|
version 1.95, 2015/03/05 14:04:55
|
version 1.105, 2016/12/20 03:57:26
|
|
Line 49 specific PCI devices can be made availab
|
Line 49 specific PCI devices can be made availab
|
| of the dom0. This can be useful to let a domU run X11, or access some |
of the dom0. This can be useful to let a domU run X11, or access some |
| network interface or other peripheral. |
network interface or other peripheral. |
| |
|
| NetBSD used to support Xen2; this has been removed. |
NetBSD 6 and earlier supported Xen 2; support was removed fro NetBSD |
| |
7. Xen 2 has been removed from pkgsrc. |
| |
|
| Prerequisites |
Prerequisites |
| ------------- |
------------- |
|
Line 81 xenkernel and xentools. We will refer o
|
Line 82 xenkernel and xentools. We will refer o
|
| but note that both packages must be installed together and must have |
but note that both packages must be installed together and must have |
| matching versions. |
matching versions. |
| |
|
| xenkernel3 and xenkernel33 provide Xen 3.1 and 3.3. These no longer |
xenkernel3 provides Xen 3.1. It is no longer maintained by Xen, and the last applied security patch was in |
| receive security patches and should not be used. Xen 3.1 supports PCI |
2011. Thus, it should not be used. It supports PCI passthrough, |
| passthrough. Xen 3.1 supports non-PAE on i386. |
which is why people use it anyway. Xen 3.1 supports i386, both PAE and |
| |
non-PAE. |
| xenkernel41 provides Xen 4.1. This is no longer maintained by Xen, |
|
| but as of 2014-12 receives backported security patches. It is a |
xenkernel33 provides Xen 3.3. It is no longer maintained by Xen, and |
| reasonable although trailing-edge choice. |
the last applied security patch was in 2012. Thus, it should not be |
| |
used. Xen 3.3 supports i386, but only in PAE mode. There are no good |
| |
reasons to run this version. |
| |
|
| |
xenkernel41 provides Xen 4.1. It is no longer maintained by Xen, but |
| |
as of 2016-11 received backported security patches. Xen 4.1 supports |
| |
i386, but only in PAE mode. There are no good reasons to run this |
| |
version. |
| |
|
| |
xenkernel42 provides Xen 4.2. It is no longer maintained by Xen, but |
| |
as of 2016-11 received backported security patches. Xen 4.2 supports |
| |
i386, but only in PAE mode. The only reason to run this is if you |
| |
need to use xm instead of xl, or if you need to run an i386 dom0 |
| |
(because your hardware is i386 only). |
| |
|
| |
xenkernel45 provides Xen 4.5. It is no longer maintained by Xen, but |
| |
as of 2016-11 it received security patches. Xen 4.5 requires an amd64 |
| |
dom0, but domUs can be amd64 or i386 PAE. TODO: It is either a |
| |
conservative choice or somewhat old. |
| |
|
| |
xenkernel45 provides Xen 4.6. It is new to pkgsrc in 2016-05. It is |
| |
no longer maintained by Xen, but as of 2016-11 it received security |
| |
patches. Xen 4.6 requires an amd64 dom0, but domUs can be amd64 or |
| |
i386 PAE. TODO: It is either a somewhat aggressive choice or the |
| |
standard choice |
| |
|
| xenkernel42 provides Xen 4.2. This is maintained by Xen, but old as |
See also the [Xen Security Advisory page](http://xenbits.xen.org/xsa/). |
| of 2014-12. |
|
| |
|
| xenkernel45 provides Xen 4.5. This is new to pkgsrc as of 2015-01 and |
|
| not yet recommended for other than experimental/testing use. |
|
| |
|
| Ideally newer versions of Xen will be added to pkgsrc. |
Ideally newer versions of Xen will be added to pkgsrc. |
| |
|
|
Line 112 choose one or the other, because it affe
|
Line 133 choose one or the other, because it affe
|
| NetBSD |
NetBSD |
| ------ |
------ |
| |
|
| The netbsd-5, netbsd-6, netbsd-7, and -current branches are all |
The netbsd-6, netbsd-7, and -current branches are all reasonable |
| reasonable choices, with more or less the same considerations for |
choices, with more or less the same considerations for non-Xen use. |
| non-Xen use. Therefore, netbsd-6 is recommended as the stable version |
Therefore, netbsd-7 is recommended as the stable version of the most |
| of the most recent release for production use. For those wanting to |
recent release for production use. For those wanting to learn Xen or |
| learn Xen or without production stability concerns, netbsd-7 is likely |
without production stability concerns, netbsd-7 is still likely most |
| most appropriate. |
appropriate. Xen runs fine on netbsd-5, but the xentools packages are |
| |
likely difficult to build. |
| |
|
| 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 for dom0 functions; the lack of support is really a problem |
| a normal computer.) |
when using a dom0 as a normal computer.) |
