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Re: [Xen-users] Debian Repository

Can you compie the kernel from kernel.org and also compile xen from xen.org and it work under pv op?

Sent from my iPod

On 13 Jan 2010, at 11:46, Pasi Kärkkäinen <pasik@xxxxxx> wrote:

On Wed, Jan 13, 2010 at 11:37:12AM -0000, Ian Tobin wrote:
Right im with you.

I take it the XENpatches are better though because they are not so generic and have better performance


At the moment the original "Xenlinux" patches, or the various
forward-ports of them (by Novel/OpenSUSE), might be faster than pv_ops.

Also pv_ops dom0 patches are still lacking some features.. but
development is happening all the time, so that will get fixed in the
near future.

In the future pv_ops (domU and dom0) is meant to be the one and only correct solution.

-- Pasi

Ian

-----Original Message-----
From: Pasi Kärkkäinen [mailto:pasik@xxxxxx]
Sent: 13 January 2010 11:34
To: Ian Tobin
Cc: xen-users@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: [Xen-users] Debian Repository

On Wed, Jan 13, 2010 at 11:30:24AM -0000, Ian Tobin wrote:
Ok i think i understand all that :)

So if compiled the the latest kernel enabling the xen options i can run a DomU on the pv_ops framework?


Yes, the upstream Linux kernel can be used as Xen PV domU kernel.

Distributions like Fedora 10, Fedora 11, Fedora 12 contain pv_ops based
Xen PV domU kernels out-of-the-box.

pv_ops makes it possible to run the exact same kernel binary on both
baremetal (without Xen) and on Xen PV domU/guest!

-- Pasi

Ian

-----Original Message-----
From: Pasi Kärkkäinen [mailto:pasik@xxxxxx]
Sent: 13 January 2010 11:10
To: Ian Tobin
Cc: xen-users@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: [Xen-users] Debian Repository

On Wed, Jan 13, 2010 at 10:56:04AM -0000, Ian Tobin wrote:
Sorry im a bit confused, why have they added DomU support but no Dom0 support?


It's a long story. The 'original' Xenlinux patches (around Linux 2.6.18 timeframe, including dom0 support) were submitted for inclusion in upstream Linux,
but the patches were considered too intrusive, ie. they modified too
much non-Xen generic x86 code, so the patches were not accepted into Linux.

That's when Xensource, VMware etc started working on a general
paravirtualization framework for Linux. This was called pv_ops (paravirt_ops). It took a long time to get the generic pv_ops framework in shape and merged in Linux, and then after that Xen pv_ops domU support was merged in mainline Linux.

See here for history/changelog: http://wiki.xensource.com/xenwiki/XenParavirtOps

Today upstream/mainline Linux contains Xen domU support using the pv_ops framework.

I was under the impression that pv_ops replaces Dom0 and you can run domU on pv_ops?


Jeremy (from Citrix/Xensource) is working on adding dom0 support to
Linux pv_ops, so that mainline Linux can function as a dom0 kernel.

Currently pv_ops dom0 patches are in Jeremy's git tree, and not yet
accepted into upstream Linux. Jeremy is working hard on this.

See XenParavirtOps wiki page for status updates.

That saying do i need a Dom0 if using pv_ops ?


Uhm.. you always need dom0 to manage and run Xen.
Dom0 kernel can be based on pv_ops, or the old 'xenlinux' patches.

Hopefully that clears it up.

-- Pasi

Ian

-----Original Message-----
From: Pasi Kärkkäinen [mailto:pasik@xxxxxx]
Sent: 13 January 2010 09:59
To: Ian Tobin
Cc: xen-users@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: [Xen-users] Debian Repository

On Wed, Jan 13, 2010 at 09:30:52AM -0000, Ian Tobin wrote:
Just another quick one, if i downloaded the latest kernel from kernel.org and compiled it would this have support for the latest XEN release?


vanilla kernel from kernel.org has Xen domU (guest) support included,
using the Linux pv_ops framework.

Dom0 support is not yet included in kernel.org kernels.

List of various dom0 capable kernels and patches here:
http://wiki.xensource.com/xenwiki/XenDom0Kernels

-- Pasi



-----Original Message-----
From: Pasi Kärkkäinen [mailto:pasik@xxxxxx]
Sent: 13 January 2010 09:23
To: Ian Tobin
Cc: xen-users@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: [Xen-users] Debian Repository

On Wed, Jan 13, 2010 at 09:07:17AM -0000, Ian Tobin wrote:
If Debian is not going to be supported for much longer what would the next best OS be?


If you read the posts, they're actively working on fixing the packages.

-- Pasi



-----Original Message-----
From: Pasi Kärkkäinen [mailto:pasik@xxxxxx]
Sent: 12 January 2010 14:20
To: Ian Tobin
Cc: xen-users@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: [Xen-users] Debian Repository

On Tue, Jan 12, 2010 at 04:16:31PM +0200, Pasi Kärkkäinen wrote:
On Tue, Jan 12, 2010 at 12:44:32PM -0000, Ian Tobin wrote:
  Hi,



Im trying to install Netware and Windows 2008 server but im having problems with it reading the ISO. Im guessing this is because im running version 3.2.1 debian packages so i want to upgrade to unstable and use the
  3.4 deb packages.



My problem is that there isn't a kernel package so when booting you cant boot into xenified kernel mode. If i try and use a kernel from the stable
  tree it messes things up.



How is everyone else running the 3.4 packages? Ive read about pv_ops but i
  don't know how to install or use it.



  Any ideas?


I think the Debian Xen 3.4.2 debs are also missing qemu-dm required
for Xen HVM guests.

Debian developers are working on adding qemu-dm back to the packages (it was removed because the Debian Xen maintainer didn't want to maintain it, he thought managing/patching Qemu was too much work for him).

There was discussion about this on xen-devel and on debian pkg- xen
mailinglists:

http://lists.xensource.com/archives/html/xen-devel/2009-12/msg00716.html
and
http://blog.xen.org/index.php/2009/12/15/support-to-be-removed-from-debian-squeeze-call-for-volunteers/

You could always compile your own Xen dom0 kernel, there are many
options for that:

http://wiki.xensource.com/xenwiki/XenDom0Kernels


At the moment Linux 2.6.31.9 with OpenSUSE 2.6.31-10 Xen patches might
be a good option for you as a dom0 kernel.

-- Pasi












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