[fedora-virt] Schroedinger's VM

[Jerry James]

I'm still a virtualization in Fedora newbie, so forgive me if this is
a stupid question.  Today I started a kernel compile going in a
qemu-kvm virtual machine on one desktop, switched to another desktop,
then left for lunch.  When I got back, I switched back to the original
desktop to see how the compile had gone.  It was still going.  I ran
top, which showed a short-term load of over 4 and a long-term load of
near zero, along with 3 cc1 processes near the top of the list.  As I
sat there puzzling over what had happened, the compile finished.
Other compiles have finished in only a few minutes.  That near-zero
load makes me suspect that the VM simply stopped doing anything while
I was gone.

I've done a couple of more tests now and have seen the same thing.  I
can start a download going, switch to another desktop, wait for
awhile, then switch back.  The download has progressed only a short
amount past when I switched away from that desktop, and (apparently)
abruptly resumes when I switch back to the desktop containing the VM
window.

Is this expected?  Do KVM-based VMs have to be looked at to do
anything?  If so, is there an option somewhere along the lines of
RunEvenWhenIAmNotLookingAtYou=true?
-- 
Jerry James
http://loganjerry.googlepages.com/