On 30/03/2012 05:29, Casey DeLorme wrote: > David, > > XenServer VGA Passthrough requires a paid/licensed copy, which costs > $2500, a bit out of my price range for experimentation. Important to > note that the feature is not a part of the 30-day trial license. > > However, Citrix recently visited my college and I was able to preview > hardware access on a laptop one of the employees had, where they > swapped between Ubuntu and Windows with a hotkey, and various hardware > components including onboard GPU and the WebCam were accessible. > > In testing XenServer, I can say that if I had a business, that's the > product I would use. In the past month having tried Xen and ESXi, I > was astonished with the ease of use for XenServer. > > As for Catalyst, version 12.2 (the latest currently) worked for me. > > Important to note that until I followed Andrews advice to omit the > Catalyst Control Center, the installation resulted in a BSOD. > > The solution, select "Custom" installation and uncheck the CCC. After > the installation your first reboot should run some follow-up updates > via cmd, you need to reboot a second time for fully functional drivers. > > Also, I had underscan on my monitor so I went out on a limb and re-ran > the setup for Catalyst, and was able to get CCC installed with a > second run through, which allowed me to fix my underscan issue. > > My conclusion is that the CCC requires some driver functionality that > isn't available until after you install the drivers, this could be on > all systems or it might be related to how HVM's handle the PCI > devices, that much I can't say. > > > > Teo, > > I could be spouting nonsense, and if so I'm sure Wei can correct me, > but I am pretty sure AMD engineers have been contributing to Xen for a > while, and some patches have already been applied. Obviously it isn't > flawless, I myself haven't gotten video at boot time, only at the > login screen. > > Mine works on 4.1.2, but it is possible that 4.1.0 had less of these > "patches" hence Sebastien's post. > > Also, I apologize as I did not properly word my opinion before. VGA > Passthrough is new "for consumer components". In 2010 the number of > desktop (not server) boards boasting VT-d functionality could probably > be counted on one hand. To my understanding that means the technology > is at most 3 years old, still a baby in my opinion. > > I didn't mean that the technology hadn't been implemented into various > Hypervisors, just that it is clearly not a perfected feature. If you > consider 3 years of consumer availability, dates become important when > researching. Sebastien's post was May 2011, just shy of one year ago, > and Thomas's was in 2010. > > There are newer patches still for ATI in Xen 4.2, which I intend to > test over the next week. I have NOT gotten ATI to work at boot time, > video starts at the login screen. Dear Casey DeLorme, I am sorry to say that I don't quite understand by what you say when you state that you haven't got ATI VGA card to work at boot time, video starts at the login screen. I am puzzled. Do you think you could record your Xen VGA Passthrough computer with a video camera and upload your video to Youtube so that I can watch it? Thank you very much. -- Yours sincerely, Mr. Teo En Ming (Zhang Enming) Singapore > > I agree with Wei that drivers can contribute to BSOD's and errors, but > when an install doesn't fail but the hardware reacts the same as > before, I would like to assume the driver is irrelative. > > > ~Casey > > On Thu, Mar 29, 2012 at 4:11 PM, Wei Huang > wrote: > > On 03/29/2012 01:35 PM, Teo En Ming (Zhang Enming) wrote: >> Dear Casey DeLorme, >> >> This guy, Sebastien Gauthier, also has the same problems as us. >> He was using Xen 4.1.0 and an ATI Radeon 4550. He applied Mr. Wei >> Huang's patch. After installing the latest ATI/AMD Catalyst >> drivers, he got a BSOD with Xen VGA Passthrough to Windows 7. >> >> Please read Sebastien Gauthier's case here: >> >> http://readlist.com/lists/lists.xensource.com/xen-users/11/59090.html >> >> Hence Sebastien Gauthier reported Xen VGA Passthrough with >> PARTIAL SUCCESS, like us. >> >> Dear Tobias Geiger, >> >> You were saying that