Enabling IOMMU

Getting Started with Napatech Link-Virtualization™ Software
Platform
Napatech SmartNIC
Content Type
Getting Started
Getting Started Guide
Capture Software Version
Link-Virtualization™ Software 4.5

IOMMU must enabled in the BIOS and in the kernel.

About this task

The server processor, chipset and BIOS must all have support for IOMMU IO virtualization (VT-d). Additionally, the virtualization extensions must be enabled in the BIOS and activated in the kernel. Confirm that your system has the necessary virtualization extensions, and that they are enabled, by following these steps.

Procedure

  1. Enter the following command to confirm that your system provides the necessary hardware virtualization support. 
    egrep '(vmx|svm)' --color=always /proc/cpuinfo | sort -u

    If this command returns nothing, the processor does not support virtualization.

    For more information on Intel processors, refer to: Does My Processor Support Intel® Virtualization Technology?

  2. Confirm that VT-d is enabled in the BIOS.

    Some system manufacturers disable these extensions by default. These extensions are listed in the BIOS by various names which differ from manufacturer to manufacturer. Consult your system manufacturer’s documentation for information on BIOS settings.

  3. Activate IOMMU in the kernel.

    Edit the file /etc/default/grub and add the following to the existing GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX line.

    intel_iommu=on