5 ms·

I’m hoping to run macOS with QEMU/KVM with a project like this or another - does anyone know though if it is possible to pass through an intel integrated gpu (i

by jjcon 5y ago

I’m hoping to run macOS with QEMU/KVM with a project like this or another - does anyone know though if it is possible to pass through an intel integrated gpu (in a CPU only machine) to use for hardware acceleration?

R0b0t1 5y ago
Yes, starting with CPUs circa 2014. You need CONFIG_DRM_I915_GVT from Device Drivers -> Graphics support -> Intel 8xx/9xx/G3x/G4x/HD Graphics -> Enable Intel GVT-g graphics virtualization host support. There are a fixed number of partitions and a specific setup you need to do with /sys nodes, refer to the manual. Considering this and that support only became possible some time after 2014 it's worth realizing it does not work like normal VFIO passthrough. Why? No idea, seems like an oversight. Need to stop providing lying interfaces to users. https://serverfault.com/questions/1048811/vfio-igpu-passthrough-on-intel-4770-to-a-qemu-virtual-machine-proxmox https://serverfault.com/questions/1048811/vfio-igpu-passthro...
ohthehugemanate 5y ago
Not really pass through, no. If CONFIG_DRM_I915_GVT is enabled in your kernel, you can use Intel's graphics virtualization system... basically a virtio style virtual device that shares the GPU between VM and host. IMO this is way more convenient than real passthrough, where the device is only available either to the VM or the host. The downside is that you don't get full performance in the VM. "Intel GVT-g is a full GPU virtualization solution with mediated pass-through (VFIO mediated device framework based), starting from 5th generation Intel Core(TM) processors with Intel Graphics processors. GVT-g supports both Xen and KVM (a.k.a XenGT & a.k.a KVMGT). A virtual GPU instance is maintained for each VM, with part of performance critical resources directly assigned. The capability of running native graphics driver inside a VM, without hypervisor intervention in performance critical paths, achieves a good balance among performance, feature, and sharing capability." https://github.com/intel/gvt-linux/wiki/GVTg_Setup_Guide https://github.com/intel/gvt-linux/wiki/GVTg_Setup_Guide
- broknbottle 5y ago
  Gvt-g is pretty much dead. New hardware e.g. Tiger Lake with Xe isn’t supported and it’s my understanding that Intel has no plans to support. See the following link for supported devices. https://github.com/torvalds/linux/blob/bbf5c979011a099af5dc76498918ed7df445635b/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/intel_gvt.c#L43-L59 https://github.com/torvalds/linux/blob/bbf5c979011a099af5dc7...
  - gbba 5y ago
    New Intel hardware supports SR-IOV, the successor to GVT-g, but unfortunately driver support is apparently missing for Linux: https://www.reddit.com/r/VFIO/comments/o7l2zr/sriov_on_intel_xe_graphics/ https://www.reddit.com/r/VFIO/comments/o7l2zr/sriov_on_intel...
    - my123 5y ago
      We are more than 2 years past the launch of Ice Lake now… so…
    - ohthehugemanate 5y ago
      oh wow, I had no idea. Seems a shame... Are they offering anything to replace it? Or is it GVT-d or bust?
ajconway 5y ago
It didn't work when I tried to pass through a virtualized GVT instance in Catalina a couple years ago. Although this all will not matter once macOS becomes exclusive to Apple Silicon.
luzeal 5y ago
I believe the most promising route is to not try to do passthrough but to use a "virtual" gpu, aka a paravirtualized device. Thanks to the contributions of an open-source developer*, virtio-gpu has been ported to macOS (it already works on Linux but not on Windows and soon it will be on macOS). Apple is also reportedly working on bringing better support for macOS virtualized environments [2]. It means that users will be able to create any number of macOS instances with 3D acceleration, without having to care about trying to do complicated things (mediated devices or single-gpu passthrough or pci-passthrough of a second GPU). As of now, the performance hit is high (more than 50%), but it will certainly improve over time, and many users might already find it acceptable (= people NOT playing recent video games). Icing on the cake, thanks to the EGL-headless display (which is independent of virtio-gpu) and VNC, it is possible to connect to these instances remotely. Shameless plug: I am working on Phyllome OS [3], a Fedora Remix with the goal to include the necessary plumbing to ease advanced virtualization techniques for end-users, and to offer curated virtual machine models. I currently only use virtual machines as desktop machines, including locally, and even my poor x230 laptop can do it. I keep the host operating system intact (Phyllome OS), and use VMs as desktop machines. It has drawbacks (difficult USB access; displays models that were not designed for local use; sound support), but I firmly believe it will get better over time and, perhaps, one day, end-users will be able to easily deploy any modern OS on any modern hardware... [1] Sorry, I could not find the link to the repository [2] https://passthroughpo.st/mac-os-adds-early-support-for-virtio-qemu/ https://passthroughpo.st/mac-os-adds-early-support-for-virti... [3] https://phyllo.me/ https://phyllo.me/ [edit] Delete mention of KVM/QEMU
- S5yDyAk3XoQH5 5y ago
  Wow that's very surprising apple is trying to give better support for virtual environments instead of worse.. Do you know if they're allowing their iOS dev tools to run in there so you don't have to buy a mac anymore?
  - macinjosh 5y ago
    I have been developing a toy iOS/macOS app running macOS with this. I am able to login with my dev program credentials and do everything I need. I haven't tried submitting anything to the store.

