Just as physical computers, virtual machines are build around a central chipset.
The i440fx virtual chipset is a legacy chipset, compatible with PCI.
The Q35 virtual chipset is based on a modern chipset, compatible with PCI-Express.
The virt virtual chipset is the most modern chipset, compatible with PCI-Express. It only supports virtio-devices.
i440fx |
Q35 |
virt |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Firmware | SeaBIOS / OVMF | SeaBIOS / OVMF | OVMF ? / RHF |
| PS/2 devices | Yes | Yes | No |
| USB Controller | Yes | Yes | ? |
| SATA Controller | No | Yes | ? |
| IDE Controller | Yes | No | No |
| Floppy Controller | Yes | No | No |
| TPM Support | No | Yes | ? |
| PCI-Express Bus | No | Yes | Yes |
| PCI Bus | Yes | No | No |
| Virtual Function I/O | No | Yes | Yes |
The
i440fxandQ35chipsets are currently supported by Phyllome OS. Early support for thevirtmodel is expected for the Beta version