RE: [Xen-users] Running Xen with Hardware Virtualization under AMD

["Petersson, Mats" <Mats.Petersson@xxxxxxx>]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: xen-users-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 
> [mailto:xen-users-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of 
> Thomas Harold
> Sent: 09 October 2006 01:44
> To: Mathew Brown
> Cc: xen-users@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: Re: [Xen-users] Running Xen with Hardware 
> Virtualization under AMD
> 
> Mathew Brown wrote:
> > Hi,
> >   I just ran across 
> http://wiki.xensource.com/xenwiki/IntelVT which says
> >   that the "Intel website claims that hardware VT requires 
> processor,
> >   chipset, bios, and software / OS support".  I was considering
> >   purchasing an AMD Turion X2 based laptop (yes - I know that Xen
> >   doesn't currently support ACPI) and was wondering if 
> anyone can shed
> >   light on what I have to check for to see if the laptop 
> will run Xen
> >   using hardware virtualization.  Thanks for your help.
> 
> It needs to be an AM2 socket CPU.  Almost all of the AM2 CPUs support 
> HVM (except the AM2 Sempron CPUs which do not support HVM).
> 
> http://wiki.xensource.com/xenwiki/HVM_Compatible_Processors

>From a technical perspective, the Turion X2 uses a different socket than
AM2 (I think it's called S1, but that could be an Internal AMD name,
rather than the public name). There are, however, no Turion X2 that
doesn't also have AMD-V. So any turion X2 machine will automatically
support Xen with HVM. 

I believe ACPI is supported, but frequency-management under Xen is not
well-supported (if at all) - and there's need for work on this,
particularly in creating a "policy module" that takes into account the
other domains requirements, not just Dom0 [In the current
implementation, you could quite easily have very confused scenarios if
the DomU is using 100% cpu and Dom0 nearly none - then the power policy
would reduce the CPU-speed to minimum]. 

However, if you just use the laptop for "plugged in" work when playing
with Xen - or don't mind too much if the battery drains quickly, there's
no reason to NOT use this type of machine. 

--
Mats




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