[vfio-users] sr-iov support on main boards

[Torbjorn Jansson]

Hello.

i'm considering upgrading my linux box that i use for virtualization (i5-3470, 
Z77 mb).
at the moment i have a successfully working setup where i pass thru a gtx970 to 
a windows vm.
i also have an aging 4 port network card, see below:
------
04:00.0 Ethernet controller: Intel Corporation 82571EB Gigabit Ethernet 
Controller (Copper) (rev 06)
04:00.1 Ethernet controller: Intel Corporation 82571EB Gigabit Ethernet 
Controller (Copper) (rev 06)
05:00.0 Ethernet controller: Intel Corporation 82571EB Gigabit Ethernet 
Controller (Copper) (rev 06)
05:00.1 Ethernet controller: Intel Corporation 82571EB Gigabit Ethernet 
Controller (Copper) (rev 06)
------

i was thinking of replacing this card since i at the moment can't assign this 
in a good way, my only option now is to assign all 4 ports to same vm which 
doesn't really help.

so, i was thinking of getting a x99 based mb, a xeon e5 v4 cpu and a I350-T2 
network card that supports sr-iov.

question is, how do i know that the main board also have the necessary bits for 
sr-iov support?
as i understand it, the bios have to do something too to make it work.


main boards i was considering was MSI X99A gaming 7 and also ASUS X99-E WS.
the msi board have a nice block diagram that says how things is connected and 
manual looks abit better

asus manual i don't really get, i didn't find any clear indication of how many 
lanes you get on the slots and what is listed is a bit confusing.

my thinking was that maybe a workstation mb have higher probability of better 
support for more advanced features like this.
but this might be an incorrect assumption.

any advice would be welcomed.