with ATI VGA cards, you do not need to apply >> any Xen VGA Passthrough patches. But this guy Sebastien Gauthier >> applied Mr. Wei Huang's patches to Xen 4.1.0 and got a BSOD after >> installing ATI Catalyst drivers. Sebastien Gauthier did not get >> 100% success with Xen VGA Passthrough to Windows 7 using an ATI >> VGA card. >> > Hi Teo, > > The VBIOS patch I sent out did not work for all ATI cards. The > patch itself assumed certain behavior of GPU VBIOS. But this > doesn't apply to every GPU generation. From this perspective, my > patch isn't universal. Also there are many factors, some of which > are not in control by us (like graphics driver), can contribute to > BSOD you mentioned. I am not in a position to debug it for > everyone's card (as I don't have all cards). > > Thanks, > -Wei > >> -- >> Yours sincerely, >> >> Mr. Teo En Ming (Zhang Enming) >> Singapore >> >> >> >> >> On 29/03/2012 23:50, Teo En Ming (Zhang Enming) wrote: >>> On 29/03/2012 12:29, Casey DeLorme wrote: >>>> My mistake for not hitting "Reply to All", sorry. >>> >>> No worries Casey. >>> >>>> >>>> It might be of some value to mention that my tests were with >>>> Windows 7, I have no interest in using XP anymore. Also, I did >>>> all of my testing through remote VNC, not once did I actually >>>> get video, even 2D, working. >>> >>> I bought 2 copies of Windows XP Home Edition in the past because >>> it is cheap, at S$145. I did not buy Windows 7 because it is >>> expensive. I got video working all right, but only 2D. I cannot >>> get 3D graphics working. >>> >>>> However, my errors are exactly as you described: >>>> >>>> 1. Windows recognizes the model (GTX 460), not "unknown PCI >>>> device". >>>> 2. Device code 43. >>>> 3. No resources assigned to the device. >>> >>> We have the same set of errors. >>> >>>> >>>> Might be worth mentioning, I was able to run the latest nVidia >>>> driver installation without errors, but after rebooting there >>>> was no change, same error code, still no video. >>> >>> Same situation here with the latest NVIDIA drivers. But I only >>> have 2D video working. I can't get 3D video to work. >>> >>>> To me this would be evidence that driver version isn't a >>>> problem, but then again I didn't have anything actually working. >>> >>> I agree that driver version isn't a problem. Something is wrong >>> somewhere. >>> >>>> >>>> >>>> I am an IT student in college, so my experience is limited to >>>> mostly programming with very little knowledge of the >>>> inner-workings of hardware. So, forgive me for being unable to >>>> help with regards to memory addresses on the cards. >>> >>> I am hoping that Intel engineers and Xen developers would be >>> able to help. >>> >>>> >>>> I've been using *nix for about 4 years, and Windows since I my >>>> age was a single digit. I have had experience setting up >>>> server features such as web, database, and application servers >>>> but I am still green when it comes to kernel or hardware >>>> configuration. >>> >>> I started learning Linux/UNIX since the year 2005, that is about >>> 7 years ago. I started using Windows when it was version 3.1. I >>> love compiling the latest Linux kernel and assembling my own >>> computer hardware. >>> >>>> >>>> My Xen adventure began 35 days ago, and it is no exaggeration >>>> to say that in those 35 days I have learned more about linux >>>> than I had in the past two years. I like challenges as much as >>>> the next IT person, but I ran out of time and ideas for >>>> debugging my nVidia problems. The nVidia stretch of my >>>> adventure lasted for 24 days through 54 fresh linux >>>> installations accompanied by over 200~ pages worth of >>>> documented failures and not a single pixel sighted. >>> >>> Why not make your documentation into PDF? It is a very popular >>> document format. >>> >>>> >>>> The ATI card took me a day, less than 12 hours of relatively >>>> easy debugging by comparison to the aforementioned testing. I >>>> do fully understanding financial constraints, but it is a >>>> working solution and worth mentioning. I do not know what the >>>> prices are like in Singapore, but in the states I was able to >>>> buy an ATI Radeon HD 6870 for $160. For