wikisrc/ports/xen/howto.mdwn - diff

Return to howto.mdwn CVS log

Up to [NetBSD Developer Wiki] / wikisrc / ports / xen

Diff for /wikisrc/ports/xen/howto.mdwn between versions 1.58 and 1.69

-version 1.58, 2014/12/27 00:36:20
+version 1.69, 2014/12/31 00:33:48
  Line 151  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:
+ support) is difficult to build.  The following are known to work or FAIL:
-         xenkernel3 netbsd-6 i386
-         xentools42 netbsd-6 i386
- The following are known to work:
+         xenkernel3 netbsd-5 amd64
+         xentools3 netbsd-5 amd64
+         xentools3=hvm netbsd-5 amd64 ????
+         xenkernel33 netbsd-5 amd64
+         xentools33 netbsd-5 amd64
          xenkernel41 netbsd-5 amd64
          xentools41 netbsd-5 amd64
+         xenkernel42 netbsd-5 amd64
+         xentools42 netbsd-5 amd64
+         xenkernel3 netbsd-6 i386 FAIL
+         xentools3 netbsd-6 i386
+         xentools3-hvm netbsd-6 i386 FAIL (dependencies fail)
+         xenkernel33 netbsd-6 i386
+         xentools33 netbsd-6 i386
          xenkernel41 netbsd-6 i386
          xentools41 netbsd-6 i386
+         xenkernel42 netbsd-6 i386
+         xentools42 netbsd-6 i386 *MIXED
+         (all 3 and 33 seem to FAIL)
+         xenkernel41 netbsd-7 i386
+         xentools41 netbsd-7 i386
+         xenkernel42 netbsd-7 i386
+         xentools42 netbsd-7 i386 ??FAIL
+ (*On netbsd-6 i386, there is a xentools42 in the 2014Q3 official builds,
+ but it does not build for gdt.)
  NetBSD as a dom0
  ================
- Line 457  Unprivileged domains (domU)
+ Line 476  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
+ typically named so that the file name, domU name and the domU's host
  name match.
  The domU is provided with cpu and memory by Xen, configured by the
- Line 531  anyplace, reasonable places to store dom
+ Line 550  anyplace, reasonable places to store dom
  (so they are near the dom0 kernel), in /usr/pkg/etc/xen (near the
  config files), or in /u0/xen (where the vdisks are).
+ Note that loading the domU kernel from the dom0 implies that boot
+ blocks, /boot, /boot.cfg, and so on are all ignored in the domU.
  See the VPS section near the end for discussion of alternate ways to
  obtain domU kernels.
- Line 866  npf, run IPsec, or any other reason why
+ Line 887  npf, run IPsec, or any other reason why
  their kernel.
  One approach is to have an adminstrative interface to upload a kernel,
- or to select from a prepopulated list.
+ or to select from a prepopulated list.  Other approaches are pygrub
+ (deprecated) and pvgrub, which are ways to have a bootloader obtain a
- Otehr approaches are pvgrub and py-grub, which are ways to start a
+ kernel from the domU filesystem.  This is closer to a regular physical
- bootloader from the dom0 instead of the actual domU kernel, and for
+ computer, where someone who controls a machine can replace the kernel.
- that loader to then load a kernel from the domU filesystem.  This is
- closer to a regular physical computer, where someone who controls a
+ pygrub
- machine can replace the kernel.
+ -------
+ pygrub runs in the dom0 and looks into the domU filesystem.  This
+ implies that the domU must have a kernel in a filesystem in a format
+ known to pygrub.  As of 2014, pygrub seems to be of mostly historical
+ interest.
+ pvgrub
+ ------
+ pvgrub is a version of grub that uses PV operations instead of BIOS
+ calls.  It is booted from the dom0 as the domU kernel, and then reads
+ /grub/menu.lst and loads a kernel from the domU filesystem.
+ [prgmr.com](http://prgmr.com/) uses this approach to let users choose
+ their own operating system and kernel.  See then [prgmr.com NetBSD
+ HOWTO](http://wiki.prgmr.com/mediawiki/index.php/NetBSD_as_a_DomU).
+ Because [grub's FFS code](http://xenbits.xensource.com/hg/xen-unstable.hg/file/bca284f67702/tools/libfsimage/ufs/fsys_ufs.c)
+ appears not to support all aspects of modern FFS,
+ typically one has an ext2 or FAT partition for the kernel, so that
+ grub can understand it, which leads to /netbsd not being the actual
+ kernel.  One must remember to update the special boot partiion.
- prmgr and pvgrub
+ Amazon
- ----------------
+ ------
- TODO: Perhaps reference panix, prmgr, amazon as interesting examples.
+ TODO: add link to NetBSD amazon howto.
- Explain what prmgr does.
  Using npf
  ---------
- Line 886  Using npf
+ Line 928  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:
+ TODO: explain how to compile npf into a custom kernel, answering (but
+ note that the problem was caused by not booting the right kernel):
  http://mail-index.netbsd.org/netbsd-users/2014/12/26/msg015576.html
+ TODO items for improving NetBSD/xen
+ ===================================
+ * Package Xen 4.4.
+ * Get PCI passthrough working on Xen 4.2 (or 4.4).
+ * Get pvgrub into pkgsrc, either via xentools or separately.
+ * grub
+   * Add support to pkgsrc grub2 for UFS2 and arbitrary
+     fragsize/blocksize (UFS2 support may be present; the point is to
+     make it so that with any UFS1/UFS2 filesystem setup that works
+     with NetBSD grub will also work).
+   * Push patches upstream.
+   * Get UFS2 patches into pvgrub.
+ * Add support for PV ops to a version of /boot, and make it usable as
+   a kernel in Xen, similar to pvgrub.

CVSweb for NetBSD wikisrc <wikimaster@NetBSD.org> software: FreeBSD-CVSweb

Removed from v.1.58
changed lines
	Added in v.1.69