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version 1.17, 2014/12/24 00:06:31 version 1.48, 2014/12/26 20:00:44
Line 27  code for Xen and need not be aware that  Line 27  code for Xen and need not be aware that 
 Attempts to access hardware registers are trapped and emulated.  This  Attempts to access hardware registers are trapped and emulated.  This
 style is less efficient but can run unmodified guests.  style is less efficient but can run unmodified guests.
   
 At boot, the dom0 kernel is loaded as module with Xen as the kernel.  Generally any amd64 machine will work with Xen and PV guests.  In
   theory i386 computers without amd64 support can be used for Xen <=
   4.2, but we have no recent reports of this working (this is a hint).
   For HVM guests, the VT or VMX cpu feature (Intel) or SVM/HVM/VT
   (amd64) is needed; "cpuctl identify 0" will show this.  TODO: Clean up
   and check the above features.
   
   At boot, the dom0 kernel is loaded as a module with Xen as the kernel.
 The dom0 can start one or more domUs.  (Booting is explained in detail  The dom0 can start one or more domUs.  (Booting is explained in detail
 in the dom0 section.)  in the dom0 section.)
   
 NetBSD supports Xen in that it can serve as dom0, be used as a domU,  NetBSD supports Xen in that it can serve as dom0, be used as a domU,
 and that Xen kernels and tools are available in pkgsrc.  This HOWTO  and that Xen kernels and tools are available in pkgsrc.  This HOWTO
 attempts to address both the case of running a NetBSD dom0 on hardware  attempts to address both the case of running a NetBSD dom0 on hardware
 and running NetBSD as a domU in a VPS.  and running domUs under it (NetBSD and other), and also running NetBSD
   as a domU in a VPS.
   
   Some versions of Xen support "PCI passthrough", which means that
   specific PCI devices can be made available to a specific domU instead
   of the dom0.  This can be useful to let a domU run X11, or access some
   network interface or other peripheral.
   
 Prerequisites  Prerequisites
 -------------  -------------
Line 48  path when there are no known good reason Line 61  path when there are no known good reason
 This HOWTO presumes a basic familiarity with the Xen system  This HOWTO presumes a basic familiarity with the Xen system
 architecture.  This HOWTO presumes familiarity with installing NetBSD  architecture.  This HOWTO presumes familiarity with installing NetBSD
 on i386/amd64 hardware and installing software from pkgsrc.  on i386/amd64 hardware and installing software from pkgsrc.
 See also the [Xen website](http://www.xen.org/).  See also the [Xen website](http://www.xenproject.org/).
   
   History
   -------
   
   NetBSD used to support Xen2; this has been removed.
   
   Before NetBSD's native bootloader could support Xen, the use of
   grub was recommended.  If necessary, see the
   [old grub information](/ports/xen/howto-grub/).
   
 Versions of Xen and NetBSD  Versions of Xen and NetBSD
 ==========================  ==========================
   
 Most of the installation concepts and instructions are independent of  Most of the installation concepts and instructions are independent
 Xen version.  This section gives advice on which version to choose.  of Xen version and NetBSD version.  This section gives advice on
 Versions not in pkgsrc and older unsupported versions of NetBSD are  which version to choose.  Versions not in pkgsrc and older unsupported
 inentionally ignored.  versions of NetBSD are intentionally ignored.
   
 Xen  Xen
 ---  ---
Line 67  but note that both packages must be inst Line 89  but note that both packages must be inst
 matching versions.  matching versions.
   
 xenkernel3 and xenkernel33 provide Xen 3.1 and 3.3.  These no longer  xenkernel3 and xenkernel33 provide Xen 3.1 and 3.3.  These no longer
 receive security patches and should not be used.  receive security patches and should not be used.  Xen 3.1 supports PCI
   passthrough.  Xen 3.1 supports non-PAE on i386.
   
 xenkernel41 provides Xen 4.1.  This is no longer maintained by Xen,  xenkernel41 provides Xen 4.1.  This is no longer maintained by Xen,
 but as of 2014-12 receives backported security patches.  It is a  but as of 2014-12 receives backported security patches.  It is a
Line 78  of 2014-12. Line 101  of 2014-12.
   
 Ideally newer versions of Xen will be added to pkgsrc.  Ideally newer versions of Xen will be added to pkgsrc.
   
   Note that NetBSD support is called XEN3.  It works with 3.1 through
   4.2 because the hypercall interface has been stable.
   
   Xen command program
   -------------------
   
   Early Xen used a program called "xm" to manipulate the system from the
   dom0.  Starting in 4.1, a replacement program with similar behavior
   called "xl" is provided.  In 4.2 and later, "xl" is preferred.  4.4 is
   the last version that has "xm".
   
