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Installing VirtIO Drivers

This page provides instructions for installing paravirtualized (PV) drivers on a virtual machine’s OS. In HRPC KVM, we use “VirtIO drivers,” which are optimized for KVM/Linux virtualization.

PV drivers optimize virtual machine performance and include components such as SCSI, NIC, and memory balloon drivers. Without PV drivers, the HRPC hypervisor must emulate hardware through software, leading to performance bottlenecks. Installing PV drivers allows direct I/O access via the HRPC hypervisor, significantly improving performance.

For this reason, it is recommended to install VirtIO drivers after setting up the guest OS.

Installing VirtIO Drivers on Linux

Most Linux distributions come with VirtIO drivers pre-installed.

To check if VirtIO drivers are available, run the following command in your OS:

find /lib/modules/"$(uname -r)"/ | grep virtio

If driver files are listed, you can enable VirtIO for the SCSI controller and network device in Proxmox’s hardware settings.

If no output appears (common in older Linux distributions), you should use a SATA disk instead of a SCSI controller and select a network device like e1000 instead of VirtIO.

Installing VirtIO Drivers on Windows

Windows OS installations from an ISO file or imported images do not include VirtIO drivers by default. Follow these steps to install them:

  1. Create a snapshot
    • Since PV drivers affect OS boot, create a snapshot in case the system fails to start.
  2. If network access is available in the guest OS, download the drivers from the Fedora Project site.
    • Refer to the following URL and open the latest directory to download and install virtio-win-guest-tools.exe:
  3. If network access is unavailable in the guest OS, install using an ISO file.
    • The latest VirtIO ISO file is available at: VirtIO ISO Download
    • To deploy the ISO file in Proxmox VE, select a storage option like CephFS, paste the above URL, and click the download button.
    • In hardware settings, select CD-ROM, choose CephFS as storage, and attach the downloaded ISO file.
  4. Install VirtIO from the ISO within the guest OS.
    • Mount the ISO in Windows and run the VirtIO setup. After multiple installations, the system will switch to VirtIO, and hardware settings will automatically update.
  5. The user must provide a valid Windows license.

Using Windows SPLA

If you are using a Windows SPLA (Service Provider License Agreement), you must request an SPLA image in advance.

Once approved, Windows templates will be available within Proxmox.

Examples:

  • win2019-tmpl – Windows Server 2019 template
  • win2016-tmpl – Windows Server 2016 template
  • win2012r2-tmpl – Windows Server 2012 R2 template

To create a virtual machine, select the appropriate Windows template and create a clone.

For better portability, a full clone is recommended.