VirtIO-GPU Gets Patches For 3D Rendering

[phoronix]

Phoronix: VirtIO-GPU Gets Patches For 3D Rendering

Landing in the Linux 4.2 kernel was the new VirtIO GPU driver to be used with the open-source Linux virtualization stack as the first step towards having open-source GPU hardware acceleration in guest VMs. While that initial code drop didn't hook up any 3D rendering support, there's now patches for doing just that...

http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=VirtIO-GPU-3D-Virgl

[BlackStar]

Proper 3d support in guests would be huge. *Huge*.

[youka]

I recall reading some time ago that this wouldn't get much further than OpenGL 3.x support, and that you'd need to be running open-source drivers on the host in order to benefit from accelerated graphics in the guest. Anyone know if this is still the case?

[airlied]

I recall reading some time ago that this wouldn't get much further than OpenGL 3.x support, and that you'd need to be running open-source drivers on the host in order to benefit from accelerated graphics in the guest. Anyone know if this is still the case?

the first release will be GL3.3 on open source drivers if you want to use this in a qemu/libvirt/spice scenario. You should be able to run qemu/sdl or gtk on top of the nvidia binary drivers, though I haven't tested it in ages.

Once things are upstream and merged, I plan on tackling GL4.1 on top of GL4.1 host drivers (like radeonsi/nouveau/hopefully r600). I've no major impetus to trying to get the EGL bits going on the nvidia driver yet, but hey the first version isn't released yet, so who knows what will happen over time.

Dave.

[edmon]

would be nice to "pass-trough" somehow useless muxless optimus .....

[airlied]

I recall reading some time ago that this wouldn't get much further than OpenGL 3.x support, and that you'd need to be running open-source drivers on the host in order to benefit from accelerated graphics in the guest. Anyone know if this is still the case?

The initial release will be GL3.3 (if host has 3.3 or later) with qemu/libvirt/spice/egl support only on open source drivers. qemu/sdl will work on the nvidia binary drivers (their desktop EGL is lacking some things). Now that GL4.1 is available in mesa, I can start adding 4.1 features to virgil once everything is upstream. The idea is only the host support library and the guest mesa driver will need updates to bump GL feature levels.

[airlied]

for some reason I'm failing to post here, not idea why, so this is a test, and but first release when this is upstream, will be GL3.3 limited and full libvirt/spice stack support only on open source due to required EGL extensions, closed drivers can still run qemu/sdl/gtk using virtio-gpu. Now that gallium us up to 4.1 level adding 4.1 will be a project once the bits are all upstream and a first release has happened. Same with speed improvements, I've totally stalled development on upstreaming, hopefully we can restart it now.

[Serge]

Are the VirtIO GPU driver and QXL driver complimentary or mutually exclusive?

[airlied]

Are the VirtIO GPU driver and QXL driver complimentary or mutually exclusive?

Mutually exclusive, qxl hw and virtio-gpu hw are completely different.

Dave.

[kobblestown]

Mutually exclusive, qxl hw and virtio-gpu hw are completely different.

Dave.

But earlier you wrote (the important part in bold):

The initial release will be GL3.3 (if host has 3.3 or later) with qemu/libvirt/spice/egl support only on open source drivers.

How does VirtIO-GPU play with SPICE? Will there be a way to access the accelerated desktop remotely over SPICE or it's juts for local acceleration? To me the former would be a killer feature.

Thanks for stopping by to comment on this, by the way.