My current server is a nice new Intel 64-bit box and it's running great now
(with all PV
guests). However, the machine it replaced is sitting here unused, and I'd like
to employ
it with Xen as well.
I currently have an older box from some of my previous virtualization
experiments that
is running an Ubuntu host and Sun's VirtualBox VM software with one Linux and
one XP
guest. It runs ok, but I found the setup to be twitchy and unstable. It might
be the
computer itself, the host OS or VirtualBox itself, I have no way to know. But,
I thinks to
myself, why not bring up this unused server with Xen and move the guests from
VirtualBox
over to it? Then I could reformat the machine that has VBox on it into another
Xen and
have plenty of capacity to move guests around.
I was able to convert the VBox VDI into a raw .img file that Xen can handle
just fine,
and move it over to the new (old) Xen machine. but when I went to boot it, I
discovered
that I didn't have Intel VT extensions and it won't boot an HVM without them.
To be fair, I think I knew that. But, what I'm curious about is that the
machine with
VBox on it is about the same vintage Intel CPU, also without VT. So, VirtualBox
must be
using more QEMU-style software virtualization to accomplish virtualizing
HVM-type guests
without VT?
Based on my current experience, I've been happier with Xen, and would like to
just
switch all my virtualization to Xen. The Linux guest can probably be switched
to PV, but
obviously the XP guest can't. Is there any tricks I can employ to accomplish Xen
virtualization of an HVM XP box without VT or AMD-V extensions? I'd really love
to
eliminate VirtualBox from the mix, but I don't have the ability to move the
WinXP guest
over to my new machine that has the VT extensions.
I guess I could maybe run QEMU or something just for this one XP HVM guest?
Any ideas welcomed.
--
Chris 'Xenon' Hanson, omo sanza lettere Xenon AlphaPixel.com
PixelSense Landsat processing now available! http://www.alphapixel.com/demos/
"There is no Truth. There is only Perception. To Perceive is to Exist." - Xen
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