[vbox-dev] utlizing the nvidia card of the host machine in the vm

[Rajiv Jaisankar]

Hi,

I have a NVIDIA K2100M graphics card in my Windows7 host machine. The VirtualBox version is 4.3.12. I have RHEL7 installed in my VM. RHEL7 works fine. Currently the VM is setup with 2D acceleration and video capture. I have installed virtualbox guest additions in that vm.


Here is the output of lspci which tells me that the VGA is a software/simulated Graphics Adapter. Can the VM make use of the NVIDIA K2100M card of the host machine?

00:00.0 Host bridge: Intel Corporation 440FX - 82441FX PMC [Natoma] (rev 02)
00:01.0 ISA bridge: Intel Corporation 82371SB PIIX3 ISA [Natoma/Triton II]
00:01.1 IDE interface: Intel Corporation 82371AB/EB/MB PIIX4 IDE (rev 01)
00:02.0 VGA compatible controller: InnoTek Systemberatung GmbH VirtualBox Graphics Adapter
00:03.0 Ethernet controller: Intel Corporation 82540EM Gigabit Ethernet Controller (rev 02)
00:04.0 System peripheral: InnoTek Systemberatung GmbH VirtualBox Guest Service
00:06.0 USB controller: Apple Inc. KeyLargo/Intrepid USB
00:07.0 Bridge: Intel Corporation 82371AB/EB/MB PIIX4 ACPI (rev 08)
00:0d.0 SATA controller: Intel Corporation 82801HM/HEM (ICH8M/ICH8M-E) SATA Controller [AHCI mode] (rev 02)


Regards,
Rajiv
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[Rajiv Jaisankar]

My current virtualbox setup is with enable 3D acceleration not 2D acceleration as corrected in the original email

From: Rajiv Jaisankar [mailto:rajiv.jaisankar at altair.com]
Sent: Tuesday, August 05, 2014 1:03 PM
To: vbox-dev at virtualbox.org
Subject: [vbox-dev] utlizing the nvidia card of the host machine in the vm


Hi,

I have a NVIDIA K2100M graphics card in my Windows7 host machine. The VirtualBox version is 4.3.12. I have RHEL7 installed in my VM. RHEL7 works fine. Currently the VM is setup with 3D acceleration and video capture. I have installed virtualbox guest additions in that vm.


Here is the output of lspci which tells me that the VGA is a software/simulated Graphics Adapter. Can the VM make use of the NVIDIA K2100M card of the host machine?

00:00.0 Host bridge: Intel Corporation 440FX - 82441FX PMC [Natoma] (rev 02)
00:01.0 ISA bridge: Intel Corporation 82371SB PIIX3 ISA [Natoma/Triton II]
00:01.1 IDE interface: Intel Corporation 82371AB/EB/MB PIIX4 IDE (rev 01)
00:02.0 VGA compatible controller: InnoTek Systemberatung GmbH VirtualBox Graphics Adapter
00:03.0 Ethernet controller: Intel Corporation 82540EM Gigabit Ethernet Controller (rev 02)
00:04.0 System peripheral: InnoTek Systemberatung GmbH VirtualBox Guest Service
00:06.0 USB controller: Apple Inc. KeyLargo/Intrepid USB
00:07.0 Bridge: Intel Corporation 82371AB/EB/MB PIIX4 ACPI (rev 08)
00:0d.0 SATA controller: Intel Corporation 82801HM/HEM (ICH8M/ICH8M-E) SATA Controller [AHCI mode] (rev 02)


Regards,
Rajiv
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[Rajiv Jaisankar]

Hi,

Your thoughts on this?

Regards,
Rajiv

From: Rajiv Jaisankar [mailto:rajiv.jaisankar at altair.com]
Sent: Tuesday, August 05, 2014 1:12 PM
To: vbox-dev at virtualbox.org
Subject: Re: [vbox-dev] utlizing the nvidia card of the host machine in the vm


My current virtualbox setup is with enable 3D acceleration not 2D acceleration as corrected in the original email

From: Rajiv Jaisankar [mailto:rajiv.jaisankar at altair.com]
Sent: Tuesday, August 05, 2014 1:03 PM
To: vbox-dev at virtualbox.org<mailto:vbox-dev at virtualbox.org>
Subject: [vbox-dev] utlizing the nvidia card of the host machine in the vm


Hi,

I have a NVIDIA K2100M graphics card in my Windows7 host machine. The VirtualBox version is 4.3.12. I have RHEL7 installed in my VM. RHEL7 works fine. Currently the VM is setup with 3D acceleration and video capture. I have installed virtualbox guest additions in that vm.


