Rampage Formula Hyper-V Virtualization Problem

[stellar]

Hi

İ use Q8400 intel cpu via Rampage formula. i want to use hyper-v 2012 on my computer but option seems passive.

Intel Says q8400 supported the virtualization.
http://ark.intel.com/products/38512

Bios version is "Rampage Formula 1001 BIOS".

what should i do can use it .

[Nodens]

Q8400 does not support it. Hyper-V needs VT-d not VT-x..It seems you are confused on what these extensions are.

VT-x is basic virtualization acceleration.
VT-d allows hardware to be passed through to Hyper-V clients..VT-d support is required. Chips that feature VT-d also feature VT-x 🙂

See here for example: http://ark.intel.com/products/63697

[klosz007]

@ Nodens:
This is not correct, VT-x is sufficient to run VMs under VMWare Workstation/vSphere/ESX, Hyper-V, KVM etc. VT-d is required to be able to passthrough entire PCIe devices to VMs (without emulation). This functionality (called in other words IOMMU) is supported only on certain hypervisors, on their latest releases, and makes sense only in very high performance production environments. Lack of VT-d does not block virtualization possibility.

@ stellar:
This however does not answer your question why Hyper-V does not want to run on Q8400 (it should, since Q8400 supports VT-x). The most common issue is that VT-x support must be enabled in BIOS, in most cases it is disabled by default. In BIOS look for CPU setting such as "VT-x" or "Hardware Assisted Virtualization", set it to enabled and you should be fine.

If there is no such option, then try to update to latest BIOS. If the option is still not there, then your BIOS does not support enabling VT-x (it happens on old motherboards) and you will only be able to run limited set of virtualization technologies. Probably only older hypervisors revisions with limited feature set - check documentation of your hypervisor: what is possible with VT-x, what is not possible without VT-x, is VT-x required, etc. I know for example that MS Virtual PC with Windows XP Mode, run on Windows 7 Professional/Ultimate does not require VT-x to be enabled.

[Nodens]

@klosz007: I know exactly what VT-d is. I'm being simplistic as usual on purpose. Hyper-V in Windows Server 2012 developer preview versions from MSDN could not be enabled on any of my systems without VT-d. And I believe that was a requirement due to SR-IOV. The limitation could be lifted since that version but I wouldn't know as I use Xen instead.

Of course VT-d is not a requirement for virtualization in general, that is common knowledge:) Even VT-x is not required for a lot of virtualization products (or versions). And products like VMWare Workstation you mentioned (Which I use for software development/testing) do not even support VT-d. Only Hypervisor Type 1 virtualization products can support VT-d (it's not technically possible otherwise).

Back on topic though. If the VT-d requirement has indeed been lifted from MS Hyper-V, then it must be what you suggest. X79 UEFI has an option for enabling/disabling VT-x support.

[klosz007]

I cannot find a proof that VT-d is required to run Hyper-V 2012. This might be in develooper previews as you mentioned. VT-d is required if one wants to use SR-IOV under Hyper-V 2012.

VT-x is 100% required so probably VT-x support disabled in BIOS is the problem here. Meanwhile I looked into Rampage Formula manual and it has no option to enable/disable VT-x so, if it is true, then most likely Hyper-V 2012 cannot be run on this CPU/motherboard. There is an option that most recent BIOSes added support for it but the manual has not been updated.

[Nodens]

For RIVE, the VT-x option is under Advanced/CPU Configuration and is named Intel Virtualization Technology. Formula should be identical. AFAIK, VT-x is supported via this option on all Rampage IV boards since their initial UEFI version (in fact it should be exactly like that for the rest of the X79 ASUS boards as well). It is quite possible that the option defaults to disabled on some UEFI versions..

[klosz007]

Note that stellar has original Rampage Formula from somewhere 2008, socket 775, I was referring to that old Rampage Formula saying that I could not see VT-x option in documentation. How would he run Q8400 on RIVE ? Come on !

Rampage IV has VT-x and VT-d support in BIOS, I do not question it at all 🙂 I run multiple hypervisors on my RIVE 🙂

[Nodens]

Ah, you are absolutely right! Kinda have a lot on my mind right now and with the conversation derailing to hypervisors, I forgot we were talking about the plain Rampage Formula and not the Rampage IV Formula heh. My apologies. I'm not sure about the original Rampage Formula. It should support VT-x though..X48 does.