First look in /var/log/libvirt/qemu/<domainname>.log and see which qemu binary is being executed by libvirt - it may not be the one you've built.

It looks correct...  I pulled out the driver tag from my config and fired it up.  Here is the full command line for it:

LC_ALL=C PATH=/sbin:/usr/sbin:/bin:/usr/bin:/usr/local/sbin:/usr/local/bin QEMU_AUDIO_DRV=none /usr/local/bin/qemu-system-x86_64 -S -M pc-0.14 -enable-kvm -m 4096 -smp 7,sockets=7,cores=1,threads=1 -name web101 -uuid bda63821-ccc4-6607-67c0-db6712526cbd -nodefconfig -nodefaults -chardev socket,id=charmonitor,path=/var/lib/libvirt/qemu/web101.monitor,server,nowait -mon chardev=charmonitor,id=monitor,mode=readline -rtc base=utc -boot c -drive file=/var/lib/libvirt/images/web101.img,if=none,id=drive-virtio-disk0,format=raw,cache=writethrough -device virtio-blk-pci,bus=pci.0,addr=0x5,drive=drive-virtio-disk0,id=virtio-disk0 -drive file=/home/httpd.img,if=none,id=drive-virtio-disk1,format=raw,cache=writethrough -device virtio-blk-pci,bus=pci.0,addr=0x7,drive=drive-virtio-disk1,id=virtio-disk1 -drive if=none,media=cdrom,id=drive-ide0-1-0,readonly=on,format=raw -device ide-drive,bus=ide.1,unit=0,drive=drive-ide0-1-0,id=ide0-1-0 -fsdev local,security_model=passthrough,id=fsdev-fs0,path=/home/httpd -device virtio-9p-pci,id=fs0,fsdev=fsdev-fs0,mount_tag=/home/httpd,bus=pci.0,addr=0x8 -netdev tap,fd=15,id=hostnet0 -device virtio-net-pci,netdev=hostnet0,id=net0,mac=52:54:00:6f:51:43,bus=pci.0,addr=0x3 -chardev pty,id=charserial0 -device isa-serial,chardev=charserial0,id=serial0 -usb -device usb-tablet,id=input0 -vnc 127.0.0.1:0 -vga cirrus -device AC97,id=sound0,bus=pci.0,addr=0x4 -device virtio-balloon-pci,id=balloon0,bus=pci.0,addr=0x6


 
Then, run "qemu-kvm --help" (replacing "qemu-kvm" with the path to the binary that libvirt is executing, found in the previous paragraph), and search through that output for the string ",vhost=" - if it's not there, then your qemu doesn't support vhost-net.

This also looks correct.  Is it wrong that my qemu compilation didn't create a binary named "qemu-kvm"?  (Even though it said "KVM support yes" on the configure output?)

# /usr/local/bin/qemu-system-x86_64 --help |grep vhost
-net tap[,vlan=n][,name=str][,fd=h][,ifname=name][,script=file][,downscript=dfile][,sndbuf=nbytes][,vnet_hdr=on|off][,vhost=on|off][,vhostfd=h][,vhostforce=on|off]
                use vhost=on to enable experimental in kernel accelerator
                use vhostforce=on to force vhost on for non-MSIX virtio guests
                use 'vhostfd=h' to connect to an already opened vhost net device



 

If that string *is* there, then we need to do some more investigating, starting with you sending the output of "qemu-kvm --help".

Here's the full output for you. 

# /usr/local/bin/qemu-system-x86_64 --help
QEMU emulator version 0.14.1, Copyright (c) 2003-2008 Fabrice Bellard
usage: qemu [options] [disk_image]

