[pve-devel] [PATCH docs] qm: pci passthrough: correct note about using 'softdep'

[pve-devel] [PATCH docs] qm: pci passthrough: correct note about using 'softdep'

[Dominik Csapak]

In most cases with passthrough, the vfio-pci driver is preferred to what
the kernel would normally load (e.g. amdgpu/nouveau), so 'softdep' can
be used to make sure 'vfio-pci' is loaded before the actual module.

This is expressed in our docs already with a sensible example, but the
text is wrong, since it says 'load the gpu modules *before* loading
vfio-pci'.

So simply correct the 'before' to 'after'.

Signed-off-by: Dominik Csapak <d.csapak@proxmox.com>
---
 qm-pci-passthrough.adoc | 2 +-
 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 1 deletion(-)

diff --git a/qm-pci-passthrough.adoc b/qm-pci-passthrough.adoc
index 52b1d58..3520983 100644
--- a/qm-pci-passthrough.adoc
+++ b/qm-pci-passthrough.adoc
@@ -254,7 +254,7 @@ xref:qm_pci_passthrough_update_initramfs[update the `initramfs`] again and
 reboot after that.
 
 Should this not work, you might need to set a soft dependency to load the gpu
-modules before loading 'vfio-pci'. This can be done with the 'softdep' flag, see
+modules after loading 'vfio-pci'. This can be done with the 'softdep' flag, see
 also the manpages on 'modprobe.d' for more information.
 
 For example, if you are using drivers named <some-module>:
-- 
2.47.3



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Re: [pve-devel] [PATCH docs] qm: pci passthrough: correct note about using 'softdep'

[Fiona Ebner]

Am 19.12.25 um 9:30 AM schrieb Dominik Csapak:
> In most cases with passthrough, the vfio-pci driver is preferred to what
> the kernel would normally load (e.g. amdgpu/nouveau), so 'softdep' can
> be used to make sure 'vfio-pci' is loaded before the actual module.
> 
> This is expressed in our docs already with a sensible example, but the
> text is wrong, since it says 'load the gpu modules *before* loading
> vfio-pci'.
> 
> So simply correct the 'before' to 'after'.
> 
> Signed-off-by: Dominik Csapak <d.csapak@proxmox.com>
> ---
>  qm-pci-passthrough.adoc | 2 +-
>  1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 1 deletion(-)
> 
> diff --git a/qm-pci-passthrough.adoc b/qm-pci-passthrough.adoc
> index 52b1d58..3520983 100644
> --- a/qm-pci-passthrough.adoc
> +++ b/qm-pci-passthrough.adoc
> @@ -254,7 +254,7 @@ xref:qm_pci_passthrough_update_initramfs[update the `initramfs`] again and
>  reboot after that.
>  
>  Should this not work, you might need to set a soft dependency to load the gpu
> -modules before loading 'vfio-pci'. This can be done with the 'softdep' flag, see
> +modules after loading 'vfio-pci'. This can be done with the 'softdep' flag, see
>  also the manpages on 'modprobe.d' for more information.
>  
>  For example, if you are using drivers named <some-module>:

Since the example uses "pre: vfio-pci", do you have any objection to
also formulate the sentence here to match this:

"...soft dependency to load 'vfio-pci' before loading the GPU modules."

?

Re: [pve-devel] [PATCH docs] qm: pci passthrough: correct note about using 'softdep'

[Dominik Csapak]

On 2/24/26 12:27 PM, Fiona Ebner wrote:
> Am 19.12.25 um 9:30 AM schrieb Dominik Csapak:
>> In most cases with passthrough, the vfio-pci driver is preferred to what
>> the kernel would normally load (e.g. amdgpu/nouveau), so 'softdep' can
>> be used to make sure 'vfio-pci' is loaded before the actual module.
>>
>> This is expressed in our docs already with a sensible example, but the
>> text is wrong, since it says 'load the gpu modules *before* loading
>> vfio-pci'.
>>
>> So simply correct the 'before' to 'after'.
>>
>> Signed-off-by: Dominik Csapak <d.csapak@proxmox.com>
>> ---
>>   qm-pci-passthrough.adoc | 2 +-
>>   1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 1 deletion(-)
>>
>> diff --git a/qm-pci-passthrough.adoc b/qm-pci-passthrough.adoc
>> index 52b1d58..3520983 100644
>> --- a/qm-pci-passthrough.adoc
>> +++ b/qm-pci-passthrough.adoc
>> @@ -254,7 +254,7 @@ xref:qm_pci_passthrough_update_initramfs[update the `initramfs`] again and
>>   reboot after that.
>>   
>>   Should this not work, you might need to set a soft dependency to load the gpu
>> -modules before loading 'vfio-pci'. This can be done with the 'softdep' flag, see
>> +modules after loading 'vfio-pci'. This can be done with the 'softdep' flag, see
>>   also the manpages on 'modprobe.d' for more information.
>>   
>>   For example, if you are using drivers named <some-module>:
> 
> Since the example uses "pre: vfio-pci", do you have any objection to
> also formulate the sentence here to match this:
> 
> "...soft dependency to load 'vfio-pci' before loading the GPU modules."
> 
> ?

yeah sure, makes sense, that was probably the source of the confusion 
here originally..

applied: [pve-devel] [PATCH docs] qm: pci passthrough: correct note about using 'softdep'

[Fiona Ebner]

On Fri, 19 Dec 2025 09:30:45 +0100, Dominik Csapak wrote:
> In most cases with passthrough, the vfio-pci driver is preferred to what
> the kernel would normally load (e.g. amdgpu/nouveau), so 'softdep' can
> be used to make sure 'vfio-pci' is loaded before the actual module.
> 
> This is expressed in our docs already with a sensible example, but the
> text is wrong, since it says 'load the gpu modules *before* loading
> vfio-pci'.

Applied, making the text match the example, thanks!

[1/1] qm: pci passthrough: correct note about using 'softdep'
      commit: 0aec02736e6c7ca92f86c017f44463cdb8a139a8