1.
Implementing AMD MxGPU
Jon Farrell, Software Engineer, AIS Inc.

2.
Overview
• Background
• Getting Started
• Initial Setup
• Guest Prep
• Difficulties
• Performance
• What I’ve learned
• The Future
• Questions

3.
Background
• BS in Computer Science from SUNY Binghamton
• Currently with Assured Information Security, Inc.
• Areas I’ve worked in:
• Windows/Linux driver building and installation
• Windows/Linux application development
• Platform build system development
• Linux graphics development with Qt
• Now… Integration of AMD MxGPU into our OpenXT based platform

4.
Getting Started
• Git repository: https://github.com/GPUOpen-LibrariesAndSDKs/MxGPU-Virtualization
• Important things to keep in mind
• Ubuntu version recommended : 16.04.2 server
• Kernel version recommended : Ubuntu 4.4.0-75-generic
• Xen version recommended : Default for Ubuntu 16.04

5.
Initial Setup
• Github/docs/environment_setup
• Install Xen
• Building a custom kernel with patches
• Blacklist amdgpu
• Enable IOMMU
• Build and install GIM
• Catches:
• Patches are for Ubuntu 4.4.0.75-generic kernel
• Xen version from apt-get is a bit old?

6.
Guest Prep
• Github/docs/environment_setup
• Guest IP
• Install VNC server
• Download driver (No direct download page anymore)
• Search for your device
• Select Guest Driver MxGPU Pass Through
• Catches:
• Safe mode remove / install

7.
Difficulties
• Building Xen – Which version?!?
• Starting Xen modules (who knew)
• Building my first kernel
• MxGPU Patches
• Pass through the vGPU and were done right?
• Safe mode

8.
Performance
• No direct comparison metrics
• What I would have liked to do
• Unigine Heaven Fps (Guestimates)
• MxGPU 4GB Mem 1080p
• Medium : 40-60 fps
• High : 20-40 fps
• Benchmark from online with 1080p GTX 1050 Ti 4GB
• Medium : 30-50 fps - avg 40 fps
• High : 20-40 fps - avg 30 fps

9.
What I’ve Learned
• How to build Xen
• Building a custom Linux Kernel
• Setting up a guest VM for Xen
• Using XL to pass through a device
• Monitoring network traffic of a guest
• Much more…
• Don’t expect things to work out of the box

10.
The Future
• The Cloud
• Google Stadia
• Xen Platform
• Users
• Developer testing

11.
Questions?