[SOLVED] kvm-intel module refuses to load on Intel Core i5

[mla]

I have an Intel Core i5 machine on which qemu-kvm is unable to use the kvm module. The problem appears to be that while "modprobe kvm" works fine, "modprobe kvm-intel" fails:

$ modprobe kvm-intel
ERROR: could not insert 'kvm_intel': Operation not supported

Exactly the same setup works just fine on my older Intel Core Duo machine. Any ideas?

The kvm-intel module is the one that /etc/sysconfig/modules/kvm.modules attempts to load, having got "4" in response to grepping /proc/cpuinfo for "vmx".

[wintpe]

does it need virtual extensions and maybe the I5 model you have does not have them?

Code: Select all


this is what i get back from my i7

[root@localhost ~]# cat /proc/cpuinfo
processor       : 0
vendor_id       : GenuineIntel
cpu family      : 6
model           : 58
model name      : Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-3517U CPU @ 1.90GHz
stepping        : 9
microcode       : 0x17
cpu MHz         : 800.000
cache size      : 4096 KB
physical id     : 0
siblings        : 4
core id         : 0
cpu cores       : 2
apicid          : 0
initial apicid  : 0
fpu             : yes
fpu_exception   : yes
cpuid level     : 13
wp              : yes
flags           : fpu vme de pse tsc msr pae mce cx8 apic sep mtrr pge mca cmov pat pse36 clflush dts acpi mmx fxsr sse sse2 ss ht tm pbe syscall nx rdtscp lm constant_tsc arch_perfmon pebs bts rep_good nopl xtopology nonstop_tsc aperfmperf pni pclmulqdq dtes64 monitor ds_cpl vmx est tm2 ssse3 cx16 xtpr pdcm pcid sse4_1 sse4_2 x2apic popcnt tsc_deadline_timer aes xsave avx f16c rdrand lahf_lm ida arat epb xsaveopt pln pts dtherm tpr_shadow vnmi flexpriority ept vpid fsgsbase smep erms
bogomips        : 4788.77
clflush size    : 64
cache_alignment : 64
address sizes   : 36 bits physical, 48 bits virtual
power management:

processor       : 1
vendor_id       : GenuineIntel
cpu family      : 6
model           : 58
model name      : Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-3517U CPU @ 1.90GHz
stepping        : 9
microcode       : 0x17                                                                                           
cpu MHz         : 1900.000                                                                                       
cache size      : 4096 KB
physical id     : 0
siblings        : 4
core id         : 1
cpu cores       : 2
apicid          : 2
initial apicid  : 2
fpu             : yes
fpu_exception   : yes
cpuid level     : 13
wp              : yes
flags           : fpu vme de pse tsc msr pae mce cx8 apic sep mtrr pge mca cmov pat pse36 clflush dts acpi mmx fxsr sse sse2 ss ht tm pbe syscall nx rdtscp lm constant_tsc arch_perfmon pebs bts rep_good nopl xtopology nonstop_tsc aperfmperf pni pclmulqdq dtes64 monitor ds_cpl vmx est tm2 ssse3 cx16 xtpr pdcm pcid sse4_1 sse4_2 x2apic popcnt tsc_deadline_timer aes xsave avx f16c rdrand lahf_lm ida arat epb xsaveopt pln pts dtherm tpr_shadow vnmi flexpriority ept vpid fsgsbase smep erms
bogomips        : 4788.77
clflush size    : 64
cache_alignment : 64
address sizes   : 36 bits physical, 48 bits virtual
power management:

processor       : 2
vendor_id       : GenuineIntel
cpu family      : 6
model           : 58
model name      : Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-3517U CPU @ 1.90GHz
stepping        : 9
microcode       : 0x17
cpu MHz         : 800.000
cache size      : 4096 KB
physical id     : 0
siblings        : 4
core id         : 0
cpu cores       : 2
apicid          : 1
initial apicid  : 1
fpu             : yes
fpu_exception   : yes
cpuid level     : 13
wp              : yes
flags           : fpu vme de pse tsc msr pae mce cx8 apic sep mtrr pge mca cmov pat pse36 clflush dts acpi mmx fxsr sse sse2 ss ht tm pbe syscall nx rdtscp lm constant_tsc arch_perfmon pebs bts rep_good nopl xtopology nonstop_tsc aperfmperf pni pclmulqdq dtes64 monitor ds_cpl vmx est tm2 ssse3 cx16 xtpr pdcm pcid sse4_1 sse4_2 x2apic popcnt tsc_deadline_timer aes xsave avx f16c rdrand lahf_lm ida arat epb xsaveopt pln pts dtherm tpr_shadow vnmi flexpriority ept vpid fsgsbase smep erms
bogomips        : 4788.77
clflush size    : 64
cache_alignment : 64
address sizes   : 36 bits physical, 48 bits virtual
power management:

