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Update Windows Gaming HVM documentation
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`customization`
- [change DPI scaling in dom0 and VMs](customization/dpi-scaling.md)
- [setup mirage firewall](customization/mirage-firewall.md)
- [windows 7 gaming HVM with GPU passthrough](customization/windows-gaming-hvm.md)
- [windows gaming HVM with GPU passthrough](customization/windows-gaming-hvm.md)
- [Choose deafult terminal settings for a TemplateVM](customization/terminal-defaults.md)
- [Screenlockers](customization/screenlockers.md)
- [USB Hardening](customization/usb-hardening.md)

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# Windows gaming HVM
# Create a Gaming HVM
Some information to configure a windows HVM for gaming.
This is not officially supported, just some community trial & errors
This is not officially supported, just some community trial & errors.
This doc is also hosted on https://neowutran.ovh/qubes/articles/gaming_windows_hvm.html
## References
Everythings needed is referenced here
Everything needed is referenced here
- [Useful technical details](https://paste.debian.net/1043341/)
- [Reddit thread of what is needed for GPU passthrough](https://www.reddit.com/r/Qubes/comments/9hp3e7/gpu_passthrough_howto/)
- [Solution to have more than 3 GB of RAM in the Windows HVM](https://github.com/QubesOS/qubes-issues/issues/4321#issuecomment-423011787)
- [Some old references](https://www.reddit.com/r/Qubes/comments/66wk4q/gpu_passthrough/)
- [Useful technical details](https://paste.debian.net/1043341/)
## Prerequise
- [Reddit thread of what is needed for GPU
passthrough](https://www.reddit.com/r/Qubes/comments/9hp3e7/gpu_passthrough_howto/)
You have a functional Windows 7 HVM.
- [Solution to have more than 3 GB of RAM in the Windows
HVM](https://github.com/QubesOS/qubes-issues/issues/4321#issuecomment-423011787)
The "how to" for this part can be found on the Qubes OS documentation and here: [Useful github comment](https://github.com/QubesOS/qubes-issues/issues/3585#issuecomment-453200971).
- [Some old
references](https://www.reddit.com/r/Qubes/comments/66wk4q/gpu_passthrough/)
## Prerequisite
You have a functional Windows HVM (Windows 7 or Windows 10). The \"how
to\" for this part can be found on the Qubes OS documentation and here:
[Usefull github
comment](https://github.com/QubesOS/qubes-issues/issues/3585#issuecomment-453200971).
However, few tips:
- Do a backup (clone VM) of the Windows HVM BEFORE starting to install QWT
- The Windows user MUST BE "user"
- Windows 7 Only, do not use Windows 10 or others.
- Do a backup (clone VM) of the Windows HVM BEFORE starting to install
QWT (installing QWT is not required)
## Hardware
To have a Windows HVM for gaming, you must have:
- A dedicated AMD GPU. By dedicated, it means: it is a secondary GPU, not the GPU used to display dom0. Nvidia GPU are not supported (or maybe with a lot of trick).
- A really fast disk (M.2 disk)
- A lot of RAM
- A dedicated screen
- A dedicated AMD GPU. By dedicated, it means: it is a secondary GPU,
not the GPU used to display dom0. Nvidia GPU are not supported (or
maybe with a lot of tricks).
In my case, I use:
- A really fast disk (M.2 disk)
- Secondary GPU: AMD RX580
- Primary GPU: Some Nvidia trash, used for dom0
- 32 GB of RAM. 16 GB of RAM will be dedicated for the Windows HVM
- A fast M.2 disk
- A lot of RAM
- A dedicated screen
- Dedicated gaming mouse and keyboard
In my case:
- Secondary GPU: AMD RX580
- Primary GPU: Some Nvidia trash, used for dom0
- 32 GB of RAM. 12 GB of RAM will be dedicated to the Windows HVM
- A fast M.2 disk
## Checklist
Short list of things to do to make the GPU passthrough work:
- In dom0, you edited the file `/etc/default/grub` or `/boot/efi/EFI/qubes/xen.cfg` to allow PCI hiding for your secondary GPU, and regenerated the grub if needed
- You patched your stubdom-linux-rootfs.gz to allow to more than 3 GB of RAM for your Windows HVM
- You verified and confirmed that the secondary GPU is alone in its
IOMMU Group
- In dom0, you edited the file `/etc/default/grub` or
`/boot/efi/EFI/qubes/xen.cfg` or
`/boot/efi/EFI/qubes/grub.cfg` to allow PCI hiding for your
secondary GPU, and regenerated the grub if needed
- You have patched stubdom-linux-rootfs.gz to allow to have more than
3 GB of RAM for your HVM
## IOMMU Group
Warning: I am far from understanding the IOMMU group. Check online
references on that subject. It seems that you can only do a successfull
GPU passthough if you can passthrough everything that is in the IOMMU
Group of the GPU. Also, you can't see your IOMMU Group when you are
using Xen (the information is hidden from dom0). So, what I did: I
booted from a Linux Mint Live USB. In the grub I enabled the IOMMU
(iommu=1 iommu_amd=on), and then displayed the folder structure of
/sys/kernel/iommu_group
``` bash
tree /sys/kernel/iommu_group
```
My secondary GPU was alone in its IOMMU group.
