Dear Xen Users,
I have
partial (that is, less than 100%) success
following Jean David Techer's Xen 4.2-unstable VGA
Passthrough Documentation. In both Windows 8 Consumer
Preview HVM and Windows XP Home Edition HVM, I get yellow
exclamation mark besides NVIDIA Geforce 8400 GS in Device
Manager. NVIDIA Geforce 8400 GS in Device Manager reports:
1) Windows has stopped this device because it has reported
problems. (Code 43)
2) This device isn't using any resources because it has a
problem.
So, in Xen VGA Passthrough to Windows 8 Consumer Preview
HVM and Windows XP Home Edition HVM, I can only surf the
internet and watch Youtube videos but I cannot run 3D
graphics benchmarks. This is very very important because
you cannot play 3D games. I can only run 2D graphics
benchmarks, meaning I can only play 2D games. But nobody
plays 2D games nowadays.
Jean David Techer, who is French, told me that it is a
NVIDIA driver problem. According to his documentation, you
have to use NVIDIA drivers 275.33 and 275.50 strictly. Any
other NVIDIA driver versions WILL NOT work. Hence, I have
attempted to install NVIDIA drivers 275.33 WHQL and 275.50
BETA in Windows XP Home Edition HVM domU. Common sense
tells you I did not install both driver versions at the
same time, of course. Installing NVIDIA driver versions
275.33 and 275.50 causes Windows XP Home Edition HVM domU
to be DESTROYED (in Xen speak) and also causes my domain 0
to crash.
But if I install the LATEST NVIDIA drivers above 280.XX,
it WILL NOT cause my Windows XP HVM domU and domain 0 to
crash. But there will be a yellow exclamation marks
besides NVIDIA Geforce 8400 GS in Device Manager. Why do I
keep complaining about the yellow exclamation mark? Is it
because I have nothing better to do and irritate David
Techer? It is because I simply CANNOT run 3D graphics
benchmarks and play 3D games. I can only surf the web and
play Youtube videos.
Jean David Techer's Xen 4.2-unstable VGA Passthrough
documentation is available at the following URL:
Jean David Techer's Blog link:
http://www.davidgis.fr/blog/index.php?2011/12/07/860-xen-42unstable-patches-for-vga-pass-through
Any Xen user with the following computer hardware
specifications, please try out David Techer's
documentation.
Intel Processor with Virtualization Technology
Motherboard with VT-d support
Motherboard BIOS with VT-d option to enable or disable
NVIDIA PCI Express x16 display card
Any Xen user who can attain 100% success with David
Techer's Xen 4.2-unstable VGA Passthrough documentation,
please let all of us at xen-users mailing list know.
Why do I keep on troubleshooting? Because I consider this
to be a technical challenge, although I am not an expert
programmer. I have only learnt very basic C programming
more than 15 years ago at Singapore Polytechnic and I have
forgotten most of it by now. I am a Linux/UNIX system
administrator with experiences in Apache web server, qmail
and Postfix Email Server, DNS Server, DHCP server,
OpenLDAP server, phpBB forum, MySQL database, Xen
virtualization, VirtualBox, VMware, Snort Intrusion
Prevention Systems, OSSEC Host Intrusion Detection
Systems, Nagios monitoring software, and various Linux and
BSD distributions. But I am by no means a software
developer. I did not study computer science. I studied
mechanical engineering at National University of
Singapore.
It is too bad software engineer Han Weidong has left Intel
Corporation last year, otherwise he would be able to help
me. I got 100% success with Xen 3.5-unstable VGA
Passthrough 3 years ago, back in the year 2009. Han
Weidong et al are the original developers of the Xen VGA
Passthrough patches, which only worked with Xen
3.5-unstable. Jean David Techer forward ported Han
Weidong's patches to Xen 4.2-unstable with his programming
knowledge, C/C++ and Java. I have read his CV.
According to Intel engineers Zhang Xiantao and Ren
Yongjie, Intel's current policy is to focus on IGD VGA
passthrough, so it is understood that they won't be able
to help me with my issue. It is company policy, so they
cannot afford the time and resources to help me.
If everybody who follows Jean David Techer's Xen
4.2-unstable VGA Passthrough documentation with 100%
success without glitches, then I must be technically
incompetent.
I would like to thank Xen users in advance if they are
able to lend a helping hand.
--
Yours sincerely,
Mr. Teo En Ming (Zhang Enming)
Singapore