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918+ Intel GPU passthrough on ESXi 6.7


ryerye

Question

Hi guys,

 

First I would like to share my minimalistic, but powerful enough homelab configuration:

  • Intel NUC i7 (1TB M.2 NVMe, 32GB DDR4) is hosting ESXI 6.7
  • around 10 VM-s (win, linux etc) are running on that ESX-i for homelab for testing purposes. 
  • PLUS the "production" Xpeno 6.2 and one test Xpeno 6.2, both 918+ running on ESXi.
  • the production Xpeno has one external 8TB WD Red HD attached to NUC exclusively via ESXi passthrough, connected via 0.5m SATA cable + external power supply for 3,5" HDD.
  • Backup is done via USB 3 port to two 4TB 2.5" HDD (direct passthrough to Xpeno) as the NUC has only 1 SATA port.

 

I am very happy with that minimalistic solution, however I am well aware that it is not for everyone. 

+ low power consumption and space requirement

+ powerful enough, very good transfere rate and responsive UI

+ all updates can be tested with the test Xpeno before upgrading the production system

- Power pins of SATA cable and power supply need to be soldered (I did not find any ready made cable for this specific purpose)

- Backups need some  discipline :)

 

Second, I have two simple questions

 

1. Would the HW transcoding of 918+ also speed up the Video conversion process of the Photo Station? I mean the process of generating lower quality videos and thumbnails for fast viewing?

 

2. I am running 6.2 for 918+ on ESXi and I am able to passthrough the Intel 620 GPU of the NUC exclusively to the Xpenology.

Is that the prerequisite for the hardware transcoding in ESXi environment. How to get it running and how to verify that it is running?

 

Thnx in advance

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Yes, my conclusion is that GPU passthrough will not help for thumbnail/video transcoding.

Warning: dont passthrough your only GPU -> esxi does not boot up without GPU -> I ended up with esxi reinstallation.

Actually the i7 of the NUC is powerful enough and the CPU conversion doesn't take too long, so after the esxi reinstall I ended up my passthrough experimentations.

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