## GRUB modification
You must hide your secondary GPU from dom0.
To do that, you have to edit the GRUB or `xen.cfg` depending on if you use legacy or UEFI boot.
You must hide your secondary GPU from dom0. To do that, you have to edit
the GRUB. In a dom0 Terminal, type:
In a dom0 Terminal, type:
```bash
``` bash
qvm-pci
```
Then find the devices id for your secondary gpu.
Then find the devices id for your secondary GPU. In my case, it is
`dom0:0a_00.0` and `dom0:0a_00.1`. Edit /etc/default/grub,
and add the PCI hiding
In my case, it is "dom0:0a_00.0" and "dom0:0a_00.1".
Edit /etc/default/grub, and add the PCI hiding
```
GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX="....rd.qubes.hide_pci=0a:00.0,0a:00.1 "
``` text
GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX="... rd.qubes.hide_pci=0a:00.0,0a:00.1 "
```
then regenerate the grub
```bash
``` bash
grub2-mkconfig -o /boot/grub2/grub.cfg
```
Or if using UEFI boot, edit `/boot/efi/EFI/qubes/xen.cfg` and add the `rd.qubes.hide_pci=` option to the `kernel=` line.
Or if using UEFI boot, edit `/boot/efi/EFI/qubes/xen.cfg` or
`/boot/efi/EFI/qubes/grub.cfg` and add the
`rd.qubes.hide_pci=` option to the `kernel=` line.
## Patching stubdom-linux-rootfs.gz
Follow the instructions here: [https://github.com/QubesOS/qubes-issues/issues/4321#issuecomment-423011787](https://github.com/QubesOS/qubes-issues/issues/4321#issuecomment-423011787)
### Qubes R4.0
Follow the instructions here:\
[github.com/QubesOS/qubes-issues/issues/4321](https://github.com/QubesOS/qubes-issues/issues/4321#issuecomment-423011787)
Copy-paste of the comment:
```
This is caused by the default TOLUD (Top of Low Usable DRAM) of 3.75G provided by qemu not being large enough to accommodate the larger BARs that a graphics card typically has.
The code to pass a custom max-ram-below-4g value to the qemu commandline does exist in the libxl_dm.c file of xen, but there is no functionality in libvirt to addthis parameter.
It is possible to manually add this parameter to the qemu commandline by doing the following in a dom0 terminal:
This is caused by the default TOLUD (Top of Low Usable DRAM) of 3.75G
provided by qemu not being large enough to accommodate the larger BARs
that a graphics card typically has. The code to pass a custom
max-ram-below-4g value to the qemu command line does exist in the
libxl_dm.c file of xen, but there is no functionality in libvirt to add
this parameter. It is possible to manually add this parameter to the
qemu commandline by doing the following in a dom0 terminal:
```bash
``` bash
mkdir stubroot
cp /usr/lib/xen/boot/stubdom-linux-rootfs stubroot/stubdom-linux-rootfs.gz
cd stubroot
gunzip stubdom-linux-rootfs.gz
cpio -i -d -H newc --no-absolute-filenames < stubdom-linux-rootfs
rm stubdom-linux-rootfs
nano init3
nano init
```
Before the line "# $dm_args and $kernel are separated withx1b to allow for spaces in arguments." add:
Before the line
```bash
``` text
#$dm_args and $kernel are separated with \x1b to allow for spaces in arguments.
```
add:
``` bash
SP=$'\x1b'
dm_args=$(echo "$dm_args"\
sed"s/-machine\\${SP}xenfv/-machine\
dm_args=$(echo "$dm_args" \
| sed "s/-machine\\${SP}xenfv/-machine\
\\${SP}xenfv,max-ram-below-4g=3.5G/g")
```
Then execute:
```bash
find . -print0 | cpio --null -ov\
``` bash
find . -print0 | cpio --null -ov \
--format=newc | gzip -9 > ../stubdom-linux-rootfs
sudo mv ../stubdom-linux-rootfs /usr/lib/xen/boot/
```
Note that this will apply the change to all HVMs, so if you have any
other HVM with more than 3.5GB ram assigned, they will not start without
the adapter being passed through. Ideally to fix this libvirt should be
extended to pass the max-ram-below-4g parameter through to xen, and then
a calculation added to determine the correct TOLUD based on the total
BAR size of the PCI devices are being passed through to the vm.
