Cannot load kvm_amd module - (says disabled by bios)

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PLEASE NOTE: AMD-V extension on Virtualbox works correctly.
Therefore the extension works properly but it's not recognized by KVM.

Do you happen to know the last kernel version that did not exhibit this bug?

Sorry no. I understand that it would be easier to revert a regression bug, but I bought this motherboard right now.
I can tell is that on Fedora 18 (in the bug mentioned above) they guy tried the kernels 3.6.10-4.fc18.x86_64 and 3.9.6-200.fc18.x86_64

Would it be possible for you to test the latest upstream kernel? Refer to https://wiki.ubuntu.com/KernelMainlineBuilds . Please test the latest v3.11 kernel[0].

If this bug is fixed in the mainline kernel, please add the following tag 'kernel-fixed-upstream'.

If the mainline kernel does not fix this bug, please add the tag: 'kernel-bug-exists-upstream'.

If you are unable to test the mainline kernel, for example it will not boot, please add the tag: 'kernel-unable-to-test-upstream'.
Once testing of the upstream kernel is complete, please mark this bug as "Confirmed".

Thanks in advance.

[0] http://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v3.11-rc1-saucy/

Tested with latest upstream kernel: the problem is still there.

# uname -a
Linux yasna 3.11.0-031100rc1-generic #201307141935 SMP Sun Jul 14 23:36:57 UTC 2013 x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 GNU/Linux
#
# kvm-ok
INFO: /dev/kvm does not exist
HINT: sudo modprobe kvm_amd
INFO: Your CPU supports KVM extensions
INFO: KVM (svm) is disabled by your BIOS
HINT: Enter your BIOS setup and enable Virtualization Technology (VT),
      and then hard poweroff/poweron your system
KVM acceleration can NOT be used

This issue appears to be an upstream bug, since you tested the latest upstream kernel. Would it be possible for you to open an upstream bug report[0]? That will allow the upstream Developers to examine the issue, and may provide a quicker resolution to the bug.

Please follow the instructions on the wiki page[0]. The first step is to email the appropriate mailing list. If no response is received, then a bug may be opened on bugzilla.kernel.org.

Once this bug is reported upstream, please add the tag: 'kernel-bug-reported-upstream'.

Also, can you test these previous kernel versions:

v3.2 final: http://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v3.2-precise/
v3.3 final: http://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v3.3-precise/
v3.4 final: http://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v3.4-quantal/
v3.5 final: http://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v3.5-quantal/

You don't have to test every kernel, just up until the kernel that first has this bug. We can perform a kernel bisect if we can identify the last kernel that did not have this bug and the first that did.

Bad luck. Tested against all those version, and the bug is present.

Added Tag: kernel-bug-reported-upstream

After confirming that KVM is enabled in your BIOS, can you run the following commands and post the output:

sudo modprobe msr

sudo rdmsr --bitfield 4:4 0xc0010114

Hi,

this seems like a stupid question given the # of comments and relevant fedora bug, but i haven't seen this asked anywhere.

Have you in fact enabled virtualization extensions in the bios?

I tried this on my Lenovo X120e with an AMD E-350 with no problem on a 3.11 kernel.

random bit of "works for me" info to add to Tim's.
Also an x120e:
$ lsmod | grep kvm
kvm_amd 59717 0
kvm 443165 1 kvm_amd
$ uname -r
3.8.0-27-generic
$ grep 350 /proc/cpuinfo
model name : AMD E-350 Processor
model name : AMD E-350 Processor

All,

first of all I have AMD E-350D, you have AMD E-350.
I don't know what the "D" stands for, but we don't have the same identical CPU.

I give you the feedback from the kernel developers and from the MainBoard vendor.
I had already tried the above command (rdmsr....). It says "1" ... DISABLED.
Another thing - important - VirtualBox behavior is misleading: it lets you check the flag to enable the AMD-V extension, but looking at logs, it seems that the extension is not being loaded.

Therefore, there are two possiblities.
Kernel developers say: it may be a bug in the BIOS.
The vendor (GygaByte) says: it's a problem with Linux kernel.

BTW, I can understand that everybody says that it's someone else fault, but I can't understand that GigaByte asks me to install windows and test it over windows.
Right now I am stuck as I have a spare partition starting after 1.7GB and windows doesn't want to install on such partition.

@maxadamo,

I wasn't actually saying "bug in the bios" - I was suggesting the feature was turned off in the bios. Could you please boot into the bios (or EFI) and check the 'virtualization' settings? Or if you've already done that, and it was enabled, please let us know - Thanks!

@Serge ... I am an experienced sysadmin, I work with Cloudstack ... therefore I work with a lot of KVM machines.

I don't want to prove anything about myself, but now can you be better ensured that I am able to access a Computer BIOS and switch a feature from ON to OFF and viceversa? :)

I've also tried few weird suggestions from one developers and I paste you the content of the e-mail:
"You might try setting it to disabled in the BIOS to make sure it's not wired
backwards. There also used to be some FUD about fully powering off the
system around making changes to these settings. You might try
unplugging the system for a few seconds and testing from there. "

I would also say that WakOnLan sometime works, sometime it doesn't.
There is something weird with this motherboard, but until I run a test with Windows I am not able to say if the problem is Linux or the MainBoard.

Quoting maxadamo (<email address hidden>):
> @Serge ... I am an experienced sysadmin, I work with Cloudstack ...
> therefore I work with a lot of KVM machines.
>
> I don't want to prove anything about myself, but now can you be better
> ensured that I am able to access a Computer BIOS and switch a feature
> from ON to OFF and viceversa? :)

Yup, thanks. Just wanted to make sure that had been checked.

Did this *used* to work for you in an older kernel? Would it be
possible for you try 3.2 or 3.5?

Serge, if you read back the issue, I tested ALL possible kernels:
v3.2 final: http://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v3.2-precise/
v3.3 final: http://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v3.3-precise/
v3.4 final: http://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v3.4-quantal/
v3.5 final: http://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v3.5-quantal/

It does appear this could be a BIOS issue. The kernel is basically performing a rdmsr, like you did from the command line and getting a return value that KVM is disabled. Here's a snippet of that code:

static int is_disabled(void)
{
        u64 vm_cr;

        rdmsrl(MSR_VM_CR, vm_cr);
        if (vm_cr & (1 << SVM_VM_CR_SVM_DISABLE))
                return 1;

        return 0;
}

The return of 1 in the above code causes the message you see when trying to load the module:

if (ops->disabled_by_bios()) {
                printk(KERN_ERR "kvm: disabled by bios\n");
                r = -EOPNOTSUPP;
                goto out;
        }

One way to confirm this is a BIOS issue would be to try Windows, and see if it also has this same issue. Is that a possibility for you?