RE: [Xen-users] Exporting a PCI Device

[Gerhard Possler <gerhard.possler@xxxxxxxxxx>]

well, Joris recommandation is valid
anyway, and you will have less pains... but consider also NPIV (you will
need an newer, kernel maybe not supported and also Xen 3.1 and of course
the right HBA (4GB)) 

when you do not have HBA's you may use
iSCSI for your disks, but also here you must access the Storage from Dom0.

happy testing ;-)

Mit freundlichen Grüßen / with kind regards

Gerhard Possler IT Architect IBM Enterprise Linux Services ELS Wiki@IBM (only accessible via IBM intranet)

IT-Services and Solutions GmbH Rathausstr. 7, D-09111 Chemnitz Geschäftsführung: Rainer Laier, Michael Mai Sitz der Gesellschaft: Chemnitz Registergericht: Amtsgericht Chemnitz, HRB 18409 http://www.itsas.de/

gerhard.possler@xxxxxxxxxx Mobil +49 (0) 160 90578637

"Joris Dobbelsteen" <Joris@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent by: xen-users-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

18.02.2008 16:51

To	"Jan Kalcic" <jandot@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, <deshantm@xxxxxxxxx>
cc	xen-users@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject	RE: [Xen-users] Exporting a PCI Device

>-----Original Message-----
>From: xen-users-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 
>[mailto:xen-users-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]
On Behalf Of Jan Kalcic
>Sent: Monday, 18 February 2008 12:02
>To: deshantm@xxxxxxxxx
>Cc: xen-users@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>Subject: Re: [Xen-users] Exporting a PCI Device
>
>Todd Deshane wrote:
>>
>> Hi,
>>
>> On Feb 17, 2008 6:34 PM, Jan Kalcic <jandot@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>> <mailto:jandot@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>>
wrote:
>>
>>     Hi All,
>>
>>     just a quick question I could not figure out. Is
there a way to
>>     export a
>>     PCI device to multiple VMs (para) keeping it available
>to dom0? Xen
>>     version is 3.0.4.
>>
>>
>> As far as I know you can't. That is what virtual devices are 
>used for 
>> right?
>>
>> In what scenario would you want to grant direct access to a 
>PCI device 
>> in VMs and also in dom0?
>>
>Hi Todd,
>
>the PCI device which I would need to "share" is the fibre
>channel card connected to two different storage, on of this is 
>the VMs repository which has to be visible to dom0 and the 
>other one is the data storage for VMs which, obviously, has to 
>be visibile to VMs. So the solution would be using two 
>different fibre channel cards, right?

What I would do is make all storage available to the dom0 and use
regular methods to export it to the domU.
In other words: treat dom0 as a very fancy piece of hardware that's
between your kernel and the fibre-channel attached storage. For generic
solutions the Virtual Block Device should be fast enough, otherwise you
should probably consider a separate server, dedicated to that single
task.

I don't know if you are going to loose any fibre-channel advantages, but
I figure you also reduce administrative complexity to dom0's only.

- Joris


_______________________________________________
Xen-users mailing list
Xen-users@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
http://lists.xensource.com/xen-users

_______________________________________________
Xen-users mailing list
Xen-users@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
http://lists.xensource.com/xen-users