Note that this will apply the change to all HVMs, so if you have any other HVM with more than 3.5 GB ram assigned,
they will not start without the adapter being passed through.
Ideally to fix this libvirt should be extended to pass the max-ram-below-4g parameter through to xen,
and then a calculation added to determine the correct TOLUD based on the total BAR size of the PCI devices
are being passed through to the vm.
### Qubes R4.1
For Qubes R4.1 follow the R4.0 section, except for two things.
- The file that need to be patched is now
\"/usr/libexec/xen/boot/qemu-stubdom-linux-rootfs\"
- The content of the \"init\" file to modify.
#### The content of the \"init\" file
Before the line
``` text
# $dm_args and $kernel are separated with \n to allow for spaces in arguments
```
add:
``` bash
# Patch 3.5 GB limit
vm_name=$(xenstore-read "/local/domain/$domid/name")
# Apply the patch only if the qube name start by "gpu_"
if [ $(echo "$vm_name" | grep -iEc '^gpu_' ) -eq 1 ]; then
dm_args=$(echo "$dm_args" | sed -n '1h;2,$H;${g;s/\(-machine\nxenfv\)/\1,max-ram-below-4g=3.5G/g;p}')
fi
```
## Pass the GPU
In qubes settings for the windows HVM, go to the "devices" tab, pass the ID corresponding to your AMD GPU.
(in my case, it was 0a:00.0 and 0a:00.1)
In qubes settings for the windows HVM, go to the \"devices\" tab, pass
the ID corresponding to your AMD GPU. (in my case, it was 0a:00.0 and
0a:00.1) And check the option for \"nostrict reset\" for those 2. In
some case, you might also need to set the \"permissive\" flag to true
(But I didn't need that with the RX 580):
And check the option for "nostrictreset" for those.
In some case, you might also need to set the "permissive" flag to true (But I didn't need that with the RX 580):
```
``` bash
qvm-pci attach windows-hvm dom0:0a_00.0 -o permissive=True -o no-strict-reset=True
qvm-pci attach windows-hvm dom0:0a_00.1 -o permissive=True -o no-strict-reset=True
```
## Conclusion
## Conclusion
Dont forget to install the GPU drivers, you can install the official one from AMD website, no modification or trick to do.
Don't forget to install the GPU drivers, you can install the official
one from AMD website, no modification or trick to do. Nothing else is
required to make it work (in my case at least, once I finish to fight to
find those informations). If you have issues, you can refer to the links
in the first sections. If it doesn't work and you need to debug more
things, you can go deeper.
Nothing else is required to make it work (in my case at least, once I finish to fight to find those informations).
- Virsh (start, define, \...)
If you have issues, you can refer to the links in the first sections.
- /etc/libvirt/libxl/
If it doesnt work and you need to debug more things, you can go deeper.
- xl
- Virsh (start, define, ...)
- /etc/libvirt/libxl/
- xl
- /etc/qubes/templates/libvirt/xen/by-name/
- /usr/lib/xen/boot/
- virsh -c xen:/// domxml-to-native xen-xm /etc/libvirt/libxl/...
- /etc/qubes/templates/libvirt/xen/by-name/
I am able to play games on my windows HVM with very good performances. And safely.
- /usr/lib/xen/boot/
- virsh -c xen:/// domxml-to-native xen-xm /etc/libvirt/libxl/\...
I am able to play games on my windows HVM with very good performances.
And safely.
## Bugs
The AMD GPUs have a bug when used in HVM: each time you will reboot your windows HVM, it will get slower and slower.
It is because the AMD GPU is not correctly reset when you restart your windows HVM.
The AMD GPUs have a bug when used in HVM: each time you will reboot your
windows HVM, it will get slower and slower. It is because the AMD GPUs
is not correctly reset when you restart your Windows HVM. Two
solutions for that:
Two solutions for that:
- Reboot your computer
- In the windows HVM, use the windows option in the system tray to "safely remove devices", remove your GPU. Restart the HVM.
- Reboot your computer
This bug is referenced somewhere, but lost the link
- In the windows HVM, use to windows option in the system tray to
\"safely remove devices\", remove your GPU. Restart the HVM.
This bug is referenced somewhere, but lost the link and too lazy to
search for it.