[Spice-devel] Spice stops working when host uses multi-monitors

[Diego COSTE]

On 13/11/2013 12:09, Christophe Fergeau wrote:
> 'don't work' is awfully unspecific, the first step in getting some
> help would be to give more details about how you are using spice
> (which client, ...), and what 'don't work' means. Is something
> crashing? Is the display corrupt? ... Christophe 

Hello,

and thank you for your quick answer.

As a real pure-flavour rookie, I use virt-manager to create/start the VM.
I followed the IBM tutorial referenced in linux-kvm.org:
http://pic.dhe.ibm.com/infocenter/lnxinfo/v3r0m0/index.jsp?topic=/liaai/kvminstall/liaaikvminstallstart.htm

The VM is configured with 2GB memory, 1 CPU out of the 4 of the host,
config cloned from host (=Sandy Bridge)
Network, storage and serial drivers use virtio mode.
Network uses the default NAT mode.
Storage is my raw /dev/sdb, a disk encrypted by my company's IT with
McAfee endpoint encryption (previously named SafeBoot).
At VM creation the display is automatically configured by virt-manager
in Spice mode with QXL video (64MB).

In the working case the graphics view of virt-manager first shows the
McAfee end-point encryption login screen (this is pre-Windows) and
eventually the normal windows display. Cut/paste work fine, etc... and
the performances are good.

In the non-working case, the graphic display remains uniformly grey,
exactly as when the guest is not started at all.
Still virt-manager reports that the machine is running and the power
control switch lets me force power-off (mcafee login does not support
acpi shutdown command).
virt-manager also proposes a serial console, but I think Windows does
not use it.

If I revert to VNC mode, display works fine (although slowly), I don't
have cut/paste functionality and my host is significantly slowed by this
workload.

I would have liked to post screen shots, but, well, these experiments
are for my spare time and I have to work with that Windows machine, so I
have now booted directly from this HDD.

I have also started re-installing host Linux OS to restart from a fresh F19.
This time I will try to install kvm and create the VM with the system
already configured in multi-screen mode (need to bring the docking
station and a monitor back to home for the test).

Many thanks for your kind help,

Diego