OFL-04 · Hardware Offload and Virtualization
Build the lab from an empty machine.
Start from bare hardware, carve out virtual functions, and run them in a VM, a container and a cloud platform.
You build: an SR-IOV lab that works in three environments.
Prefer to be taught it live? VFIO Device Passthrough & virtio Drivers (VRT-110, 4 days) is the same material delivered in a scheduled cohort by an instructor, in person or online. See the live course · Live dates
Promise
Build an SR-IOV lab from scratch and run it in a VM, a container, and a cloud platform.
Prerequisites
basic Linux virtualization.
Units
1. Overview and standards ch 01–03
.
2. Virtual functions in practice ch 04–08
network and storage virtualization, VMs, containers.
3. Security, QoS, HA ch 09–11
.
4. Platforms ch 12–14
Intel, AMD, and kernel support.
5. Hypervisors and cloud ch 15–17, 20
VMware, Hyper-V, OpenStack.
6. Data plane and workloads ch 18–19, 21–23
DPDK, OVS, Kubernetes device plugin, NFV, AI.
7. Operations ch 24–27
monitoring, performance testing, multi-tenancy, future.
8. Lab deployment ch 28–30
build the lab, then configure production.
Labs
Each lab names its environment and a pass check. Labs are not marked complete on "it ran" — the pass check has to hold.
| Lab | What you do | Environment |
|---|---|---|
| OFL-04ach 04 | Create SR-IOV virtual functionsPass check: VFs listed | vm60 min |
| OFL-04bch 07 | Attach a VF to a VMPass check: VM sees the NIC | vm60 min |
| OFL-04cch 18 | DPDK on a virtual functionPass check: Packets flow | vm90 min |
| OFL-04dch 25 | Performance test on the VFPass check: Report produced | vm90 min |
Capstone project · CAP-17
SR-IOV Deployment Runbook · 2 weeks
A cloud team needs SR-IOV on a new platform, and the runbook must be followable by an engineer who did not build it.
Write and test the runbook: create virtual functions, assign them, verify, and roll back.
Deliverables: Runbook, verification script, cold-test report.
Outcomes
- I can create virtual functions and confirm them with `lspci`.
- I can attach a virtual function to a VM and load its driver.
- I can write a runbook a colleague can follow.
Also in
How it runs
Work through the units in order. Each unit groups the chapters of the study guide with its share of the labs. You can start any time; there is no cohort date and nothing expires.
Labs run in a VM, a container, a simulator or on real hardware, and the card above names which. Where a lab needs hardware — an RDMA NIC, a programmable switch model, an FPGA — there is a simulator fallback so you are never blocked by equipment.
Questions
Do I get a certificate?
You get a completion record for the course. Path badges and project credentials are earned by passing the labs and the project review, not by attendance.
Can my team take this together?
Yes — and if you would rather have it delivered live, with the instructor in the room, this course also exists as a scheduled live cohort. See the live dates.
How long does it take?
≈ 30 h of study including the labs. Most engineers take it part-time over a few weeks.