From 1c1900e509127d6ce56df39d5e64f0db0d02cfe9 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Wanjohi Date: Tue, 29 Sep 2026 10:22:36 +0300 Subject: [PATCH] readme: host requirements, and Unraid as an untested VM route --- README.md | 26 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 26 insertions(+) diff --git a/README.md b/README.md index e75ec210..e2df9bd2 100644 --- a/README.md +++ b/README.md @@ -134,6 +134,32 @@ assembles a box is not open yet. cargo run --release -p nesdoctor ``` +## Hosting a box: what the machine needs + +Run `nesdoctor` on the machine first; it checks the disk, network and display +this list cannot. + +- **Linux on the host itself.** Nestri spawns micro-VMs, so it needs `/dev/kvm`. + It does not run in Docker: a container cannot give it that. +- **Distro:** Arch is what we recommend. Ubuntu works. +- **Filesystem:** ext4 is fine. +- **GPU:** NVIDIA is supported. + +### Unraid (experimental, untested) + +Unraid is a poor host directly (its root filesystem lives in RAM and is rebuilt +every boot), but it is a good hypervisor. A route nobody has run yet: + +1. Create an Arch or Ubuntu VM in Unraid's VM manager. +2. Pass the GPU through to that VM. +3. Enable nested virtualisation on the Unraid host (`kvm_intel nested=1` or + `kvm_amd nested=1`) and set the VM's CPU mode to host-passthrough, so the VM + has its own `/dev/kvm`. +4. Run `nesdoctor` inside the VM, then install as usual. + +Performance and driver behaviour under nested KVM are unmeasured. If you try it, +tell us where it works or breaks. + ## Status Working: `nesdoctor` — released, and the only part a stranger can operate