kvm - theoretically installed, but missing /dev/kdm
 

I just compiled the new 2.6.20.1 kernel on my Slackware 11.0, with kvm (kernel based virtual machine) selected, as a driver, not a module. I then compiled (and installed) kvm-12 from sourceforge. After a while, I finally got that to work too.
Now, when I try to run it, this is what I get:
And, there is no /dev/kvm, although I double checked: it is selected in gconfig, as it was when I compiled the kernel....
I don't get it... what am I doing wrong?
Should I try to compile it as a module?
Thanks for reading. Any info/suggestion is welcomed.

Stupid question, Did you enable virtualization in the bios ? If you haven't search for something called "VMX" in your bios.

Hmm, thanks, I haven't thought about that...
Err... I take it that if I don't have that option, my processor doesn't support virtual machines, and I can't use KVM, right? Darn... Guess I'm stuck with having windoze partitions...
Me :newbie:

Well, if you tell me what CPU i can tell you if you have virtualization. AMD's virt is called Pacifica, and Intel's is called Vanderpool (VT).

But if it's not in the bios, i think you don't have the CPU for it :cry:

Well, it's an AMD Athlon 2200+
And it doesn't have virtualisation unfortunately... I forgot to check before I tried to make kvm run... :(
Do you think I could make it work with other programs (vmware, bochs,etc)? Bochs does work, but it does so incredibly slow, although I [think I] set it up correctly...
Although somehow I think it's easier to format my computer every time I want to try out a new linux distro or need to reinstall windoze (because it stopped working)...

Yes, you can use VMware or other software to install virtual distro's and I think this is faster then formatting all the time. Even if the installation of VMWare takes some time to make it all work the way it should. Then this is still faster then formatting all the time :).

I suggest taking a look at VMware alternatives such as VirtualBox by Innotek.

Here's a link:

virtualbox

cool, seems like just what I needed :) And it's open source too :D
thanks.

your welcome :). I use it myself as well, and it runs like a charm.

you don't have to use anything else.
While your processor doesn't support hardware virtualisation - you still can emulate things on CPU. In fact i am running another os on laptop that is 5 and a half years old. One of first amd64 CPU's on notebooks. If not the first one.(host - gentoo, guest - ubuntu)

As far as I am aware, KVM was built upon qemu. quemu didn't require hardware support.

I understand you probably dont care about it anymore, but there could be other poor souls affected by same problem.