processor       : 3
vendor_id       : GenuineIntel
cpu family      : 6
model           : 58
model name      : Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-3517U CPU @ 1.90GHz
stepping        : 9
microcode       : 0x17
cpu MHz         : 800.000
cache size      : 4096 KB
physical id     : 0
siblings        : 4
core id         : 1
cpu cores       : 2
apicid          : 3
initial apicid  : 3
fpu             : yes
fpu_exception   : yes
cpuid level     : 13
wp              : yes
flags           : fpu vme de pse tsc msr pae mce cx8 apic sep mtrr pge mca cmov pat pse36 clflush dts acpi mmx fxsr sse sse2 ss ht tm pbe syscall nx rdtscp lm constant_tsc arch_perfmon pebs bts rep_good nopl xtopology nonstop_tsc aperfmperf pni pclmulqdq dtes64 monitor ds_cpl vmx est tm2 ssse3 cx16 xtpr pdcm pcid sse4_1 sse4_2 x2apic popcnt tsc_deadline_timer aes xsave avx f16c rdrand lahf_lm ida arat epb xsaveopt pln pts dtherm tpr_shadow vnmi flexpriority ept vpid fsgsbase smep erms
bogomips        : 4788.77
clflush size    : 64
cache_alignment : 64
address sizes   : 36 bits physical, 48 bits virtual
power management:


i can see vmx on the 3erd line of each cores extensions

this is hardware assisted virtualisation
regards peter

[linuxero]

Sorry if my comment here couldn't help as I am having some problems with KVM in Mageia too. But are you sure you have all the packages needed installed? is libvirtd daemon running?

I would appreciate if someone would point out all the packages needed to use KVM.

One more question; could Virtualbox cause problems with KVM if installed?

[mla]

No need to apologise -- any potential lead is welcome! But, no, both machines have CPUs with the vmx flag, so it's not that.

Also, neither machine has libvirtd, but the Core Duo one happily loads and uses kvm, and the Core i5 one fails to load it. The resulting difference in performance of virtual machines is *very* obvious.

All I did, to the best of my knowledge, on the older machine was to "urpmi qemu" and everything just worked, kvm included. And yes, both machines are fully up-to-date Mageia 2.

[linuxero]

No need to apologise -- any potential lead is welcome! But, no, both machines have CPUs with the vmx flag, so it's not that.

Also, neither machine has libvirtd, but the Core Duo one happily loads and uses kvm, and the Core i5 one fails to load it. The resulting difference in performance of virtual machines is *very* obvious.
...

You don't have libvirtd installed and running?! To my knowledge KVM would never work without libvirt I guess I am missing something here

I would suggest you try installing libvirtd - I guess it is libvirt-utils in Mageia -, maybe python-libvirt as well. Make sure the libvirtd service is running and report back.

I never thought KVM could work without libvirt anyway..!

Hope this could help..

[mla]

OK. Reporting back... Status: no change.

In any case, the difference between my two machines is that while both load the kvm module, only the Core Duo one loads the kvm-intel module. I cannot see how a demon running or not running could cause

$ modprobe -b kvm-intel
ERROR: could not insert 'kvm_intel': Operation not supported

And since the neither machine had libvirtd, its absence surely must be a red herring.

[mla]

Sorry, forgot to add...

One more question; could Virtualbox cause problems with KVM if installed?

FWIW both of my machines have Virtualbox installed -- not that I use it. Causes no problem to qemu-kvm on the Core Duo machine.

[linuxero]

Ok; have you checked the BIOS settings? Maybe virtualisation is disabled in your BIOS..!

I have been also wondering whether Virtualbox could cause a conflict with KVM, but for me both work on the same system..the only problem that I have is the network connections in KVM. I guess this could be due to Virtualbox. As for other functionality, you shouldn't have a problem.

[mla]

Ok; have you checked the BIOS settings? Maybe virtualisation is disabled in your BIOS..!

You know, it never even occurred to me that an OEM would be idiotic enough to disable it by default. But you are right: disabled it was.

Terrific! My emulations now just fly. (And still don't need libvirtd, BTW. )

Many thanks!

[linuxero]

Glad it's solved..still I need to learn about KVM then since for you it works without libvirt!!