Jump to content

VM with full 2D/3D graphics acceleration -> KVM/QEMU


6 posts in this topic

Recommended Posts

I am wondering why so many people are focused on using VMware for OSX virtualization when KVM/QEMU can provide full GPU acceleration with VGA passthrough using Seabios or VFIO GPU assignment using OVMF. I have come across a couple step by step blogs on how to do the OSX install using Seabios. Clean install is also possible with OVMF but requires more work. There is a large thread on Arch Linux forums about VGA passthrough and VFIO GPU assignment.

 

I prefer GPU assignment using OVMF since it allows me to use integrated Intel graphics with full 2D/3D acceleration on my Linux host and assign my Radeon 5450 card to the guest which also has full 2D/3D acceleration. I am still trying to work out some audio issues but for the most part everything just works.

 

If anyone else has tried KVM/QEMU with either VGA passthrough using Seabios or VFIO GPU assignment using OVMF, please  post your results here.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I am wondering why so many people are focused on using VMware for OSX virtualization when KVM/QEMU can provide full GPU acceleration with VGA passthrough using Seabios or VFIO GPU assignment using OVMF. 

 

Probably because far more people are trying to use OS X on a Windows host than on Linux.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Probably because far more people are trying to use OS X on a Windows host than on Linux.

 

omf, you are absolutely right - I have been using Linux as my primary OS for so long that I forget I am in a very small minority.  On the other hand, it wouldn't be too tough to download a Linux distro like Fedora and get started with KVM/QEMU.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 weeks later...

Yep I have this up and running using QEMU, SeaBIOS (haven't really made much progress with OVMF although I'd much prefer it - which boot loaders work with OVMF? Do you have Clover working?)

 

Spec:

Motherboard: ASUS Sabertooth 990FX R2.0

CPU: AMD FX 8350 4.0GHz

RAM: 12GB

GFX: 1xPCI card for host, 1xGTX 660, 1xGTX 650Ti (for Windows)

Host: Fedora 21

 

Number of hard drives/SSDs for various things & bluetooth dongle for OS X keyboard and mouse.

 

I've been running this set up, with the occasional hitch, for the past 3 months as my desktop. Got my MBP to sort the host out incase of any issues.

 

I have big issues running Clover & SeaBIOS. Clover seems to be unable to get a correct CPU clock speed, and so the system things time is running anywhere between 1.5 and 10x faster than it actually is... I've stuck with compiling the latest Chameleon build for now, but would be very interested in getting a native EFI setup going!


Probably because far more people are trying to use OS X on a Windows host than on Linux.

 

If you're going the QEMU/KVM route, you can emulate Windows, OS X, more Linux, more OS X, more Windows, etc.. all under one Linux host.

 

I'd advise the latest Fedora as it requires no extra hacks or rebuilding of any particular component to get OS X to boot... All necessary software is already in the default Fedora repos.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 Share

×
×
  • Create New...