13 ms·

So is there any compatible laptop that will allow QEMU/KVM particulary witwith gpu passthrough? Is someone running something like that?

equalunique 8y ago
Theoretically you could run Linux headless on a Dell Latitude laptop, configure it to use the Dock's serial output for the main console, and then have it automatically boot the OS X VM with GPU pass through to the main screen. When you close the lid, Linux goes to sleep instead of OS X. You could disconnect it from the dock and just carry it around with you like a normal OS X machine. Open it up and OS X is there waiting for you. Connect it back to the dock and debug with another computer over serial and/or SSH whenever you need to troubleshoot.
- SXX 8y ago
  > and then have it automatically boot the OS X VM with GPU pass through to the main screen What GPU would that be? If it's integrated Intel there is very good chance it's wouldn't work. Last time I tried to get my Intel HD working in macOS VM attempt failed completely. As guys from Intel explained somewhere on mail list their Mac driver stack is quite different from what is there on Linux and Windows. This is why they for instance don't support their graphics virtualization (GVT-g) for macOS. And for mobile GPU like Nvidia / AMD there own set of problems why they don't work at all in VM.
SXX 8y ago
You'll have much better chances if you can just buy external GPU since there are laptops with working IOMMU and there are people who got external GPU working in VM. Then for macOS it's going to be just normal PCI(e) device. Unfortunately (almost?) all mobile GPUs won't even initialize within VM. I'm not expert in hardware side of things, but I suppose laptop drivers expect specific topology since mobile GPU almost never have own connection to display and sometimes don't even have own ROM. Even if somebody will find a way to make passed mobile GPU work on Windows VM it's very unlikely same trick will just work for macOS.

equalunique 8y ago

Theoretically you could run Linux headless on a Dell Latitude laptop, configure it to use the Dock's serial output for the main console, and then have it automatically boot the OS X VM with GPU pass through to the main screen. When you close the lid, Linux goes to sleep instead of OS X. You could disconnect it from the dock and just carry it around with you like a normal OS X machine. Open it up and OS X is there waiting for you. Connect it back to the dock and debug with another computer over serial and/or SSH whenever you need to troubleshoot.

SXX 8y ago
> and then have it automatically boot the OS X VM with GPU pass through to the main screen What GPU would that be? If it's integrated Intel there is very good chance it's wouldn't work. Last time I tried to get my Intel HD working in macOS VM attempt failed completely. As guys from Intel explained somewhere on mail list their Mac driver stack is quite different from what is there on Linux and Windows. This is why they for instance don't support their graphics virtualization (GVT-g) for macOS. And for mobile GPU like Nvidia / AMD there own set of problems why they don't work at all in VM.

SXX 8y ago

You'll have much better chances if you can just buy external GPU since there are laptops with working IOMMU and there are people who got external GPU working in VM. Then for macOS it's going to be just normal PCI(e) device. Unfortunately (almost?) all mobile GPUs won't even initialize within VM. I'm not expert in hardware side of things, but I suppose laptop drivers expect specific topology since mobile GPU almost never have own connection to display and sometimes don't even have own ROM. Even if somebody will find a way to make passed mobile GPU work on Windows VM it's very unlikely same trick will just work for macOS.