me it came down to >>>> weighing my objectives against my curiosity. >>> >>> That ATI Radeon HD 6870 would cost me $279, I think. >>> >>>> >>>> If you do continue your nVidia endeavors I wish you success, >>>> but as in my former email VGA passthrough is a new frontier, >>>> not even Guru's like David may not be able to help beyond their >>>> own hardware experiences. >>> >>> I don't think VGA passthrough is a new frontier. Oracle >>> VirtualBox and Linux KVM supports VGA passthrough as well. Xen >>> ATI VGA Passthrough works out of the box, as Tobias Geiger >>> suggested, but NVIDIA requires patches. >>> >>>> >>>> >>>> Documentation is one problem I agree with you on 100%. I came >>>> into this knowing relatively little about Linux & hardware, and >>>> nothing about Xen, and most every guide I found assumed I had >>>> been in a deep relationship with Linux for many years and had a >>>> basic understanding of Xen commands. >>> >>> I started learning Xen since the year 2007, which is about 5 >>> years ago. >>> >>>> >>>> Like you, I intend to use those documented failures as well as >>>> my recent success to create a comprehensive guide with >>>> photographs, screen captures, and perhaps even videos going >>>> from "assembled computer" to "Complete Xen Dom0 /w HVM & VGA >>>> Passthrough". Provided the wiki will allow me to upload the >>>> screenshots, I'll be certain to post it there. >>> >>> I will be looking forward to your documentation and videos. >>> Right now Xen wiki allows uploading image files and PDF files. >>> Why not create a PDF document and share it with all of us? It is >>> known as portable document format and is very popular, but it >>> appears that xen mailing lists don't like PDF format. >>> >>> _*I don't like wiki pages because anybody can edit and >>> fundamentally mess up the wiki pages, even providing bogus and >>> erroneous information. That's why I don't like creating wiki >>> pages. Anybody can edit and mess up the information you have >>> painstakingly created on the wiki pages. So please take note.*_ >>> >>> -- >>> Yours sincerely, >>> >>> Mr. Teo En Ming (Zhang Enming) >>> Singapore >>> >>> >>>> >>>> ~Casey >>>> >>>> On Wed, Mar 28, 2012 at 10:21 PM, Teo En Ming (Zhang Enming) >>>> >>> > wrote: >>>> >>>> Dearest Casey DeLorme, >>>> >>>> Thank you very very much for your kind feedback and input. >>>> I would also like to thank Mr. Tobias Geiger, again, for >>>> providing his suggestion on exposing the fourth memory >>>> region in tools/firmware/hvmloader/acpi/dsdt.asl. _In any >>>> case, either exposing the first 3 memory regions only or >>>> exposing all the 4 memory regions does not work._ Sadly, >>>> Tobias Geiger is unable to help me further. >>>> >>>> I have asked Jean David Techer, what about the 4th PCI >>>> memory region? Why only expose the first 3 PCI memory >>>> regions? I don't understand, of course. Jean David Techer >>>> did not reply to my question. >>>> >>>> I have decided to post your prompt reply to the xen-users >>>> and xen-devel mailing lists, in case people think that I am >>>> finding fault with Jean David Techer, or trying to irritate >>>> him, or trying to make him angry, or trying to aggravate >>>> him. Jean David Techer replied me with an email saying that >>>> I _spent too much time_ and _too bent_ on solving the >>>> yellow exclamation mark glitch for my NVIDIA Geforce 8400GS >>>> in Device Manager in Windows 8 Consumer Preview and Windows >>>> XP Home Edition, and that I sent *_stupid_* requests. >>>> Stupid requests? Did he read my emails carefully, word by word? >>>> >>>> Casey DeLorme, please, can I confirm with you again that >>>> you are getting the following errors after applying Jean >>>> David Techer's Xen 4.2-unstable VGA Passthrough patches: >>>> >>>> *_(1) Yellow exclamation mark besides your NVIDIA GTX 460 >>>> in Device Manager >>>> (2) Windows has stopped this device because it has reported >>>> problems. (Code 43) >>>> (3) This device isn't using any resources because it has a >>>> problem._* >>>> >>>> Jean David Techer insists that our technical issues are due >>>> to a NVIDIA driver problem. He insists that you have to >>>> install NVIDIA driver versions 