT-d support
07.01.2014 - removed virt-manager as it doesn't work
06.01.2014 - added link to synergy website, enhanced "Preparation and hardware selection" section
29.12.2013 - new recommendation - use Linux Mint 16
20.12.2013 - VT-d not working with Ivybridge CPUs on Asus Rampage and Sabertooth X79 boards - new BIOS versions to be released soon
19.12.2013 - appeal to post Passmark / benchmark results here http://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.p ... 5&t=153482
17.12.2013 - added info/link to identifying PCI ID of USB ports (controllers); added Xen release 4.1.5-0ubuntu0.12.10.1 as NOT working with VGA/PCI passthrough
10.12.2013 - warning about LM16 and Windows 8.1
09.12.2013 - added instructions for LM16; use initramfs to hide graphics card; major makeover of how-to
08.12.2013 - added references to LM16
22.11.2013 - link to successful Linux Mint 16 Cinnamon installation post
09.11.2013 - Asus BIOS update - link to post
26.10.2013 - added reference to Linux Mint 15 solution using xm toolstack
17.09.2013 - update about Asus test BIOS - link to post
13.09.2013 - revised note about faulty Asus BIOS - link to beta BIOS reference
13.09.2013 - added note about faulty BIOS in some Asus motherboards
21.07.2013 - added link to workaround for LM15 users, using the xm toolstack
16.07.2013 - added warning about Linux Mint 15 and unresolved bugs
11.07.2013 - PCI passthrough bug in Xen 4.1.3-3ubuntu1.7 - update
26.06.2013 - added link to post re xl toolstack and domU config file changes
20.06.2013 - adjust vcpus in win7.cfg file to more sensible values
14.06.2013 - Xen hypervisor 4.1.3-3ubuntu1.6 - PCI passthrough not working
02.06.2013 - link to Synaptic screen shots to force version - workaround for XSA46 bug
19.05.2013 - notes on Linux Mint 15: Xen 4.2 and xl toolstack, LVM option in installer; gfx_passthru=1 explanation
30.04.2013 - warning re xen hypervisor release 4.1.3-3ubuntu1.5 upgrade
29.04.2013 - added note on alternative method to load xen-pciback using the initramfs
18.04.2013 - added enable VT-d / IOMMU in BIOS step - renumbered steps
16.04.2013 - removed summary of steps; added info on AMD graphics cards
15.04.2013 - changed to consecutive numbering; commented out pae=1 option; added pci power management option and explanation; additional references
07.04.2013 - note on keyboard/mouse control using Xen with link to post; blacklisting radeon or nouveau driver
02.04.2013 - appeal to open "virtualization" forum on LM; AMD CPUs; Intel VT-d; Nvidia modding
17.02.2013 - link to latest GPLPV drivers and new instructions on using them; comment out "auto eth0" entry in /etc/network/interfaces
01.02.2013 - fixed ark.intel.com link to list VT-d enabled CPUs and added a link re VT-d M/B, added glossary
21.01.2013 - additional notes / corrections for Linux Mint 14 Mate
18.01.2013 - additional references and links; cleaning up the text
13.01.2013 - enabled STP in network config; added localtime=1 to domU config file
10.01.2013 - added note on LM 14; added usb-devices command for USB PCI ID identification
10.12.2012 - note about bridging and the network-manager package
12.11.2012 - minor changes/additions in part 4, particularly the Windows installation part
23.10.2012 - changed the title to make it more clear what it's all about: not having to dual-boot anymore and yet getting full graphics performance
18.09.2012 - additions in Part 2 and Part 3 (step 10)
Want a dedicated virtualization forum? Vote here:http://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.php?f=29&t=112951
Abstract: This how-to is about running Microsoft Windows concurrently with Linux Mint on a Xen hypervisor, with FULL graphics acceleration for the Windows guest system.
There are special hardware requirements for this to work. Please make sure your hardware meets these requirements.
Running Windows as a guest in Linux is nothing new. But how about native graphics and near-native CPU performance? Here a little teaser - this is my Windows Experience Index when running Windows on top of Linux / Xen hypervisor, while Linux is fully functional at the same time:
Win7_VM_on_Xen.jpg
WEI using GPLPV block device driver and VGA graphics passthrough!
Introduction
For a long time I wanted to get rid of dual-booting Linux and Windows. But my photo editing software would only run on Windows (or Mac). So I started to look into virtualization. I needed true graphics acceleration from within Windows, as well as direct access to some USB ports, something VirtualBox cannot provide as of this writing!
Reading reports from users who had installed Windows as a virtual machine (VM) on top of a Xen hypervisor, with full graphics acceleration under Windows, I decided to go for it.
The following is for people who want to run Linux and Windows at the same time - without the need for dual-boot - with both Linux and Windows having native or near native graphics acceleration and performance.
Xen employs two related concepts that make it work: PCI passthrough and VGA passthrough.
Glossary
Here a few terms used in the how-to:
domU: This is a Virtual Machine or VM in Xen terminology. In our case it will be Windows.
dom0: This is a special Virtual Machine with administrative privileges. In our case this will be Linux Mint. All other VMs (or domUs in Xen talk) are started and controlled from the dom0.
PCI passthrough (or passthru): This is a technique which allows the dom0 to pass through a PCI device to the guest domU. The guest OS - in our case Windows - then uses its own hardware driver to access the device directly.