 NetBSD  NetBSD
 ------  ------
   
 The netbsd-5, netbsd-6, netbsd-7, and -current branches are all  The netbsd-5, netbsd-6, netbsd-7, and -current branches are all
 reasonable choices, with more or less the same considerations for  reasonable choices, with more or less the same considerations for
 non-Xen use.  Therefore, netbsd-6 is recommended as the stable version  non-Xen use.  Therefore, netbsd-6 is recommended as the stable version
 of the most recent release.  of the most recent release for production use.  For those wanting to
   learn Xen or without production stability concerns, netbsd-7 is likely
   most appropriate.
   
 As of NetBSD 6, a NetBSD domU will support multiple vcpus.  There is  As of NetBSD 6, a NetBSD domU will support multiple vcpus.  There is
 no SMP support for NetBSD as dom0.  (The dom0 itself doesn't really  no SMP support for NetBSD as dom0.  (The dom0 itself doesn't really
 need SMP; the lack of support is really a problem when using a dom0 as  need SMP; the lack of support is really a problem when using a dom0 as
 a normal computer.)  a normal computer.)
   
   Architecture
   ------------
   
   Xen itself can run on i386 or amd64 machines.  (Practically, almost
   any computer where one would want to run Xen supports amd64.)  If
   using an i386 NetBSD kernel for the dom0, PAE is required (PAE
   versions are built by default).  While i386 dom0 works fine, amd64 is
   recommended as more normal.
   
   Xen 4.2 is the last version to support i386 as a host.  TODO: Clarify
   if this is about the CPU having to be amd64, or about the dom0 kernel
   having to be amd64.
   
   One can then run i386 domUs and amd64 domUs, in any combination.  If
   running an i386 NetBSD kernel as a domU, the PAE version is required.
   (Note that emacs (at least) fails if run on i386 with PAE when built
   without, and vice versa, presumably due to bugs in the undump code.)
   
 Recommendation  Recommendation
 --------------  --------------
   
 Therefore, this HOWTO recommends running xenkernel42 (and xentools42)  Therefore, this HOWTO recommends running xenkernel42 (and xentools42),
 and NetBSD 6 stable branch.  xl, the NetBSD 6 stable branch, and to use an amd64 kernel as the
   dom0.  Either the i386 or amd64 of NetBSD may be used as domUs.
   
   Build problems
   --------------
   
   Ideally, all versions of Xen in pkgsrc would build on all versions of
   NetBSD on both i386 and amd64.  However, that isn't the case.  Besides
   aging code and aging compilers, qemu (included in xentools for HVM
   support) is difficult to build.  The following are known to fail:
   
           xenkernel3 netbsd-6 i386
           xentools42 netbsd-6 i386 
   
   The following are known to work:
   
           xenkernel41 netbsd-5 amd64
           xentools41 netbsd-5 amd64
           xenkernel41 netbsd-6 i386
           xentools41 netbsd-6 i386
   
 NetBSD as a dom0  NetBSD as a dom0
 ================  ================
   
 NetBSD can be used as a dom0 and works very well.  The following  NetBSD can be used as a dom0 and works very well.  The following
 sections address installation, updating NetBSD, and updating Xen.  sections address installation, updating NetBSD, and updating Xen.
   Note that it doesn't make sense to talk about installing a dom0 OS
   without also installing Xen itself.  We first address installing
   NetBSD, which is not yet a dom0, and then adding Xen, pivoting the
   NetBSD install to a dom0 install by just changing the kernel and boot
   configuration.
   
   For experimenting with Xen, a machine with as little as 1G of RAM and
   100G of disk can work.  For running many domUs in productions, far
   more will be needed.
   
 Styles of dom0 operation  Styles of dom0 operation
 ------------------------  ------------------------
Line 124  Xen daemons when not running Xen. Line 206  Xen daemons when not running Xen.
 Note that NetBSD as dom0 does not support multiple CPUs.  This will  Note that NetBSD as dom0 does not support multiple CPUs.  This will
 limit the performance of the Xen/dom0 workstation approach.  limit the performance of the Xen/dom0 workstation approach.
   
 Installation of NetBSD and Xen  Installation of NetBSD
 ------------------------------  ----------------------
   
 Note that it doesn't make sense to talk about installing a dom0 OS  First,
 without also installing Xen itself.  [install NetBSD/amd64](/guide/inst/)
   just as you would if you were not using Xen.
   However, the partitioning approach is very important.
   
 First do a NetBSD/i386 or NetBSD/amd64  If you want to use RAIDframe for the dom0, there are no special issues
 [installation](../../docs/guide/en/chap-inst.html) of the 5.1 release  for Xen.  Typically one provides RAID storage for the dom0, and the
 (or newer) as you usually do on x86 hardware. The binary releases are  domU systems are unaware of RAID.  The 2nd-stage loader bootxx_* skips
 available from [](ftp://ftp.NetBSD.org/pub/NetBSD/). Binary snapshots  over a RAID1 header to find /boot from a filesystem within a RAID
 for current and the stable branches are available on daily autobuilds.  partition; this is no different when booting Xen.
 If you plan to use the `grub` boot loader, when partitioning the disk  
 you have to make the root partition smaller than 512Mb, and formatted as  
 FFSv1 with 8k block/1k fragments. If the partition is larger than this,  
 uses FFSv2 or has different block/fragment sizes, grub may fail to load  
 some files. Also keep in mind that you'll probably want to provide  
 virtual disks to other domains, so reserve some partitions for these  
 virtual disks. Alternatively, you can create large files in the file  
 system, map them to vnd(4) devices and export theses vnd devices to  
 other domains.  
   
