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 <Delete> 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 <F7> 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 <F10>, select OK, and press <Enter>.
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 <F2> or <Delete> 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 <F6> 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 <F6> to switch to “Advanced Mode”.
You will be in the “Main” tab by default. Press the <Right> 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 <F10>, select Yes, and press <Enter>.
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 <Delete> 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 <F7> 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 <F10>, select Yes, and press <Enter>.
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 <Delete> 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 <F2> 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 <F10>, select Yes, and press <Enter>.
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