VGA passthrough: This is a specialized form of PCI passthrough for graphics cards / GPU. These devices are more complex and so is the interaction with them. Fortunately, using the right hardware together with Xen should take care of that. There are two forms of VGA passthrough:
VGA passthrough to GPU as primary adapter: The guest system (domU) boots and uses the passed through graphics card as its primary or only graphics adapter.
VGA passthrough to GPU as secondary adapter: The guest system first boots using the Qemu-dm virtual Cirrus adapter as the primary graphics adapter (this is where you see the BIOS screen and the Windows boot logo). After installation of the graphics driver under Windows and subsequent reboot of the domU, the system will switch to the secondary graphics adapter at some stage of it's boot process.
This is the technique described here in this How-To.
Hardware requirements
First of all you need to check the hardware.
This will ONLY work when the hardware requirements below are met, if not, forget this tutorial !!!
Hardware requirements:
- • CPU with VT-d support (Intel terminology) - see http://ark.intel.com/search/advanced/?s=t&VTD=true. When using an AMD CPU, it must support AMD-Vi, also known as IOMMU - the following chipsets support IOMMU: SR5690/SR5670 server chipsets, AMD 890FX, 990FX, 990X and 970 desktop chipsets. See http://wiki.xen.org/wiki/VTdHowTo for more information.
- • Enough RAM - the more the better, though 8GB should do in most cases
- • Linux Mint 13 or later (or Ubuntu 12.04 or later), 64bit version - I recommend Linux Mint 16 !
- • Windows 7, Windows 8 (see note on Windows 8.1 below), or Windows XP
Check the above links! If you have a compatible CPU, motherboard (and BIOS), and graphics card you can skip to the how-to below.
Note: Some Asus motherboards - specifically those for AMD CPUs with AMD 990FX and 970 chipsets - have a faulty BIOS. This has been reported here http://www.gossamer-threads.com/lists/x ... ded#283968. A workaround is to install an older version of Xen using the "force" option in Synaptic. For more see here http://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.p ... 00#p764039.
EDIT: Asus has fixed it for at least two boards - see http://xen.1045712.n5.nabble.com/Xen-IO ... 61i20.html and http://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.p ... 00#p764822 (thanks GizmoChicken!)
EDIT 2: Asus has released a new BIOS version v2005 that reportedly fixes the issues with some of its AMD CPU boards. For more details, see GizmoChicken's post here: http://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.p ... 20#p782159
Ivybridge CPUs on Asus Rampage and Sabertooth X79 boards: Asus Rampage and Sabertooth X79 boards currently don't support VT-d when used with the new generation Ivybridge CPUs. The good news is that Asus R&D is working on it and has released a beta BIOS to fix VT-d in one of their Rampage boards. A BIOS release is expected for the Asus Sabertooth X79 that is supposed to fix the issue. See here:
http://rog.asus.com/forum/showthread.ph ... R4E-boards.
Here is my hardware list for reference:
- i7 3930K CPU with C2 stepping! (If you buy new, it should be with C2 stepping, but check for spec code = SR0KY!)
- Asus Sabertooth X79 motherboard with BIOS version 4608 (latest BIOS as of 09.01.2014)
- AMD 7770 graphics card as primary graphics adapter for Linux dom0 (before that I had an AMD 6450)
- Nvidia Quadro 2000 graphics card with "Multi-OS" feature (Nvidia terminology) as secondary graphics adapter for Windows domU - see below for more on that!
- USB KVM switch to connect keyboard/mouse to two different USB hosts and easily switch between them
- A graphics display with two DVI or HDMI ports and the ability to switch between the ports (e.g. "input" button)
- Enough RAM (I have 32GB) and disk space (I use a 120GB SSD and several 2TB hard drives, less will do)
Most Nvidia graphics cards are tricky to pass through to the guest OS (Windows domU), only the "Multi-OS" versions are designed to work out of the box. You could try to patch and rebuild the Linux kernel and Xen, and there are some instructions on how to do it, but this is way more demanding than getting my above hardware to work. I have failed with a Nvidia Quadro 600 card, though it may be possible. Most AMD (ATI) graphics cards are easier to get working with VGA passthrough. See
http://wiki.xen.org/wiki/Xen_VGA_Passth ... d_Adapters and
http://wiki.xen.org/wiki/Xen_VGA_Passthrough.
If in doubt, get one of the tested AMD graphics adapters that are listed under the above mentioned links!
For the very adventurous, there is a way to modify Nvidia graphics adapters to register as professional Nvidia cards and thus enable VGA passthrough. See here:
http://www.eevblog.com/forum/projects/h ... nterparts/ and
http://www.eevblog.com/forum/projects/h ... #msg207550.
Warning: If you do modify your hardware, you will loose all manufacturer warranty and take a big chance of turning your expensive VGA card into a brick! I won't take any responsibility for that. You have been warned.
If you are planning to build a new PC, this is the time to check for compatible hardware!
How-to for Linux Mint 13 and 14 (for LM 16 see first post in this thread)
Note about Windows guests: This how-to has been written and tested with Windows 7. At least one user reported that this Linux Mint 16 / Xen 4.3 how-to doesn't work with a Windows 8.1 guest - see
http://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.p ... 60#p794153. It may be an isolated incident - if you succeed with Windows 8.1, please report.
