RE: [Xen-users] Bootable LiveDVD w/ Xen that boots Windows Image?

[Joshua Kinard <joshua.kinard@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi Fajar,

Is tap:qcow2 something that has to be done when installing the Windows domU, or 
is that configured when building the LiveCD?  I'll google around for some 
information, but if you've run into any pitfalls, quirks, or specific configs 
that work, I'd be curious to read about them.

I can't use the USB option, as our specialized application is mostly a system 
checking/validation tool, and so has to be pretty static to make sure that as 
we check various systems, nothing changes on the scanning system.  The systems 
it does scan are all on stand-alone networks, and we want to avoid the tool 
from uneccesarily modifying them (I know it won't, but I'm the techie -- the 
ones requiring this don't understand it at that level).

We have other methods available if this idea doesn't pan out....it'll just mean 
additional hardware and Windows installs to maintain.  But if this works out, 
it'll save us some headaches.  VirtualBox is also out because of PUEL licensing 
getting in the way.  Ditto for VMWare and pretty much any other commercialized 
VM solution.  Free is better (even if it requires some elbow grease to put 
together).

Thanks!,

--J

________________________________________
From: xen-users-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 
[xen-users-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Fajar A. Nugraha 
[fajar@xxxxxxxxx]
Sent: Sunday, August 09, 2009 11:19 PM
To: Joshua Kinard
Cc: xen-users@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: [Xen-users] Bootable LiveDVD w/ Xen that boots Windows Image?

On Fri, Aug 7, 2009 at 11:05 PM, Joshua
Kinard<joshua.kinard@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> The tricky part is going to be the Windows install.  I figure I can install
> it on a read-write virtual disk, and later package that image up for booting
> off of the DVD.  The only curiosity is going to be how well Windows takes
> it, because it scibbles all over the place (Registry mostly) when it boots.

It'd be easier to use tap:qcow (or similar) so that the main image can
be read only, while the changing part is located in disk/RAM. Problem
is last time I check tap:qcow has some problems (like the fact that it
doesn't work with PV domU or Windows+GPLPV)

> There's a specific application I need to be available when this whole mess
> boots up.  I won't use said app very often (1-2 times/month), but I don't
> want to keep an entire Windows install around for it.  I'm thinking it'd be
> easier to somehow get this onto a bootable medium, and since Windows wasn't
> designed to boot off of CD and DVD media, I figured that this would be the
> next best idea.
>
> Or if people have better ideas, I am all ears...

Why not simply :
- buy a large enough external USB HDD (70G will do)
- install Ubuntu (or your favorite distro) on it
- install Xen (method varies, depending on distro)
- install Windows HVM domU

So instead of a bootable DVD you have a bootable USB HDD. This way you
can use domU as you usually do without having to worry about tap:qcow
woes.

If you want it to be even more generic, use Virtualbox instead of Xen.
That way you can have Windows guest even on non-VT/SVM hardware
(netbooks come to mind).

--
Fajar

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