by jjcon 5y ago

R0b0t1 5y ago

Yes, starting with CPUs circa 2014. You need CONFIG_DRM_I915_GVT from Device Drivers -> Graphics support -> Intel 8xx/9xx/G3x/G4x/HD Graphics -> Enable Intel GVT-g graphics virtualization host support. There are a fixed number of partitions and a specific setup you need to do with /sys nodes, refer to the manual. Considering this and that support only became possible some time after 2014 it's worth realizing it does not work like normal VFIO passthrough. Why? No idea, seems like an oversight. Need to stop providing lying interfaces to users. https://serverfault.com/questions/1048811/vfio-igpu-passthrough-on-intel-4770-to-a-qemu-virtual-machine-proxmox https://serverfault.com/questions/1048811/vfio-igpu-passthro...

ohthehugemanate 5y ago

Not really pass through, no. If CONFIG_DRM_I915_GVT is enabled in your kernel, you can use Intel's graphics virtualization system... basically a virtio style virtual device that shares the GPU between VM and host. IMO this is way more convenient than real passthrough, where the device is only available either to the VM or the host. The downside is that you don't get full performance in the VM. "Intel GVT-g is a full GPU virtualization solution with mediated pass-through (VFIO mediated device framework based), starting from 5th generation Intel Core(TM) processors with Intel Graphics processors. GVT-g supports both Xen and KVM (a.k.a XenGT & a.k.a KVMGT). A virtual GPU instance is maintained for each VM, with part of performance critical resources directly assigned. The capability of running native graphics driver inside a VM, without hypervisor intervention in performance critical paths, achieves a good balance among performance, feature, and sharing capability." https://github.com/intel/gvt-linux/wiki/GVTg_Setup_Guide https://github.com/intel/gvt-linux/wiki/GVTg_Setup_Guide

broknbottle 5y ago
Gvt-g is pretty much dead. New hardware e.g. Tiger Lake with Xe isn’t supported and it’s my understanding that Intel has no plans to support. See the following link for supported devices. https://github.com/torvalds/linux/blob/bbf5c979011a099af5dc76498918ed7df445635b/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/intel_gvt.c#L43-L59 https://github.com/torvalds/linux/blob/bbf5c979011a099af5dc7...
- gbba 5y ago
  New Intel hardware supports SR-IOV, the successor to GVT-g, but unfortunately driver support is apparently missing for Linux: https://www.reddit.com/r/VFIO/comments/o7l2zr/sriov_on_intel_xe_graphics/ https://www.reddit.com/r/VFIO/comments/o7l2zr/sriov_on_intel...
  - my123 5y ago
    We are more than 2 years past the launch of Ice Lake now… so…
  - ohthehugemanate 5y ago
    oh wow, I had no idea. Seems a shame... Are they offering anything to replace it? Or is it GVT-d or bust?

ajconway 5y ago

It didn't work when I tried to pass through a virtualized GVT instance in Catalina a couple years ago. Although this all will not matter once macOS becomes exclusive to Apple Silicon.

luzeal 5y ago

I believe the most promising route is to not try to do passthrough but to use a "virtual" gpu, aka a paravirtualized device. Thanks to the contributions of an open-source developer*, virtio-gpu has been ported to macOS (it already works on Linux but not on Windows and soon it will be on macOS). Apple is also reportedly working on bringing better support for macOS virtualized environments [2]. It means that users will be able to create any number of macOS instances with 3D acceleration, without having to care about trying to do complicated things (mediated devices or single-gpu passthrough or pci-passthrough of a second GPU). As of now, the performance hit is high (more than 50%), but it will certainly improve over time, and many users might already find it acceptable (= people NOT playing recent video games). Icing on the cake, thanks to the EGL-headless display (which is independent of virtio-gpu) and VNC, it is possible to connect to these instances remotely. Shameless plug: I am working on Phyllome OS [3], a Fedora Remix with the goal to include the necessary plumbing to ease advanced virtualization techniques for end-users, and to offer curated virtual machine models. I currently only use virtual machines as desktop machines, including locally, and even my poor x230 laptop can do it. I keep the host operating system intact (Phyllome OS), and use VMs as desktop machines. It has drawbacks (difficult USB access; displays models that were not designed for local use; sound support), but I firmly believe it will get better over time and, perhaps, one day, end-users will be able to easily deploy any modern OS on any modern hardware... [1] Sorry, I could not find the link to the repository [2] https://passthroughpo.st/mac-os-adds-early-support-for-virtio-qemu/ https://passthroughpo.st/mac-os-adds-early-support-for-virti... [3] https://phyllo.me/ https://phyllo.me/ [edit] Delete mention of KVM/QEMU

S5yDyAk3XoQH5 5y ago
Wow that's very surprising apple is trying to give better support for virtual environments instead of worse.. Do you know if they're allowing their iOS dev tools to run in there so you don't have to buy a mac anymore?
- macinjosh 5y ago
  I have been developing a toy iOS/macOS app running macOS with this. I am able to login with my dev program credentials and do everything I need. I haven't tried submitting anything to the store.