mirror of
https://github.com/QubesOS/qubes-doc.git
synced 2024-10-01 01:25:40 -04:00
2c4bd8230f
This is useful for somebody who is unaware of ark.intel.com or hasn't purchased a computer in a long time and has forgotten where to look for info about Intel processors.
105 lines
5.2 KiB
Markdown
105 lines
5.2 KiB
Markdown
---
|
|
layout: doc
|
|
title: System Requirements
|
|
permalink: /doc/system-requirements/
|
|
redirect_from:
|
|
- /system-requirements/
|
|
- /en/doc/system-requirements/
|
|
- /doc/SystemRequirements/
|
|
- /wiki/SystemRequirements/
|
|
---
|
|
|
|
# System Requirements #
|
|
|
|
<div class="alert alert-warning" role="alert">
|
|
<i class="fa fa-exclamation-triangle"></i>
|
|
<b>Notice:</b>
|
|
The system requirements on this page are <em>necessary, but not sufficient,</em> for Qubes compatibility at a minimal or recommended level.
|
|
In other words, just because a computer satisfies these requirements doesn't mean that Qubes will successfully install and run on it.
|
|
We strongly recommend consulting the <a href="/hcl/">Hardware Compatibility List</a> to verify that Qubes can install and run on your specific model in the ways you need it to.
|
|
</div>
|
|
|
|
## Qubes Release 3.x ##
|
|
|
|
### Minimum ###
|
|
|
|
* 64-bit Intel or AMD processor (x86\_64 aka x64 aka AMD64)
|
|
* 4 GB RAM
|
|
* 32 GB disk space
|
|
* Legacy boot mode (required for R3.0 and earlier; UEFI is supported beginning with R3.1)
|
|
|
|
### Recommended ###
|
|
|
|
* Fast SSD (strongly recommended)
|
|
* Intel IGP (strongly preferred)
|
|
* Nvidia GPUs may require significant [troubleshooting][nvidia].
|
|
* AMD GPUs have not been formally tested, but Radeons (RX580 and earlier) generally work well
|
|
* See the [Hardware Compatibility List]
|
|
* [Intel VT-x] or [AMD-V] (required for running HVM domains, such as Windows-based AppVMs)
|
|
* [Intel VT-d] or [AMD-Vi (aka AMD IOMMU)] (required for effective isolation of network VMs)
|
|
* TPM with proper BIOS support (required for [Anti Evil Maid])
|
|
|
|
## Qubes Release 4.x ##
|
|
|
|
### Minimum ###
|
|
|
|
* 64-bit Intel or AMD processor (x86\_64 aka x64 aka AMD64)
|
|
* [Intel VT-x] with [EPT] or [AMD-V] with [RVI]
|
|
* [Intel VT-d] or [AMD-Vi (aka AMD IOMMU)]
|
|
* 4 GB RAM
|
|
* 32 GiB disk space
|
|
|
|
### Recommended ###
|
|
|
|
* Fast SSD (strongly recommended)
|
|
* Intel IGP (strongly preferred)
|
|
* Nvidia GPUs may require significant [troubleshooting][nvidia].
|
|
* AMD GPUs have not been formally tested, but Radeons (RX580 and earlier) generally work well
|
|
* See the [Hardware Compatibility List]
|
|
* TPM with proper BIOS support (required for [Anti Evil Maid])
|
|
* A non-USB keyboard or multiple USB controllers
|
|
* Also consider the [hardware certification requirements for Qubes 4.x].
|
|
|
|
## Choosing Hardware ##
|
|
|
|
* Please see the [Hardware Compatibility List] for a compilation of hardware reports generated and submitted by users across various Qubes versions.
|
|
(For more information about the HCL itself, see [here][hcl-doc].)
|
|
* See the [Certified Hardware] page.
|
|
* See the [Hardware Testing] page.
|
|
|
|
## Important Notes ##
|
|
|
|
* Qubes **can** be installed on systems which do not meet the recommended requirements.
|
|
Such systems will still offer significant security improvements over traditional operating systems, since things like GUI isolation and kernel protection do not require special hardware.
|
|
* Qubes **can** be installed on a USB flash drive or external disk, and testing has shown that this works very well. A fast USB 3.0 flash drive is recommended for this.
|
|
(As a reminder, its capacity must be at least 32 GiB.)
|
|
Simply plug the flash drive into the computer before booting into the Qubes installer from a separate installation medium, choose the flash drive as the target installation disk, and proceed with the installation normally.
|
|
After Qubes has been installed on the flash drive, it can then be plugged into other computers in order to boot into Qubes.
|
|
In addition to the convenience of having a portable copy of Qubes, this allows users to test for hardware compatibility on multiple machines (e.g., at a brick-and-mortar computer
|
|
store) before deciding on which computer to purchase.
|
|
(See [hcl-report] for advice on hardware compatibility testing.)
|
|
Remember to change the devices assigned to your NetVM and USBVM if you move between different machines.
|
|
* Installing Qubes in a virtual machine is not recommended, as it uses its own bare-metal hypervisor (Xen).
|
|
* [Advice on finding a VT-d capable notebook][vt-d-notebook].
|
|
* You can check whether an Intel processor has VT-x and VT-d on [ark.intel.com](https://ark.intel.com/content/www/us/en/ark.html#@Processors)
|
|
|
|
|
|
[nvidia]: /doc/install-nvidia-driver/
|
|
[hardware certification requirements for Qubes 4.x]: /news/2016/07/21/new-hw-certification-for-q4/
|
|
[Certified Hardware]: /doc/certified-hardware/
|
|
[Hardware Testing]: /doc/hardware-testing/
|
|
[Hardware Compatibility List]: /hcl/
|
|
[hcl-doc]: /doc/hcl/
|
|
[hcl-report]: /doc/hcl/#generating-and-submitting-new-reports
|
|
[Anti Evil Maid]: /doc/anti-evil-maid/
|
|
[live USB]: /doc/live-usb/
|
|
[#230]: https://github.com/QubesOS/qubes-issues/issues/230
|
|
[vt-d-notebook]: https://groups.google.com/d/msg/qubes-users/Sz0Nuhi4N0o/ZtpJdoc0OY8J
|
|
[Intel VT-x]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X86_virtualization#Intel_virtualization_.28VT-x.29
|
|
[AMD-V]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X86_virtualization#AMD_virtualization_.28AMD-V.29
|
|
[Intel VT-d]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X86_virtualization#Intel-VT-d
|
|
[AMD-Vi (aka AMD IOMMU)]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X86_virtualization#I.2FO_MMU_virtualization_.28AMD-Vi_and_Intel_VT-d.29
|
|
[EPT]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Level_Address_Translation#Extended_Page_Tables
|
|
[RVI]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Level_Address_Translation#Rapid_Virtualization_Indexing
|
|
|