[bkastner]

I am looking at creating several virtualized instances of XBMCbuntu on a XenServer 6.2 box with pass-through video for AMD adapters.

I have the first VM up and running and had a couple of questions, and thought someone here may be able to help.

1) Are there any issues with creating a template of XBMCbuntu and cloning it out to the other VMs I will need? I know if I was to do this with Windows I would need to Sysprep the image first, but I don't know if Linux has similar requirements.
2) When using pass-through of the GPU you can't see/access the console on XenServer - only on the TV/Monitor that is connected via HDMI. I am wondering if there are issues disabling the GPU so I can work via console, and then re-enable the GPU to push the image out to the TV. Or is there a better way to manage this?

I am guessing/hoping that there are others on this forum that are doing something similar, and since this is all fairly new to me I am hoping someone has some recommendations/guidance.

[wsnipex]

Imho disabling the gpu(ie. ripping out the gfx driver or something) will crash xbmc.
Out of curiosity: what are you trying to achieve with this setup?

[Kib]

Is it not possible to simply SSH into the box ?

[bkastner]

As I mentioned in the original post, I am looking at virtualizing a couple XBMC clients, but with the dedicated GPU I don't get any display on the XenCenter console. I am trying to pre-plan how to manage these VMs if there is an issue, or if I want to do an update. I plan on having the physical server in the basement, but if I can't manage the VM via XenCenter then I need to hook up a HDMI monitor to the computer in the basement to update/resolve anything. I may be able to SSH into the box as Kib mentioned (I've not tried this), but don't know what level of control this provides.

This isn't an issue now, but I am trying to plan in advance and make sure I understand how best to manage this setup before I move it into production at home.

This is the same idea as my cloning question. I want to use it to create VM 2 & 3 when ready, but also have it as a backup if anything happens to a VM - I want to quickly re-create from the template if I can.

[Atomicslave]

Hi there,

Just wondering how you made out with this, I was thinking of trying this with vmware (Xen could be an option as well as I have been having issues with my vmware setup).

Any info on if you got it working and perhaps some tips for someone trying the same thing let me know

Thanks

[bkastner]

I actually gave up and ended up buying Intel NUC endpoints for the machines I was looking at running VMs for. While I was able to pass through the GPU no problem, I was having issues passing through the correct USB ports for the IR receiver. The more I thought about it (including getting USB IR working over CAT6 span and running HDMI) I decided it was just easier to drop in a proper end point.

However, since posting this I've spent a lot more time with Linux/SSH and realize I can manage most things that way - except GUI options which I could manage from the TV.

I liked the premise of this idea, but the reality just didn't make as much sense. I ended up dropping $200-$250 per TV for Celeron NUCs with OpenELEC and have a great end user experience without the headaches.