Re: port-xen/48220: xentools-4.1: xl has problems with file/vnd based disks

[Toby Karyadi <toby.karyadi%gmail.com@localhost>]

The following reply was made to PR port-xen/48220; it has been noted by GNATS.

From: Toby Karyadi <toby.karyadi%gmail.com@localhost>
To: gnats-bugs%NetBSD.org@localhost
Cc: 
Subject: Re: port-xen/48220: xentools-4.1: xl has problems with file/vnd based
 disks
Date: Thu, 19 Sep 2013 16:37:46 -0400

 On 9/19/13 3:55 PM, John Nemeth wrote:
 > The following reply was made to PR port-xen/48220; it has been noted by 
 > GNATS.
 >
 > From: John Nemeth <jnemeth%cue.bc.ca@localhost>
 > To: gnats-bugs%netbsd.org@localhost, 
 > port-xen-maintainer%netbsd.org@localhost,
 >          gnats-admin%netbsd.org@localhost, netbsd-bugs%netbsd.org@localhost
 > Cc:
 > Subject: Re: port-xen/48220: xentools-4.1: xl has problems with file/vnd 
 > based disks
 > Date: Thu, 19 Sep 2013 12:28:25 -0700
 >
 >   On Sep 19,  6:10pm, toby.karyadi%gmail.com@localhost wrote:
 >   }
 >   } >Number:         48220
 >   } >Category:       port-xen
 >   } >Synopsis:       xentools-4.1: xl has problems with file/vnd based disks
 >   } >Arrival-Date:   Thu Sep 19 18:10:00 +0000 2013
 >   } >Originator:     Toby Karyadi
 >   } >Environment:
 >   } NetBSD non.ofyour.biz 6.1 NetBSD 6.1 (XEN3_DOM0) amd64
 >   } >Description:
 >   } xl in pkgsrc/sysutils/xentools41, the xen domain control utility
 >   } to replace xm, has the following problems:
 >   
 >        xl in xentools41 is known not to work properly.  If you want to
 >   use xl, then you should be using xentools42 (and xenkernel42).
 Actually I'm trying to submit patches for xentools41 to fix the problems 
 with xl that I mentioned. I'm hoping that it would provide a smoother 
 migration from 3.3 to 4.*. I thought xentools42 doesn't support HVM domU 
 just yet, is that no longer true? Trying xentools42 is my next step.
 >   
 >   } 2) Once problem 1) is fixed, xl also has another bug that caused
 >   } xenbackendd to not call the 'block' script to properly undo the
 >   } vnd device.
 >   
 >        If you are using xl then you should not be running xenbackendd.
 >   That is only for use with xm.  Using the combination of xl and
 >   xenbackendd can mess things up.  This would be another reason to
 >   use xentools42 since the startup scripts have been redone to get
 >   this correct.
 >   
 If you look at rc.d/xencommons for 4.1, it actually does start 
 xenbackendd. On the other hand, xend should not be started. 
 Unfortunately xencommons and xend rc scripts uses the same rcvar 'xend', 
 so if you specify xend=yes in /etc/rc.conf you'll start both xencommons 
 and xend. The work around is to have xencommons and xend files under 
 /etc/rc.conf.d where the xencommons file should contain xend=yes where 
 the xend file should contain xend=no.
 
 In netsbd and xen 4.1, AFAIK, there is no way to invoke the block script 
 without the help of the xenbackendd. In 4.2, each disk spec can have a 
 block script which should be invoked by xl itself, and hence negates the 
 need for xenbackendd. For linux, there is no need of xenbackendd even in 
 4.1 because xl uses blktap, which netbsd doesn't have.