275.33 WHQL and 275.50 BETA. >>>> Any other NVIDIA driver versions (above 280.XX) will not >>>> work, according to Jean David Techer. *_However, I have >>>> tried installing NVIDIA driver versions 275.33 and 275.50 >>>> from www.softpedia.com , as he >>>> suggested, but it caused my Windows XP Home Edition HVM >>>> virtual machine to be destroyed/terminated/crash after a >>>> few minutes and my dom0 to crash as well._* NVIDIA driver >>>> versions 275.33 and 275.50 for Windows XP 32-bit is not >>>> available from the official NVIDIA website. >>>> >>>> So it is definitely not a NVIDIA driver problem. I suspect >>>> that the technical issue has to do with *_MMIO BARs >>>> pBAR:vBAR 1:1 matching_*. I don't think there is any >>>> problem with vgabios-pt.bin extracted out from our NVIDIA >>>> VGA cards, because I have performed a "hexdump -C" on my >>>> extracted VGA BIOS EEPROM, or Electrically Erasable >>>> Programmable Read Only Memory. >>>> >>>> Secondly, it does seem strange that Jean David Techer was >>>> able to attain *_100%_*, ie. *_perfect success_* with Xen >>>> 4.2-unstable VGA Passthrough to his Windows XP 32-bit and >>>> 64-bit HVM domU. Have you watched his Youtube video? It is >>>> only 4 minutes. Please do watch Jean David Techer's Youtube >>>> video at the following URL: >>>> >>>> Jean David Techer's Xen 4.2-unstable VGA Passthrough to >>>> Windows XP x64 HVM domU Youtube video link: >>>> *_http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3SaYO0ERW44_* >>>> >>>> I am *_appalled_* and *_baffle__d_* that he has attained >>>> *_100% success_* while both of us have only attained >>>> *_partial succes__s_* (*_i.e. less than 100%_*) on Xen >>>> 4.2-unstable VGA Passthrough to Windows 8 Consumer Preview >>>> and Windows XP. >>>> >>>> *_Solving the yellow exclamation mark issue is important >>>> because we would not be able to run 3D graphics benchmarks >>>> and play 3D games without solving it. I am not sending >>>> silly emails about some yellow marks, as Jean David Techer >>>> suggested. I can't even run Unigine Heaven DX11, and >>>> 3dmark11 3D display benchmarks, because of the yellow >>>> exclamation mark for NVIDIA Geforce 8400 GS in Device >>>> Manager._* >>>> >>>> Casey DeLorme, with your report on relatively easy success >>>> with ATI VGA cards, I think I would go the ATI way, but I >>>> would have to spend a few hundred dollars compared to my >>>> cheap SGD$44 NVIDIA Geforce 8400 GS card. And while >>>> deciding to go the ATI way, I would also like to continue >>>> troubleshooting with the NVIDIA problem, because I consider >>>> it to be a technical challenge. >>>> >>>> In essence, Jean David Techner is considered to be a >>>> "boss", or business owner, or proprietor, or technopreneur, >>>> or entrepreneur, or technical support officer, or customer >>>> support officer, or IT helpdesk engineer, providing >>>> services like his forward-ported Xen 4.2-unstable VGA >>>> Passthrough patches and the documentation on his blog. I >>>> repost Jean David Techer's official website here: >>>> >>>> Jean David Techer's Xen 4.2-unstable VGA Passthrough blog: >>>> *_http://www.davidgis.fr/blog/index.php?2011/12/07/860-xen-42unstable-patches-for-vga-pass-through_* >>>> >>>> Jean David Techer's official website is his business venture. >>>> >>>> Basically, I am Jean David Techer's *_"customer"_*, trying >>>> to obtain technical support from him. Of course, he is >>>> *_not obliged_* to provide technical support to me since he >>>> is providing *_free_* services. It is, after all, an open >>>> source software project. Nobody is obliged to provide >>>> anybody with technical support. *_To do Jean David Techer >>>> justice, he replied most of my questions while avoiding >>>> some of my questions._* >>>> >>>> Finally, I have also failed to obtain technical support >>>> from Xen developers like Ian Campbell from *_Citrix >>>> Corporation_* and Konrad Wilk from *_Oracle Corporation_*. >>>> _*I have always provided all the steps which I have taken, >>>> the configuration files and necessary documentation, and >>>> kernel messages and error logs*_ to xen-users and xen-devel >>>> mailing lists, but they keep insisting I did not provide >>>> the information they required. I wondered why. I think they >>>> did not read my emails carefully. They told me they would >>>> not reply to me any more if I do not provide the >>>> information they requested. _*But the problem is that I >>>> have always provided information they requested!