Installing Ubuntu and vGPU Configuration#

Downloading Ubuntu#

To install the latest release of Ubuntu 24.04 LTS, use the official ISO image. You can download this image from the Ubuntu download page.

Installation and Configuration for Ubuntu with KVM#

Create a Bootable USB Drive: Follow these steps to create a bootable USB stick for Ubuntu.
Install Ubuntu Desktop: After creating the bootable media, follow the instructions in the Ubuntu installation tutorial to install Ubuntu onto your system.
Update Ubuntu: After installation, ensure your system is up to date by following the steps in the tutorial. You can update through the Software Updater or via the terminal using:
```
sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade
```
Install KVM: To install KVM, use these steps.

NVIDIA vGPU Configuration#

NVIDIA vGPU Manager#

To install and configure the NVIDIA vGPU Manager, see Installing and Updating the NVIDIA Virtual GPU Manager for Ubuntu.

Setting Up and Managing vGPU VMs#

Selecting the Correct vGPU Profiles#

Select the appropriate vGPU profile based on your user’s needs and application requirements. More information can be found in the vGPU Sizing and Selection guides.

Creating the Virtual Machine#

Install virt-manager to manage virtual machines on Ubuntu. After installation, launch Virtual Machine Manager and follow the step-by-step wizard to create your first virtual machine. For more detailed instructions and additional options, refer to the complete guide on Virtual Machine Manager.

Initial Setup for vGPU Configuration:

Get the BDF and domain of the GPU by following the instructions in Getting the BDF and Domain of a GPU.
Prepare the virtual function for SR-IOV if your vGPU supports it. You can find the steps in Preparing the Virtual Function for an NVIDIA vGPU that Supports SR-IOV.

Creating and Managing vGPUs:

Follow the steps in Creating an NVIDIA vGPU to create a vGPU for your VM.
Add one or more vGPUs to your VM by following Adding One or More vGPUs.
Set the necessary vGPU plugin parameters as described in Setting vGPU Plugin Parameters.
If you need to delete a vGPU from a VM, follow the instructions in Deleting a vGPU.

Installing the Graphics Driver#

Information on how to install the NVIDIA vGPU Software Graphics Driver is available here.

Configuring Licensing#

The NVIDIA License System serves licenses to NVIDIA software products. To activate licensed functionalities, a licensed client leases a software license served over the network from an NVIDIA License System service instance. The NVIDIA License System Documentation explains how to install, configure, and manage licenses for virtual GPU software. More information on license purchasing and server instance types is available here.

To configure a license client of the NVIDIA license system, start by generating a client configuration token, then follow these instructions.

Manage the vGPU Enabled VM#

GPU Pass-through:

For using GPU pass-through, refer to Using GPU Pass-Through on a Linux with KVM Hypervisor.
Prepare a pass-through GPU for vGPU use by following Preparing a GPU Configured for Pass-Through for Use with vGPU.

vGPU Information and System Monitoring:

View and manage vGPU information stored in sysfs by following NVIDIA vGPU Information in the sysfs File System.
To monitor GPU performance using nvidia-smi, see Using nvidia-smi to Monitor GPU Performance from a Hypervisor.

Migrating and Monitoring:

If you need to migrate a VM configured with vGPU, refer to Migrating a VM Configured with vGPU.
For suspending and resuming VMs, follow the steps in Suspending and Resuming a VM Configured with vGPU.

MIG-Backed vGPU:

To configure a GPU for MIG-backed vGPU use, refer to Configuring a GPU for MIG-Backed vGPUs.
To disable MIG mode on one or more GPUs, see Disabling MIG Mode for One or More GPUs.
To modify a MIG-backed vGPU’s configuration from within a guest VM, follow Modifying a MIG-Backed vGPU’s Configuration from a Guest VM.
To monitor MIG-backed vGPU activity, refer to Monitoring MIG-backed vGPU activity.