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deploymonkey
Asked: 2010-05-18 19:03:58 +0800 CST

Intel Xeon vt-d query

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Does Xeon westmere ep (xeon 56xx series) have vt-d (=iommy / direct io) or does intel TXT (Intel® Trusted Execution Technology) include vt-d?

I'm at a loss. I've been researching current processors for an important project for some time now.

I need to know, if the xeon 5600s (Westmere EP) include vt-d (iommu/directed io/pci passing) because the system will run virtualized guests. This enables direct hardware access eg. pci passthrough, in xen for example.

It seems that the 5600s TXT should incorporate vt-d and that xeon 5600s should include vt-d as they are ramped up 5500s, but there is no conclusive answer anywhere. Intel's processor comparison only states that 5500s have vt-d and no TXT and 5600s have no vt-d but TXT.

I'd be really grateful if anybody could clear this up and possibly even provide a citation.

Thanks a lot.

Edit: Alternative: Can anyone report success in running Xen on a 5600 with working pci passthrough?

virtualization xeon

3 Answers

  1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trusted_Execution_Technology - Intel TXT includes Intel VT-d

    This technology is coupled with VT-d (Intel Virtualization Technology for Directed I/O) which, among other things, protects certain areas related to TXT from DMA access.

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  2. Best Answer

    The real answer is provided here for anyone who is interested. In general vt-d is a chipset feature and ark.intel.com is wrong.

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  3. VT-d is a feature of the memory controller, which now happens to be in the CPU for Nehalem and later systems. For systems prior to Nehalem, you need support in the chipset. All CPU's require a MB BIOS that supports VT-d.

    For example, a Q6600 is listed as having no VT-d support, which is correct. The CPU itself does not have any VT-d functions. However, if you put that CPU into a MB with a Q35 or a Q45 chipset, VT-d works perfectly well, as long as you have a BIOS update that turns on VT-d support.

    The difference is with Nehalem and later CPUs, if support is listed as "no" in ARK, you cannot add VT-d support to the system through the chipset. If "yes" appears in ark, and you put this in a MB that supports VT-d, VT-d will work just fine.

    HTH

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