 Next step is to install the Xen packages via pkgsrc or from binary  
 packages. See [the pkgsrc  
 documentation](http://www.NetBSD.org/docs/pkgsrc/) if you are unfamiliar  
 with pkgsrc and/or handling of binary packages. Xen 3.1, 3.3, 4.1 and  
 4.2 are available. 3.1 supports PCI pass-through while other versions do  
 not. You'll need either `sysutils/xentools3` and `sysutils/xenkernel3`  
 for Xen 3.1, `sysutils/xentools33` and `sysutils/xenkernel33` for Xen  
 3.3, `sysutils/xentools41` and `sysutils/xenkernel41` for Xen 4.1. or  
 `sysutils/xentools42` and `sysutils/xenkernel42` for Xen 4.2. You'll  
 also need `sysutils/grub` if you plan do use the grub boot loader. If  
 using Xen 3.1, you may also want to install `sysutils/xentools3-hvm`  
 which contains the utilities to run unmodified guests OSes using the  
 *HVM* support (for later versions this is included in  
 `sysutils/xentools`). Note that your CPU needs to support this. Intel  
 CPUs must have the 'VT' instruction, AMD CPUs the 'SVM' instruction. You  
 can easily find out if your CPU support HVM by using NetBSD's cpuctl  
 command:  
   
     # cpuctl identify 0  
     cpu0: Intel Core 2 (Merom) (686-class), id 0x6f6  
     cpu0: features 0xbfebfbff<FPU,VME,DE,PSE,TSC,MSR,PAE,MCE,CX8,APIC,SEP,MTRR>  
     cpu0: features 0xbfebfbff<PGE,MCA,CMOV,PAT,PSE36,CFLUSH,DS,ACPI,MMX>  
     cpu0: features 0xbfebfbff<FXSR,SSE,SSE2,SS,HTT,TM,SBF>  
     cpu0: features2 0x4e33d<SSE3,DTES64,MONITOR,DS-CPL,,TM2,SSSE3,CX16,xTPR,PDCM,DCA>  
     cpu0: features3 0x20100800<SYSCALL/SYSRET,XD,EM64T>  
     cpu0: "Intel(R) Xeon(R) CPU            5130  @ 2.00GHz"  
     cpu0: I-cache 32KB 64B/line 8-way, D-cache 32KB 64B/line 8-way  
     cpu0: L2 cache 4MB 64B/line 16-way  
     cpu0: ITLB 128 4KB entries 4-way  
     cpu0: DTLB 256 4KB entries 4-way, 32 4MB entries 4-way  
     cpu0: Initial APIC ID 0  
     cpu0: Cluster/Package ID 0  
     cpu0: Core ID 0  
     cpu0: family 06 model 0f extfamily 00 extmodel 00  
   
 Depending on your CPU, the feature you are looking for is called HVM,  
 SVM or VMX.  
   
 Next you need to copy the selected Xen kernel itself. pkgsrc installed  
 them under `/usr/pkg/xen*-kernel/`. The file you're looking for is  
 `xen.gz`. Copy it to your root file system. `xen-debug.gz` is a kernel  
 with more consistency checks and more details printed on the serial  
 console. It is useful for debugging crashing guests if you use a serial  
 console. It is not useful with a VGA console.  
   
 You'll then need a NetBSD/Xen kernel for *domain0* on your root file  
 system. The XEN3PAE\_DOM0 kernel or XEN3\_DOM0 provided as part of the  
 i386 or amd64 binaries is suitable for this, but you may want to  
 customize it. Keep your native kernel around, as it can be useful for  
 recovery. *Note:* the *domain0* kernel must support KERNFS and `/kern`  
 must be mounted because *xend* needs access to `/kern/xen/privcmd`.  
   
 Next you need to get a bootloader to load the `xen.gz` kernel, and the  
 NetBSD *domain0* kernel as a module. This can be `grub` or NetBSD's boot  
 loader. Below is a detailled example for grub, see the boot.cfg(5)  
 manual page for an example using the latter.  
   
 This is also where you'll specify the memory allocated to *domain0*, the  
 console to use, etc ...  
   
