XenServer Installation and vGPU Configuration#
Downloading XenServer#
To install the latest release of XenServer, use the XenServer 8 Installation ISO file. Download this file from the XenServer downloads page.
Installation and Configuration Guide for XenServer and XenCenter#
Install XenServer Host: Follow the instructions to install the XenServer host.
Install XenCenter: Proceed by installing XenCenter.
Connect XenCenter to XenServer Host: Follow the steps to connect XenCenter to the XenServer host.
License the XenServer Hosts: The newly installed XenServer hosts can run in Trial Edition without a license, but to license the hosts and pools, follow this process.
Note
For advanced installation scenarios, including network installations using PXE boot, unattended installations, setting up the host to boot from SAN, or configuring host multipathing, refer to the XenServer official documentation.
NVIDIA vGPU Configuration#
NVIDIA vGPU Manager#
To install and configure the NVIDIA vGPU Manager, see Installing and Updating the NVIDIA Virtual GPU Manager.
Note
Supplemental Packs, including driver disks, modify and extend XenServer functionality by installing software into the control domain (dom0). XenCenter can be used to install or update these packs on XenServer hosts. The NVIDIA Virtual GPU Manager Supplemental Pack is provided as an ISO.
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#
Follow these instructions to create a first vGPU enabled VM.
To configure a VM with a virtual GPU on XenServer, refer to Configuring a VM with Virtual GPU.
To set vGPU plugin parameters on XenServer, follow the steps in Setting vGPU Plugin Parameters.
Installing the Graphics Driver#
After the VM is created and assigned a vGPU, install the NVIDIA vGPU Software Graphics Driver inside the VM. Instructions are 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#
Modifying and Removing vGPU Configurations:
To remove a VM’s NVIDIA vGPU configuration, see Removing a VM’s NVIDIA vGPU Configuration.
To modify GPU allocation policy, see Modifying GPU Allocation Policy.
Migrating and Monitoring:
To migrate a VM configured with vGPU, see Migrating a VM Configured with vGPU.
To enable unified memory for a vGPU, see Enabling Unified Memory for a vGPU.
To monitor GPU performance using XenCenter, see Using Citrix XenCenter to monitor GPU performance.
Configuring GPU Passthrough:
To configure GPU passthrough on XenServer, follow the steps in Using GPU Passthrough.