Preamble The direct way to a PCI passthrough virtual machines on Ubuntu 20.04 LTS. I try limit changes of the host operating system to a minimum, but provide enough details, that even Linux rookies are able to participate. The final system will run Xubuntu 20.04 as host operating system(OS), and Windows 10 2004 as guest […]
Recommended Darktable settings for Lightroom user
This article is an introduction to Darktable settings for Lightroom user. I will recommend preferences, keybindings and modules, in order to make the switch to Darktable easier and give former Lightroom user a starting point. This article is written for Darktable version 3.0.2. Preamble In a previous article, I described why I left the save […]
DIY, full computer workstation in a small footprint desk – living room compatible!

I build a desk, which let me use my full desktop computer in the living room without risking a divorce. Here are the plans and some photos. Preamble As rents in the city are high, the space in our flat is limited. Thus, when my daughter got her own room, I had to abandon my […]
Troubleshooting – Known issues, bugs and common quirks of KVM QEMU virtual machines with gpu passthrough
Hardware Error “Unknown PCI header type ‘127’ “ Attention! The ASUS Prime x370/x470/x570 pro BIOS versions for AMD RYZEN 3000-series support (version 4602 – version 5220), will break a PCI passthrough setup. Error “Unknown PCI header type ‘127’“. BIOS versions up to (and including) 4406, 2019/03/11 are working. BIOS versions from (and including) 5406, 2019/11/25 […]
How to update QEMU on Ubuntu 18.04
Ubuntu 18.04 ships with QEMU version 2.11. If you want to use a newer version, 4.1 in my case, you can build it on your own. In case you are using Libvirt qith QEMU, keep in mind that you might need to update Libvirt as well. The easiest way to update QEMU and Libvirt, is […]
Leaving Adobe Lightroom; or how to migrate from Lightroom to open source alternatives
This article describes my migration from Lightroom to open source alternatives, such as Darktable, using xmp sidecar files. I will explain the required migration steps, my photography workflow as well as a bit about the technical background. Preamble I used Adobe Lightroom for the past ten years. Although I am in no way a professional […]
Beginner friendly guide to windows virtual machines with GPU passthrough on Ubuntu 18.04; or how to play competitive games in a virtual machine.
Preamble The intent of this document is to provide a complete, step-by-step guide on how to setup a virtual machine(VM) with graphics cards(GPU) passthrough – detailed enough that even Linux rookies are able to participate. The final system will run Xubuntu 18.04 as host operating system(OS), and Windows 10 as guest OS, considering gaming as […]
Synchronization between photo development tools, or the migration from Lightroom to open-source alternatives.
This article describes settings, steps and problems during the migration process from Lightroom to open-source alternatives.
My standard list of software – tools I install on my mom’s computer.
The purpose of this article is to save me some time. I have realized that every time I resurrect the beloved machine of a family member, I have a go-to standard list of software which changes only slightly over time. In the future, if a friend or family member needs a software advice, I will […]
Comprehensive guide to performance optimizations for gaming on virtual machines with KVM/QEMU and PCI passthrough
Preamble This guide describes performance optimizations for gaming on a virtual machine (VM) with GPU passthrough. In order to optimize the user experience for virtualized gaming, I started to pursue low latency and high performance. Especially since my main focus are demanding online multiplayer games. The Benchmarking Process I started benchmarking several setups (found on […]