| |
|
| Architecture |
Architecture |
| ------------ |
------------ |
| |
|
| Xen itself can run on i386 or amd64 machines. (Practically, almost |
Xen itself can run on i386 (some versions) or amd64 machines (all |
| any computer where one would want to run Xen supports amd64.) If |
versions). (Practically, almost any computer where one would want to |
| using an i386 NetBSD kernel for the dom0, PAE is required (PAE |
run Xen today supports amd64.) |
| versions are built by default). While i386 dom0 works fine, amd64 is |
|
| recommended as more normal. |
Xen, the dom0 kernel, and each domU kernel can be either i386 or |
| |
amd64. When building a xenkernel package, one obtains i386 on an i386 |
| |
host, and amd64 on an amd64 host. If the xen kernel is i386, then the |
| |
dom0 kernel and all domU kernels must be i386. With an amd64 xen |
| |
kernel, an amd64 dom0 kernel is known to work, and an i386PAE dom0 |
| |
kernel should in theory work. An amd64 xen/dom0 is known to support |
| |
both i386PAE and amd64 domUs. |
| |
|
| |
i386 dom0 and domU kernels must be PAE (except for Xen 3.1); these are |
| |
built by default. (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.) |
| |
|
| |
Because of the above, the standard approach is to use amd64 for the |
| |
dom0. |
| |
|
| Xen 4.2 is the last version to support i386 as a host. TODO: Clarify |
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 |
if this is about the CPU, the xen kernel, or the dom0 kernel having to |
| having to be amd64. |
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.) |
|
| |
|
| Stability |
Stability |
| --------- |
--------- |
|
Line 152 However, there are some open PRs indicat
|
Line 184 However, there are some open PRs indicat
|
| - [PR 47720](http://gnats.netbsd.org/47720) |
- [PR 47720](http://gnats.netbsd.org/47720) |
| |
|
| Note also that there are issues with sparse vnd(4) instances, but |
Note also that there are issues with sparse vnd(4) instances, but |
| these are not about Xen. |
these are not about Xen -- they just are noticed with sparse vnd(4) |
| |
instances in support of virtual disks in a dom0. |
| |
|
| Recommendation |
Recommendation |
| -------------- |
-------------- |
| |
|
| Therefore, this HOWTO recommends running xenkernel42 (and xentools42), |
Therefore, this HOWTO recommends running xenkernel45 or xenkernel46, |
| xl, the NetBSD 6 stable branch, and to use an amd64 kernel as the |
xl, the NetBSD 7 stable branch, and to use an amd64 kernel as the |
| dom0. Either the i386 or amd64 of NetBSD may be used as domUs. |
dom0. Either the i386PAE or amd64 version of NetBSD may be used as |
| |
domUs. |
| |
|
| Build problems |
Build problems |
| -------------- |
-------------- |
|
Line 357 Xen logs will be in /var/log/xen.
|
Line 391 Xen logs will be in /var/log/xen.
|
| Now, you have a system that will boot Xen and the dom0 kernel, but not |
Now, you have a system that will boot Xen and the dom0 kernel, but not |
| do anything else special. Make sure that you have rebooted into Xen. |
do anything else special. Make sure that you have rebooted into Xen. |
| There will be no domUs, and none can be started because you still have |
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 |
to configure the dom0 daemons. |
| 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. Running xl without xencommons=YES (and starting it) |
|
| will result in a hang (so don't do that; follow the HOWTO!). |
|
| |
|
| 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). |
The daemons which should be run vary with Xen version and with whether |
| |
one is using xm or xl. The Xen 3.1 and 3.3 packages use xm. Xen 4.1 |
| |
and higher packages use xl. While is is possible to use xm with some |
| |
4.x versions (TODO: 4.1 and 4.2?), the pkgsrc-provided rc.d scripts do |
| |
not support this as of 2014-12-26, and thus the HOWTO does not support |
| |
it either. (Make sure your packages are reasonably recent.) |
| |
|
| For 3.3 (and thus xm), add to rc.conf (but note that you should have |
For "xm" (3.1 and 3.3), you should enable xend and xenbackendd (but |
| installed 4.1 or 4.2): |
note that you should be using 4.x): |
| |
|
| xend=YES |
xend=YES |
| xenbackendd=YES |
xenbackendd=YES |
| |
|
| For 4.1 (and thus xm; xl is believed not to work well), add to rc.conf: |
For "xl" (4.x), you should enabled xend and xencommons (xenstored). |
| |
Trying to boot 4.x without xencommons=YES will result in a hang; it is |
| |
necessary to hig ^C on the console to let the machine finish booting. |
| |
TODO: explain why xend is installed by the package. |
| |
|
