VT-d and PCI Assignment

[entr0py]

I know that VT-d is required for GPU Passthrough.

Is it also required for qubes-input-proxy and USB Passthrough?

Assuming the answer is yes, why is it not required for assigning a USB controller to sys-usb and then using qvm-block to assign block devices?

Thanks!

[Marek Marczykowski-Górecki]

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On Sun, Aug 07, 2016 at 03:34:36AM +0000, entr0py wrote:
> I know that VT-d is required for GPU Passthrough.

Keep in mind that most of GPU Passthrough instructions posted to
qubes-users mailing list include running qemu process in dom0, which is
great security risk.

> Is it also required for qubes-input-proxy and USB Passthrough?

In theory: no. But in practice USB VM (sys-usb) isolation is much weaker
without VT-d.

Also - it will be required in Qubes 4.0.

> Assuming the answer is yes, why is it not required for assigning a USB controller to sys-usb and then using qvm-block to assign block devices?

- --
Best Regards,
Marek Marczykowski-Górecki
Invisible Things Lab
A: Because it messes up the order in which people normally read text.
Q: Why is top-posting such a bad thing?
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