--- wikisrc/ports/xen/howto.mdwn 2014/12/31 00:33:48 1.69 +++ wikisrc/ports/xen/howto.mdwn 2015/01/04 02:10:06 1.70 @@ -875,12 +875,14 @@ NetBSD as a domU in a VPS The bulk of the HOWTO is about using NetBSD as a dom0 on your own hardware. This section explains how to deal with Xen in a domU as a virtual private server where you do not control or have access to the -dom0. +dom0. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of VPS providers; +only a few are mentioned that specifically support NetBSD. VPS operators provide varying degrees of access and mechanisms for configuration. The big issue is usually how one controls which kernel is booted, because the kernel is nominally in the dom0 filesystem (to -which VPS users do not normally have acesss). +which VPS users do not normally have acesss). A second issue is how +to install NetBSD. A VPS user may want to compile a kernel for security updates, to run npf, run IPsec, or any other reason why someone would want to change @@ -907,15 +909,23 @@ pvgrub is a version of grub that uses PV 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 +[Panix](http://www.panix.com/) lets users use pvgrub. Panix reports +that pvgrub works with FFsv2 with default "newfs -O2" as well as +16K/2K and 32K/4K block/frag sizes. See [Panix's pvgrub +page](http://www.panix.com/v-colo/grub.html), which describes only +Linux but should be updated to cover NetBSD :-) + +[prgmr.com](http://prgmr.com/) also lets users with pvgrub to boot +their own 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. +It appears that [grub's FFS +code](http://xenbits.xensource.com/hg/xen-unstable.hg/file/bca284f67702/tools/libfsimage/ufs/fsys_ufs.c) +does not support all aspects of modern FFS, but there are also reports +that FFSv2 works fine. At prmgr, typically one has an ext2 or FAT +partition for the kernel with the intent that grub can understand it, +which leads to /netbsd not being the actual kernel. One must remember +to update the special boot partiion. Amazon ------ @@ -939,10 +949,11 @@ TODO items for improving NetBSD/xen * 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 + * Check/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). + See [pkg/40258](http://gnats.netbsd.org/40258). * Push patches upstream. * Get UFS2 patches into pvgrub. * Add support for PV ops to a version of /boot, and make it usable as