1. Install Linux Mint 13/14 or 16 64 bit with LVM / (root) and /home partitions
For Linux Mint 13 or 14, see my how-to here:
http://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.php?f=42&t=108442.
For
Linux Mint 16, see my how-to here:
http://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.p ... 42#p793203.
Recommendation: For those who follow this tutorial the first time, use Linux Mint 16 with Xen 4.3 and the "xm" tool stack. For those who already installed an earlier version - don't bother unless you need newer packages (though many have been back ported to LM13 which is a long term release).
Note: Xen 4.1, 4.2, and 4.3 have a bug when using the "xl" toolstack (the default toolstack from Xen 4.2 onwards) that causes issues when rebooting the Windows guest, or any other guest that uses PCI or VGA passthrough. Until that bug has been resolved in Ubuntu and Linux Mint, use the "xm" toolstack.
2. Enable VT-d / IOMMU in BIOS
Reboot your PC and enter your BIOS setup. Look for an IOMMU or VT-d option (check the manual of your motherboard) and enable it.
VT-d is an essential prerequisite to make this work!
Note: Most motherboard BIOSes have VT-d disabled by default.
3. Install Xen hypervisor and utilities
After reboot into the installed Linux Mint system, update the packages using the "Update Manager". Then open a terminal window:
Linux Mint 13:
Code: Select all
sudo apt-get install xen-hypervisor-4.1-amd64=4.1.3-3ubuntu1 xen-utils-4.1=4.1.3-3ubuntu1 xen-utils-common=4.1.3-3ubuntu1 bridge-utils
Note: See below "Important note for Linux Mint 13 and 14".
Linux Mint 14:
Code: Select all
sudo apt-get install xen-system-amd64=4.1.3-3ubuntu1
When updating the Xen hypervisor to version 4.1.3-3ubuntu1.5 or newer you will get an error when trying to load the Windows guest. Affected versions are 4.1.3-3ubuntu1.5, 4.1.3-3ubuntu1.6, 4.1.3-3ubuntu1.7, and 4.1.5-0ubuntu0.12.10.1. This is why the packages above are pinned to release
4.1.3-3ubuntu1. If you inadvertently upgrade the Xen-related packages, you can downgrade them using the "Force version..." option in the "Package" menu of Synaptic Package Manager (see screenshot below). You will need to downgrade the following packages:
Code: Select all
libxen-4.1 libxenstore3.0 xen-docs-4.1 xen-hypervisor-4.1-amd64 xen-system-amd64 xen-utils-4.1 xen-utils-common xenstore-utils
See
http://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.p ... 51#p725951.
Screenshot-Synaptic Package Manager.png
Linux Mint 16:
Code: Select all
sudo apt-get install xen-system-amd64
We want the "xm" toolstack, since the default "xl" toolstack has issues/bugs:
Code: Select all
sudo sed -i 's/TOOLSTACK=.*\+/TOOLSTACK="xm"/' /etc/default/xen
Edit the
/etc/default/grub file as root and add or change the following:
Code: Select all
GRUB_CMDLINE_XEN="iommu=1 dom0_mem=2048M"
The above Xen command line tells the hypervisor to use IOMMU (VT-d must be ENABLED in your BIOS) and gives the dom0 (Linux Mint) 2048 MB of RAM. Change the amount of RAM you give to your Linux Mint dom0 according to your needs.
While at it, comment out the GRUB_HIDDEN_TIMEOUT=0 and GRUB_HIDDEN_TIMEOUT_QUIET=true so that it looks like this:
Code: Select all
GRUB_DEFAULT="Xen 4.1-amd64"
# GRUB_HIDDEN_TIMEOUT=0
# GRUB_HIDDEN_TIMEOUT_QUIET=true
GRUB_TIMEOUT=10
GRUB_DISTRIBUTOR=`lsb_release -i -s 2> /dev/null || echo Debian`
GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="quiet splash nomodeset"
GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX=""
GRUB_CMDLINE_XEN="iommu=1 dom0_mem=2048M"
You need to change
to
Note: I changed my GRUB_DEFAULT to load Xen automatically at boot. With the GRUB_HIDDEN... options commented out you will have a grub menu to select your regular Linux kernel if things go bad, or to manually select either Xen or regular boot.
Open a terminal window and run
5. Reboot into the Xen hypervisor
Select the appropriate grub menu option.
6. Adjust the network settings to use a bridge
The following terminal commands require root permission so we make it stick. Open a terminal window and enter:
Linux Mint 16: We need to install some more packages:
Code: Select all
apt-get install qemu-common qemu-keymaps bridge-utils
Then for
Linux Mint 13:
Linux Mint 14 and 16:
Stops the network manager so we can configure the bridge and enable it.
No matter which Linux Mint version you use, you need to decide if you want to use a dynamic IP address for your Linux Mint dom0, or a static address. I recommend using a static IP address (the second option below), as this will allow you to easily access your Linux dom0 from another PC in your network, or from within the Windows guest.
