RE: [Xen-users] Why creating DomU failed (seems it is due to LVM)

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

> -----Original Message-----
> From: xen-users-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 
> [mailto:xen-users-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of 
> Steven Dugway
> Sent: 12 December 2006 17:14
> To: Christopher G. Stach II
> Cc: xen-users
> Subject: Re: [Xen-users] Why creating DomU failed (seems it 
> is due to LVM)
> 
> Christopher G. Stach II wrote:
> > Steven Dugway wrote:
> >   
> >> Well, maybe it is because I am not a kernel hacker?
> >>
> >> Looks like many people have had the same problem for 
> months. It is not
> >> limited to FC5-6 or CentOS, looks like people with SUSE 
> and Debian have
> >> many similar problems.
> >>     
> >
> > You don't have to know much about a kernel to get it to work.  Start
> > fresh with a very plain dom0.  Don't use an initrd for _anything_.
> > initrds are only good for dynamic kernel configuration on unknown
> > hardware setups (great for distros) and certain network booting
> > configurations.
> >
> >   
> 
> Hi,
> 
> Sound simple BUT it is not. I did with RPM and by compiling 
> from source.
> 
> I never succeeded in starting any dom0 OR domU without an initrd as 
> stated by many.
> With an initrd it worked fine with old versions of Xen (3.0.2 etc.).
> 
> Thanks anyway.

Creating an initrd file isn't rocket surgery in itself

Making a system boot when you haven't got the right drivers can be a
pain in the posterior... 

If you know what drivers you need to make the system boot and you're
changing your config file to make that work, you may just as well skip
the part of making something a module - it doesn't ACTUALLY help
anything to have a module instead of a built-in driver. 

On the other hand, if you don't have a clue what driver you actually
need, and you're adding drivers "wholesale", you probably don't want to
bloat the kernel by adding all of your drivers as "builtin", even if it
saves you a bit of hassle by not creating an initrd. 

It's often a good idea to start by using a simple setup - LVM, RAID,
SCSI all add extra complications and more drivers are needed. Some of
which may not work in a particular permutation of Xen + Dom0! If you
can't make the machine boot in a complex setup, you may want to try a
simpler setup before you try reconfiguring the kernel. Obviously, if you
use LVM, you'll need the relevant "lvm modules" either builtin (my
recommendation) or as a module when you build the initrd. 

Carefull inspection of "dmesg" and any other "boot output" will also be
useful. "lspci" is a good hint. 

Note also that if you build Xen on one machine, and install on another,
you'll need to do "depmod" as well as "mkinitrd" - and if you're copying
individual files, make sure you copy the modules to the right place
under /lib/modules/ - it happens automagically if you copy the whole
.../dist directory, but I sometimes try to cheat by copying individual
files, and it's been known to "fail". 

--
Mats
> 
> -- 
> Steven
> 
> 
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