Hi all,

 

I'm trying to get a Windows VM running via unraid. I have got it up and running (with no network access or sound) through the VNC remote via the unraid gui. I'm running an intel G540 CPU therefore no VT-d only VT-x. I have enabled the virtualisation tech in the bios and the HVM is tagged as "Enabled" in the unraid gui info. No IOMMU devices show up - because no VT-d (I think)

 

What I want to do run the VM on a separate monitor not via the VNC remote but rather via a HDMI/DVI/VGA cable from the unraid tower. Correct me if I'm wrong but connecting directly to the motherboard outputs is not supported, right? So I installed an old Nvidia PCI graphiocs card but cannot seem to select that when configuring the VM in unraid (because no VT-d?). I run the system headless so I have no need for a monitor for unraid. The BIOS is set to use on onboard as the primary and I can see unraid when I connect a monitor to the onboard ports.

 

So basically, will my system allow me to connect a monitor to the unraid tower for it to display the VM or do I need to buy a processor that supports VT-d?

 

I feel like I'm 80% there on understanding enough to get this thing going but cant match up the final dots.

 

Thanks

No.  Without VT-d support you will not be able to use a monitor connected directly to the unRAID server.  It is the VT-d feature that support hardware pass-through so without that you can only connect into the monitor remotely.

 

Note that it is not just the processor that needs to support VT-d, it is also the motherboard+BIOS.

Speaking specifically about Intel, if your MB and CPU both support...

 

Only VT-x - you can create/run VMs but will only be able to connect to a virtual display (VNC, RDP, etc.)

 

Both VT-x and VT-d - you can create/run VMs and also passthrough a dedicated GPU to a VM and connect a monitor to that GPU's output port (VGA, HDMI, DVI, etc.)

 

John

Thanks for the reply guys. That's cleared it up.