If you want to use
DHCP to automatically assign an IP address etc. to your network card, replace the content of your
/etc/network/interfaces file with this:
Code: Select all
auto lo
iface lo inet loopback
auto xenbr0
iface xenbr0 inet dhcp
bridge_ports eth0
# auto eth0
For a
static IP address, use this configuration in
/etc/network/interfaces:
Code: Select all
auto lo
iface lo inet loopback
auto xenbr0
iface xenbr0 inet static
address 192.168.0.120 # IP of Linux Mint dom0
broadcast 192.168.0.255
netmask 255.255.255.0
gateway 192.168.0.1 # IP of router or modem
dns-nameservers 8.8.8.8 # IP(s) of DNS name server(s)
bridge_ports eth0
bridge_stp off # disable Spanning Tree Protocol - optional
# bridge_waitport 0 # no delay before a port becomes available - optional
# bridge_fd 0 # no forwarding delay - optional
# There are no IP configurations for eth0, it’s all defined under xenbr0:
# auto eth0
Adopt the IP settings above to your requirements.
Enable networking:
and check your network configuration:
Note: If you do not find a xenbr0 entry, you may need to define a bridge using brctl. In the terminal window type:
and check again with ifconfig.
Then test your network configuration - open Firefox and see if you have Internet access.
If all is fine, remove the "network-manager" package as this is a major pain in the neck (to be polite):
7. Create missing links
Linux Mint requires some fixes for the xen tools to work properly.
For
Linux Mint 13 enter the following commands in the terminal window (as root):
Code: Select all
ln -s /usr/lib /usr/lib64
ln -s /usr/lib/xen-default /usr/lib/xen
ln -s /usr/share/qemu-linaro /usr/share/qemu
For
Linux Mint 14 use these:
Code: Select all
ln -s /usr/lib /usr/lib64
ln -s /usr/lib/xen-4.1 /usr/lib/xen-default
ln -s /usr/share/qemu-linaro/qemu/ /usr/share/qemu
Thanks to Nesousx.
For
Linux Mint 16 use these:
Code: Select all
ln -s /usr/lib /usr/lib64
ln -s /usr/lib/xen-4.3 /usr/lib/xen-default
Enter the following command to list your graphics adapters' PCI IDs:
You should get something like this:
- 01:00.0 VGA compatible controller: Advanced Micro Devices [AMD] nee ATI Caicos [Radeon HD 6450]
02:00.0 VGA compatible controller: NVIDIA Corporation GF106GL [Quadro 2000] (rev a1)
I have two graphics adapters:
- 01:00.0 is the primary graphics adapter installed in the first PCIe 16 slot, in my case an AMD Radeon HD 6450 graphics card. This is the GPU currently used by Linux dom0.
02:00.0 is the secondary graphics adapter installed in the second PCIe 16 slot, in my case a Nvidia Quadro 2000 card. This is the one we want to pass through to the guest system. This card MUST support VGA passthrough, or else this whole procedure will fail !!! Read the hardware requirements above at the beginning very carefully.
Make a note of the PCI ID you want to pass through. Most likely your graphics card will have a second PCI ID for the onboard audio controller. This is typically 02:00.1 (for the card with PCI ID 02:00.0). You need to pass that through as well!
To check, enter the following and scroll through the output:
You will see something like this:
- 02:00.0 VGA compatible controller: NVIDIA Corporation GF106GL [Quadro 2000] (rev a1)
02:00.1 Audio device: NVIDIA Corporation GF106 High Definition Audio Controller (rev a1)
If you don't get the second line, there is no onboard audio controller you need to pass through, so use only the 02:00.0 PCI ID.
Note: You may get different PCI IDs altogether, so use the ones appropriate to your system.
Next are the
USB devices (see also the "Alternative method" below):
The output on my machine is this:
- 00:1a.0 USB controller: Intel Corporation X79 series chipset USB2 Enhanced Host Controller #2 (rev 05)
00:1d.0 USB controller: Intel Corporation X79 series chipset USB2 Enhanced Host Controller #1 (rev 05)
06:00.0 USB controller: ASMedia Technology Inc. ASM1042 SuperSpeed USB Host Controller
07:00.0 USB controller: ASMedia Technology Inc. ASM1042 SuperSpeed USB Host Controller
08:00.0 USB controller: ASMedia Technology Inc. ASM1042 SuperSpeed USB Host Controller
I have 5 host controllers, and each of mine has 2 or more ports (IIRC).
I decided to pass through the second Intel USB controller for mouse/keyboard, since it's a USB-2 host controller which may give less troubles than USB-3. I also have a USB KVM switch that allows me to switch between two USB ports on the PC - one cable is connected to the passed-through USB port, the other to a USB-2 port that hasn't been passed through (for Linux). Here is my setup:
00.1a.0 is passed through to the domU (Windows 7) guest and one cable of the KVM is connected to this port (see below on how to determine that).
00.1d.0 is used with dom0 (Linux) and the second cable of the KVM is connected to that port.
