Re: [Xen-users] vPro (VT-d) support?

["Emre Erenoglu" <erenoglu@xxxxxxxxx>]

Hi,

Thanks for the response, it's very informative. One thing though, aren't we already able to make "device assignment" to a specific DomU with pciback.hide, what will VT-d bring in addition to this? More secure assignment?

Emre

On 9/2/07, Ndex Server <ndex.srvr@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

Here's the link to the top of the VT-d external stuff at Intel:
http://www.intel.com/technology/itj/2006/v10i3/2-io/5-platform-hardware-support.htm

VT-d makes it possible to assign devices (B:D:F) to a Dom, Xen may be limited to 8 devices due to the current architecture of pciback.hide, but it's difficult to tell because this technology is still in the really early stages of development. 

Yes, the tech will allow you to assign video cards (or even ports on cards) provided they can be uniquely addressed (see PCI IOV sig, iirc for the prerequisites).

We will *not* be sharing.  Go re-read the specs, this is device *reassignment* and *isolation* to a Dom as the desirable objective of this new silicon technology. 

With respect to the scenario you're describing, I don't think I understand it.  My main interest in this technology is not from a desktop user perspective but as a big server administrator who wants to segregate encrypted network sessions and i/o controllers.  </luddite>

ndex

On 8/31/07, Emre Erenoglu < erenoglu@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

Would this VT-d let us assign graphic cards to DomUs? Are we going to be able to switch between Dom0 and DomU while this card is being used?

 

We can talk some kind of "sharing" here, when DomU has the "screen", it uses the card, if not, Dom0. Or, somehow we should see the output of DomU in Dom0's screen, but with unmodified driver in the DomU.

 

Possible? or not yet even with VT-d?

 

Emre

On 8/31/07, Roberto Jung Drebes <drebes.lists@xxxxxxxxx > wrote:

On 8/31/07, Mark Williamson < mark.williamson@xxxxxxxxxxxx > wrote:
> > Does Xen support Intel's IOMMU technology (VT-d)?
>
> Patches have been posted on the xen-devel mailing list.  They may have been
> merged into xen-unstable by now; if not, then I'm sure the Intel folks would
> be aiming for a merge before Xen 3.2 or so.

And does Xen support AMD's IOMMU? I'm trying to decide on a hardware
to make some experiments with HVM and DMA transfers, but can't find
much information on which would be the best hardware onto which to try
it out. I get some information from presentations and stuff but am not
sure if they are still current or already outdated.

Thanks for your answer, it has already helped me.

--
Roberto Jung Drebes - Tokyo, Japan
<drebes@xxxxxxxxx>
http://dorebesu.blogspot.com/

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Emre Erenoglu
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