 Here is a commented `/grub/menu.lst` file:  
   
     #Grub config file for NetBSD/xen. Copy as /grub/menu.lst and run  
     # grub-install /dev/rwd0d (assuming your boot device is wd0).  
     #  
     # The default entry to load will be the first one  
     default=0  
   
     # boot the default entry after 10s if the user didn't hit keyboard  
     timeout=10  
   
     # Configure serial port to use as console. Ignore if you'll use VGA only  
     serial --unit=0 --speed=115200 --word=8 --parity=no --stop=1  
   
     # Let the user select which console to use (serial or VGA), default  
     # to serial after 10s  
     terminal --timeout=10 serial console  
   
     # An entry for NetBSD/xen, using /netbsd as the domain0 kernel, and serial  
     # console. Domain0 will have 64MB RAM allocated.  
     # Assume NetBSD is installed in the first MBR partition.  
     title Xen 3 / NetBSD (hda0, serial)  
       root(hd0,0)  
       kernel (hd0,a)/xen.gz dom0_mem=65536 com1=115200,8n1  
       module (hd0,a)/netbsd bootdev=wd0a ro console=ttyS0  
   
     # Same as above, but using VGA console  
     # We can use console=tty0 (Linux syntax) or console=pc (NetBSD syntax)  
     title Xen 3 / NetBSD (hda0, vga)  
       root(hd0,0)  
       kernel (hd0,a)/xen.gz dom0_mem=65536  
       module (hd0,a)/netbsd bootdev=wd0a ro console=tty0  
   
     # NetBSD/xen using a backup domain0 kernel (in case you installed a  
     # nonworking kernel as /netbsd  
     title Xen 3 / NetBSD (hda0, backup, serial)  
       root(hd0,0)  
       kernel (hd0,a)/xen.gz dom0_mem=65536 com1=115200,8n1  
       module (hd0,a)/netbsd.backup bootdev=wd0a ro console=ttyS0  
     title Xen 3 / NetBSD (hda0, backup, VGA)  
       root(hd0,0)  
       kernel (hd0,a)/xen.gz dom0_mem=65536  
       module (hd0,a)/netbsd.backup bootdev=wd0a ro console=tty0  
   
     #Load a regular NetBSD/i386 kernel. Can be useful if you end up with a  
     #nonworking /xen.gz  
     title NetBSD 5.1  
       root (hd0,a)  
       kernel --type=netbsd /netbsd-GENERIC  
   
     #Load the NetBSD bootloader, letting it load the NetBSD/i386 kernel.  
     #May be better than the above, as grub can't pass all required infos  
     #to the NetBSD/i386 kernel (e.g. console, root device, ...)  
     title NetBSD chain  
       root        (hd0,0)  
       chainloader +1  
   
     ## end of grub config file.  There are 4 styles of providing backing storage for the virtual disks
             used by domUs: raw partitions, LVM, file-backed vnd(4), and SAN,
   
 Install grub with the following command:  With raw partitions, one has a disklabel (or gpt) partition sized for
   each virtual disk to be used by the domU.  (If you are able to predict
   how domU usage will evolve, please add an explanation to the HOWTO.
   Seriously, needs tend to change over time.)
   
     # grub --no-floppy  One can use [lvm(8)](/guide/lvm/) to create logical devices to use
   for domU disks.  This is almost as efficient as raw disk partitions
   and more flexible.  Hence raw disk partitions should typically not
   be used.
   
     grub> root (hd0,a)  One can use files in the dom0 filesystem, typically created by dd'ing
      Filesystem type is ffs, partition type 0xa9  /dev/zero to create a specific size.  This is somewhat less efficient,
   but very convenient, as one can cp the files for backup, or move them
   between dom0 hosts.
   
     grub> setup (hd0)  Finally, in theory one can place the files backing the domU disks in a
      Checking if "/boot/grub/stage1" exists... no  SAN.  (This is an invitation for someone who has done this to add a
      Checking if "/grub/stage1" exists... yes  HOWTO page.)
      Checking if "/grub/stage2" exists... yes  
      Checking if "/grub/ffs_stage1_5" exists... yes  Installation of Xen
      Running "embed /grub/ffs_stage1_5 (hd0)"...  14 sectors are embedded.  -------------------
     succeeded  
      Running "install /grub/stage1 (hd0) (hd0)1+14 p (hd0,0,a)/grub/stage2 /grub/menu.lst"...  In the dom0, install sysutils/xenkernel42 and sysutils/xentools42 from
      succeeded  pkgsrc (or another matching pair).
     Done.  See [the pkgsrc
             documentation](http://www.NetBSD.org/docs/pkgsrc/) for help with pkgsrc.
   
   For Xen 3.1, support for HVM guests is in sysutils/xentool3-hvm.  More
   recent versions have HVM support integrated in the main xentools
   package.  It is entirely reasonable to run only PV guests.
   