To find out the PCI ID of the host controller(s) where your keyboard and mouse is currently connected, use:
and scroll down to your mouse and keyboard entries. The PCI ID can be found on the "SerialNumber=" line of the corresponding Host Controller. In the example below my USB Multimedia Keyboard is connected to the EHCI Host Controller with the PCI ID
0000:00:1a.0:
- T: Bus=01 Lev=00 Prnt=00 Port=00 Cnt=00 Dev#= 1 Spd=480 MxCh= 2
D: Ver= 2.00 Cls=09(hub ) Sub=00 Prot=00 MxPS=64 #Cfgs= 1
P: Vendor=1d6b ProdID=0002 Rev=03.11
S: Manufacturer=Linux 3.11.0-12-generic ehci_hcd
S: Product=EHCI Host Controller
S: SerialNumber=0000:00:1a.0
C: #Ifs= 1 Cfg#= 1 Atr=e0 MxPwr=0mA
I: If#= 0 Alt= 0 #EPs= 1 Cls=09(hub ) Sub=00 Prot=00 Driver=hub
T: Bus=01 Lev=01 Prnt=01 Port=00 Cnt=01 Dev#= 2 Spd=480 MxCh= 6
D: Ver= 2.00 Cls=09(hub ) Sub=00 Prot=01 MxPS=64 #Cfgs= 1
P: Vendor=8087 ProdID=0024 Rev=00.00
C: #Ifs= 1 Cfg#= 1 Atr=e0 MxPwr=0mA
I: If#= 0 Alt= 0 #EPs= 1 Cls=09(hub ) Sub=00 Prot=00 Driver=hub
T: Bus=01 Lev=02 Prnt=02 Port=04 Cnt=01 Dev#= 3 Spd=12 MxCh= 0
D: Ver= 1.10 Cls=00(>ifc ) Sub=00 Prot=00 MxPS= 8 #Cfgs= 1
P: Vendor=058f ProdID=9410 Rev=01.22
S: Product=USB Multimedia Keyboard
S: SerialNumber=USB Multimedia Keyboard
C: #Ifs= 3 Cfg#= 1 Atr=a0 MxPwr=50mA
I: If#= 0 Alt= 0 #EPs= 1 Cls=03(HID ) Sub=01 Prot=01 Driver=usbhid
I: If#= 1 Alt= 0 #EPs= 1 Cls=03(HID ) Sub=00 Prot=00 Driver=usbhid
I: If#= 2 Alt= 0 #EPs= 1 Cls=03(HID ) Sub=01 Prot=02 Driver=usbhid
...
Tip: A detailed description on identifying USB ports and their corresponding PCI IDs can be found here:
http://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.p ... 78#p795878.
My KVM has two ports to connect both keyboard and mouse to it. If you don't use a KVM switch, it's best to have both keyboard and mouse on the same controller, so you may need to replug them and check again.
Alternative method: You can use "synergy" to share one mouse and keyboard between your Linux dom0 and your Windows guest, in which case you do
not need to pass through USB hosts. See here:
http://synergy-foss.org/. To install "synergy", enter:
Code: Select all
apt-get install synergy libcrypto++9 quicksynergy
For more information on using synergy, see
http://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.p ... 80#p706770. Thanks gordon.cooke !
9. Create pciback.conf file
If you do NOT pass through USB ports, skip to step 11.
Once you determined the PCI IDs for your graphics adapter and USB port(s) you want to pass through to Windows, create a config file named
pciback.conf in
/etc/xen with the PCI ID(s) of the
USB host(s) you wish to pass through, for example:
Code: Select all
# This file contains the list of pci devices the pciback driver should bind
# to at system startup.
# Please provide the devices in long BDF notation.
# Example:
# 0000:08:00.0
# NO EMPTY LINES!
#
0000:00:1a.0
Note: Replace the PCI ID in this file with the one(s) you determined before! You must enter the long PCI ID notation, with a preceding 0000: for the domain! This configuration file is used by the pciback shell script below.
10. Install and activate pciback script
We are using the xen-pciback "hide" command to hide the second graphics card and bind it to xen-pciback (see above). However, if you wish to pass through USB hosts to your Windows guest, you can use the script below for convenience.
Save the following pciback script named
pciback to
/etc/init.d:
Code: Select all
#!/bin/sh
#
### BEGIN INIT INFO
# Provides: pciback
# Required-Start: $local_fs
# Required-Stop: $local_fs
# Should-Start:
# Should-Stop:
# X-Start-Before: xend
# X-Stop-After:
# Default-Start: 2 3 4 5
# Default-Stop:
### END INIT INFO
. /lib/lsb/init-functions
scriptname=/etc/init.d/pciback
configfile=/etc/xen/pciback.conf
unbind() {
# Unbind a PCI function from its driver as necessary
[ ! -e /sys/bus/pci/devices/$1/driver/unbind ] || \
echo -n $1 > /sys/bus/pci/devices/$1/driver/unbind
}
bind() {
# Add a new slot to the PCI Backend’s list
echo -n $1 > /sys/bus/pci/drivers/pciback/new_slot
# Now that the backend is watching for the slot, bind to it
echo -n $1 > /sys/bus/pci/drivers/pciback/bind
}
case $1 in
start)
cat $configfile | while read line;do
echo $line | grep ^# >/dev/null 2>&1 && continue
unbind $line
bind $line
done
;;
stop|status|restart|force-reload)
# As we don’t know which driver was bound before, there is not much we can do here
;;
*)
echo “Usage: $scriptname start” >&2
exit 3
;;
esac
Make the pciback shell script executable
and run
Code: Select all
update-rc.d pciback defaults 21 19
The number 21 means that it will run AFTER xend is started (xend has 20 in the init.d), and stopped before xend will stop.
Note: For some reason, the command insserv didn't work for me. You may try it instead of the above command. insserv doesn't need arguments since it should read the header and determine when to run the script.
