KVM Hypervisor

[Chris Snook]

Christopher A. Williams wrote:
> On Sun, 2008-07-20 at 08:15 -0400, Alex Katebi wrote:
>> Hi All,
>>
>>   I can not find laptop or desktop hardware that supports KVM
>> Virtualization (Intel-VT or AMD-V).
>> I like Dell laptops but there is no information regarding hardware
>> assisted virtualization (Hypervisor).
>> Can I get some recommendation?
> 
> Actually this isn't as hard as it sounds if you're looking to buy a
> *new* laptop. Pretty much anything out there today supports Intel VT /
> AMD-V now. The main thing you'll need to make sure of is that you have
> enabled this in the BIOS. There are quite a few systems that still ship
> with this feature disabled for some reason.

Actually, Intel only enables it on the high-end Core2 chips, so you need to get 
a chip that's at least somewhat high-end, or at least that was high-end when 
first introduced on the market.  Dell clearly identifies these with 'VT' in the 
processor description.  You do *not* need V-pro support.  That's just for a 
BIOS-based hypervisor that Intel offers for management, mostly for corporate 
desktops.

AMD isn't so cryptic about it.  Any current-generation Athlon64 X2 will have 
hardware virtualization support, as far as I'm aware.

> As to Dell laptops, I like the Latitude series myself. They're well
> supported by F9 generally speaking. Have a closer look at the Latitude
> D830 or the XPS M1530.
> 
> While you're at it, be sure to check out the other brands as well.
> HP/Compaq has some nice things to offer - I'm running F9 on an 8510w
> now, and while they are still a bit "controversial" in terms of openly
> supporting Linux, IBM/Lenovo is catching up somewhat (but I think they
> still tend to be a bit pricey for what you get - just my opinion
> though).
> 
> Cheers,
> 
> Chris
> 
> 
> --
> ====================================
> "Ninety-nine percent of the failures
> come from people who have the habit
> of making excuses."
> 
> --George Washington Carver
>