Multi VM GPU pass through

Hi all,

We are building a new NOC which comes with a 6 monitor wall (with a Planar controller it looks). We're also spec'ing a VM dev box that also have a 6 output FirePro (AMD FirePro W600).

The server will host several VMs but 6 of them will be critical and our goal is to display each one of these 6 VMs on an individual monitor.

However - none of us are familiar with GPU pass through... So I guess the first question is:

1. Can this be done using the FirePro W600?
2. Which Hypervisor supports this better - Citrix Xen or VMWare?
3. Does this require additional licensing either from Citrix or VMWare?

Thanks!

Well Linustech tips did it with kvm https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct...91ptxcA1b54T_b4trVQR1A&bvm=bv.119745492,d.cGc looks like it worked pretty good

Rody said:

Well Linustech tips did it with kvm https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwihiILclKHMAhUQ72MKHSW5A1kQtwIIHDAA&url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXOaCkbt4lI&usg=AFQjCNGeBhtspy7azKk1V-Ph-TVMMH_-0w&sig2=91ptxcA1b54T_b4trVQR1A&bvm=bv.119745492,d.cGc looks like it worked pretty good

Click to expand...

To be fair, he did it with unraid, which is effectively a paid frontend to KVM but yeah, it was done.
For a free alternative, it looks like proxmox can do similar as it's also based around KVM.
One obviously needs hardware support to pull this off.

Wait - ESXi or Xen do not support this natively?

Xen and esxi will both do it. I've used a 270x with both and just upgraded to a 390x a couple of weeks ago with esxi, all free licenses. The only problem I see with what you have there is that only one vm will have the card passed through. What you would really want is 6 single (or more) cards (if your motherboard had enough slots of course). You could also just have one vm hooked up to the gpu and have it have some type of remote desktop up for each of the other vm's and just make them show up full screen on the other monitors. Can I all what these vm's will be running, do they need gpu acceleration?

VanFanel89 said:

Hi all,

We are building a new NOC which comes with a 6 monitor wall (with a Planar controller it looks). We're also spec'ing a VM dev box that also have a 6 output FirePro (AMD FirePro W600).

The server will host several VMs but 6 of them will be critical and our goal is to display each one of these 6 VMs on an individual monitor.

However - none of us are familiar with GPU pass through... So I guess the first question is:

1. Can this be done using the FirePro W600?
2. Which Hypervisor supports this better - Citrix Xen or VMWare?
3. Does this require additional licensing either from Citrix or VMWare?

Thanks!

Click to expand...

My knowledge is extremely limited and probably outdated by now anyhow....so take it how you wish.

There is a difference in simple pass-through and GPU sharing and both
Citrix XenServer and VMware ESXI have the capability to do both.

From your post I took it to mean you want to use a single card among 6 VMs (GPU Sharing).
If that is the case ... the FirePro W600 is not officially support (and not likely to work).
As far as I know...currently ... only Nvidia devices are supported for GPU sharing by either XenServer or ESXI.


For Citrix XenServer ..check the following for officially supported devices:
GPUs - Citrix XenServer HCL

I don't really know whats better...but I know XenServer GPU sharing is well seasoned.
Citrix vGPU vs. VMware sVGA

On the VMware side alone ...there is sVGA vs. vDGA - Google that.

As far as licensing goes.... last I remember is it required Enterprise or Platinum licensing.
Again... I have not kept up much with XenServer and just getting back into ESXI myself.

VanFanel89 said:

Wait - ESXi or Xen do not support this natively?

Click to expand...

Native support?? for passthrough....sure ..just add the driver in the VM......
for GPU sharing ... a driver is likely needed at the hypervisor level as well as the VM level too.

Thanks for the help, gents.


The idea of having RDP is actually not a bad one at all... Will have to consider that. The VMs will not require hardware acceleration; they will be showing different statuses of things internal to us.