Re: Is my Intel HD Graphics 4600 Xen VGA Passthrough to Windows 8 Enterprise HVM domU Considered Successful?

[Gordan Bobic <gordan@bobich.net>]

 On Fri, 19 Jul 2013 18:27:07 +0800, "Singapore Citizen Mr. Teo En Ming 
 (Zhang Enming)" <singapore.mr.teo.en.ming@gmail.com> wrote:
> Hi,
>
> My Windows 8 Enterprise HVM domU configuration is as follows. I have
> to *disable* gfx_passthru, that is, gfx_passthru=0. Please take note.

 [...]

> So is my Intel HD Graphics 4600 Xen VGA passthrough to Windows 8
> Enterprise HVM domU considered successful?

 If it works, it's successful.

> I cannot enable gfx_passthru, that is, gfx_passthru=1. If I enable
> gfx_passthru, Windows 8 Enterprise HVM domU would start for a few
> seconds, then the LCD monitor would go into power save mode (blank
> screen) *forever*.
>
> Please advise me on how I can get VGA passthrough to work with
> gfx_passthru=1.

 Can you elaborate why exactly do you need to have that GPU passed
 through as primary? Primary GPU passthrough has always been
 problematic because domU has to re-post the card's BIOS which
 has always been problematic.

 The only difference in the general case is that with gfx_passthru=1
 you get to see the POST and boot information on the monitor
 connected to the GPU. With gfx_passthry=0 you can only see this
 in the VNC session connected to the virtual primary VGA card. In
 the vast majority of cases seeing the POST and boot animation
 isn't useful enough to be worth bothering with.

 I have a working setup with 2x Quadro cards, each passed through
 as secondary (gfx_passthru=0) to different domUs, with separate
 mice/keyboards passed through to each domU (multi-seat gaming
 rig), and that works lovely (only limitation being 2GB of RAM
 for each domU until I get around to upgrading to 4.3).

 Unless you have a very compelling reason to use gfx_passthru=1
 I suggest you don't bother even trying.

 Gordan