'disk_image' is a raw hard disk image for IDE hard disk 0

Standard options:
-h or -help     display this help and exit
-version        display version information and exit
-M machine      select emulated machine (-M ? for list)
-cpu cpu        select CPU (-cpu ? for list)
-smp n[,maxcpus=cpus][,cores=cores][,threads=threads][,sockets=sockets]
                set the number of CPUs to 'n' [default=1]
                maxcpus= maximum number of total cpus, including
                offline CPUs for hotplug, etc
                cores= number of CPU cores on one socket
                threads= number of threads on one CPU core
                sockets= number of discrete sockets in the system
-numa node[,mem=size][,cpus=cpu[-cpu]][,nodeid=node]
-fda/-fdb file  use 'file' as floppy disk 0/1 image
-hda/-hdb file  use 'file' as IDE hard disk 0/1 image
-hdc/-hdd file  use 'file' as IDE hard disk 2/3 image
-cdrom file     use 'file' as IDE cdrom image (cdrom is ide1 master)
-drive [file=file][,if=type][,bus=n][,unit=m][,media=d][,index=i]
       [,cyls=c,heads=h,secs=s[,trans=t]][,snapshot=on|off]
       [,cache=writethrough|writeback|none|unsafe][,format=f]
       [,serial=s][,addr=A][,id=name][,aio=threads|native]
       [,readonly=on|off]
                use 'file' as a drive image
-set group.id.arg=value
                set <arg> parameter for item <id> of type <group>
                i.e. -set drive.$id.file=/path/to/image
-global driver.property=value
                set a global default for a driver property
-mtdblock file  use 'file' as on-board Flash memory image
-sd file        use 'file' as SecureDigital card image
-pflash file    use 'file' as a parallel flash image
-boot [order=drives][,once=drives][,menu=on|off]
                'drives': floppy (a), hard disk (c), CD-ROM (d), network (n)
-snapshot       write to temporary files instead of disk image files
-m megs         set virtual RAM size to megs MB [default=128]
-mem-path FILE  provide backing storage for guest RAM
-mem-prealloc   preallocate guest memory (use with -mem-path)
-k language     use keyboard layout (for example 'fr' for French)
-audio-help     print list of audio drivers and their options
-soundhw c1,... enable audio support
                and only specified sound cards (comma separated list)
                use -soundhw ? to get the list of supported cards
                use -soundhw all to enable all of them
-usb            enable the USB driver (will be the default soon)
-usbdevice name add the host or guest USB device 'name'
-device driver[,prop[=value][,...]]
                add device (based on driver)
                prop=value,... sets driver properties
                use -device ? to print all possible drivers
                use -device driver,? to print all possible properties
File system options:
-fsdev local,id=id,path=path,security_model=[mapped|passthrough|none]
Virtual File system pass-through options:
-virtfs local,path=path,mount_tag=tag,security_model=[mapped|passthrough|none]

-name string1[,process=string2]
                set the name of the guest
                string1 sets the window title and string2 the process name (on Linux)
-uuid %08x-%04x-%04x-%04x-%012x
                specify machine UUID

Display options:
-nographic      disable graphical output and redirect serial I/Os to console
-spice <args>   enable spice
-portrait       rotate graphical output 90 deg left (only PXA LCD)
-vga [std|cirrus|vmware|qxl|xenfb|none]
                select video card type
-full-screen    start in full screen
-g WxH[xDEPTH]  Set the initial graphical resolution and depth
-vnc display    start a VNC server on display

i386 target only:
-win2k-hack     use it when installing Windows 2000 to avoid a disk full bug
-no-fd-bootchk  disable boot signature checking for floppy disks
-no-acpi        disable ACPI
-no-hpet        disable HPET
-balloon none   disable balloon device
-balloon virtio[,addr=str]
                enable virtio balloon device (default)
-acpitable [sig=str][,rev=n][,oem_id=str][,oem_table_id=str][,oem_rev=n][,asl_compiler_id=str][,asl_compiler_rev=n][,data=file1[:file2]...]
                ACPI table description
-smbios file=binary
                load SMBIOS entry from binary file
-smbios type=0[,vendor=str][,version=str][,date=str][,release=%d.%d]
                specify SMBIOS type 0 fields
-smbios type=1[,manufacturer=str][,product=str][,version=str][,serial=str]
              [,uuid=uuid][,sku=str][,family=str]
                specify SMBIOS type 1 fields

Network options:
-net nic[,vlan=n][,macaddr=mac][,model=type][,name=str][,addr=str][,vectors=v]
                create a new Network Interface Card and connect it to VLAN 'n'
-net user[,vlan=n][,name=str][,net=addr[/mask]][,host=addr][,restrict=y|n]
         [,hostname=host][,dhcpstart=addr][,dns=addr][,tftp=dir][,bootfile=f]
         [,hostfwd=rule][,guestfwd=rule][,smb=dir[,smbserver=addr]]
                connect the user mode network stack to VLAN 'n', configure its
                DHCP server and enabled optional services
-net tap[,vlan=n][,name=str][,fd=h][,ifname=name][,script=file][,downscript=dfile][,sndbuf=nbytes][,vnet_hdr=on|off][,vhost=on|off][,vhostfd=h][,vhostforce=on|off]
                connect the host TAP network interface to VLAN 'n' and use the
                network scripts 'file' (default=/etc/qemu-ifup)
                and 'dfile' (default=/etc/qemu-ifdown)
                use '[down]script=no' to disable script execution
                use 'fd=h' to connect to an already opened TAP interface
                use 'sndbuf=nbytes' to limit the size of the send buffer (the
                default is disabled 'sndbuf=0' to enable flow control set 'sndbuf=1048576')
                use vnet_hdr=off to avoid enabling the IFF_VNET_HDR tap flag
                use vnet_hdr=on to make the lack of IFF_VNET_HDR support an error condition
                use vhost=on to enable experimental in kernel accelerator
                    (only has effect for virtio guests which use MSIX)
                use vhostforce=on to force vhost on for non-MSIX virtio guests
                use 'vhostfd=h' to connect to an already opened vhost net device
-net socket[,vlan=n][,name=str][,fd=h][,listen=[host]:port][,connect=host:port]
                connect the vlan 'n' to another VLAN using a socket connection
-net socket[,vlan=n][,name=str][,fd=h][,mcast=maddr:port[,localaddr=addr]]
                connect the vlan 'n' to multicast maddr and port
                use 'localaddr=addr' to specify the host address to send packets from
-net dump[,vlan=n][,file=f][,len=n]
                dump traffic on vlan 'n' to file 'f' (max n bytes per packet)
-net none       use it alone to have zero network devices. If no -net option
                is provided, the default is '-net nic -net user'
-netdev [user|tap|socket],id=str[,option][,option][,...]

