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Setting up QVM with GPU Passthrough

Prerequisites

  1. Hardware Requirements:
    • A CPU with virtualization support (Intel VT-x/AMD-V).
    • A motherboard that supports IOMMU (Intel VT-d/AMD-Vi).
    • A dedicated GPU for the host and a separate GPU for the guest (if using single GPU, you’ll need to rebind it after boot).
  2. BIOS/UEFI Settings:
    • Enable Intel VT-x/AMD-V.
    • Enable Intel VT-d/AMD-Vi.
    • Enable UEFI boot (optional but recommended).

Step-by-Step Guide

Debian

  1. Install Necessary Packages: 
    sudo apt update
sudo apt install qemu-kvm libvirt-daemon-system libvirt-clients bridge-utils virt-manager
  2. Enable IOMMU:
    • Edit the GRUB configuration file: 
      sudo nano /etc/default/grub
    • Add intel_iommu=on for Intel CPUs or amd_iommu=on for AMD CPUs to the GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX line: 
      GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX="... intel_iommu=on"
# or for AMD
GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX="... amd_iommu=on"
    • Update GRUB: 
      sudo update-grub
    • Reboot your system: 
      sudo reboot
  3. Verify IOMMU Groups:
    • Check IOMMU groupings to ensure your hardware is correctly grouped: 
      find /sys/kernel/iommu_groups/ -type l
  4. Configure vfio-pci Driver:
    • Identify your GPU and audio device IDs: 
      lspci -nn | grep -i vga
lspci -nn | grep -i audio
    • Create a vfio-pci configuration file: 
      sudo nano /etc/modprobe.d/vfio.conf
    • Add the following lines, replacing xxxx:yyyy with your GPU and audio device IDs: 
      options vfio-pci ids=xxxx:yyyy,aaaa:bbbb
    • Update the initramfs: 
      sudo update-initramfs -u
  5. Blacklist GPU Drivers:
    • Create a blacklist configuration file: 
      sudo nano /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist.conf
    • Add your GPU drivers to the blacklist: 
      blacklist nouveau
blacklist nvidia
blacklist radeon
blacklist amdgpu
  6. Configure QEMU/KVM:
    • Use virt-manager to create a new virtual machine and configure it to use the PCI device (your GPU):
      • Open virt-manager.
      • Create a new VM and configure hardware settings.
      • Add the PCI Host Device (your GPU).
  7. Start the VM:
    • Ensure that your VM is configured correctly and start it using virt-manager.

Arch

  1. Install Necessary Packages: 
    sudo pacman -Syu
sudo pacman -S qemu libvirt virt-manager ovmf
  2. Enable IOMMU:
    • Edit the GRUB configuration file: 
      sudo nano /etc/default/grub
    • Add intel_iommu=on for Intel CPUs or amd_iommu=on for AMD CPUs to the GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX line: 
      GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX="... intel_iommu=on"
# or for AMD
GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX="... amd_iommu=on"
    • Update GRUB: 
      sudo grub-mkconfig -o /boot/grub/grub.cfg
    • Reboot your system: 
      sudo reboot
  3. Verify IOMMU Groups:
    • Check IOMMU groupings to ensure your hardware is correctly grouped: 
      find /sys/kernel/iommu_groups/ -type l
  4. Configure vfio-pci Driver:
    • Identify your GPU and audio device IDs: 
      lspci -nn | grep -i vga
lspci -nn | grep -i audio
    • Create a vfio-pci configuration file: 
      sudo nano /etc/modprobe.d/vfio.conf
    • Add the following lines, replacing xxxx:yyyy with your GPU and audio device IDs: 
      options vfio-pci ids=xxxx:yyyy,aaaa:bbbb
    • Update the initramfs: 
      sudo mkinitcpio -p linux
  5. Blacklist GPU Drivers:
    • Create a blacklist configuration file: 
      sudo nano /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist.conf
    • Add your GPU drivers to the blacklist: 
      blacklist nouveau
blacklist nvidia
blacklist radeon
blacklist amdgpu
  6. Configure QEMU/KVM:
    • Use virt-manager to create a new virtual machine and configure it to use the PCI device (your GPU):
      • Open virt-manager.
      • Create a new VM and configure hardware settings.
      • Add the PCI Host Device (your GPU).
  7. Start the VM:
    • Ensure that your VM is configured correctly and start it using virt-manager.

Tips and Troubleshooting

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