Chapter 2. Assigning virtual GPUs

Procedure

1. Download and install the NVIDIA driver for the host. For information on getting the driver, see the Drivers page on the NVIDIA website.
2. If the NVIDIA software installer did not create the /etc/modprobe.d/nvidia-installer-disable-nouveau.conf file, create it manually.

3. Open /etc/modprobe.d/nvidia-installer-disable-nouveau.conf file in a text editor and add the following lines to the end of the file:

   blacklist nouveau
   options nouveau modeset=0

4. Regenerate the initial ramdisk for the current kernel, then reboot:

   # dracut --force
   # reboot

   Alternatively, if you need to use a prior supported kernel version with mediated devices, regenerate the initial ramdisk for all installed kernel versions:

   # dracut --regenerate-all --force
   # reboot

5. Check that the kernel loaded the nvidia_vgpu_vfio module:

   # lsmod | grep nvidia_vgpu_vfio

6. Check that the nvidia-vgpu-mgr.service service is running:

   # systemctl status nvidia-vgpu-mgr.service

   For example:

   # lsmod | grep nvidia_vgpu_vfio
   nvidia_vgpu_vfio 45011 0
   nvidia 14333621 10 nvidia_vgpu_vfio
   mdev 20414 2 vfio_mdev,nvidia_vgpu_vfio
   vfio 32695 3 vfio_mdev,nvidia_vgpu_vfio,vfio_iommu_type1
   # systemctl status nvidia-vgpu-mgr.service
   nvidia-vgpu-mgr.service - NVIDIA vGPU Manager Daemon
      Loaded: loaded (/usr/lib/systemd/system/nvidia-vgpu-mgr.service; enabled; vendor preset: disabled)
      Active: active (running) since Fri 2018-03-16 10:17:36 CET; 5h 8min ago
    Main PID: 1553 (nvidia-vgpu-mgr)
    [...]

7. Get a list of available mdev types by entering the following lines in the terminal, or alternatively, in a script:

   for device in /sys/class/mdev_bus/; do for mdev_type in $device/mdev_supported_types/; do
       MDEV_TYPE=$(basename $mdev_type)
       DESCRIPTION=$(cat $mdev_type/description)
       NAME=$(cat $mdev_type/name)
       echo "mdev_type: $MDEV_TYPE --- description: $DESCRIPTION --- name: $NAME";
     done;
   done | sort | uniq

   Note

   For type-id values for specific GPU devices, see Virtual GPU Types in the Virtual GPU software documentation. Notice that only Q-series NVIDIA vGPUs, such as GRID P4-2Q, are supported as mediated device GPU types on Linux virtual machines.

   The output looks similar to the following:

   mdev_type: nvidia-11 --- description: num_heads=2, frl_config=45, framebuffer=512M, max_resolution=2560x1600, max_instance=16 --- name: GRID M60-0B
   mdev_type: nvidia-12 --- description: num_heads=2, frl_config=60, framebuffer=512M, max_resolution=2560x1600, max_instance=16 --- name: GRID M60-0Q
   ...
   mdev_type: nvidia-22 --- description: num_heads=4, frl_config=60, framebuffer=8192M, max_resolution=4096x2160, max_instance=1 --- name: GRID M60-8Q

8. In the Administration Portal, click Compute → Virtual Machines. Select a virtual machine and click Edit. The Edit Virtual Machine dialog appears.
9. Click Custom Properties. If you do not see Custom Properties, click Show Advanced Options first.
10. In the Custom Properties dialog, click Please select a key → mdev_type. If you do not see Please select a key, click the + button.

11. In the text field that appears, enter the GPU type or types that you identified previously. For example: nvidia-12.You can add multiple vGPUs to a virtual machine using a comma-separated list. For example: nvidia22,nvidia22.

    Note

    Multiple vGPUs must be the same mdev type. You cannot, for example use nvidia22,nvidia15.

Procedure

1. Run the virtual machine and connect to it using a serial console, such as SPICE or VNC.
2. Download the driver to the virtual machine. For information on getting the driver, see the Drivers page on the NVIDIA website.

3. Install the vGPU driver, following the instructions in Installing the NVIDIA vGPU Software Graphics Driver in the NVIDIA Virtual GPU software documentation.

   Important

   Linux only: When installing the driver on a Linux guest operating system, you are prompted to update xorg.conf. If you do not update xorg.conf during the installation, you need to update it manually. For more information, see Section 1.5, “Updating and Enabling xorg (Linux Virtual Machines)”.

4. After the driver finishes installing, reboot the machine. For Windows virtual machines, fully power off the guest from the Administration portal or the VM portal, not from within the guest operating system.

   Important

   Windows only: Powering off the virtual machine from within the Windows guest operating system sometimes sends the virtual machine into hibernate mode, which does not completely clear the memory, possibly leading to subsequent problems. Using the Administration portal or the VM portal to power off the virtual machine forces it to fully clean the memory.

5. Run the virtual machine and connect to it using one of the supported remote desktop protocols, such as Mechdyne TGX, and verify that the vGPU is recognized by opening the NVIDIA Control Panel. On Windows, you can alternatively open the Windows Device Manager. The vGPU should appear under Display adapters. For more information, see the NVIDIA vGPU Software Graphics Driver in the NVIDIA Virtual GPU software documentation.
6. Set up NVIDIA vGPU guest software licensing for each vGPU and add the license credentials in the NVIDIA control panel. For more information, see How NVIDIA vGPU Software Licensing Is Enforced in the NVIDIA Virtual GPU Software Documentation.

Procedure

1. From the Administration portal, click Compute → Virtual Machines.
2. Right-click the virtual machine and click Power off.
3. After the virtual machine is powered off, select the virtual machine and click Edit. The Edit Virtual Machine window opens.
4. On the Custom Properties tab, next to mdev type, click the minus - button and click OK.