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The full form of SR-IOV is Single Root I/O Virtualization. Some PCI/PCIE devices have multiple virtual functions and each of these virtual functions can be passed to a different virtual machine. SR-IOV is the technology that allows this type of PCI/PCIE passthrough.
For example, an 8-port SR-IOV capable network card has 8 virtual functions, 1 for each port. 8 of these virtual functions or network ports can be passed to 8 different virtual machines (VMs).
In this article, we will show you how to enable the SR-IOV CPU feature from the BIOS/UEFI firmware of some of the most popular desktop motherboards (i.e. ASUS, ASRock, MSI, and Gigabyte).
Table of Contents
- How to Enable SR-IOV from the BIOS/UEFI Firmware of ASUS Motherboards
- How to Enable SR-IOV from the BIOS/UEFI Firmware of ASRock Motherboards
- How to Enable SR-IOV from the BIOS/UEFI Firmware of MSI Motherboards
- How to Enable SR-IOV from the BIOS/UEFI Firmware of Gigabyte Motherboards
- Conclusion
- References
How to Enable SR-IOV from the BIOS/UEFI Firmware of ASUS Motherboards
To enter the BIOS/UEFI Firmware of your ASUS motherboard, press right after pressing the power button of your computer.
The BIOS/UEFI Firmware of ASUS motherboards has two modes: “EZ Mode” and “Advanced Mode”.
Once you’ve entered the BIOS/UEFI Firmware of your ASUS motherboard, you will be in “EZ Mode” by default. To enable IOMMU/VT-d on your ASUS motherboard, you have to enter the “Advanced Mode”.
To enter “Advanced Mode”, press while you’re in “EZ Mode”.
For both AMD and Intel systems, navigate to the “Advanced” tab (by pressing the arrow keys), navigate to “PCI Subsystem Settings”, and set “SR-IOV Support” to “Enabled”.
To save the changes, press , select OK, and press .
The SR-IOV feature should be enabled. For more information on enabling the SR-IOV feature from the BIOS/UEFI Firmware of your ASUS motherboard, check the BIOS Manual of your ASUS motherboard.
How to Enable SR-IOV from the BIOS/UEFI Firmware of ASRock Motherboards
To enter the BIOS/UEFI Firmware of your ASRock motherboard, press or right after pressing the power button of your computer.
If you’re using a high-end ASRock motherboard, you may find yourself in “Easy Mode” once you enter the BIOS/UEFI Firmware of your ASRock motherboard. In that case, press to switch to “Advanced Mode”.
If you’re using a cheap/mid-range ASRock motherboard, you may not have an “Easy Mode”. You will be taken to “Advanced Mode” directly. In that case, you won’t have to press to switch to “Advanced Mode”.
You will be in the “Main” tab by default. Press the arrow key to navigate to the “Advanced” tab of the BIOS/UEFI Firmware of your ASRock motherboard.
If you have an AMD processor, navigate to “PCI Configuration” and set “SR-IOV Support” to “Enabled”.
If you have an Intel processor, navigate to “Chipset Configuration” and set “SR-IOV Support” to “Enabled”.
To save the changes, press , select Yes, and press .
The SR-IOV feature should be enabled. For more information on enabling the SR-IOV feature from the BIOS/UEFI Firmware of your AsRock motherboard, check the BIOS Manual of your ASUS motherboard.
How to Enable SR-IOV from the BIOS/UEFI Firmware of MSI Motherboards
To enter the BIOS/UEFI Firmware of your MSI motherboard, press right after pressing the power button of your computer.
The BIOS/UEFI Firmware of MSI motherboards has two modes: “EZ Mode” and “Advanced Mode”.
Once you’ve entered the BIOS/UEFI Firmware of your MSI motherboard, you will be in “EZ Mode” by default. To enable the SR-IOV on your MSI motherboard, you have to enter the “Advanced Mode”.
To enter the “Advanced Mode”, press while you’re in “EZ Mode”.
From the “Advanced Mode”, navigate to “Settings”.
If you’re using an AMD processor, navigate to “Advanced” > “PCI Subsystem Settings” and set “SR-IOV Support” to “Enabled”.
If you’re using an Intel processor, navigate to “Advanced” > “PCIe/PCI Sub-system Settings” and set “SR-IOV Support” to “Enabled”.
NOTE: You may not find the “SR-IOV Support” option in the BIOS/UEFI firmware of your MSI motherboard. In that case, you can try updating the BIOS/UEFI firmware version and see if the option is available.
To save the changes, press , select Yes, and press .
The SR-IOV feature should be enabled. For more information on enabling the SR-IOV feature from the BIOS/UEFI Firmware of your MSI motherboard, check the BIOS Manual of your MSI motherboard.
How to Enable SR-IOV from the BIOS/UEFI Firmware of Gigabyte Motherboards
To enter the BIOS/UEFI Firmware of your Gigabyte motherboard, press right after pressing the power button of your computer.
The BIOS/UEFI Firmware of Gigabyte motherboards has two modes: “Easy Mode” and “Advanced Mode”.
To enable SR-IOV, you have to switch to “Advanced Mode”. If you’re in “Easy Mode”, press to switch to “Advanced Mode”.
If you have an AMD processor, navigate to the “Settings” tab, navigate to “IO Ports”, and set “SR-IOV Support” to “Enabled”.
If you have an Intel processor, navigate to the “Advanced” tab, navigate to “PCI Subsystem Settings”, and set “SR-IOV Support” to “Enabled”.
NOTE: On newer Gigabyte motherboards (i.e. Z590, Z690, Z790), the SR-IOV option might be missing. In that case, try enabling Intel virtualization technology VT-x/VT-d and see if the SR-IOV option is displayed on the BIOS/UEFI firmware of your Gigabyte motherboard.
To save the changes, press , select Yes, and press .
SR-IOV should be enabled for your processor. For more information on enabling SR-IOV on your Gigabyte motherboard, we recommend you to read the “User Manual” or “BIOS Setup Manual” of your Gigabyte motherboard.
Conclusion
We showed you how to enable the SR-IOV CPU feature from the BIOS/UEFI firmware of some of the most popular desktop motherboards (i.e. ASUS, ASRock, MSI, and Gigabyte).
References
- ASUS ROG Maximus Z690 Hero BIOS Overview
- ASUS ROG STRIX X570-E Gaming WIFI II BIOS Walk Thru
- ASRock Bios Optimization! [AMD 7800X3D | X670E Taichi Carrara | XMP PC 5600 CL28 G.Skill | 4090HOF]
- ASRock Z690 Taichi BIOS Overview
- SR-IOV on MSI X470 Gaming Pro | MSI Global English Forum
- Bios Settings 7950x3D 7800x3D [Gigabyte Aorus Elite Ax x670]
- ASUS PRIME Z490-A BIOS Overview
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