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 09:28
> 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! Buddy.
> 
> There are still two questions in below: I am sorry that I did not make it very
> clear.
> 
> Wayne: did Citrix open source the small compatibility patches that make the
> XenServer PV drivers pass the WHCK? Can the open source latest code pass
> the WHCK directly without any Citrix internal patch?
> 

Yes. The XenServer patches should not affect HCK testing in any way. The 
XenProject drivers should pass logo tests without them.

> 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? I am
> sorry to ask double confirm since your original answer seems conflict.
> 

Getting drivers onto Windows Update is a pre-requisite to getting them in-box 
as I understand it and XenServer has now made that step. If XenServer does 
decide to pursue getting the drivers in-box though then that is a business 
decision for Citrix to make and does not have any bearing on the open source 
project.

> 
> ==your original answer seems conflict===
> > > 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.
> 

Remember that XenServer has branded builds of the Xen Project driver source and 
it is those branded builds that are on Windows Update. The Xen Project branded 
builds - i.e. those built by the upstream build VM - are not HCK tested and 
therefore are not eligible for Windows Update.

Does that make more sense?

  Paul 

> 
> 
> -----邮件原件-----
> 发件人: Paul Durrant [mailto:Paul.Durrant@xxxxxxxxxx]
> 发送时间: 2016年5月18日 16:20
> 收件人: gaowei (Y); Paul Durrant
> 抄送: win-pv-devel@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx; Liuyingdong; Linqiangmin;
> Hanweidong (Randy); lixiao (H); Huangpeng (Peter)
> 主题: RE: Xen windows PV driver questions
> 
> > -----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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