   Next you need to install the selected Xen kernel itself, which is
   installed by pkgsrc as "/usr/pkg/xen*-kernel/xen.gz".  Copy it to /.
   For debugging, one may copy xen-debug.gz; this is conceptually similar
   to DIAGNOSTIC and DEBUG in NetBSD.  xen-debug.gz is basically only
   useful with a serial console.  Then, place a NetBSD XEN3_DOM0 kernel
   in /, copied from releasedir/amd64/binary/kernel/netbsd-XEN3_DOM0.gz
   of a NetBSD build.  Both xen and NetBSD may be left compressed.  (If
   using i386, use releasedir/i386/binary/kernel/netbsd-XEN3PAE_DOM0.gz.)
   
   In a dom0 kernel, kernfs is mandatory for xend to comunicate with the
   kernel, so ensure that /kern is in fstab.
   
   Because you already installed NetBSD, you have a working boot setup
   with an MBR bootblock, either bootxx_ffsv1 or bootxx_ffsv2 at the
   beginning of your root filesystem, /boot present, and likely
   /boot.cfg.  (If not, fix before continuing!)
   
   See boot.cfg(5) for an example.  The basic line is
   
           menu=Xen:load /netbsd-XEN3_DOM0.gz console=pc;multiboot /xen.gz dom0_mem=256M
   
   which specifies that the dom0 should have 256M, leaving the rest to be
   allocated for domUs.  In an attempt to add performance, one can also
   add
   
           dom0_max_vcpus=1 dom0_vcpus_pin
   
   to force only one vcpu to be provided (since NetBSD dom0 can't use
   more) and to pin that vcpu to a physical cpu.  TODO: benchmark this.
   
   As with non-Xen systems, you should have a line to boot /netbsd (a
   kernel that works without Xen) and fallback versions of the non-Xen
   kernel, Xen, and the dom0 kernel.
   
   The [HowTo on Installing into
   RAID-1](http://mail-index.NetBSD.org/port-xen/2006/03/01/0010.html)
   explains how to set up booting a dom0 with Xen using grub with
   NetBSD's RAIDframe.  (This is obsolete with the use of NetBSD's native
   boot.)
   
   Configuring Xen
   ---------------
   
   Now, you have a system that will boot Xen and the dom0 kernel, and
   just run the dom0 kernel.  There will be no domUs, and none can be
   started because you still have to configure the dom0 tools.  The
   daemons which should be run vary with Xen version and with whether one
   is using xm or xl.  Note that xend is for supporting "xm", and should
   only be used if you plan on using "xm".  Do NOT enable xend if you
   plan on using "xl" as it will cause problems.
   
   The installation of NetBSD should already have created devices for xen
   (xencons, xenevt), but if they are not present, create them:
   
           cd /dev && sh MAKEDEV xen
   
   TODO: Give 3.1 advice (or remove it from pkgsrc).
   
   For 3.3 (and thus xm), add to rc.conf (but note that you should have
   installed 4.1 or 4.2):
   
           xend=YES
           xenbackendd=YES
   
   For 4.1 (and thus xm; xl is believed not to work well), add to rc.conf:
   
           xend=YES
           xencommons=YES
   
   TODO: Explain why if xm is preferred on 4.1, rc.d/xendomains has xl.
   Or fix the package.
   
   For 4.2 with xm, add to rc.conf
   
           xend=YES
           xencommons=YES
   
   For 4.2 with xl (preferred), add to rc.conf:
   
           TODO: explain if there is a xend replacement
           xencommons=YES
   
   TODO: Recommend for/against xen-watchdog.
   
   After you have configured the daemons and either started them or
   rebooted, run the following (or use xl) to inspect Xen's boot
   messages, available resources, and running domains:
   
           # xm dmesg
           [xen's boot info]
           # xm info
           [available memory, etc.]
           # xm list
           Name              Id  Mem(MB)  CPU  State  Time(s)  Console
           Domain-0           0       64    0  r----     58.1
   
   anita (for testing NetBSD)
   --------------------------
   
   With the setup so far, one should be able to run anita (see
   pkgsrc/sysutils/py-anita) to test NetBSD releases, by doing (as root,
   because anita must create a domU):
   
           anita --vmm=xm test file:///usr/obj/i386/
   
   Alternatively, one can use --vmm=xl to use xl-based domU creation instead.
   TODO: check this.
   
   Xen-specific NetBSD issues
   --------------------------
   
   There are (at least) two additional things different about NetBSD as a
   dom0 kernel compared to hardware.
   
   One is that modules are not usable in DOM0 kernels, so one must
   compile in what's needed.  It's not really that modules cannot work,
   but that modules must be built for XEN3_DOM0 because some of the
   defines change and the normal module builds don't do this.  Basically,
   enabling Xen changes the kernel ABI, and the module build system
   doesn't cope with this.
   
   The other difference is that XEN3_DOM0 does not have exactly the same
   options as GENERIC.  While it is debatable whether or not this is a
   bug, users should be aware of this and can simply add missing config
   items if desired.
   
 Updating NetBSD in a dom0  Updating NetBSD in a dom0
 -------------------------  -------------------------
Line 295  and adjusts /etc. Line 391  and adjusts /etc.
 Note that one must update both the non-Xen kernel typically used for  Note that one must update both the non-Xen kernel typically used for
 rescue purposes and the DOM0 kernel used with Xen.  rescue purposes and the DOM0 kernel used with Xen.
   
