Bug 446817

Summary: Cannot choose KVM hypervisor for i686 on x86_64
Product: [Fedora] Fedora Reporter: Tim Niemueller <tim>
Component: virt-managerAssignee: Daniel Berrangé <berrange>
Status: CLOSED NOTABUG QA Contact: Fedora Extras Quality Assurance <extras-qa>
Severity: high Docs Contact:
Priority: medium    
Version: 9CC: crobinso, hbrock, michel
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OS: Linux   
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Last Closed: 2008-05-16 11:53:48 UTC Type: ---
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Description Tim Niemueller 2008-05-16 09:53:19 UTC 
Description of problem:
I have a pristine install of F-9 on a x86_64 machine with Core2Duo with VT. I
now want to setup a virtual machine. If I select i686 as CPU arch I cannot
choose kvm as hypervisor but only qemu. If I leave it as x86_64 I can choose kvm
just fine.
My understanding of the KVM guest support status page
(http://kvm.qumranet.com/kvmwiki/Guest_Support_Status) is that I should be able
to use KVM for a i686 CPU arch guest on a x86_64 host.

Version-Release number of selected component (if applicable):
virt-manager-0.5.4-3.fc9.x86_64
kvm-65-1.fc9.x86_64
libvirt-0.4.2-1.fc9.x86_64

Steps to Reproduce:
1. Create new VM on x86_64 installation
2. Choose i686 as CPU arch
3. Find that kvm is missing in hypervisor list
  
Actual results:
kvm not available as hypervisor.

Expected results:
kvm should be available as hypervisor.

Additional info:
kvm-intel is loaded. It works when creating a x86_64 VM.
Comment 1 Daniel Berrangé 2008-05-16 11:53:48 UTC 
If you want to install a 32-bit guest, just select x86_64+kvm which runs i386
guests just fine. The i386 selection is a true emulated i386 processor, which is
not KVM accelerated.
Comment 2 Tim Niemueller 2008-05-16 12:15:46 UTC 
Ok, not obvious to me. Wouldn't it make sense to allow KVM for i686 and then in
background create the x86_64 instance, meaning that it is "i686 compatible"?
Comment 3 Michel Lind 2008-07-15 19:08:46 UTC 
Having made the same error myself, I agree -- it might be a good idea to at
least rename the options. Add to the x86_64 option "(32- and 64-bit)", and to
i386 "(32-bit only)"? Speaking of which, since virt-manager already supports at
least one true emulated processor, why not others? Would be nice to be able to
try Fedora's ARM port from within virt-manager.

(PS having a GUI interface to switch the emulated machine will be nice too.
Currently there's no way short of editing config files)