Can I get video output from a VM to an external monitor for Steam Link on my Intel NUC?

[gstacks]

I've got an Intel NUC7i5BNH, where I have Proxmox installed and a Home Assistant VM chugging away. There's still plenty of resources to spare, so ideally I'd love to throw another lean Linux distro on there to use as a Steam Link client and some other basic HTPC functions. Obviously I need video output to achieve this, but I'm having a much tougher time accomplishing this than I anticipated.

So my questions are, is this even possible, and if so, how do I accomplish it?

 

[leesteken]

Video outputs are physically connected to (integrated) GPUs. In order to use then, you need PCI(e) passthrough of the GPU to the VM. There are lots of threads on this forum with people having problems with passthrough of integrated graphics. Sometimes it does work though, so search for someone who got the same integrated graphics working with passthrough.

 

[gstacks]

Thanks for the response @leesteken. I posted this in hopes of an easy fix that I was missing, but it seems like that doesn't exist in this case.

I think I'll give it a go with one of the many guides on this topic that I'm finding and hope that it works. If not, I may try migrating to VMWare, as their free tier should cover my needs and they seemingly have more support in this area (as much as I love supporting FOSS...)

 

[LnxBil]

If you need the output, why don't you just run VirtualBox in Linux and have hardware acceleration and can do what you want?

 

[gstacks]

If you need the output, why don't you just run VirtualBox in Linux and have hardware acceleration and can do what you want?

I'm not quite sure what you're suggesting here. Are you saying scrap Proxmox altogether, run a Linux DE bare-metal, then Home Assistant in a VM there? Or something else?

 

[LnxBil]

I'm not quite sure what you're suggesting here. Are you saying scrap Proxmox altogether, run a Linux DE bare-metal, then Home Assistant in a VM there? Or something else?

If you need desktop integration, especially hardware acceleration that is not "pcie passthroughable", this may be the only option. In a bigger system I'd suggest to buy a dedicated gpu.

 

[gstacks]

If you need desktop integration, especially hardware acceleration that is not "pcie passthroughable", this may be the only option. In a bigger system I'd suggest to buy a dedicated gpu.

Definitely understand. The only problem with this is that I'd like to keep my Home Assistant setup independent of the DE, so I can tinker, shutdown, restart, switch OS's, etc. without compromising the Home Assistant instance. So this isn't really an option for me, unfortunately.

Like I said, I'll do my best to get the PCIE passthrough working in Proxmox. Failing that, I may give VMWare a shot, because it seems like their support for NUC integrated graphics is a bit higher. Failing that...well, I may just need to get some new hardware to fill this purpose.

Of course I'm still open to other suggestions, if anyone has any

 

[leesteken]

You could install Ubuntu or Debian and run Home Assistant in a VM with VirtualBox or KVM/libvirt.
It might be possible to use the integrated graphics (and sound) in a container (and put the DE with Steam Link inside it), as I have seen some threads about that but it's not that easy.
Or simply install a graphical desktop environment on top of Proxmox for graphical output and install Steam Link on the host.

 

[gstacks]

You could install Ubuntu or Debian and run Home Assistant in a VM with VirtualBox or KVM/libvirt.

Like I mentioned previously, I really need my Home Assistant instance to not be dependent on my DE. Ideally HASS should be running 24/7, regardless of what I'm tinkering with on the desktop.

Or simply install a graphical desktop environment on top of Proxmox for graphical output and install Steam Link on the host.

A great suggestion - however, with my non tech-minded wife making use of the DE often, it makes me very uneasy having having that all exposed at her fingertips. I've seen far simpler things come tumbling down at her hands!

It might be possible to use the integrated graphics (and sound) in a container (and put the DE with Steam Link inside it), as I have seen some threads about that but it's not that easy.

This I would be open to! I've used dockers plenty for other things, but I've never tried to run a full DE in one...Seems a bit of an anti-pattern, but dang, if it works...

 

[LnxBil]

Like I mentioned previously, I really need my Home Assistant instance to not be dependent on my DE. Ideally HASS should be running 24/7, regardless of what I'm tinkering with on the desktop.

Yes Virtualbox is capable of running it headless, so there is no dependency on any DE.

I may give VMWare a shot, because it seems like their support for NUC integrated graphics is a bit higher.

I wasn't aware that NUC is a supported platform for VMware at all. Normally they're very picky with respect to hardware.

 

[navid66]

Or simply install a graphical desktop environment on top of Proxmox for graphical output and install Steam Link on the

I installed a graphical version According to this tutorial link. but on HDMI I only have video and no sound!