optimus-vfio-docs VS gvt-linux

You can follow jscinoz's guide to see if you can get it going for yourself in some very limited cases, but overall it's quite an involved task with a lot of work to succeed.

Hi. I have the same model and it is definitely possible to passthrough the NVIDIA GPU. I don't think USB-C port is connected to the GPU and I always use the HDMI one. You need to connect with a monitor or a HDMI plug otherwise the GPU will not work. I also patched OVMF to include ROM (https://github.com/jscinoz/optimus-vfio-docs/issues/2) and a fake battery. I have a hook script to switch GPU on and off using bbswitch. I use this rom since other didn't work or have some problems. I allocated 3 of 4 cores to the VM. For me, the performance is okay for games that I play. I tried Valorant a few months ago with Looking Glass and performance is not that good, however.

This whole thing started 2 years ago when I tried passing my nvidia dGPU to get it working on a Windows guest for Autodesk programs (aka, that joyful company that hates everything non-Windows and free), but lo and behold, it didn't work! Shocker! So I followed through 2 sources: - This issue thread - This guide

Yeah i read that too, I also found this.. https://github.com/intel/gvt-linux/issues/64

Intel has already confirmed that GVT-g is essentially dead and not supported on their Iris/Xe or anything newer graphics.. We can also confirm this via their own drivers source..

https://github.com/intel/gvt-linux/blob/gvt-staging/drivers/...

On Intel iGPUs, there are two methods: GVT-g and GVT-d. GVT-g is basically creating virtual instances of the iGPU for use in VMs, while GVT-d is passing through an entire iGPU to the guest in the same way you would do with a normal GPU.

From the Intel GVTg_Setup_Guide;

Not really pass through, no. If CONFIG_DRM_I915_GVT is enabled in your kernel, you can use Intel's graphics virtualization system... basically a virtio style virtual device that shares the GPU between VM and host. IMO this is way more convenient than real passthrough, where the device is only available either to the VM or the host. The downside is that you don't get full performance in the VM.

"Intel GVT-g is a full GPU virtualization solution with mediated pass-through (VFIO mediated device framework based), starting from 5th generation Intel Core(TM) processors with Intel Graphics processors. GVT-g supports both Xen and KVM (a.k.a XenGT & a.k.a KVMGT). A virtual GPU instance is maintained for each VM, with part of performance critical resources directly assigned. The capability of running native graphics driver inside a VM, without hypervisor intervention in performance critical paths, achieves a good balance among performance, feature, and sharing capability."

https://github.com/intel/gvt-linux/wiki/GVTg_Setup_Guide

Wait a minute. GVT-g with 11th gen iGPUs upwards does work in linux guest? Are you sure about that? See this github issue for reference.

To be clear, I never said it was dead, only a dead end.

As for GVT-g and Xe, according to a post in this[0] issue by one of the Intel devs, Rocket Lake (Xe) is not getting support and only does GVT-d.

Also in the same issue, someone pointed out that Intel themselves have states as much here[1].

I hope I am proven wrong in the end and GVT-g comes to then entire Xe and ARC lineup. Intel's communication on this matter has been...lacking.

0: https://github.com/intel/gvt-linux/issues/190

1: https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000...

After days of trial and error, I could not get it to work, maybe one of you knows it. Currently, I try to setup GVT-d with KVM on my Dell XPS 13 2 in 1 7390, which has a i7-1065G7. AFAIK GVT-g is not supported, so I gave GVT-d a chance. The virtual machine is booting without any errors, but the display stays black. I only found this guide, but couldn't get it to work...