RE: [Xen-users] Release 0.9.6 of GPL PV Drivers for Windows

["Dustin Henning" <Dustin.Henning@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

-----Original Message-----
From: xen-users-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:xen-users-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of James Harper
Sent: Monday, June 02, 2008 21:19
To: Dustin.Henning@xxxxxxxxxxx; xen-users@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: RE: [Xen-users] Release 0.9.6 of GPL PV Drivers for Windows

If you load the 'sg' module under linux, you'll get a /dev/sgX entry for
each scsi device (sd, st, etc) which is used to be able to send raw scsi
commands to devices.

If you wanted to pass raw disks to domains then pvscsi could do that,
but I can't speak from a performance point of view as I haven't tried
it. There could be less overheads involved... You also wouldn't be able
to boot from them as I don't believe that the HVM bios can boot from raw
scsi disks.

Jun posted the latest pvscsi patches to the xen-devel list on Friday
30th, you should be able to find them in the mailing list archives.

James

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        I knew that one couldn't boot to scsi devices with the xen hvm bios;
in older versions of xen, I passed sda instead of hda to pv guests and I
couldn't do the same to hvm guests because the bios wouldn't boot to them.
I had forgotten, though.  That means the performance difference is moot in
my implementation.

        I have found a couple of issues in 0.9.6 that I thought I should run
by you.  You may already know about them, but the only thing under known
issues in the wiki is "no showstoppers" and I don't know where else such a
list might exist.  I suspect you already know about the first issue, but in
case you don't (or it is specific to my environment, this is in F8 with the
latest xen 3.0 from the fedora-updates repo):

-When I boot with /gplpv, xm block-list fails as follows (the command works
fine if I boot up without the /gplpv switch):

$ sudo /usr/sbin/xm block-list 1
Unexpected error: <class 'xml.parsers.expat.ExpatError'>

Please report to xen-devel@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "/usr/sbin/xm", line 10, in <module>
    main.main(sys.argv)
  File "/usr/lib64/python2.5/site-packages/xen/xm/main.py", line 2500, in
main
    _, rc = _run_cmd(cmd, cmd_name, args)
  File "/usr/lib64/python2.5/site-packages/xen/xm/main.py", line 2524, in
_run_cmd
    return True, cmd(args)
  File "/usr/lib64/python2.5/site-packages/xen/xm/main.py", line 1970, in
xm_block_list
    devs = server.xend.domain.getDeviceSxprs(dom, 'vbd')
  File "/usr/lib64/python2.5/xmlrpclib.py", line 1150, in __call__
    return self.__send(self.__name, args)
  File "/usr/lib64/python2.5/site-packages/xen/util/xmlrpcclient.py", line
118, in __request
    response = xmlrpclib.ServerProxy.__request(self, methodname, params)
  File "/usr/lib64/python2.5/xmlrpclib.py", line 1440, in __request
    verbose=self.__verbose
  File "/usr/lib64/python2.5/site-packages/xen/util/xmlrpcclient.py", line
55, in request
    request_body, verbose)
  File "/usr/lib64/python2.5/xmlrpclib.py", line 1204, in request
    return self._parse_response(h.getfile(), sock)
  File "/usr/lib64/python2.5/xmlrpclib.py", line 1338, in _parse_response
    p.feed(response)
  File "/usr/lib64/python2.5/xmlrpclib.py", line 547, in feed
    self._parser.Parse(data, 0)
xml.parsers.expat.ExpatError: not well-formed (invalid token): line 23,
column 16


        The second issue may not be related to your drivers, and I suppose
it could be specific to my environment as well:

-In xentop, NETS, NETTX, and NETRX all stay 0 if 'vifname = (whatever)' is
used in the vif section of the config file.
For example: vif = [ 'bridge=eth0, vifname=xm2eth0' ]
If vifname=xm2eth0 is not used on that line, then the aforementioned
counters work.


        Also, I have a simple question.  I have been a member of this list
since just before your release with the nullsoft installer without seeing
this discussed.  I am curious as to whether or not it can be used to upgrade
any/all previous versions (and/or whether it will be able to in the future).
I tried out an uninstall with it, and my machine was not bootable afterwards
(without or with /gplpv), so I am trying to figure out how to try move to
new versions going forward.

        Finally, if you want to work on the issues I mentioned above and
need any additional information from me, I'll be glad to provide it.
Likewise, if you want me to try anything I would be willing to give it a
shot depending on exactly what it might be (I am running some production
stuff on this machine as well as some test stuff in spite of your warnings
not to do that).  However, FYI, I won't be around much in June.  Thanks,
        Dustin



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