Re: [win-pv-devel] Xen windows PV driver questions

[Paul Durrant <Paul.Durrant@xxxxxxxxxx>]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: gaowei (Y) [mailto:gaowei17@xxxxxxxxxx]
> Sent: 18 May 2016 03:10
> To: Paul Durrant; Paul Durrant
> Cc: win-pv-devel@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx; Liuyingdong; Linqiangmin;
> Hanweidong (Randy); lixiao (H); Huangpeng (Peter)
> Subject: 答复: Xen windows PV driver questions
> 
> Thank you so much for your help Paul.
> 
> Could you please help clarify a little more? Could you please see inline
> below?
> 
> Also XenSever PV currently do not have any user mode service?

XenServer has a 'guest agent' running in each VM to provide metrics, control 
certain features, etc. That agent is XenServer specific. There is also another 
agent installed alongside the XENIFACE driver which is not specific to 
XenServer branded builds. This agent is there to handle shutdown requests 
(which can only be initiated from user space in Windows) and to reset the VM 
time when coming back from suspend (otherwise the RTC will drift).

> Vmware has
> a lot of user mode service to improve the windows experience.
> May I know how Amazon and Invisible things labs co-work with you on this
> project? Do we have discussion meeting? Huawei would like build the same
> relationship with your team on this project as Amazon and Invisible things lab
> did.
> 

The project is not big enough to warrant a regular 'phone call so discussions 
are via email to the win-pv-devel list. Contributions should be made using the 
same model as contributions to the hypervisor (i.e. git format-patch... git 
send-email).
Do you have any particular projects in mind that you would like to work on?

Cheers,

    Paul

> 
> 
> 
> -----邮件原件-----
> 发件人: Paul Durrant [mailto:Paul.Durrant@xxxxxxxxxx]
> 发送时间: 2016年5月17日 23:16
> 收件人: gaowei (Y); Paul Durrant
> 抄送: win-pv-devel@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> 主题: RE: Xen windows PV driver questions
> 
> De-htmling...
> 
> From: gaowei (Y) [mailto:gaowei17@xxxxxxxxxx]
> Sent: 17 May 2016 10:10
> To: Paul Durrant; Paul Durrant
> Cc: win-pv-devel@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: Xen windows PV driver questions
> 
> Hello Paul
> 
> This is Wayne Gao from Huawei. Nice to talk with you. I have couples of
> technical questions regarding with Xen windows PV drivers.
> Could you please take a time to help? Really appreciate your help!~
> 
> 1. May I know if the latest windows PV open source code can pass the WHCK
> tests very stable and get driver signed?
> 
> > Yes. The XenServer PV drivers are based on this source with only small
> compatibility patches.
>       Wayne: did Citrix open source the small compatibility patches that
> make the XenServer PV drivers pass the WHCK?
> 
> 2. From the home page, I see there is a plan to join in windows update. May I
> know how this is going on? Any plan to make it happen. Another approach is
> that Microsoft allow semiconductor company deliver inbox driver. Do we
> have this plan?
> 
> > The XenServer branded drivers are currently live on Windows Update so if
> you're VM has the appropriate PV device then these drivers will download
> and install. XenProject branded drivers will not go onto Windows Update.
>       Wayne: XenServer branded drivers will not go into windows inbox
> plan? But XenServer already join in the windows update plan so that any
> windows PV driver update can go along with the standard windows update
> process?
> 
> 3. I saw in current win PV driver, we add one new driver xencrsh.sys to
> complete the dump. But windows actually has the function just reuse the
> original storport miniport driver to complete the dump. Microsoft sample
> storachi driver did this way too. May I know what is special reason that we
> choose add new driver?
> 
> > The crash kernel environment is quite different to a normal kernel
> environment. The xencrsh driver is actually linked into the normal xenvbd
> storport driver but only activates when in the crash kernel environment. It
> then activates as the storage driver and uses its own private interfaces to 
> talk
> to Xen and the PV backend (since the normal xenbus provided APIs are not
> available).
> 
> 4. I saw there is one storage filter driver that is above the storport. 
> Microsoft
> WHCK document used to mention MS do not like any filter above storport.
> May I know what is special reason that we choose add filter drivers into the
> architecture?
> 
> > There is a filter driver called xendisk that sits above the storport PDOs. 
> > It
> serves only to intercept the IRPs necessary to support trim/discard. Newer
> versions of storport support trim/discard directly but the drivers cannot
> make use of newer storport as they are designed to function on older
> versions of Windows.
> 
> Currently, we saw all developers are from Citrix. May I know if Huawei can
> contribute on this project too?
> 
> > Absolutely. Contributions have already been made by Invisible Things Labs
> and Amazon so I'd be happy to review contributions from Huawei.
> > Cheers,
> >
> >   Paul
> 
> Thank you so much again for your help!~
> 
> 
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