Re: [Xen-devel] Can VMWare modules run alongside in XEN kernel?

["Daniel P. Berrange" <berrange@xxxxxxxxxx>]

On Tue, Aug 14, 2007 at 02:20:43AM +0100, Mark Williamson wrote:
> > On Tue, Aug 14, 2007 at 02:04:43AM +0100, Mark Williamson wrote:
> > > > I would like to have VMware modules running in the XEN kernel, NOT in
> > > > DOM0 kernel but outside at the hypervisor level, is that possible?
> > >
> > > Nope, afraid that can't work.  Xen doesn't provide all the facilities
> > > that a Linux kernel does, so it's not able to support Linux modules at
> > > all.  As you noticed, it also doesn't allow loadable modules...
> >
> > Urm, sure it does - whether the xen kernel allows modules or not is just a
> > KConfig setting. The XenSource kernel builds may not allow loadable modules
> > but all Fedora Xen kernels are fully modular. You're right that VMware
> > won't load/work, but that's a separate issue to the question of loadable
> > module support in general.
> 
> That's true, but the OP was asking about running the modules in Xen itself 
> "at 
> the hypervisor level" and not in the dom0 Linux kernel.  Xen used to support 
> Linuxy APIs for modules, but even those have mostly gone now, so it's 
> definitely not doable.

Sorry, yes, my mistake - mis-reading the earlier part of the thread.

> > > The VMware modules really both need a) to run in ring0 (satisfied by your
> > > suggestion) and to b) be supported by a full host Linux kernel.
> > > Unfortunately, with Linux running in ring 1, whatever you do you are not
> > > going to be able to satisfy both of these :-(
> >
> > Might be able to run VMware inside a HVM/fullyvirt guest.
> 
> Yes, that's true :-)  I can run Xen inside HVM already - regularly, in fact - 
> but never tried VMware.

Dan.
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