Here is the output of lspci which tells me that the VGA is a software/simulated Graphics Adapter. Can the VM make use of the NVIDIA K2100M card of the host machine?

00:00.0 Host bridge: Intel Corporation 440FX - 82441FX PMC [Natoma] (rev 02)
00:01.0 ISA bridge: Intel Corporation 82371SB PIIX3 ISA [Natoma/Triton II]
00:01.1 IDE interface: Intel Corporation 82371AB/EB/MB PIIX4 IDE (rev 01)
00:02.0 VGA compatible controller: InnoTek Systemberatung GmbH VirtualBox Graphics Adapter
00:03.0 Ethernet controller: Intel Corporation 82540EM Gigabit Ethernet Controller (rev 02)
00:04.0 System peripheral: InnoTek Systemberatung GmbH VirtualBox Guest Service
00:06.0 USB controller: Apple Inc. KeyLargo/Intrepid USB
00:07.0 Bridge: Intel Corporation 82371AB/EB/MB PIIX4 ACPI (rev 08)
00:0d.0 SATA controller: Intel Corporation 82801HM/HEM (ICH8M/ICH8M-E) SATA Controller [AHCI mode] (rev 02)


Regards,
Rajiv
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[Klaus Espenlaub]

Rajiv,

currently VirtualBox doesn't support GPU passthrough. It supports some
basic PCI passthrough functionality (only on Linux), but GPUs beat it.

Besides - do you have a 2nd graphics card in the system? GPU passthrough
(if it'd work) can't do miracles like sharing one PCI device between the
host and the VM.

What works with many applications is the (guest additions based) 3D
support which you enabled. Of course it also uses the host's 3D card
(provided there are usable drivers), by passing the OpenGL stream.

Klaus

Post by Rajiv Jaisankar
Hi,
Your thoughts on this?
Regards,
Rajiv
*From:*Rajiv Jaisankar [mailto:rajiv.jaisankar at altair.com]
*Sent:* Tuesday, August 05, 2014 1:12 PM
*To:* vbox-dev at virtualbox.org
*Subject:* Re: [vbox-dev] utlizing the nvidia card of the host machine
in the vm
My current virtualbox setup is with enable 3D acceleration not 2D
acceleration as corrected in the original email
*From:*Rajiv Jaisankar [mailto:rajiv.jaisankar at altair.com]
*Sent:* Tuesday, August 05, 2014 1:03 PM
*To:* vbox-dev at virtualbox.org <mailto:vbox-dev at virtualbox.org>
*Subject:* [vbox-dev] utlizing the nvidia card of the host machine in the vm
Hi,
I have a NVIDIA K2100M graphics card in my Windows7 host machine. The
VirtualBox version is 4.3.12. I have RHEL7 installed in my VM. RHEL7
works fine. Currently the VM is setup with 3D acceleration and video
capture. I have installed virtualbox guest additions in that vm.
Here is the output of lspci which tells me that the VGA is a
software/simulated Graphics Adapter. Can the VM make use of the NVIDIA
K2100M card of the host machine?
00:00.0 Host bridge: Intel Corporation 440FX - 82441FX PMC [Natoma] (rev 02)
00:01.0 ISA bridge: Intel Corporation 82371SB PIIX3 ISA [Natoma/Triton II]
00:01.1 IDE interface: Intel Corporation 82371AB/EB/MB PIIX4 IDE (rev 01)
00:02.0 VGA compatible controller: InnoTek Systemberatung GmbH
VirtualBox Graphics Adapter
00:03.0 Ethernet controller: Intel Corporation 82540EM Gigabit Ethernet Controller (rev 02)
00:04.0 System peripheral: InnoTek Systemberatung GmbH VirtualBox Guest Service
00:06.0 USB controller: Apple Inc. KeyLargo/Intrepid USB
00:07.0 Bridge: Intel Corporation 82371AB/EB/MB PIIX4 ACPI (rev 08)
00:0d.0 SATA controller: Intel Corporation 82801HM/HEM (ICH8M/ICH8M-E)
SATA Controller [AHCI mode] (rev 02)
Regards,
Rajiv

[Mario Lobo]

Klaus;

Hijacking the topic a bit, what would be required (technically and
"licensingly") to implement these basic pci passthrough
functionalities on the ose source (freeBSD in particular), specially
for using it on sound cards?

Thanks,

P.S. - Sorry for top-posting but it seems to be the trend on this list.
--
Mario Lobo
http://www.mallavoodoo.com.br
FreeBSD since 2.2.8 [not Pro-Audio.... YET!!] (99% winblows FREE)

"UNIX was not designed to stop you from doing stupid things,
because that would also stop you from doing clever things."