   To convert from grub to /boot, install an mbr bootblock with fdisk,
   bootxx_ with installboot, /boot and /boot.cfg.  This really should be
   no different than completely reinstalling boot blocks on a non-Xen
   system.
   
 Updating Xen versions  Updating Xen versions
 ---------------------  ---------------------
   
 TODO: write  Updating Xen is conceptually not difficult, but can run into all the
   issues found when installing Xen.  Assuming migration from 4.1 to 4.2,
   remove the xenkernel41 and xentools41 packages and install the
   xenkernel42 and xentools42 packages.  Copy the 4.2 xen.gz to /.
   
   Ensure that the contents of /etc/rc.d/xen* are correct.  Enable the
   correct set of daemons.  Ensure that the domU config files are valid
   for the new version.
   
   
   Unprivileged domains (domU)
   ===========================
   
   This section describes general concepts about domUs.  It does not
   address specific domU operating systems or how to install them.  The
   config files for domUs are typically in /usr/pkg/etc/xen, and are
   typically named so that the file anme, domU name and the domU's host
   name match.
   
   The domU is provided with cpu and memory by Xen, configured by the
   dom0.  The domU is provided with disk and network by the dom0,
   mediated by Xen, and configured in the dom0.
   
   Entropy in domUs can be an issue; physical disks and network are on
   the dom0.  NetBSD's /dev/random system works, but is often challenged.
   
   Config files
   ------------
   
   There is no good order to present config files and the concepts
   surrounding what is being configured.  We first show an example config
   file, and then in the various sections give details.
   
   See (at least in xentools41) /usr/pkg/share/examples/xen/xmexample*,
   for a large number of well-commented examples, mostly for running
   GNU/Linux.
   
   The following is an example minimal domain configuration file
   "/usr/pkg/etc/xen/foo".  It is (with only a name change) an actual
   known working config file on Xen 4.1 (NetBSD 5 amd64 dom0 and NetBSD 5
   i386 domU).  The domU serves as a network file server.
   
           # -*- mode: python; -*-
   
           kernel = "/netbsd-XEN3PAE_DOMU-i386-foo.gz"
           memory = 1024
           vif = [ 'mac=aa:00:00:d1:00:09,bridge=bridge0' ]
           disk = [ 'file:/n0/xen/foo-wd0,0x0,w',
                    'file:/n0/xen/foo-wd1,0x1,w' ]
   
   The domain will have the same name as the file.  The kernel has the
   host/domU name in it, so that on the dom0 one can update the various
   domUs independently.  The vif line causes an interface to be provided,
   with a specific mac address (do not reuse MAC addresses!), in bridge
   mode.  Two disks are provided, and they are both writable; the bits
   are stored in files and Xen attaches them to a vnd(4) device in the
   dom0 on domain creation.  The system treates xbd0 as the boot device
   without needing explicit configuration.
   
   By default xm looks for domain config files in /usr/pkg/etc/xen.  Note
   that "xm create" takes the name of a config file, while other commands
   take the name of a domain.  To create the domain, connect to the
   console, create the domain while attaching the console, shutdown the
   domain, and see if it has finished stopping, do (or xl with Xen >=
   4.2):
   
           xm create foo
           xm console foo
           xm create -c foo
           xm shutdown foo
           xm list
   
   Typing ^] will exit the console session.  Shutting down a domain is
   equivalent to pushing the power button; a NetBSD domU will receive a
   power-press event and do a clean shutdown.  Shutting down the dom0
   will trigger controlled shutdowns of all configured domUs.
   
   domU kernels
   ------------
   
   On a physical computer, the BIOS reads sector 0, and a chain of boot
   loaders finds and loads a kernel.  Normally this comes from the root
   filesystem.  With Xen domUs, the process is totally different.  The
   normal path is for the domU kernel to be a file in the dom0's
   filesystem.  At the request of the dom0, Xen loads that kernel into a
   new domU instance and starts execution.  While domU kernels can be
   anyplace, reasonable places to store domU kernels on the dom0 are in /
   (so they are near the dom0 kernel), in /usr/pkg/etc/xen (near the
   config files), or in /u0/xen (where the vdisks are).
   
   See the VPS section near the end for discussion of alternate ways to
   obtain domU kernels.
   
   CPU and memory
   --------------
   
 Creating unprivileged domains (domU)  A domain is provided with some number of vcpus, less than the number
 ====================================  of cpus seen by the hypervisor.  (For a dom0, this is controlled by
   the boot argument "dom0_max_vcpus=1".)  For a domU, it is controlled
   from the config file by the "vcpus = N" directive.
   
   A domain is provided with memory; this is controlled in the config
   file by "memory = N" (in megabytes).  In the straightforward case, the
   sum of the the memory allocated to the dom0 and all domUs must be less
   than the available memory.
   
