Re: [Fedora-xen] latest kernel.org kernel

2011-04-02 Thread M A Young
On Sat, 2 Apr 2011, Jon wrote:

> So that I am understanding you correctly, the xen-4.1 doesn't use the
> user-level block backend by default, it is just there to use until it is
> added into the kernel.org kernel, correct? And from what you wrote, are
> we looking at 2.6.40 for xen to be fully included into kernel.org? Very
> good news if so!

I am not sure whether there is any extra functionality to add beyond that, 
but it will certainly support full basic use (if the plans go as 
expected).

> I can use your repo and install your pre-built kernel on SL6 and build
> xen-4.1 from xen.org from source and should end up with a stable xen
> box? Sounds too easy. ;)

Yes that should work.

> I had tried to use your repo on a FC14 box but something about my
> hardware Fedora didn't like and would lock the box up randomly and I
> couldn't track down the issue easily so I just left it behind because I
> am not willing to dedicate the time right now to finding the cause. But
> when I was trying to install using your repo I never could download the
> 'firmware' package, is that even needed if I use your repo?

I don't think I used the kernel-firmware package much anyway, because 
there was usually a later kernel-firmware package on the system I was 
testing it on. You probably need some kernel-firmware package, but I doubt 
the version matters much.

Michael Young
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Re: [Fedora-xen] latest kernel.org kernel

2011-04-02 Thread Jon
On 04/02/2011 11:25 AM, M A Young wrote:
> On Sat, 2 Apr 2011, Jon wrote:
>
>> Is it possible to use the latest kernel.org kernel, 2.6.38-2, for
>> xen-4.0.1 or xen-4.1 or should I compile the kernel from git? If it is
>> the latter, what is the preferred method and is there a doc explaining
>> the steps? I am running Scientific Linux 6 and would like to use the
>> latest stable xen and kernel if possible.
>
> 2.6.38 is missing xen net and block backends
> pre-2.6.39 adds the net backend
> 2.6.40 is expected to add the block backend.
> In addition xen 4.1 supports a user level block backend though this is 
> slow and can bring the guest to a halt in some cases.
>
> Thus out-of-the-box xen 4.1 and pre-2.6.39 should be usable for xen 
> provided slow disk access isn't a problem.
> However for practical use you might be better using one a xen patched 
> kernel, such as the 2.6.32 one I built recently based on the Fedora 12 
> kernel code (plus updates and xen patches) at
> http://repos.fedorapeople.org/repos/myoung/dom0-kernel/
> or build your own from git, eg. from 
> http://git.kernel.org/?p=linux/kernel/git/jeremy/xen.git;a=shortlog;h=refs/heads/xen/stable-2.6.32.x
>  
>
>
> The xen.org site mentions plans to produce dom0 kernel and xen 
> packages for RHEL6 (see http://wiki.xen.org/xenwiki/XenDom0Kernels ) 
> though I imagine it will be a few weeks before that happens.
>
> Michael Young

So that I am understanding you correctly, the xen-4.1 doesn't use the 
user-level block backend by default, it is just there to use until it is 
added into the kernel.org kernel, correct? And from what you wrote, are 
we looking at 2.6.40 for xen to be fully included into kernel.org? Very 
good news if so!

I can use your repo and install your pre-built kernel on SL6 and build 
xen-4.1 from xen.org from source and should end up with a stable xen 
box? Sounds too easy. ;)

I had tried to use your repo on a FC14 box but something about my 
hardware Fedora didn't like and would lock the box up randomly and I 
couldn't track down the issue easily so I just left it behind because I 
am not willing to dedicate the time right now to finding the cause. But 
when I was trying to install using your repo I never could download the 
'firmware' package, is that even needed if I use your repo?

Thanks Michael for all the effort you put into making this a simple 
process, sure beats the old days of building the beast before there were 
distro packages,

Jon
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Re: [Fedora-xen] latest kernel.org kernel

2011-04-02 Thread M A Young
On Sat, 2 Apr 2011, Jon wrote:

> Is it possible to use the latest kernel.org kernel, 2.6.38-2, for
> xen-4.0.1 or xen-4.1 or should I compile the kernel from git? If it is
> the latter, what is the preferred method and is there a doc explaining
> the steps? I am running Scientific Linux 6 and would like to use the
> latest stable xen and kernel if possible.

2.6.38 is missing xen net and block backends
pre-2.6.39 adds the net backend
2.6.40 is expected to add the block backend.
In addition xen 4.1 supports a user level block backend though this is 
slow and can bring the guest to a halt in some cases.

Thus out-of-the-box xen 4.1 and pre-2.6.39 should be usable for xen 
provided slow disk access isn't a problem.
However for practical use you might be better using one a xen patched 
kernel, such as the 2.6.32 one I built recently based on the Fedora 12 
kernel code (plus updates and xen patches) at
http://repos.fedorapeople.org/repos/myoung/dom0-kernel/
or build your own from git, eg. from 
http://git.kernel.org/?p=linux/kernel/git/jeremy/xen.git;a=shortlog;h=refs/heads/xen/stable-2.6.32.x

The xen.org site mentions plans to produce dom0 kernel and xen packages 
for RHEL6 (see http://wiki.xen.org/xenwiki/XenDom0Kernels ) though I 
imagine it will be a few weeks before that happens.

Michael Young
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[Fedora-xen] latest kernel.org kernel

2011-04-02 Thread Jon
Is it possible to use the latest kernel.org kernel, 2.6.38-2, for 
xen-4.0.1 or xen-4.1 or should I compile the kernel from git? If it is 
the latter, what is the preferred method and is there a doc explaining 
the steps? I am running Scientific Linux 6 and would like to use the 
latest stable xen and kernel if possible.

Thanks for any information,

Jon
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