Enabling Virtual Machine support

[Lloyd Kvam]

On Sun, 2009-09-27 at 12:43 -0400, Michael ODonnell wrote:
> So if VM support is enabled by flipping some bit(s) in some CPU
> Control Register(s) I'd assume that a VM-capable OS could flip those
> bits as well as any BIOS code.  I suppose it's possible that the CPU
> might first insist on seeing a certain logic level on a certain input
> pin before allowing VM support to be enabled, and only the BIOS
> authors might know how to poke the appropriate values into some secret
> I/O port to do that, but in principle the OS would still be capable of
> doing that if only those magic locations and values were known, yes?
> 
I believe that the vmx capabilities need to be enabled at power-up.
Once the processor gets to its "normal" state, it is too late.

However, most info that I have found suggests that the vmx flag
from /proc/cpuinfo will show even if disabled.  I have no vmx flag in
cpuinfo.  

The link I posted earlier suggested that Intel had mislabeled some of
their processor capabilities (e.g. P7350, now corrected) on the website
to indicate that they supported virtualization when in fact they did
not.  So I am expecting to find out that the P7550 was another
improperly labeled processor.  Today's listing indicates virtualization
support.  Once they get enough grumbles the site will be changed as it
was for the P7350 to show .

> I, too, would be irritated if I discovered that my mobo designers or
> BIOS authors had decided that I was not entitled to enable a perfectly
> usable feature that my CPU supported...   >-/

So far HP has been responsive, if not yet helpful.  I'm hoping I can
negotiate some kind of processor exchange if that would solve the issue.

-- 
Lloyd Kvam
Venix Corp
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