I picked up a ECS AM2 motherboard and AMD BE-2300 cpu at the local Fry''s just after Thanksgiving. It was one of those "too good to pass up, but I bet I''ll regret it later" purchases. The BE-2300 is one of the 45 watt Athlon X2''s, and is supposed to have full AMD-V support. The motherboard (ECS NFORCE6M-A) however, does not appear to have any BIOS options related to virtualization. I have build 78 up and running, and can configure another paravirtualized instance of the same, but I cannot create any HVM instances. I''m guessing the BIOS pads zeros into some feature register on init, and turns off the AMD-V extensions. My question is, is there anything I can do about the BIOS, or should I pitch the mobo and get something that has virtualization support? I''ve already checked ECS'' website, hoping for a flash fix, and found nothing useful. Can the AMD-V extensions be turned back on without needing a reset? How do we determine which motherboards have BIOS support for virtualization? Rob This message posted from opensolaris.org
I opened a support case with ECS, and actually got a favorable response. They told me their BIOS engineer is working on a fix, and it will be available at some point. Certainly more encouraging than some of the responses we''ve seen from some of the laptop manufacturers, but it keeps me stuck in paravirtualized limbo for now. Is there a working list of AM2 motherboards with virtualization support in the BIOS? Rob This message posted from opensolaris.org
Rob Vassar wrote:> I opened a support case with ECS, and actually got a favorable response. They told me their BIOS engineer is working on a fix, and it will be available at some point. Certainly more encouraging than some of the responses we''ve seen from some of the laptop manufacturers, but it keeps me stuck in paravirtualized limbo for now. > > > Is there a working list of AM2 motherboards with virtualization support in the BIOS? > > > Rob > > > This message posted from opensolaris.org > _______________________________________________ > xen-discuss mailing list > xen-discuss@opensolaris.org >All of Sun''s desktops, supposedly custom Tyan boards. All Intel desktop and server board with Core 2 support. Probably others, those mentioned are from experience. James
James Cornell wrote:> >All of Sun''s desktops, supposedly custom Tyan boards. All Intel desktop >and server board with Core 2 support. Probably others, those mentioned >are from experience. > >James > >James, I''ve had good luck with Tyan boards in the past. But custom and retail often have very different BIOS images. Even if the boards are substantially indentical. I''m sticking with the AM2 platform for a couple reasons: 1. Budget. I''d like to reuse as many parts I have on hand as possible. This is a personal project, not "company money". 2. Energy - The BE-2300 is a 45 watt chip. Here in Texas, every watt imported has to be forceably removed from my den 10 months out of the year. Some of the mid teir Core 2''s have similar effeciencies, and it would likely be a wash if I didn''t already have the chip. Cheers, Rob Vassar JES Comms QA Stress Test Sun Microsystems, Inc.
The Ultra-20 M2 board is an AM2 and you can build one almost identical to Sun''s, but then you get to deal with OEM quality issues and limited support. I have AMD-V, Sun doesn''t gimp it, they''re one of the last vendors that would since they actually know what it is. James On Dec 12, 2007, at 11:31 AM, Rob Vassar wrote:> James Cornell wrote: > >> >> All of Sun''s desktops, supposedly custom Tyan boards. All Intel >> desktop >> and server board with Core 2 support. Probably others, those >> mentioned >> are from experience. >> >> James >> > James, > > > I''ve had good luck with Tyan boards in the past. But custom and > retail often have very different BIOS images. Even if the boards > are substantially indentical. I''m sticking with the AM2 platform > for a couple reasons: > > > 1. Budget. I''d like to reuse as many parts I have on hand as > possible. This is a personal project, not "company money". > > > 2. Energy - The BE-2300 is a 45 watt chip. Here in Texas, every > watt imported has to be forceably removed from my den 10 months out > of the year. Some of the mid teir Core 2''s have similar > effeciencies, and it would likely be a wash if I didn''t already have > the chip. > > > Cheers, > > Rob Vassar > JES Comms QA Stress Test > Sun Microsystems, Inc. > > > >
Just to follow up on this: ECS dropped a new BIOS image Dec. 25th, which now supports virtualization. I just flashed, and hope to try a HVM config shortly. So in the end, it didn''t hurt to ask. It''s only a single data point, but perhaps the motherboard manufacturers are more willing to fully support the chipset features. Rob Vassar JES Comms QA Stress Test Sun Microsystems, Inc. This message posted from opensolaris.org