*_ I think >>>> they missed some of my emails, or did not read my emails >>>> carefully enough. I am an *_ardent supporter_* and >>>> *_SERIOUS software tester_* for open source Xen >>>> virtualization/hypervisor but they treated me lightly. _*I >>>> always read my emails WORD BY WORD.*_ I have even went to >>>> the point of making a video on the *_BUG_* and uploading my >>>> video to Youtube. The video is only THREE minutes. >>>> >>>> _*As everybody says, a picture is worth a thousand words. A >>>> video is worth a BILLION words!*_ >>>> >>>> I have also failed to obtain technical support from Xen >>>> developers regarding Xen 4.2-unstable VGA Passthrough. >>>> >>>> I am hoping Xen 4.2 would have official support for Xen VGA >>>> Passthrough for both NVIDIA and ATI cards. >>>> >>>> Casey DeLorme, thank you very much once again. I will be >>>> making changes to my Xen, Linux Kernel and Xen VGA >>>> Passthrough Documentation and will be releasing Version 1.7 >>>> shortly. Jean David Techer's documentation assumes some >>>> level of advanced Linux technical knowledge, so I am >>>> writing documentation on my own so that everybody, not just >>>> advanced Linux and Xen users, can follow. I have made >>>> references to Jean David Techer's documentation in my own >>>> documentation. >>>> >>>> I would be very happy if people would use my documentation. >>>> Of course, it satisfies my ego and my vanity. Haha. >>>> >>>> I have been un-employed for nearly three years now, and I >>>> would hesitate to spend a few hundred dollars on an ATI VGA >>>> card. I quit my job as an IT engineer 3 years ago because >>>> my father suffered from lacunar infarct, or more commonly >>>> known as stroke. My NVIDIA Geforce 8400 GS costs only S$44. >>>> Please understand why I hesitate to buy an ATI VGA card. >>>> The cheapest one costs SGD$279. >>>> >>>> I have a diploma in Mechanical+Electronics engineering from >>>> Singapore Polytechnic and a Bachelor's degree in Mechanical >>>> Engineering from the National University of Singapore. But >>>> I do not have qualifications in Computer Science or >>>> Information Technology. I have worked as an Information >>>> Technology engineer in Defense Science and Technology >>>> Agency, Ministry of Defense, Singapore, National Computer >>>> Systems Pte Ltd, Asiasoft Online Pte Ltd, and Ishinemax >>>> Singapore Pte Ltd. >>>> >>>> Google search terms: Frenchman Jean David Techer, >>>> Singaporean Teo En Ming's Xen, Linux Kernel and Xen VGA >>>> Passthrough Documentation, Xen 4.2-unstable VGA Passthrough >>>> to Windows 8 Consumer Preview and Windows XP HVM Virtual >>>> Machines >>>> >>>> Thank you very much for reading my lengthy email. I am >>>> always courteous, saying "Please help me. Please. Please. >>>> Please." and "Thank you very much for your kind assistance" >>>> in my emails. >>>> >>>> Thank you very much. >>>> >>>> -- >>>> Yours sincerely, >>>> Mr. Teo En Ming (Zhang Enming) >>>> Singapore Citizen >>>> >>>> cc: His Excellency The Prime Minister Mr. Lee Hsien Loong, >>>> Prime Minister's Office, Republic of Singapore >>>> >>>> On 29/03/2012 03:53, Casey DeLorme wrote: >>>>> Hi Teo, >>>>> >>>>> I tried David's patch files a while ago *_without >>>>> success_*. I had Xen compiled with the patch files and my >>>>> GTX 460 VGA BIOS rom, _*but I got the same as you, either >>>>> a BSOD or Code 43 in Device Manager.*_ >>>>> >>>>> You sound plenty competent, but it's important to remember >>>>> that you are pioneering a technology that for consumers is >>>>> still in its infancy. Very few people are testing this >>>>> with consumer equipment, so finding results seems to be a >>>>> rarity. >>>>> >>>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> _______________________________________________ >>>> Xen-users mailing list >>>> Xen-users@lists.xen.org >>>> http://lists.xen.org/xen-users >>>> >>>> >>> >>> >> >> > >