jonp Posted January 14, 2016 Share Posted January 14, 2016 OVMF is preferred for GPU pass through VMs because it utilizes UEFI as opposed to a VGA-BIOS. VGA BIOS is what you get with SeaBIOS, and while it "works" it's really not the preferred solution for GPU pass through due to some of the hackery in vga arbitration that we have to deal with. UEFI doesn't require such arbitration. In addition, unlike SeaBIOS, UEFI can initialize a GPU after Windows is booted and the GPU drivers are loaded. So you could install / configure your VM through VNC, then add a second graphics device (physical), install the drivers, then shut down the VM, then remove the VNC graphics from primary, then start up the VM. Even if the video card doesn't show the actually booting part, it should initialize once it actually reaches the Windows desktop and the GPU drivers are loaded. In short, OVMF will be the default BIOS type we load for VMs in 6.2...that's how good we think it is. - Jon Thanks for your detailed response! Sounds like I get to play with my VM's and attempt to switch to OVMF once 6.2 comes out The one sucky part is that existing SeaBIOS VMs will not be able to be converted in place to leverage OVMF. It will require a reinstall of the OS. Link to comment
archedraft Posted January 14, 2016 Share Posted January 14, 2016 The one sucky part is that existing SeaBIOS VMs will not be able to be converted in place to leverage OVMF. It will require a reinstall of the OS. Sucky?? My "normal" reinstall OS schedule usually is about every 6 months because Windows gets so bogged down over time. I enjoy starting from scratch much more than I probably should... Link to comment
jonp Posted January 14, 2016 Share Posted January 14, 2016 The one sucky part is that existing SeaBIOS VMs will not be able to be converted in place to leverage OVMF. It will require a reinstall of the OS. Sucky?? My "normal" reinstall OS schedule usually is about every 6 months because Windows gets so bogged down over time. I enjoy starting from scratch much more than I probably should... You'll really like some of the template / snapshot / cloning stuff we are working on then. Nothing quite like that clean OS feeling ;-) Link to comment
archedraft Posted January 14, 2016 Share Posted January 14, 2016 The one sucky part is that existing SeaBIOS VMs will not be able to be converted in place to leverage OVMF. It will require a reinstall of the OS. Sucky?? My "normal" reinstall OS schedule usually is about every 6 months because Windows gets so bogged down over time. I enjoy starting from scratch much more than I probably should... You'll really like some of the template / snapshot / cloning stuff we are working on then. Nothing quite like that clean OS feeling ;-) Absolutely! Right now I just create a "fresh OS Install" .img copy to a spare hard drive and when my desktop looks too cluttered I blow it up and copy the fresh img to the correct VM location. 30ish minutes later I have a freshly restored OS and it makes me happy. Link to comment
CHBMB Posted January 14, 2016 Share Posted January 14, 2016 The one sucky part is that existing SeaBIOS VMs will not be able to be converted in place to leverage OVMF. It will require a reinstall of the OS. Sucky?? My "normal" reinstall OS schedule usually is about every 6 months because Windows gets so bogged down over time. I enjoy starting from scratch much more than I probably should... You'll really like some of the template / snapshot / cloning stuff we are working on then. Nothing quite like that clean OS feeling ;-) Absolutely! Right now I just create a "fresh OS Install" .img copy to a spare hard drive and when my desktop looks too cluttered I blow it up and copy the fresh img to the correct VM location. 30ish minutes later I have a freshly restored OS and it makes me happy. I thought I was the only one.... arche, you may be my long lost brother... Link to comment
archedraft Posted January 14, 2016 Share Posted January 14, 2016 I thought I was the only one.... arche, you may be my long lost brother... I knew there was a reason we get along so well. I just don't understand why people look at me crazy when I tell them about my computer adventurers... If the computer is slow -> reformat... If an application is acting up -> reformat... if the computer starts looking at you funny -> reformat... if you get bored one Saturday -> reformat! if a printer is acting up -> baseball bat (there is no hope for printers). Link to comment
CHBMB Posted January 14, 2016 Share Posted January 14, 2016 I thought I was the only one.... arche, you may be my long lost brother... I knew there was a reason we get along so well. I just don't understand why people look at me crazy when I tell them about my computer adventurers... If the computer is slow -> reformat... If an application is acting up -> reformat... if the computer starts looking at you funny -> reformat... if you get bored one Saturday -> reformat! if a printer is acting up -> baseball bat (there is no hope for printers). When I first met my wife she had a Win7 laptop..... I've replaced the HDD with an SSD and added some memory, replaced the WiFi card, (I know what you're thinking - I know how to treat a girl right ) but I've never been allowed to nuke and start from clean.... With Windows 10, it was the perfect opportunity, in-OS upgrade then format and clean install.... I cannot express how satisfying it was to finally format that drive and reinstall everything, pure unadulterated bliss.... Remember the other day when I asked if you'd got so excited you'd let out a bit of wee..... Printers.... personally I wouldn't sully a perfectly good baseball bat by using it to destroy a printer.... Link to comment
archedraft Posted January 15, 2016 Share Posted January 15, 2016 I FREAKING KNOW! My wife has had her laptop with Windows 7 on it for 3 years... 3 FREAKING YEARS! It's slow as dirt and anytime I make the suggestion that I could fix it, I get glared at! AHHHHH... Sorry the inner crazy might have been let out. Link to comment
EMKO Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 OVMF is preferred for GPU pass through VMs because it utilizes UEFI as opposed to a VGA-BIOS. VGA BIOS is what you get with SeaBIOS, and while it "works" it's really not the preferred solution for GPU pass through due to some of the hackery in vga arbitration that we have to deal with. UEFI doesn't require such arbitration. In addition, unlike SeaBIOS, UEFI can initialize a GPU after Windows is booted and the GPU drivers are loaded. So you could install / configure your VM through VNC, then add a second graphics device (physical), install the drivers, then shut down the VM, then remove the VNC graphics from primary, then start up the VM. Even if the video card doesn't show the actually booting part, it should initialize once it actually reaches the Windows desktop and the GPU drivers are loaded. In short, OVMF will be the default BIOS type we load for VMs in 6.2...that's how good we think it is. - Jon Would this fix the problem with Nvidia gpu where passthrought wont work if no on board graphics? Link to comment
jonp Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 OVMF is preferred for GPU pass through VMs because it utilizes UEFI as opposed to a VGA-BIOS. VGA BIOS is what you get with SeaBIOS, and while it "works" it's really not the preferred solution for GPU pass through due to some of the hackery in vga arbitration that we have to deal with. UEFI doesn't require such arbitration. In addition, unlike SeaBIOS, UEFI can initialize a GPU after Windows is booted and the GPU drivers are loaded. So you could install / configure your VM through VNC, then add a second graphics device (physical), install the drivers, then shut down the VM, then remove the VNC graphics from primary, then start up the VM. Even if the video card doesn't show the actually booting part, it should initialize once it actually reaches the Windows desktop and the GPU drivers are loaded. In short, OVMF will be the default BIOS type we load for VMs in 6.2...that's how good we think it is. - Jon Would this fix the problem with Nvidia gpu where passthrought wont work if no on board graphics? No, although we may be getting closer to figuring that one out. Link to comment
bigjme Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 Is that in reference to passing all gpus to vms with no host gpu or an actual issue with passing nvidia cards with no onboard? I was never able to get ovmf to work on my system so I'm hoping 6.2 resolves the issues I had installing, and in turn fix the issues I'm having with my vms due to better management of the gpus Regards, Jamie Link to comment
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