   Xen also provides a "balloon" driver, which can be used to let domains
   use more memory temporarily.  TODO: Explain better, and explain how
   well it works with NetBSD.
   
   Virtual disks
   -------------
   
   With the file/vnd style, typically one creates a directory,
   e.g. /u0/xen, on a disk large enough to hold virtual disks for all
   domUs.  Then, for each domU disk, one writes zeros to a file that then
   serves to hold the virtual disk's bits; a suggested name is foo-xbd0
   for the first virtual disk for the domU called foo.  Writing zeros to
   the file serves two purposes.  One is that preallocating the contents
   improves performance.  The other is that vnd on sparse files has
   failed to work.  TODO: give working/notworking NetBSD versions for
   sparse vnd.  Note that the use of file/vnd for Xen is not really
   different than creating a file-backed virtual disk for some other
   purpose, except that xentools handles the vnconfig commands.  To
   create an empty 4G virtual disk, simply do
   
           dd if=/dev/zero of=foo-xbd0 bs=1m count=4096
   
   With the lvm style, one creates logical devices.  They are then used
   similarly to vnds.  TODO: Add an example with lvm.
   
   In domU config files, the disks are defined as a sequence of 3-tuples.
   The first element is "method:/path/to/disk".  Common methods are
   "file:" for file-backed vnd. and "phy:" for something that is already
   a (TODO: character or block) device.
   
   The second element is an artifact of how virtual disks are passed to
   Linux, and a source of confusion with NetBSD Xen usage.  Linux domUs
   are given a device name to associate with the disk, and values like
   "hda1" or "sda1" are common.  In a NetBSD domU, the first disk appears
   as xbd0, the second as xbd1, and so on.  However, xm/xl demand a
   second argument.  The name given is converted to a major/minor by
   consulting /dev and this is passed to the domU (TODO: check this).  In
   the general case, the dom0 and domU can be different operating
   systems, and it is an unwarranted assumption that they have consistent
   numbering in /dev, or even that the dom0 OS has a /dev.  With NetBSD
   as both dom0 and domU, using values of 0x0 for the first disk and 0x1
   for the second works fine and avoids this issue.
   
   The third element is "w" for writable disks, and "r" for read-only
   disks.
   
   Virtual Networking
   ------------------
   
   Xen provides virtual ethernets, each of which connects the dom0 and a
   domU.  For each virtual network, there is an interface "xvifN.M" in
   the dom0, and in domU index N, a matching interface xennetM (NetBSD
   name).  The interfaces behave as if there is an Ethernet with two
   adaptors connected.  From this primitive, one can construct various
   configurations.  We focus on two common and useful cases for which
   there are existing scripts: bridging and NAT.
   
   With bridging (in the example above), the domU perceives itself to be
   on the same network as the dom0.  For server virtualization, this is
   usually best.  Bridging is accomplished by creating a bridge(4) device
   and adding the dom0's physical interface and the various xvifN.0
   interfaces to the bridge.  One specifies "bridge=bridge0" in the domU
   config file.  The bridge must be set up already in the dom0; an
   example /etc/ifconfig.bridge0 is:
   
           create
           up
           !brconfig bridge0 add wm0
   
   With NAT, the domU perceives itself to be behind a NAT running on the
   dom0.  This is often appropriate when running Xen on a workstation.
   TODO: NAT appears to be configured by "vif = [ '' ]".
   
   Sizing domains
   --------------
   
   Modern x86 hardware has vast amounts of resources.  However, many
   virtual servers can function just fine on far less.  A system with
   256M of RAM and a 4G disk can be a reasonable choice.  Note that it is
   far easier to adjust virtual resources than physical ones.  For
   memory, it's just a config file edit and a reboot.  For disk, one can
   create a new file and vnconfig it (or lvm), and then dump/restore,
   just like updating physical disks, but without having to be there and
   without those pesky connectors.
   
   Starting domains automatically
   ------------------------------
   
   To start domains foo at bar at boot and shut them down cleanly on dom0
   shutdown, in rc.conf add:
   
           xendomains="foo bar"
   
   TODO: Explain why 4.1 rc.d/xendomains has xl, when one should use xm
   on 4.1.  Or fix the xentools41 package to have xm
   
   Creating specific unprivileged domains (domU)
   =============================================
   
 Creating domUs is almost entirely independent of operating system.  We  Creating domUs is almost entirely independent of operating system.  We
 first explain NetBSD, and then differences for Linux and Solaris.  first explain NetBSD, and then differences for Linux and Solaris.
   Note that you must have already completed the dom0 setup so that "xm
   list" (or "xl list") works.
   
