¶ Virtual chipsets
Just as with physical computers, virtual machines are built around a central chipset.
These virtual chipsets are routinely updated. If no version of a chipset is defined, it is the latest that will be used.
There are three main chipsets, i440fx, Q35 and the more recent virt.
¶ Comparison
i440fx |
Q35 |
virt |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Firmware | SeaBIOS / OVMF | SeaBIOS / OVMF | Modified OVMF / RHF |
| PS/2 devices | Yes | Yes | No |
| USB Controller | Yes | Yes | No |
| SATA Controller | No | Yes | No |
| IDE Controller | Yes | No | No |
| Floppy Controller | Yes | No | No |
| TPM Support | No | Yes | No? |
| 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
¶ Available chipsets for virtual machines
¶ i440fx
The i440fx virtual chipset is a legacy chipset, compatible with PCI.
¶ Q35
The Q35 virtual chipset is based on a modern chipset, compatible with PCI-Express.
Did you know that the Open Virtual Machine Firmware (OVMF), which is based on TianoCore, is the default firmware for EFI-based virtual machines? Its configuration utility can be accessed using the Esc key.
The TianoCore splash screen
¶ virt
The virt virtual chipset is the most modern chipset, compatible with PCI-Express. It only supports virtio-devices.
¶ Resources
- Official documentation on Q35