| xencommons=YES |
xencommons=YES |
| xend=YES |
|
| |
|
| (If you are using xentools41 from before 2014-12-26, change |
|
| rc.d/xendomains to use xm rather than xl.) |
|
| |
|
| For 4.2 with xm, add to rc.conf |
|
| |
|
| xencommons=YES |
|
| xend=YES |
|
| |
|
| For 4.2 with xl, add to rc.conf: |
The installation of NetBSD should already have created devices for xen |
| |
(xencons, xenevt), but if they are not present, create them: |
| xencommons=YES |
|
| TODO: explain if there is a xend replacement |
|
| |
|
| For 4.5 (and thus with xl), add to rc.conf: |
|
| |
|
| xencommons=YES |
cd /dev && sh MAKEDEV xen |
| TODO: explain if there is a xend replacement |
|
| |
|
| TODO: Recommend for/against xen-watchdog. |
TODO: Recommend for/against xen-watchdog. |
| |
|
| After you have configured the daemons and either started them (in the |
After you have configured the daemons and either started them (in the |
| order given) or rebooted, use xm or xl to inspect Xen's boot messages, |
order given) or rebooted, use xm or xl to inspect Xen's boot messages, |
| available resources, and running domains. An example with xm follows: |
available resources, and running domains. An example with xl follows: |
| |
|
| # xm dmesg |
# xl dmesg |
| [xen's boot info] |
[xen's boot info] |
| # xm info |
# xl info |
| [available memory, etc.] |
[available memory, etc.] |
| # xm list |
# xl list |
| Name Id Mem(MB) CPU State Time(s) Console |
Name Id Mem(MB) CPU State Time(s) Console |
| Domain-0 0 64 0 r---- 58.1 |
Domain-0 0 64 0 r---- 58.1 |
| |
|
| With xl, the commands are the same, and the output may be slightly |
|
| different. TODO: add example output for xl before the xm example, |
|
| after confirming on 4.2 and resolving the TODO about rc.conf. |
|
| |
|
| ### Issues with xencommons |
### Issues with xencommons |
| |
|
| xencommons starts xenstored, which stores data on behalf of dom0 and |
xencommons starts xenstored, which stores data on behalf of dom0 and |
|
Line 502 section.
|
Line 516 section.
|
| |
|
| TODO: actually do this and fix it if necessary. |
TODO: actually do this and fix it if necessary. |
| |
|
| Updating Xen versions |
Upgrading Xen versions |
| --------------------- |
--------------------- |
| |
|
| Updating Xen is conceptually not difficult, but can run into all the |
Updating Xen is conceptually not difficult, but can run into all the |
|
Line 510 issues found when installing Xen. Assum
|
Line 524 issues found when installing Xen. Assum
|
| remove the xenkernel41 and xentools41 packages and install the |
remove the xenkernel41 and xentools41 packages and install the |
| xenkernel42 and xentools42 packages. Copy the 4.2 xen.gz to /. |
xenkernel42 and xentools42 packages. Copy the 4.2 xen.gz to /. |
| |
|
| Ensure that the contents of /etc/rc.d/xen* are correct. Enable the |
Ensure that the contents of /etc/rc.d/xen* are correct. Specifically, |
| correct set of daemons. Ensure that the domU config files are valid |
they must match the package you just installed and not be left over |
| for the new version. |
from some previous installation. |
| |
|
| |
Enable the correct set of daemons; see the configuring section above. |
| |
(Upgrading from 3.x to 4.x without doing this will result in a hang.) |
| |
|
| |
Ensure that the domU config files are valid for the new version. |
| |
Specifically: remove autorestart=True, and ensure that disks are |
| |
specified with numbers as the second argument, as the examples above |
| |
show, and not NetBSD device names. |
| |
|
| |
Hardware known to work |
| |
---------------------- |
| |
|
| |
Arguably, this section is misplaced, and there should be a page of |
| |
hardware that runs NetBSD/amd64 well, with the mostly-well-founded |
| |
assumption that NetBSD/xen runs fine on any modern hardware that |
| |
NetBSD/amd64 runs well on. Until then, we give motherboard/CPU/RAM |
| |
triples to aid those choosing a motherboard. Note that Xen systems |
| |
usually do not run X, so a listing here does not imply that X works at |
| |
all. |
| |
|
| |
Supermicro X9SRL-F, Xeon E5-1650 v2, 96 GiB ECC |
| |
Supermicro ??, Atom C2758 (8 core), 32 GiB ECC |
| |
ASUS M5A78L-M/USB3 AM3+ microATX, AMD Piledriver X8 4000MHz, 16 GiB ECC |
| |
|
| |
Older hardware: |
| |
|
| |
Intel D915GEV, Pentium4 CPU 3.40GHz, 4GB 533MHz Synchronous DDR2 |
| |
|
| Running Xen under qemu |
Running Xen under qemu |
| ---------------------- |
---------------------- |
![[BACK]](/icons/back.gif){kind=icon}
Return to howto.mdwn CVS log ![[TXT]](/icons/text.gif){kind=icon}
![[DIR]](/icons/dir.gif){kind=icon}
Up to [NetBSD Developer Wiki] / wikisrc / ports / xen