Has anyone successfully installed and run Tensorflow on a Virtualbox VM?
I’m curious if it Virtualbox would virtualize my Intel CPU and Nvidia GPU correctly. I have a Core 2 Quad Q6600 CPU and Nvidia GT640 (cuda powered) GPU.
If it’s possible, what’s the easiest way to install Tensorflow?
I am running a VM on VMware esxi with a pass-through GPU (nVidia Rtx 2070 super), works great and don’t have the need for a host OS like VirtualBox. This is especially interesting on a older setup like yours.
You can get a free license for esxi which is great. Or you could opt for proxmox (open source alternative).
But sorry haven’t tried virtualbox with a gpu pass-through. But apparently it’s possible.
My GPU is for tensorflow.
Thanks for the quick reply! .I’m curious how do you know that it’s apparently possible to do this? Does it go without saying that if you get it to work under VMware esxi, it will also work in my canned Ubuntu VM of Home Assistant? Or, maybe you saw someone else post that they did it on a setup like mine?
I have just read about it while setting up my machine and went for esxi as it seemed the best choice.
But here is the documentation about it. The limitation is mostly your motherboard, it needs a IOMMU unit. There might be some workaround if your motherboard doesn’t have it but that is where my knowledge stops.
https://docs.oracle.com/en/virtualization/virtualbox/6.0/admin/pcipassthrough.html
Thanks for the info. Now I remember what IOMMU is. It’s the same thing as, “Vt-d”. I need to see if I can enable it on my motherboard.
Update: I have Vt-x virtualization enabled on my motherboard. However, I don’t think its the same as Vt-d/IOMMU
The Q6600 is a bit too old for vt-d, it has vt-x which is not the same.
Your bringing back memories of my old q6600, man the was a fast cpu with a little water-cooling and some over clocking !
I have virtualization (vt-x) enabled in the motherboard’s BIOS. However, I wasn’t able to enable the VT-X setting in Virtualbox for my Ubuntu VM (Home Assistant)l; even with the command-line option to enable it. I’m not complaining though; after all, the PC is nearly 15 years old. 
There weren’t too many of those Core2quad CPUs made, but it seems like they were just about the most reliable CPU Intel ever made. It’s amazing how many people I know or have read posts from that still run a rig powered by one of those things.
My friend is still running my old Q6600, think he found some 4GB sticks and it’s still going strong.