[Solved] vbox and multicore support

[EsTaF]

Hi all.
Watch a problem with vbox on Ubuntu Server 14.0.4 LTS and with the next configuration:
hw config:
SuperMicro X10SLH-F-O/Intel(R) Xeon(R) CPU E3-1220 v3 @ 3.10GHz/16 GB ram.

BIOS Settings:

sw config:
$ VBoxManage -v
4.3.38r106717

uname -a
Linux estaf 3.13.0-66-generic #108-Ubuntu SMP Wed Oct 7 15:20:27 UTC 2015 x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 GNU/Linux

How I setup conf:
$ VBoxManage createvm --name "win7" --ostype Windows7_64 --register
$ VBoxManage createhd --filename /home/iron/1/tmp/vm/win7.vdi --size 76443
$ VBoxManage storagectl "win7" --name "SATA Controller" --add sata --controller IntelAHCI
$ VBoxManage storageattach "win7" --storagectl "SATA Controller" --port 0 --device 0 --type hdd --medium /home/iron/1/tmp/vm/win7.vdi
$ VBoxManage storageattach "win7" --storagectl "SATA Controller" --port 1 --device 0 --type dvddrive --medium /home/iron/1/zones/zalman/_ISO/win/OS/7/ru-en_win7_sp1_x64.iso

$ VBoxManage modifyvm "win7" --ioapic on --cpus 4 --hwvirtex on --memory 3096 --vram 64 --accelerate3d off --accelerate2dvideo on --clipboard bidirectional --floppy disabled --audio none --nic1 bridged --bridgeadapter1 eth0 --cableconnected1 on --boot1 disk --boot2 dvd --boot3 none --boot4 none --acpi on --usb on --vrde on --vrdeport 3390

I don't know what I must be make, but I can't create a normal conf for win7 vm. If I run win7 with that conf that I get the eternal "starting windows" screen" until I not cut "--cpus 4 --hwvirtex on" parameters from "VBoxManage modifyvm" values. If I cut it that I get single core on win7 guest one and slow speed of win work.

Do I watch that problem because Oracle vbox is free app (zerocost one), or I do not right something?

[mpack]

Your screenshot isn't telling me anything I find useful.

Please post a VM log file. With the VM fully shut down, right click and "Show Log" in the GUI, save "VBox.log" (ONLY) to a zip, and attach the zip here.

Also, an explicit description of your problem would be useful.

[socratis]

BIOS Settings:

Is this your BIOS, or the BIOS of a virtual machine? Because I see the Java iKVM Viewer title on the top. Or am I wrong?

[EsTaF]

Your screenshot isn't telling me anything I find useful.

Please post a VM log file. With the VM fully shut down, right click and "Show Log" in the GUI, save "VBox.log" (ONLY) to a zip, and attach the zip here.

ok

[EsTaF]

BIOS Settings:

Is this your BIOS, or the BIOS of a virtual machine? Because I see the Java iKVM Viewer title on the top. Or am I wrong?

first. This is real bios that I can view and change over ipmi network interface.

https://www.supermicro.com/products/mot ... 0slh-f.cfm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intellige ... _Interface

[socratis]

This is real bios that I can view and change over ipmi network interface.

Excellent! Thank you for the links as well!

[EsTaF]

Excellent! Thank you for the links as well!

But.... you "asked" to yourself.
are there something is wrong?

[socratis]

VirtualBox VM 4.3.38 r106717 linux.amd64 (Apr 19 2016 20:31:30) release log
00:00:00.049902   Oracle VM VirtualBox Extension Pack (Version: 4.3.34 r104062; VRDE Module: VBoxVRDP)

You need to update the ExtPack to match the version of VirtualBox.

00:00:00.246593   NumCPUs           <integer> = 0x0000000000000004 (4)
00:00:00.505652 Physical host cores: 1

You only have 1 physical CPU. That's why it fails with multiple ones...

[Perryg]

If I may ask, is this a nested guest? I see no reason other than that where VirtualBox would only see one processor when the CPU has 4.

[EsTaF]

You need to update the ExtPack to match the version of VirtualBox.

Code: Select all

sudo VBoxManage extpack install --replace ./Oracle_VM_VirtualBox_Extension_Pack-4.3.38-106717.vbox-extpack 
0%...10%...20%...30%...40%...50%...60%...70%...80%...90%...100%
Successfully installed "Oracle VM VirtualBox Extension Pack".

You only have 1 physical CPU. That's why it fails with multiple ones...

Not nested one.
ok. But how can I enable multiple core support for that one?
If I will be remove "--cpus 4" value that I'll watch single core again.

Or that vm "merge" cores in single virtual core?

[EsTaF]

The guest system is working very slow. About a quarter speed of. If be watch on "top" monitor" on host machine. the maximum load = ~80%. Not 100+. usually, if app have multicore support that top show from 1 to ~350% a load of cpu.

[Perryg]

Code: Select all

00:00:00.505637 Logical host processors: 1 present, 1 max, 1 online, online mask: 0000000000000001
00:00:00.505652 Physical host cores: 1

This is the part that you need to fix. While testing the host VirtualBox only sees one core instead of 4 that your processor has. This is not the same as giving the guest any cores as it would be impossible to give more than one given that it does not exist. All I can say is there is something that we are not being told. You said it is not nested so I will take your word for it so the next step for you is to find out why the host is reporting only one core.

[mpack]

I'm no Linux expert, but is it possible to install a host kernel that only supports one core?

[Perryg]

Code: Select all

Linux estaf 3.13.0-66-generic #108-Ubuntu SMP Wed Oct 7 15:20:27 UTC 2015 x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 GNU/Linux

They covered that in their original post. The SMP kernel would include all cores unless they have figured out a way to throttle them.

See the part that confuses me is VBox tests the CPU and finds a multi-core processor but when it binds to the host it only sees one. I didn't think that was possible unless the guest was nested.

00:00:00.255675 CPUM: Matched host CPU INTEL 0x6/0x3c/0x3 Intel_Core7_Haswell with CPU DB entry 'Intel Core i5-3570' (INTEL 0x6/0x3a/0x9 Intel_Core7_IvyBridge).
00:00:00.432112 [SMP] BIOS with 4 CPUs

Here is the report from one of mine and you can see why it does not look possible.

Code: Select all

00:00:01.507199 CPUM: Logical host processors: 12 present, 12 max, 12 online, online mask: 0000000000000fff
00:00:01.507357 CPUM: Physical host cores: 6

And theirs

Code: Select all

00:00:00.505637 Logical host processors: 1 present, 1 max, 1 online, online mask: 0000000000000001
00:00:00.505652 Physical host cores: 1

[mpack]

As I understand it the "physical host cores" number has always represented the number of cores reported by the host OS, regardless of what VirtualBox has worked out itself about the CPU. So, it seems to me that the host environment, for some reason, is blocking access to all but one core. I agree that this could indicate a VM, or perhaps a debugger that can't handle multiple execution paths.