 Creating an unprivileged NetBSD domain (domU)  Creating an unprivileged NetBSD domain (domU)
 ---------------------------------------------  ---------------------------------------------
   
 Once you have *domain0* running, you need to start the xen tool daemon  
 (`/usr/pkg/share/examples/rc.d/xend start`) and the xen backend daemon  
 (`/usr/pkg/share/examples/rc.d/xenbackendd start` for Xen3\*,  
 `/usr/pkg/share/examples/rc.d/xencommons start` for Xen4.\*). Make sure  
 that `/dev/xencons` and `/dev/xenevt` exist before starting `xend`. You  
 can create them with this command:  
   
     # cd /dev && sh MAKEDEV xen  
   
 xend will write logs to `/var/log/xend.log` and  
 `/var/log/xend-debug.log`. You can then control xen with the xm tool.  
 'xm list' will show something like:  
   
     # xm list  
     Name              Id  Mem(MB)  CPU  State  Time(s)  Console  
     Domain-0           0       64    0  r----     58.1  
   
 'xm create' allows you to create a new domain. It uses a config file in  'xm create' allows you to create a new domain. It uses a config file in
 PKG\_SYSCONFDIR for its parameters. By default, this file will be in  PKG\_SYSCONFDIR for its parameters. By default, this file will be in
 `/usr/pkg/etc/xen/`. On creation, a kernel has to be specified, which  `/usr/pkg/etc/xen/`. On creation, a kernel has to be specified, which
 will be executed in the new domain (this kernel is in the *domain0* file  will be executed in the new domain (this kernel is in the *domain0* file
 system, not on the new domain virtual disk; but please note, you should  system, not on the new domain virtual disk; but please note, you should
 install the same kernel into *domainU* as `/netbsd` in order to make  install the same kernel into *domainU* as `/netbsd` in order to make
 your system tools, like MAN.SAVECORE.8, work). A suitable kernel is  your system tools, like savecore(8), work). A suitable kernel is
 provided as part of the i386 and amd64 binary sets: XEN3\_DOMU.  provided as part of the i386 and amd64 binary sets: XEN3\_DOMU.
   
 Here is an /usr/pkg/etc/xen/nbsd example config file:  Here is an /usr/pkg/etc/xen/nbsd example config file:
Line 442  like this: Line 728  like this:
     !brconfig $int add ex0 up      !brconfig $int add ex0 up
   
 (replace `ex0` with the name of your physical interface). Then bridge0  (replace `ex0` with the name of your physical interface). Then bridge0
 will be created on boot. See the MAN.BRIDGE.4 man page for details.  will be created on boot. See the bridge(4) man page for details.
   
 So, here is a suitable `/usr/pkg/etc/xen/vif-bridge` for xvif?.? (a  So, here is a suitable `/usr/pkg/etc/xen/vif-bridge` for xvif?.? (a
 working vif-bridge is also provided with xentools20) configuring:  working vif-bridge is also provided with xentools20) configuring:
   
     #!/bin/sh      #!/bin/sh
     #============================================================================      #============================================================================
     # $NetBSD: howto.mdwn,v 1.16 2014/12/24 00:06:01 gdt Exp $      # $NetBSD: howto.mdwn,v 1.47 2014/12/26 18:35:45 gdt Exp $
     #      #
     # /usr/pkg/etc/xen/vif-bridge      # /usr/pkg/etc/xen/vif-bridge
     #      #
Line 826  to use PCI devices in a domU. Here's a k Line 1112  to use PCI devices in a domU. Here's a k
     sd*     at scsibus? target ? lun ?      # SCSI disk drives      sd*     at scsibus? target ? lun ?      # SCSI disk drives
     cd*     at scsibus? target ? lun ?      # SCSI CD-ROM drives      cd*     at scsibus? target ? lun ?      # SCSI CD-ROM drives
   
 Links and further information  
 =============================  
   
 -   The [HowTo on Installing into RAID-1](http://mail-index.NetBSD.org/port-xen/2006/03/01/0010.html)  NetBSD as a domU in a VPS
     explains how to set up booting a dom0 with Xen using grub   =========================
     with NetBSD's RAIDframe.  (This is obsolete with the use of  
     NetBSD's native boot.)  The bulk of the HOWTO is about using NetBSD as a dom0 on your own
 -   An example of how to use NetBSD's native bootloader to load  hardware.  This section explains how to deal with Xen in a domU as a
     NetBSD/Xen instead of Grub can be found in the i386/amd64 boot(8)  virtual private server where you do not control or have access to the
     and boot.cfg(5) manpages.  dom0.
   
   TODO: Perhaps reference panix, prmgr, amazon as interesting examples.
   
   TODO: Somewhere, discuss pvgrub and py-grub to load the domU kernel
   from the domU filesystem.
   
   Using npf
   ---------
   
   In standard kernels, npf is a module, and thus cannot be loadeed in a
   DOMU kernel.
   
   TODO: explain how to compile npf into a custom kernel, answering:
   http://mail-index.netbsd.org/netbsd-users/2014/12/26/msg015576.html
Removed from v.1.17  
changed lines
  Added in v.1.48

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