NVIDIA SLI Multi-OS Empowers World’s First Virtualized Graphics Workstation

[Larry ward]

NVIDIA, the inventor of the GPU, today introduced NVIDIA® SLI® Multi-OS, a ground-breaking technology that allows users and visualization applications, for the first time, to take full advantage of multiple NVIDIA® Quadro® GPUs from a single graphics workstation in a virtualized environment.This new technology delivers a faster, more efficient workflow to maximize productivity and lower the total cost of ownership for professionals in markets such as: digital content creation, sciences, manufacturing, and oil and gas.

Using an SLI Multi-OS virtualized workstation, professionals can simultaneously run multiple, business critical 3D or compute applications using combinations of different operating systems, each taking full advantage of the processing power of Quadro professional graphics cards - reducing the need for a multiple system work environment.

Professionals, such as digital artists, designers and earth scientists, can have complex workflows that require a combination of graphics-centric applications running on a variety of operating systems concurrently. In the past, this required managing multiple workstations in their work environment.

The latest generation of Intel-based workstations, with VT-d technology, enables the deployment of system virtualization technology to these workflows. When system virtualization is combined with the incredible performance boost of today’s workstations, opportunities for improved productivity and more efficient manageability of system resources are realized.

With the introduction of NVIDIA® SLI® Multi-OS technology, a user now has the ability to fully virtualize all resources in the workstation, including NVIDIA® Quadro® GPUs. An SLI Multi-OS enabled workstation operates in conjunction with workstation virtualization software. Through SLI Multi-OS technology, a user can directly assign a dedicated Quadro graphics board to both the host operating system and a range of optionally loaded guest operating systems.

Using an SLI Multi-OS virtualized workstation, a designer, artist, or engineer, can simultaneously run multiple, business critical 3D or compute applications using different operating systems, each taking full advantage of the processing power of Quadro professional graphics cards - reducing the need for a multiple system work environment.

“In today’s economy, organizations are turning to virtualization to increase productivity and maximize cost savings,” says Jeff Brown, general manager of professional solutions at NVIDIA. “Now professionals working with visualization applications can benefit from virtualization.”

Built into the new Quadro FX 3800, Quadro FX 4800, and Quadro FX 5800, SLI Multi-OS allows users to tap into the advanced visualization and compute capabilities of the Quadro GPUs to experience full graphics performance within a virtualized system. SLI Multi-OS works in association with Parallels Workstation Extreme virtualization software and Intel’s VT-d technology, assigning both the host and guest virtual machine its own dedicated GPU. Available in the new HP Z800 workstation, the combination of these innovative technologies delivers application performance nearly identical to systems configured with a dedicated operating system and GPU.

[Orlando]

SLI Frame Rendering:

Combines two PCI Express graphics cards with an SLI connector to transparently scale application performance on a single display by presenting them as a single graphics card to the operating system.

Benefits

• Visual simulation, broadcast, and video applications that are fill rate-limited will benefit from using the split frame rendering (SFR) mode.
  
  
• SPECviewperf ® 9 and other applications that are geometry-limited will benefit from using the alternate frame rendering (AFR) mode.

SLI FSAA (Full Scene Anti Aliasing):

Combines two PCI Express graphics cards with an SLI connector to transparently scale image quality on a single display by presenting them as a single graphics card to the operating system.

Benefits

• SLI FSAA increases the FSAA level up to 32X to remove jaggies from contours of geometries in real time
  
  
• Design review and digital mockup (DMU), Visual simulation, broadcast, and video applications that require high level of FSAA will benefit from using the FSAA mode.

NVIDIA® SLI® Mosaic Mode enables transparent use of multiple Quadro GPUs with multiple displays from a single Quadro Plex. Maximize your window across all 4 outputs – not just across one window.

SLI Mosaic Mode enables presentation of multiple GPUs (from a Quadro Plex) as a single logical Quadro GPU to the operating system.

Provides zero or minimal performance impact for 2D and 3D applications compared with a single GPU per single display

Feature available only on Quadro Plex

Benefits

• View professional applications over multiple displays to increase visual real-estate.
• Zero performance impact compared with a single GPU per single display.

Technical Specifications

• Operating System support
  
  • Windows XP, Linux at Beta Launch
  
  
• 32bit and 64bit
• Constant positive or negative vertical overlap
• Maximum desktop size = 8k X 8k
  
  • Compatible with NVIDIA Quadro G-sync
  • For synchronized clustered tiled displays

[mickey demaio]

The SLI Multi-OS capability is available now on the new NVIDIA Quadro FX 3800, Quadro FX 4800, and Quadro FX 5800 graphics solutions and supports selected combinations of Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Linux operating systems. Current certified workstations include the new HP Z800. For more information on SLI Multi-OS, please visit: www.nvidia.com/object/sli_multi_os.html.

[Namchan]

Thanks for sharing this useful and important info... There is some minimum system requirement for this:-

• Certified SLI-enabled workstation with Intel VT-d technology
• Certified workstation virtualization software
• Dual, Quadro FX 5800, 4800, and 3800 professional graphics boards