Future proofing: unRAID as XEN HostOS or GuestOS?

[vsonerud]

Hello!

 

I am thinking about migrating my current unRAID 5.x server into using virtualization.

 

Ideally I would like to achieve the following:

 

* Run unRAID on server (obviously )

* Run Linux desktop environment (Linux Mint 16/17 for instance )

* Run Windows 7 VM using VMDirectPath VGA passthrough

* Use only this server for both Linux & Windows desktop environment (not be dependent on using another computer for

remote control of VM )

 

 

I am anxious about the "official" unRAID 6.x virtualization approach with regards to my wishes above.

Am I correct in assuming that it will be rather difficult to achieve?

If I have understood things correctly the official unRAID 6.x virtualization approach is to run unRAID as the hostOS (XEN dom0 ) ? This would make it difficult to have a complete Linux desktop environment on the same server, yes? Especially since I want to run a Windows7 VM  using VGA passthrough.  To achieve a full Linux desktop environment on the same server I would then have to run an additional Linux VM also utilizing a second discrete graphics card using VMDirectPath passthrough. Has anyone successfully done that? I mean: Run unRAID on XEN dom0 and Windows7 and some Linux distro in each of their own domU VMs - both using VMDirectpath VGA passthrough ?

 

There are also practical limitations - since my current setup is as follows:

 

* Motherboard: AsRock Z77 extreme4-M

* CPU: Pentium G860

* HBAs: 2 * IBM M1015 flashed with IT-firmware

 

The motherboard has 3*PCIE-x16 (2*PCIE 3.0 and 1*PCIE 2.0), but when populated they will run in x8,x8 and x4 mode.

In addition there is 1 PCIE-x1.

 

Currently the 2 IBM M1015 HBA cards occupy the 2 PCIE-x16 (PCIE 3.0) (in x8 mode) slots.

 

Hopefully it will be ok to insert a Radeon HD5450 graphics card in the last PCIE-x16 (PCIE 2.0) slot running in x4 mode.

(The HD5450 is not a very demanding card I think and merely the fact that Radeon HD5450 PCIE-x1 cards are available kind of indicates that....)

 

ALternatively I guess I will have to place the HD5450 graphics card in the first PCIE-x16 slot and move one of the IBM M1015 cards into the PCIE-x16 slot running in x4 mode ( is that problematic ? ).

 

 

The current Pentium G860 CPU obviously needs to be replaced with either a core i5/i7 CPU

(I am leaning towards a core i7 3770 )

 

 

 

 

To achieve my wishes above I have been thinking about doing the following instead:

 

* Install Linux Mint 16/17 as hostOS

* Install XEN 4.3/4.4

* Run unRAID 5.x as guestOS in a domU VM.

* Run Windows7 VM as guestOS in a domU VM using VMDirectPath VGA passthrough.

 

Any reason why this approach might be a bad idea?

 

What about the "future-proofability" of that approach? What about 64-bit unRAID 6.x availability?