Re: [Xen-users] Some iommu questions(mostly about intel's vt-d)

[Mihail Ivanov <mihail.ivanov93@xxxxxxxxx>]

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Hello,

I've finally decided I am gonna go the expensive way.
Getting a E5-1650V2(3.5-3.9Ghz).
http://ark.intel.com/products/75780/Intel-Xeon-Processor-E5-1650-v2-12M-Cache-3_50-GHz

(The other option being 2 x E5-2609 2,4Ghz which will get me 8 cores,
but without HT and on much lower clock - so I'd rather have the
E5-1650V2, also I don't really want to go dual socket)

Those single socket 2011 server motherboards seem like the way to go
if one wants to be sure everything works.

Now I am kinda only considering Asrock vs Supermicro

(no ASUS for me please :), Intel's mobos are uATX and I want ATX, why
would I want to pay 300$+ and get like 2 PCI-E slots)

I am thinking of getting this mobo Asrock EPC602D8A:
http://www.asrockrack.com/general/productdetail.asp?Model=EPC602D8A

Do you think it's good? It's a server/workstation board based on the
602 Chipset with explicit support for Vt-d, a lot of PCI_E slots too,
Sata ports too.

Yet I haven't found any feedback on that mobo, so I'd be cool if
someone could share his thoughts on it.

I will be passing through kinda everything(NIC's, SATA
Controllers,Powerful VGA's,etc).
Only 3-4 cheap VGA's will stay in Dom0(and maybe sound too).

I've read some papers and decided ECC is a must so -
so i will most likely use 8 x 8GB 1600 ECC.

As for storage:
ZFS on 3 x WD Black 2 TB in Raid 5,
And a cheap A-data SSD 120GB as cache.

On 06/25/2014 03:48 PM, H. Sieger wrote:
> I agree with Gordan and his advice. However, ASrock seems to have a
> good reputation for VT-d support, but you definitely should check
> with them first! While Asus hardware isn't bad (as Gordan said),
> they are not committed in any way to support VT-d. One top of the
> line board - for example the Rampage IV Extreme - may support VT-d
> (via BIOS), the other won't, or only partially (e.g. Black
> edition). Also, some boards like the RIVE support VT-d with the
> latest Intel CPUs, others don't. Unless something drastically
> changed, their tech support is totally useless, even if you talk
> directly to headquarters. In the realm of enthusiast boards, ASRock
> seems to be an exception in that they support VT-d in a range of
> boards and in that they actually know what VT-d is for. Citrix
> certified boards will most likely be workstation boards.
> 
> Here is a list of motherboards I compiled based on success stories:
> http://www.overclock.net/t/1338063/vt-d-compatible-motherboards
> 
> Here the same for graphics cards:
> http://www.overclock.net/t/1307834/xen-vga-passthrough-compatible-graphics-adapters
>
>  Of course both lists aren't exhaustive, but provide perhaps a
> starting point.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> On Monday, June 23, 2014 10:19 PM, Mihail Ivanov
> <mihail.ivanov93@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> 
> 
> 
> Hello everyone, I am new to xen and I'd like to ask some things.
> 
> I am looking to use Xen with both PV and HVM guests. I want to
> pass-through most of my devices to DomU's. My main concern so far
> is what hardware should I choose?
> 
> I've decided on the cpu - Intel i7-4770. The ram will most likely
> be 32GB - two kits of Geil 2x8GB 1600-2166 Mhz. About the mobos -
> what I know so far is that ASUS don't officially support Vt-d, but
> Asrock say they do. So I am thinking of getting an Asrock. Thing is
> - so far I've read about people using the z87 chipset, but only one
> example of z97. Also on Intel's website they are saying that z87
> has Vt-d, but nothing about the z97.
> 
> So can someone confirm if Asrock Z97 mobos support Vt-d? Also if it
> has problems with its tables?(EPT ones, if I am not mistaken).
> 
> I am particularly interested in the Asrock Z97 Extreme4. Perhaps
> someone around here has experience with it?
> 
> Also I've read about the GPU pass-through, so I've decided to use
> AMD since nVidia has no support for it (unless I change the ID of
> my vga to a quadro or some other professional vga).
> 
> Not having an FLR isn't an issue, correct?
> 
> And now my main concern - which of these devices can be used with 
> pass-through: the integrated sound card the integrated NIC the sata
> controllers(expensive boards have two - one from the chipset and
> another one) the usb controllers
> 
> All of those should be PCI devices, correct? Also in an article in
> wikipedia, they say that some mobos don't have support for Vt-d for
> example on PCIe x8 or mini? How come only one or two slots can't
> work?
> 
> Also can I passtrough just one USB device or I have to do it with
> the whole controller?(as a PCI device I guess).
> 
> Greetings, Mihail
> 
> _______________________________________________ Xen-users mailing
> list Xen-users@xxxxxxxxxxxxx http://lists.xen.org/xen-users
> 
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