11. Load xen-pciback and pass through graphics card
We use the initramfs method to pass through the
graphics card:
Code: Select all
echo "xen-pciback passthrough=1 hide=(02:00.0)(02:00.1)" >> /etc/initramfs-tools/modules
The above command loads the xen-pciback module from initramfs and binds the graphics card to xen-pciback, before the graphics driver gets loaded.
Then we update the initramfs by issuing:
12. Create the Windows 7 guest configuration file
Copy/paste the following configuration file into /etc/xen and name it win7.cfg (or whatever name you choose - see also note regarding Linux Mint 15 below):
Code: Select all
kernel = '/usr/lib/xen-default/boot/hvmloader'
builder='hvm'
# Memory reserved for Windows domU, in this case 4GB (adjust to your needs):
memory = 4096
# Name of the domU:
name = 'win7'
# Most CPUs have 4 cores / 8 threads (=8 vcpus). Check your CPU and change as needed!:
vcpus=6
# Only for 32 bit guests - don't use for 64 bit:
#pae=1
acpi=1
apic=1
on_xend_stop='shutdown'
# Here my virtual network interfaces – see /etc/network/interfaces below:
vif = [ 'mac=00:16:3e:68:e1:01,bridge=xenbr0' ]
# I assigned a static MAC address, else it will be changed each time Windows
# boots. The address should start with 00:16:3e., the rest is up to you.
#
# Specifying the disks and Windows ISO for installation, adjust to your needs:
disk = [ 'phy:/dev/mapper/guest-win7,hda,w' , 'file:/media/install/Win7.iso,hdc:cdrom,r' ]
# More disks can be added later using this same method. The path to the
# device or a file can be added. After the first comma is how the device will
# appear. “hda” is the first, “hdb” the second etc. “hda” will appear as IDE,
# sda will appear as SCSI or SATA. After the second comma “r” means read
# only and “w” is for write.
device_model = '/usr/lib/xen-default/bin/qemu-dm'
boot='dc'
# The above should be changed once Windows is installed: boot='c' to only
# show the Windows file system, else it may try to boot from the ISO image.
sdl=0
vnc=1
vncpasswd=''
stdvga=0
# nographic=1 #!!! only uncomment this if you are using win8 or are trying
# to get a Nvidia card to work. In my case – Nvidia Quadro 2000 - this was not
# needed.
serial='pty'
tsc_mode=0
viridian=1
#soundhw='all'
# This allows sharing the USB mouse/keyboard:
usb=1
usbdevice='tablet'
# gfx_passthru=0 is how it works for most AMD cards and my Quadro 2000 card.
# gfx_passthru=1 would pass through the graphics card as primary display adapter.
# You can change this later for iGPUs or nVidia if needed.
# Try it with 0 first!
gfx_passthru=0
#Enter the PCI IDs you wish to passthru:
pci=[ '02:00.0', '02:00.1' , '00:1a.0' ]
# The following lets Windows take the local time from the dom0:
localtime=1
#To turn on pci power management globally, use (see remarks under pci=... below):
pci_power_mgmt=1
It most likely won't work for your hardware/setup.
I have commented the configuration file to explain the different configuration options. Here some further explanations about the options you need to change/adopt for your hardware:
memory = # Enter the amount of memory (RAM) in Mbyte your guest will get. For example, if you have 8GB RAM, you could give the guest (Windows) a value of 4096 which is 4GB, leaving the rest for dom0 (Linux) and other Xen guests.
vcpus= # Enter the number of virtual CPUs your guest will get. I have a 6-core CPU with 12 threads and I decided to give Windows 10 of the 12 available threads (virtual CPUs). As long as I run only Linux, it will get all CPUs / VCPUs. Once I start Windows I give it 10 VCPUs, leaving 2 VCPUs for Linux. It's best to leave some CPU resources to the Linux dom0 since Linux still needs to handle I/O, networking, etc. In my case, having a 3930K CPU, 2 VCPUs for dom0 should be enough to handle that.
vif = [ 'vifname=win7,type=ioemu,mac=00:16:3e:68:e1:01,bridge=xenbr0' ] # This defines the networking part for the guest system. vifname=win7 gives a name to the interface (this feature is buggy, so I removed it). iommu means it uses the VT-d functions of the memory controller. mac=... assigns a static MAC address to the bridge so Windows won't complain about "illegal copy" etc. when the MAC changes for each boot. 00:16:3e:68: is reserved for Xen and you should use it too! Change the last two e1:01 to your liking. Just watch out that you don't have the same exact MAC addresses in your LAN or when running two guests simultaneously.
disk = [ 'phy:/dev/mapper/guest-win7,hda,w' , 'file:/media/install/Win7.iso,hdc:cdrom,r' ] # This is the disk configuration for the Windows guest, i.e. as Windows will see it. See below for creating the Windows partition on LVM. The 'file:/media...' option points to the Windows ISO image on your drive, reading it as CDROM.
boot='dc' # is the boot order for Windows. This entry will first boot from d: then c:. Once Windows is installed you need to edit this file and remove the "d" so it reads: boot='c'.
pci=[ '02:00.0', '02:00.1' , '00:1a.0' ] # These are the PCI IDs of the PCI devices we want to pass through (the ones we specified in the /etc/xen/pciback.conf file or in the /etc/initramfs-tools/modules file). If you have problems with the USB ports and power management, and the global "pci_power_mgmt=1" option doesn't work, try this:
pci=[ '02:00.0', '02:00.1' , '00:1a.0,power_mgmt=1' ]
See
http://www.overclock.net/t/1205216/guid ... t_19572876.
