[Xen-users] Installing proprietary software on XEN3-based systems...

["Simonetti Ferdinando" <Ferdinando.Simonetti@xxxxxxxx>]

Hello everybody... After a looooooooong lurking on the list, I'm coming
with some questions...

I'm only THINKING ABOUT this scenario... A lot of old linux hosts to
"virtualize" and "consolidate"...

Let's say that you have this hardware

Dell PowerEdge 2850 with two Xeon CPUs, 4 Gb of RAM
A couple of Qlogic QLA2342 fiber channel HBAs

Let's say that you need to connect this hardware to an IBM "SHARK"
(S.A.N.) to provide disk space for the guests.

My boss says: "if you want to connect this system to my S.A.N. you have
to install IBMsdd package!" (proprietary multipathing software).

IBMsdd says: "ha ha, you have kernel version 2.6.12.6.something!!! I
WANT WANT WANT REALLY WANT kernel version 2.6.9-11.Elsmp for loading my
totally proprietary binary-only kernel modules!!!".

So, I have to:
- pray that kernel SRPMS are built from version 2.6.9-11
- grab them from here
(http://bits.xensource.com/Xen/latest/xen-3.0-x86_32-rhel4.1.src.tar)
- install kernel SRPMS
- tweak the "kernel.spec" file to ensure that the "EXTRAVERSION" is
exactly "-11.Elsmp"
- build kernel RPMS, install it as dom0's kernel.

Is it right???

Now comes the first "real-world" big thing... What if I need to install
Oracle-whatever inside the guests??? The runInstaller is VERY picky
about versions of "not-really-essential" software packages (like glibc,
ah ha...), so I will need to rebuild again from the SRPMS after
"glibc.spec" editing, isnt'it???

Needed glibc-and-so-on versions for Oracle 9.2.0.7 on RHEL4...

glibc-profile-2.3.4-2
glibc-devel-2.3.4-2
glibc-2.3.4-2
glibc-headers-2.3.4-2
glibc-common-2.3.4-2
glibc-utils-2.3.4-2
compat-glibc-headers-2.3.2-95.30
compat-libstdc++-33-3.2.3-47.3
compat-libgcc-296-2.96-132.7.2
compat-gcc-32-c++-3.2.3-47.3
nss_db-compat-2.2-29
compat-glibc-2.3.2-95.30
compat-gcc-32-3.2.3-47.3
compat-libcwait-2.1-1
compat-db-4.1.25-9
compat-libstdc++-296-2.96-132.7.2
compat-oracle-rhel4-1.0-5
compat-glibc-headers-2.3.2-95.30

Additionally, I'm thinking to "consolidate" the corporate firewall
(actually running FW-1 commercial software on RH7.2)... And this will be
ANOTHER nightmare, I think... :(

Excuse me for being so "confusing"... My english isn't really good...
All I need to know is: "is there anybody out there that faced
successfully with this kind of 'proprietary software' problems running
XEN?"

Best regards and thanks in advance.

F. Simonetti

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