Nested Virtualization Compatibility with DaDesktop

Achieving optimal nested virtualization performance isn't always straightforward. Here's our advice on which virtualization tools function—and which ones shine—across the various DaDesktop environments.

Feel free to reach out with any questions. Keep in mind that some tools, like Virt Manager, aren't available on every operating system.

For additional details on leveraging Virt Manager to run multiple sandboxed servers and/or desktops, have a look.
 

		Intel CPU		AMD CPU
		KVM	LXC	KVM	LXC
Virt-Manager	Windows	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
	Linux	√	√	√	√
VirtualBox	Windows	√	N/A	X③	N/A
	Linux	√	√①②	X③	√①②
VMware Workstation	Windows	√①	N/A	√	N/A
	Linux	√①	X	√	X

 

Testing Environment

Intel CPU Model: Intel(R) Xeon(R) CPU E5-2673 v3 @ 2.40GHz

AMD CPU Model: AMD EPYC 7502P 32-Core Processor

Window: Windows 10

Linux: Ubuntu 20.04

Virtualbox: 6.1.18

VMware Workstation: 16 Pro, v16.1.1

Comments:

①: Guest-side Intel VT-X and AMD virtualization acceleration isn't supported. You need to uncheck the “Virtualize Intel VT-x/EPT or AMD-V/RVI” option in the hardware processor settings.

②: The VirtualBox version on the guest must match the version of VirtualBox DKMS installed on the host.

③: Running VirtualBox within an LXC container interferes with KVM virtual machines—you'll have to halt all KVM instances on the host first.

④: A soft lockup systemd-udevd error occurred, causing slowness and freezing.