At least on x86-64 RHEL Image Builder add the no_timer_check boot parameter for both qcow2 and ova images. This parameter seems to be needed in the past around 2014-2016 or so but not anymore since RHEL 7 days.

On recent RHEL KVM, VMware, HyperV set the parameter explicitly even without the boot parameter. And arch/x86/kernel/apic/io_apic.c, which is mostly from 2005-2007, says:

/*

• There is a nasty bug in some older SMP boards, their mptable lies
• about the timer IRQ. We do the following to work around the situation:
  *
• - timer IRQ defaults to IO-APIC IRQ
• - if this function detects that timer IRQs are defunct, then we fall
• back to ISA timer IRQs
  */

It seems that there is no reason to add this legacy parameter today anymore on RHEL 8 or RHEL 9, it is not a good practice to use outdated kernel parameters, and it may raise unneeded questions.

Please seriously consider removing the no_timer_check parameter at least on RHEL 9+.

Thanks.