For years I’ve had a dream of building a rack mounted PC capable of splitting its resources to host multiple GPU intensive VMs:

  • a few gaming VMs
  • a VM for work that can run Davinci Resolve and Blender renders
  • an LLM server
  • a Stable Diffusion server
  • media server

Just to name a few possibilities…

Everytime I’ve looked into it, it seemed like the technology just wasn’t there yet. I remember a few years ago Linus TT took a shot at it, but in the end suggested the technology (for non-commercial entities) just wasn’t in a comfortable spot yet.

So how far off are we? Obviously AI focused companies seem to make it work, but what possibilities exist for us self-hosters who might also want to run multiple displays in addition to the web gui LLM servers? And without forking out crazy money for GPU virtualization software licenses?

  • just_another_person@lemmy.worldEnglish
    101·
    6 months ago

    You’re not really describing your use-case here. Are you just trying to run a server that does all your rendering for you so you can play games elsewhere? Yes, that’s totally possible.

    If you’re trying to describe a business…no, it’s not possible, scalable, or profitable.

    I’m curious as to what your intentions are here though.

    • brownmustardminion@lemmy.mlOPEnglish
      71·
      6 months ago

      I have a workstation I use for video editing/vfx as well as gaming. Because of my work, I’m fortunate to have the latest high end GPUs and a 160" projector screen. I also have a few TVs in various rooms around the house.

      Traditionally, if I want to watch something or play a video game, I have to go to the room with the jellyfin/plex/roku box to watch something and am limited to the work/gaming rig to play games. I can’t run renders and game at the same time. Buying an entire new pc so I can do both is a massive waste of money. If I want to do a test screening of a video I’m working on to see how it displays on various devices, I have to transfer the file around to these devices. This is limiting and inefficient to me.

      I want to be able to go to any screen in my house: my living room TV, my large projector in my studio room, my tablet, or even my phone and switch between:

      • my workstation display running on a Window 10 VM
      • my linux VM with youtube or jellyfin player I use as a daily driver
      • a fedora or Windows VM dedicated to gaming, maybe SteamOS
      • maybe a friend comes over for a LAN party and we both can game without having to set up a 2nd rig
      • I want to host an LLM or stablediffusion server without having to buy a new GPU with enough VRAM to run SDXL
      • just_another_person@lemmy.worldEnglish
        221·
        6 months ago

        What you’re describing is mostly a networking issue. I’m also pretty suspect about your setup and wishes. You definitely don’t work for a large VFX studio, and you’re not using this as described for CAD work. I’m going to guess this entire setup is for your anime and incest rendering farm.

        This is a ridiculous question for anyone with this amount of hardware in their home already that’s using it on a daily basis to actually work. You would also not be “running renders” if this was hardware provided by a company you work for.

        Whatever is being asked here is for a shady ass person. Don’t help them.

        • KairuByte@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
          8·
          6 months ago

          … what?

          Them: “I want a centralized place to handle all my graphics stuff, so I can access graphically intensive things from any device.”

          You: “Must be incest renders because you already have hardware and say you use it for work.”

          So according to you, contractors don’t exist, iPhones can play PC games, and anyone wanting to split PC resources between multiple use cases is shady.

          What’s ridiculous is that you seem to think extreme paranoia is a normal thing in everyday life.

            • brownmustardminion@lemmy.mlOPEnglish
              111·
              6 months ago

              I’m not the one making wild accusations about somebody wanting to selfhost a gpu server to edit…incest porn or whatever it is you’re on about.

              No idea what lie you think I’m telling. 🤷‍♂️

        • jet@hackertalks.comEnglish
          6·
          6 months ago

          Wow. Where is all this hate coming from?

          People like to experiment, and tinker, and try things in their home lab, that would scale up in a business. Just to prove they can do it. That’s innovation. We should celebrate it. Not quash people