Character device options:
-chardev null,id=id[,mux=on|off]
-chardev socket,id=id[,host=host],port=host[,to=to][,ipv4][,ipv6][,nodelay]
         [,server][,nowait][,telnet][,mux=on|off] (tcp)
-chardev socket,id=id,path=path[,server][,nowait][,telnet],[mux=on|off] (unix)
-chardev udp,id=id[,host=host],port=port[,localaddr=localaddr]
         [,localport=localport][,ipv4][,ipv6][,mux=on|off]
-chardev msmouse,id=id[,mux=on|off]
-chardev vc,id=id[[,width=width][,height=height]][[,cols=cols][,rows=rows]]
         [,mux=on|off]
-chardev file,id=id,path=path[,mux=on|off]
-chardev pipe,id=id,path=path[,mux=on|off]
-chardev pty,id=id[,mux=on|off]
-chardev stdio,id=id[,mux=on|off][,signal=on|off]
-chardev tty,id=id,path=path[,mux=on|off]
-chardev parport,id=id,path=path[,mux=on|off]

Bluetooth(R) options:
-bt hci,null    dumb bluetooth HCI - doesn't respond to commands
-bt hci,host[:id]
                use host's HCI with the given name
-bt hci[,vlan=n]
                emulate a standard HCI in virtual scatternet 'n'
-bt vhci[,vlan=n]
                add host computer to virtual scatternet 'n' using VHCI
-bt device:dev[,vlan=n]
                emulate a bluetooth device 'dev' in scatternet 'n'

Linux/Multiboot boot specific:
-kernel bzImage use 'bzImage' as kernel image
-append cmdline use 'cmdline' as kernel command line
-initrd file    use 'file' as initial ram disk

Debug/Expert options:
-serial dev     redirect the serial port to char device 'dev'
-parallel dev   redirect the parallel port to char device 'dev'
-monitor dev    redirect the monitor to char device 'dev'
-qmp dev        like -monitor but opens in 'control' mode
-mon chardev=[name][,mode=readline|control][,default]
-debugcon dev   redirect the debug console to char device 'dev'
-pidfile file   write PID to 'file'
-singlestep     always run in singlestep mode
-S              freeze CPU at startup (use 'c' to start execution)
-gdb dev        wait for gdb connection on 'dev'
-s              shorthand for -gdb tcp::1234
-d item1,...    output log to /tmp/qemu.log (use -d ? for a list of log items)
-hdachs c,h,s[,t]
                force hard disk 0 physical geometry and the optional BIOS
                translation (t=none or lba) (usually qemu can guess them)
-L path         set the directory for the BIOS, VGA BIOS and keymaps
-bios file      set the filename for the BIOS
-enable-kvm     enable KVM full virtualization support
-xen-domid id   specify xen guest domain id
-xen-create     create domain using xen hypercalls, bypassing xend
                warning: should not be used when xend is in use
-xen-attach     attach to existing xen domain
                xend will use this when starting qemu
-no-reboot      exit instead of rebooting
-no-shutdown    stop before shutdown
-loadvm [tag|id]
                start right away with a saved state (loadvm in monitor)
-daemonize      daemonize QEMU after initializing
-option-rom rom load a file, rom, into the option ROM space
-clock          force the use of the given methods for timer alarm.
                To see what timers are available use -clock ?
-rtc [base=utc|localtime|date][,clock=host|vm][,driftfix=none|slew]
                set the RTC base and clock, enable drift fix for clock ticks (x86 only)
-icount [N|auto]
                enable virtual instruction counter with 2^N clock ticks per
                instruction
-watchdog i6300esb|ib700
                enable virtual hardware watchdog [default=none]
-watchdog-action reset|shutdown|poweroff|pause|debug|none
                action when watchdog fires [default=reset]
-echr chr       set terminal escape character instead of ctrl-a
-virtioconsole c
                set virtio console
-show-cursor    show cursor
-tb-size n      set TB size
-incoming p     prepare for incoming migration, listen on port p
-nodefaults     don't create default devices
-chroot dir     chroot to dir just before starting the VM
-runas user     change to user id user just before starting the VM
-prom-env variable=value
                set OpenBIOS nvram variables
-semihosting    semihosting mode
-old-param      old param mode
-readconfig <file>
-writeconfig <file>
                read/write config file
-nodefconfig
                do not load default config files at startup

During emulation, the following keys are useful:
ctrl-alt-f      toggle full screen
ctrl-alt-n      switch to virtual console 'n'
ctrl-alt        toggle mouse and keyboard grab

When using -nographic, press 'ctrl-a h' to get some help.
 

Thanks for the help!

--Cal