Re: [Xen-users] IBM x445, anyone using it?

["isplist@xxxxxxxxxxxx" <isplist@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

> Yep.  The max for a single node x445 is 8 processors, no dual core
> support that I am aware of.

What type of processors should I be looking for which are properly supported 
then?

> showed up in RHEL and SLES.  Also, to the best of my recollection,
> they were 32bit only boxes.  And, as I said before, there is no
> hardware virutalization support on those processors or BIOS.

Yes, 32bit.

> Just from the little bit you have shared, your problem has NOTHING to
> do with hardware virtualization, unless you are trying to take a HVM
> guest from one Xen box that supports VT, and trying to run it on a
> different Xen box that does NOT support VT.

It's just a fresh CentOS install with Virtualization because I wanted to try 
out Xen.
 
> Sounds more like a filesystem issue or something like that.

I'm not sure that there is a problem, perhaps a little configuration which is 
not installed by default or such?
 
> Really, use virt-manager or YaST and install a paravirtualized guest
> just to see if it works.  Besides, you have a running system, and a
> running Dom0, so Xen works.  Dom0 is, in reality, just a
> paravirtualized guest OS running on the hypervisor.

That's exactly what I've tried and received the path error :).
Using Virtual Machine Manager, I've tried to install a pre-configured ISO. It 
was simply what I had handy. I can try something else. Is there something I can 
try from the command line? I just want a basic Linux install, no servers, 
nothing for now.
 
> What does this mean?  You copied a working guest filesystem image to
> your new Xen box, or you copied an install tree?  What OS are you
> using for the Host?  What OS are you using for the guest?  How is your
> install tree set up (file tree, ISO, or what?)

It's an ISO of a pre-installed CentOS OS with qmail pre-configured along with 
other tools. Just had it handy when I first gave this a quick try.
 
> Again, as I said before, you will not have Fully Virtualized abilities
> on the x445, it does not support the hardware virtualization code, and
> I am almost sure that it won't even support the processors that have
> HVM code on them (Though that is just a guess, so YMMV there).

That's fine, like I too said, I just happen to have these machines sitting here 
so was hoping I might be able to use them with Xen. From what I can tell, I 
won't be needing fully virtualized machines anyhow. I don't tend to consolidate 
things which I try to get the most power from. In other words, I won't be 
virtualizing machines which need to be as powerful as they can be. I will be 
virtualizing machines which don't do a lot, DNS servers for example are pretty 
simple I/O machines, very low use web, mail, other servers, things like that.
 
> And to answer your other questions... virtualbox may work, but it's
> rather new, and I've never tried it myself.  VMWare MAY work,

I didn't ask about this but I think it's in the thread somewhere. Either way, 
if I can use the x445 for non fully virtualized machines, that still would be 
cool. It would allow me to shut down a couple dozen low use boxes, virtualizing 
them along with their storage on SAN.

> But again, you have Xen booted, and a running Dom0, so Xen is doing
> what it's supposed to do... my money is on a bad install tree (which
> is what that error you shared seems to point to) or trying to run a
> full virt guest from one Xen box on a second Xen box that does not
> support full virt.

I'll look around for a guest which is known to easily work para-virtualized. If 
you know of one, please let me know in the meantime. Thanks.

Mike


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