On Tue, 12 Aug 2014 17:59:56 +0200

Post by Klaus Espenlaub
Rajiv,
currently VirtualBox doesn't support GPU passthrough. It supports
some basic PCI passthrough functionality (only on Linux), but GPUs
beat it.
Besides - do you have a 2nd graphics card in the system? GPU
passthrough (if it'd work) can't do miracles like sharing one PCI
device between the host and the VM.
What works with many applications is the (guest additions based) 3D
support which you enabled. Of course it also uses the host's 3D card
(provided there are usable drivers), by passing the OpenGL stream.
Klaus

Post by Rajiv Jaisankar
Hi,
Your thoughts on this?
Regards,
Rajiv
*From:*Rajiv Jaisankar [mailto:rajiv.jaisankar at altair.com]
*Sent:* Tuesday, August 05, 2014 1:12 PM
*To:* vbox-dev at virtualbox.org
*Subject:* Re: [vbox-dev] utlizing the nvidia card of the host
machine in the vm
My current virtualbox setup is with enable 3D acceleration not 2D
acceleration as corrected in the original email
*From:*Rajiv Jaisankar [mailto:rajiv.jaisankar at altair.com]
*Sent:* Tuesday, August 05, 2014 1:03 PM
*To:* vbox-dev at virtualbox.org <mailto:vbox-dev at virtualbox.org>
*Subject:* [vbox-dev] utlizing the nvidia card of the host machine in the vm
Hi,
I have a NVIDIA K2100M graphics card in my Windows7 host machine.
The VirtualBox version is 4.3.12. I have RHEL7 installed in my VM.
RHEL7 works fine. Currently the VM is setup with 3D acceleration
and video capture. I have installed virtualbox guest additions in
that vm.
Here is the output of lspci which tells me that the VGA is a
software/simulated Graphics Adapter. Can the VM make use of the
NVIDIA K2100M card of the host machine?
00:00.0 Host bridge: Intel Corporation 440FX - 82441FX PMC [Natoma] (rev 02)
00:01.0 ISA bridge: Intel Corporation 82371SB PIIX3 ISA
[Natoma/Triton II]
00:01.1 IDE interface: Intel Corporation 82371AB/EB/MB PIIX4 IDE (rev 01)
00:02.0 VGA compatible controller: InnoTek Systemberatung GmbH
VirtualBox Graphics Adapter
00:03.0 Ethernet controller: Intel Corporation 82540EM Gigabit
Ethernet Controller (rev 02)
00:04.0 System peripheral: InnoTek Systemberatung GmbH VirtualBox Guest Service
00:06.0 USB controller: Apple Inc. KeyLargo/Intrepid USB
00:07.0 Bridge: Intel Corporation 82371AB/EB/MB PIIX4 ACPI (rev 08)
00:0d.0 SATA controller: Intel Corporation 82801HM/HEM
(ICH8M/ICH8M-E) SATA Controller [AHCI mode] (rev 02)
Regards,
Rajiv

[Klaus Espenlaub]

Mario,

Post by Mario Lobo
Klaus;
Hijacking the topic a bit, what would be required (technically and
"licensingly") to implement these basic pci passthrough
functionalities on the ose source (freeBSD in particular), specially
for using it on sound cards?

As you probably know there's currently a partially working PCI
passthrough implementation available, for Linux host only. A part of the
infrastructure and the Linux kernel part are open source, the rest is
closed. It is only functional if the Oracle VM VirtualBox extension pack
is installed containing the binaries of the closed portion.

So what you're asking for is either open sourcing the complete
functionality or providing a fully functional extension pack for
FreeBSD, and both options need convincing our management in some way or
another. The first one is a rather tough task, because the closed source
extension pack is currently the only way we have to make money. For some
reason no one seems interested in paying for support for the GPLed
product... everyone who can get away without the extension pack takes
the free ride (and probably later creates tickets in the public bug
tracker, complaining about loss of business). Creating an extension pack
for FreeBSD would similarly increase our effort/cost (and imply fully
supporting FreeBSD as a host), without an immediately obvious way to
compensate this by increased sales.

The licensing question is simply a non-issue.

This leaves only the technical aspects. In principle only the kernel
module portion of the functionality needs porting to FreeBSD. This is
something the FreeBSD community could investigate/implement. Everything
else should be portable code, with at most very minor need of platform
dependent tweaks.

Overall - doable, but I'm skeptical that either of the two options for
"closing the gap" will be greeted with enthusiasm by the necessary people.

Post by Mario Lobo
Thanks,
P.S. - Sorry for top-posting but it seems to be the trend on this list.

Not so sure :)

Klaus