The rest should be left as is for now. If, and only if your Windows doesn't boot or you don't get a screen or mouse/keyboard don't work, you may need to change the following, depending on the problem:
# nographic=1 # Uncomment if the Nvidia card doesn't work, or perhaps for Windows 8.
gfx_passthru=0 # Set to 1 may help with some Nvidia cards. Search the Internet for AMD cards and recommendations, though AMD cards should work with 0. Setting gfx_passthru=1 will pass through the graphics card as primary (and only) display adapter, without first booting the virtual Cirrus Logic adapter. In most cases this requires a patched Xen hypervisor, but in some cases it may work, depending on the graphics adapter and perhaps the Windows version in use.
usb=1 # Set to "0" if you pass through your keyboard/mouse (this may also be necessary after installing "Synergy")
usbdevice='tablet' # When usb=1 (see above), this option improves mouse tracking
Documentation on the above guest configuration options can be found here:
http://xen.org/files/Support/XenConfigu ... etails.pdf
13. Create a logical volume to install Windows
To make this easier, I assume you are installing on a separate disk named /dev/sdb. Of course you can also use a partition.
Note: The disk (here sdb) MUST be flagged for LVM. You can use gparted for it. Don't format it!
Let's check:
This shows you the physical LVM volumes (PV). Your newly created PV should show up as empty.
Now we create a logical volume (LV) named "win7", size 100GB for Windows in volume group (VG) "guest":
Code: Select all
vgcreate guest /dev/sdb # assign the PV we created to volume group "guest"
lvcreate -L 100G -n win7 guest # create the logical volume named "win7", size 100G in VG "guest"
Let's check the results:
See if logical volume "win7" appears.
14. Copy the Windows installation DVD to disk
Make an installation folder for Windows:
Insert your Windows DVD into your DVD drive and enter:
Code: Select all
dd if=/dev/cdrom of=/media/install/Win7.iso
Note: You will need a Windows retail license to use Windows inside a virtual machine.
15. Reboot the computer into Xen
Important note: After reboot with the PCI devices being detached I had problems with the nouveau driver (Nvidia) for my secondary graphics card (the one to passthrough). My PC got stuck right after login. Blacklisting the nouveau driver worked. See
http://community.linuxmint.com/tutorial/view/176 for how to blacklist the nouveau driver.
Comment: In my case the nouveau driver wasn't required, as my Nvidia card is only used by Windows.
EDIT: Similar problems are reported with AMD graphics cards, in which case the solution is to blacklist the radeon driver using the radeon.blacklist=1 grub entry like this:
Code: Select all
GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="radeon.blacklist=1 quiet splash nomodeset"
However, if you choose to use 2 AMD or 2 Nvidia graphics cards, you would need the respective driver for your dom0. In that case the PCI devices should be detached before the driver starts. You may need to run update-rc.d pciback defaults 21 19 with different numbers, or find another way to run this script before the graphics drivers are loaded.
See also earlboy's post here:
http://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.p ... 60#p705871.
16. Install vncviewer
We need a VNC viewer for the installation of Windows. In the terminal window:
17. Verify that pciback works
First check that everything is setup correctly:
Code: Select all
sudo xm pci-list-assignable-devices
should give the list of detached devices that can be assigned (bound) to the Windows guest. My list looks like that:
- 0000:02:00.0
0000:02:00.1
0000:00:1a.0
All devices I configured are ready for passthrough.
Note: If some PCI IDs are missing - namely the PCI IDs for the graphics card - check steps 9 to 11 to make sure you didn't miss anything (also verify the IDs). If all fails, try the method in this post: http://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.p ... 20#p711782. The method described in this post integrates the xen-pciback module into the initramfs so it can be loaded via a grub boot option, before the graphics driver grabs the card.
lists the current domains. At the moment only domain0 should be listed.
Note: For debugging purposes this command can come handy:
18. Create the Windows domU using its configuration file
and connect to it via VNC:
Note: It may work without sudo.
19. Install Windows guest
Unless there is some configuration error (check your path to the /media/install/Win7.iso file or whatever you name it), the Windows installer should boot now and you should see the screen output in the console (enlarge it if necessary).
Install Windows as you normally would. At some point Windows will reboot the guest domU (not Linux).
20. Access Windows after automatic reboot
After Windows has rebooted, it should come back to the VNC console. If not, close VNCviewer and run again.
If Windows doesn't start and you get a qemu shell screen, it might have passed through your mouse/keyboard and/or your display adapter. Alternatively, you might need to change your /etc/xen/win7.cfg file and specify boot="c". Before you edit the win7.cfg file, shutdown the domU (via xm shutdown win7). Edit your win7.cfg file and run xm delete win7, followed by
a) sudo xm create /etc/xen/win7.cfg, and connect via VNC
Note: If, after your Windows guest reboots, you get a message like "parallel0 console" on your VNCviewer screen, see here:
http://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.p ... 27#p786784.
21. Install Windows graphics driver
After the second Windows 7 VM reboot, Windows will tell that "Setup is preparing your computer for first use...". Once booted, still in the VNC console screen, you'll need to install and enable the graphics adapter driver for your display card. Inside Windows under Device Manager, check for graphics adapters. It should list two graphics adapters, one is for the emulated Cirrus VGA adapter that you are currently using, the other one is the real graphics adapter (in my case it had a yellow triangle as the driver was missing).
