OSX-KVM - January 2022 Batch Update #1

Changes:

- Add support for Windows ;)

boot-passthrough-windows.sh

@@ -0,0 +1,70 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+
+# Special thanks to:
+# https://github.com/Leoyzen/KVM-Opencore
+# https://github.com/thenickdude/KVM-Opencore/
+# https://github.com/qemu/qemu/blob/master/docs/usb2.txt
+#
+# qemu-img create -f qcow2 windows_hdd.img 512G
+#
+# echo 1 > /sys/module/kvm/parameters/ignore_msrs (this is required)
+#
+# wget https://fedorapeople.org/groups/virt/virtio-win/direct-downloads/archive-virtio/virtio-win-0.1.208-1/virtio-win-0.1.208.iso
+#
+# GPU passthrough is terrible with AMD cards which suffer from the "AMD reset
+# bug". NVIDIA cards work very well with Windows VMs.
+
+############################################################################
+# NOTE: Tweak the "MY_OPTIONS" line in case you are having booting problems!
+############################################################################
+
+MY_OPTIONS="+ssse3,+sse4.2,+popcnt,+avx,+aes,+xsave,+xsaveopt,check"
+
+# This script works for Big Sur, Catalina, Mojave, and High Sierra. Tested with
+# macOS 10.15.6, macOS 10.14.6, and macOS 10.13.6
+
+ALLOCATED_RAM="3072" # MiB
+CPU_SOCKETS="1"
+CPU_CORES="2"
+CPU_THREADS="2"
+
+REPO_PATH="."
+OVMF_DIR="."
+
+# Note: This script assumes that you are doing CPU + GPU passthrough. This
+# script will need to be modified for your specific needs!
+#
+# We recommend doing the initial macOS installation without using passthrough
+# stuff. In other words, don't use this script for the initial macOS
+# installation.
+
+# shellcheck disable=SC2054
+args=(
+  -enable-kvm -m "$ALLOCATED_RAM" -cpu host,kvm=on,+invtsc,vmware-cpuid-freq=on,"$MY_OPTIONS"
+  -machine q35
+  -usb -device usb-kbd -device usb-tablet
+  -smp "$CPU_THREADS",cores="$CPU_CORES",sockets="$CPU_SOCKETS"
+  -device usb-ehci,id=ehci
+  -vga none
+  # 01:00.0 VGA compatible controller [0300]: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD/ATI] Ellesmere [Radeon RX 470/480/570/570X/580/580X/590] [1002:67df] (rev ef)
+  #         Subsystem: Sapphire Technology Limited Nitro+ Radeon RX 570/580/590 [1da2:e366]
+  # 01:00.1 Audio device [0403]: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD/ATI] Ellesmere HDMI Audio [Radeon RX 470/480 / 570/580/590] [1002:aaf0]
+  #         Subsystem: Sapphire Technology Limited Ellesmere HDMI Audio [Radeon RX 470/480 / 570/580/590] [1da2:aaf0]
+  -device vfio-pci,host=01:00.0,multifunction=on
+  # -device vfio-pci,host=01:00.0,multifunction=on,romfile=gpu_original_bios.bin
+  -device vfio-pci,host=01:00.1
+  # ASMedia ASM1142 USB 3.1 Host Controller (comment out as needed)
+  # 03:00.0 USB controller [0c03]: ASMedia Technology Inc. ASM1142 USB 3.1 Host Controller [1b21:1242]
+  -device vfio-pci,host=03:00.0,bus=pcie.0
+  -drive if=pflash,format=raw,readonly,file="$REPO_PATH/$OVMF_DIR/OVMF_CODE.fd"
+  -drive if=pflash,format=raw,file="$REPO_PATH/$OVMF_DIR/OVMF_VARS-1024x768.fd"
+  -drive file="$REPO_PATH/windows.iso",media=cdrom  # Win10_21H2_English_x64.iso from Microsoft works great
+  -drive file="$REPO_PATH/virtio-win-0.1.208.iso",media=cdrom
+  -drive if=virtio,index=0,file="$REPO_PATH/windows_hdd.img",format=qcow2
+  # -netdev tap,id=net0,ifname=tap0,script=no,downscript=no -device e1000e,netdev=net0,id=net0,mac=52:54:00:c9:18:27
+  -netdev user,id=net0 -device e1000e,netdev=net0,id=net0,mac=52:54:00:c9:18:27
+  -monitor stdio
+  -display none
+)
+
+qemu-system-x86_64 "${args[@]}"

