Overview

XenServer is a robust virtualization solution that leverages advanced hypervisor technology to enable efficient and scalable virtualization. This guide explores the integration of NVIDIA virtual GPU (vGPU) software within an XenServer environment, allowing multiple virtual machines (VMs) to access a single physical GPU simultaneously. This capability is crucial for enhancing graphics performance, ensuring application compatibility, and optimizing cost-effectiveness in environments that require GPU acceleration.

This section covers how NVIDIA vGPU solutions fundamentally alter the landscape of desktop virtualization and GPU-accelerated servers. NVIDIA vGPU enables users to execute these solutions with various workloads of all levels of complexity and graphics requirements. This section also describes the NVIDIA vGPU architecture, the NVIDIA GPUs recommended for virtualization, the NVIDIA vGPU software licensed products for desktop virtualization, and key standards supported by NVIDIA virtual GPU technology.

The promise of desktop and data center virtualization with XenServer lies in its flexibility and manageability. Initially driven by the need for flexibility and security, desktop and data center virtualization has become more accessible due to the democratization of technology, which has significantly reduced costs. This has expanded market accessibility and driven growth, with NVIDIA playing a key role as a facilitator. Advances in storage and multi-core processors further enhance the competitive advantage regarding the total cost of ownership.

One of the biggest challenges in desktop virtualization is providing a cost-effective yet rich user experience. NVIDIA virtual GPU (vGPU) software addresses this challenge by enabling powerful GPU performance for various workloads, from graphics-rich virtual workstations to data science and AI. This allows IT to harness the management and security benefits of virtualization alongside the performance of NVIDIA GPUs needed for modern workloads. Installed on a physical GPU in a cloud or enterprise data center server, NVIDIA vGPU software creates virtual GPUs that can be shared across multiple virtual machines and accessed from any device, anywhere.

Figure 1.1 illustrates the high-level architecture of an NVIDIA virtual GPU. NVIDIA GPUs are installed within the server, and the NVIDIA vGPU manager software is installed on the host server. This software facilitates the sharing of a single GPU among multiple VMs. Alternatively, vGPU technology allows a single VM to utilize multiple vGPUs from one or more physical GPUs.

Physical NVIDIA GPUs can support multiple virtual GPUs (vGPUs) allocated directly to guest VMs under NVIDIA’s Virtual GPU Manager running in the hypervisor. Guest VMs interact with NVIDIA vGPUs similarly to those with a directly passed-through physical GPU managed by the hypervisor.

Figure 1.1 - NVIDIA vGPU System Architecture

In NVIDIA vGPU deployments, the appropriate vGPU license is identified based on the assigned vGPU profile for each VM. Each NVIDIA vGPU behaves similarly to a conventional GPU, featuring a fixed amount of GPU memory and supporting one or more virtual display outputs or heads. Multiple heads can accommodate multiple displays. The vGPU memory allocation is managed by the NVIDIA vGPU Manager installed in the hypervisor, utilizing the physical GPU frame buffer at creation and retaining exclusive use of that GPU memory until termination.

All vGPUs sharing a physical GPU have access to their engines, including graphics (3D), video decoding, and encoding engines. A VM’s guest OS leverages direct access to the GPU for optimal performance and critical paths. At the same time, non-critical management operations utilize a para-virtualized interface to the NVIDIA Virtual GPU Manager.

NVIDIA virtual GPU (vGPU) software is compatible with NVIDIA GPUs and is supported in XenServer environments. To select the most appropriate GPU for your setup, evaluate factors such as application use, performance optimization, density requirements, and the need for professional visualization through GPU acceleration.

The latest release of NVIDIA vGPU software supports several NVIDIA GPUs on validated server hardware platforms, XenServer hypervisor software versions, and guest operating systems. It also supports the NVIDIA CUDA Toolkit version, which is compatible with R550 drivers. For a list of validated server platforms, refer to NVIDIA GRID Certified Servers. For a complete list of supported NVIDIA GPUs, please refer to our hypervisor release notes.

NVIDIA virtual GPU software divides NVIDIA GPU resources so the GPU can be shared across multiple virtual machines running any application.

The portfolio of NVIDIA virtual GPU software products for desktop virtualization is as follows:

• NVIDIA Virtual Applications (NVIDIA vApps)

• NVIDIA Virtual PC (NVIDIA vPC)

• NVIDIA RTX® Virtual Workstation (RTX vWS)

NVIDIA vGPU software allows you to partition or fractionalize an NVIDIA data center GPU. These virtual GPU resources are then assigned to VMs in the hypervisor management console using vGPU profiles. Virtual GPU profiles determine the amount of GPU frame buffer allocated to your virtual machines (VMs). Selecting the correct vGPU profile will improve your total cost of ownership, scalability, stability, and performance of your VDI environment.

The NVIDIA vGPU software solution offers unmatched flexibility and performance when correctly paired with the proper vGPU software Licenses and NVIDIA GPU combination. These vGPU software solutions are designed to meet today’s modern enterprises’ ever-shifting workloads and organizational needs. Refer to the NVIDIA Virtual GPU Selection Guide to select the best vGPU software license and GPU combination based on your workload.