Before going any further, check the following hardware requirements:
a) A separate screen connected to the secondary graphics adapter to be used by Windows; or a second cable connection to your current screen; or a KVM switch for keyboard, mouse, and optionally display. I use my KVM switch only for keyboard/mouse and connected my secondary graphics adapter via DVI cable to the second DVI port on my screen. Some screens will have VGA ports, or HDMI. Both should work, though I don't care much about VGA because of it's low quality compared to DVI or HDMI. The screen should have a button to select the input source, if using only one screen.
b) If you want to pass through your keyboard/mouse, the best choice is a USB KVM switch. Else you need to unplug and replug your keyboard/mouse to the appropriate USB ports.
c) You could also use your keyboard and mouse without passing the PCI device through (using the USB=1 and/or tablet=1 settings in the win7.cfg file). Frankly I have no experience with this.
Or you could use a second mouse/keyboard just for Windows when using PCI passthrough on the USB port.
Now install the driver for your graphics adapter. In my case, I went to the Nvidia support website and ran the Java script to determine the correct driver, downloaded and installed it. The more common option would be to let Windows find the suitable display driver.
Once the installation has finished:
* the screen should reset and switch to the graphics adapter. If at that point you get a black screen, switch your screen to the other display port. If you see the Windows screen - open a bottle of Champagne - you've done it.
* alternatively Windows may ask you to reboot. Do so and watch the boot process in the VNC screen. After loading the graphics driver, and before the login screen, Windows should switch the output to your installed graphics adapter and you should be greeted with a Windows screen on your display.
If you get a black screen when rebooting Windows, or at any point during installation, switch your display to the second input. Do you see a Windows screen - if yes, it's a reason to celebrate.
22. What if VGA passthrough doesn't work?
If you can't get your VGA adapter to pass through to Windows, there are some options you may want to check:
a) First make absolutely sure your graphics adapter is supported !!! See my lengthy introduction to hardware requirements. Unless you have a Nvidia "multi-OS" graphics adapter, AMD will be a better choice. Have a look at the following threads/blogs for more information on VGA passthrough and adapters:
http://www.overclock.net/t/1307834/xen- ... s-adapters
http://www.overclock.net/t/1205216/guid ... al-machine -
New updated instructions for Fedora 20
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/225 ... hrough.pdf
http://gro.solexiv.de/2012/08/pci-passthrough-howto/
http://wiki.xen.org/wiki/Xen_VGA_Passthrough
http://wiki.xen.org/wiki/Xen_VGA_Passth ... d_Adapters
This page seems a bit outdated, but probably the safest reference when purchasing a graphics card.
http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=n ... px=MTA3NjA - this is the complicated way to get Xen VGA passthrough with Nvidia cards (see link inside the text). This procedure should work with some Nvidia cards that are NOT "multi-OS".
http://www.davidgis.fr/blog/index.php?2 ... ss-through - this is currently THE resource for instructions and patches when you want or need to compile the Xen hypervisor. This is specifically for Nvidia cards that don't have native support for VGA passthrough.
23. Change Windows boot order in guest config file
After Windows is installed, edit the /etc/xen/win7.cfg file and change the "boot=dc" option to boot="c". This is equivalent to ejecting the installation disk from the DVD drive. If the installation ISO is still required, but you want/need to change the boot order, specify boot="cd".
24. Booting the Windows guest
After everything is installed and VGA / PCI passthrough is working properly, you can use the following command to start your Windows domU:
25. Install GPLPV drivers under Windows
Inside Windows, download and install the
latest GPLPV drivers from here:
http://www.meadowcourt.org/downloads/*.
As of this writing, the latest version is 0.11.0.372.
For my Windows 7 64-bit version I downloaded the gplpv_Vista2008x64_0.11.0.372.msi driver. Double-click on it to install under Windows. If the installer requests testsigning to be enabled, quit the installer, open a Windows admin shell and enter
Then reboot Windows and install the GPLPV drivers.
Important:When using the GPLPV network driver, you need to modify the win7.cfg and remove the "type=ioemu" option from the vif=... line.
* Note: The Univention website (
http://wiki.univention.de/index.php?tit ... PV-drivers) that I had listed here before does NOT have these latest drivers!
26. Post Passmark results
Once your Windows VM with VGA passthrough is up and running, please post your
Passmark results here:
http://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.p ... 5&t=153482.
Feel free to add other benchmark or performance results (WEI, etc.), particularly benchmarks using the same hardware with Windows installed on "bare metal". Or simply post your opinion about running Windows and Windows applications in a virtual machine.
Thanks !!!
END
Note: Once you successfully installed Windows on a Xen hypervisor, you may like the backup and restore scripts I've written. See
http://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.php?f=42&t=133089. Enjoy!
since I can not use with my HD6850 or my HD7970 for crossfire ..
. Windows runs as HVM, but I also installed the GPLPV drivers for disk i/o and network, which means that disk and network access are PV. The graphics card is passed through, so it's like bare metal to Windows (Windows uses it's own native drivers, or to be specific, the Windows drivers of the GPU vendor). All my USB ports used under Windows are passed through too.