boot-windows-for-debugging.sh

@@ -0,0 +1,56 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+
+# Special thanks to:
+# https://github.com/Leoyzen/KVM-Opencore
+# https://github.com/thenickdude/KVM-Opencore/
+# https://github.com/qemu/qemu/blob/master/docs/usb2.txt
+#
+# qemu-img create -f qcow2 windows_hdd.img 512G
+#
+# echo 1 > /sys/module/kvm/parameters/ignore_msrs (this is required)
+#
+# wget https://fedorapeople.org/groups/virt/virtio-win/direct-downloads/archive-virtio/virtio-win-0.1.208-1/virtio-win-0.1.208.iso
+
+############################################################################
+# NOTE: Tweak the "MY_OPTIONS" line in case you are having booting problems!
+############################################################################
+
+MY_OPTIONS="+ssse3,+sse4.2,+popcnt,+avx,+aes,+xsave,+xsaveopt,check"
+
+# This script works for Big Sur, Catalina, Mojave, and High Sierra. Tested with
+# macOS 10.15.6, macOS 10.14.6, and macOS 10.13.6
+
+ALLOCATED_RAM="3072" # MiB
+CPU_SOCKETS="1"
+CPU_CORES="2"
+CPU_THREADS="2"
+
+REPO_PATH="."
+OVMF_DIR="."
+
+# This causes high cpu usage on the *host* side
+# qemu-system-x86_64 -enable-kvm -m 3072 -cpu Penryn,vendor=GenuineIntel,+invtsc,vmware-cpuid-freq=on,hypervisor=off,vmx=on,kvm=off,$MY_OPTIONS\
+
+# shellcheck disable=SC2054
+args=(
+  -enable-kvm -m "$ALLOCATED_RAM" -cpu host,kvm=on,+invtsc,vmware-cpuid-freq=on,"$MY_OPTIONS"
+  -machine q35
+  -usb -device usb-kbd -device usb-tablet
+  -smp "$CPU_THREADS",cores="$CPU_CORES",sockets="$CPU_SOCKETS"
+  -device usb-ehci,id=ehci
+  # -device usb-kbd,bus=ehci.0
+  # -device usb-mouse,bus=ehci.0
+  # -device nec-usb-xhci,id=xhci
+  -boot d
+  -drive if=pflash,format=raw,readonly=on,file="$REPO_PATH/$OVMF_DIR/OVMF_CODE.fd"
+  -drive if=pflash,format=raw,file="$REPO_PATH/$OVMF_DIR/OVMF_VARS-1024x768.fd"
+  -drive file="$REPO_PATH/windows.iso",media=cdrom  # Win10_21H2_English_x64.iso from Microsoft works great
+  -drive file="$REPO_PATH/virtio-win-0.1.208.iso",media=cdrom
+  -drive if=virtio,index=0,file="$REPO_PATH/windows_hdd.img",format=qcow2
+  # -netdev tap,id=net0,ifname=tap0,script=no,downscript=no -device e1000e,netdev=net0,id=net0,mac=52:54:00:c9:18:27
+  -netdev user,id=net0 -device e1000e,netdev=net0,id=net0,mac=52:54:00:c9:18:27
+  -monitor stdio
+  -vga qxl
+)
+
+qemu-system-x86_64 "${args[@]}"

notes.md

@@ -100,10 +100,13 @@ AMD RX 570 GPU (May 2021).
   $ sudo update-initramfs -k all -u
   ```
 
-* In the BIOS setup, set the `Primary Display` to `IGFX` (onboard graphics).
+* In the BIOS setup, set the `Primary Display` to `IGFX` (aka CPU graphics / onboard graphics).
 
-* Verify that the IOMMU is enabled, and `vfio-pci` is working as expected.
+  Tip: Update the BIOS!
-  Verify that the expected devices are using `vfio-pci` as their kernel driver
+
+* Verify that the IOMMU ("VT-d" for Intel) is enabled, and `vfio-pci` is
+  working as expected. Verify that the expected devices are using `vfio-pci` as
+  their kernel driver.
 
   ```
   $ dmesg | grep -i iommu
@@ -178,11 +181,12 @@ monitor).
 
 Tested GPUs: ZOTAC GeForce GT 710 DDR3 (<= Big Sur), Sapphire Radeon RX 570.
 
-
 UPDATE: Project sponsors get access to the `Private OSX-KVM repository`, and
 direct support. This private repository has a playbook to automate 95% of this
 work in a rugged, consistent manner.
 
+[Link to a list of supported GPUs](https://dortania.github.io/GPU-Buyers-Guide/modern-gpus/amd-gpu.html).
+
 
 ### USB passthrough notes
 
@@ -228,6 +232,8 @@ These steps will need to be adapted for your particular setup.
 
 * Boot the VM, and devices attached to the ASMedia USB controller should just work under macOS.
 
+[Here is a link to a list of recommended USB PCIe cards](http://blog.greggant.com/posts/2018/05/07/definitive-mac-pro-upgrade-guide.html).
+
 
 ### Synergy Notes
 
@@ -663,6 +669,15 @@ The `-smp line` should read something like the following:
 Check out [this Dortania article on this topic](https://dortania.github.io/OpenCore-Post-Install/universal/iservices.html#using-gensmbios).
 
 
+### Fix 'guest boots to UEFI shell' problem
+
+Use a fresh copy of the `OVMF_VARS-1024x768.fd` file.
+
+```
+git checkout OVMF_VARS-1024x768.fd
+```
+
+
 ### Enable rc.local functionality on moden Ubuntu versions
 
 Create `/etc/rc.local` file with the following content, if it doesn't exist: