Subject: Re: Xen 3.0 with NetBSD ?
To: Stephane Bortzmeyer <stephane@sources.org>
From: Mipam <mipam@ux11.ltcm.net>
List: netbsd-users
Date: 01/29/2006 16:03:12
On Sun, 29 Jan 2006, Stephane Bortzmeyer wrote:

> I have a Xen machine (running Debian/Linux) and I would like to
> install a NetBSD domU (a Xen host).
> 
> I followed http://wiki.xensource.com/xenwiki/NetBSDdomU and it fails
> when I 'xm create':
> 
> ERROR: Will only load images built for Xen v3.0
> ERROR: Actually saw: 'GUEST_OS=netbsd,GUEST_VER=2.0,XEN_VER=2.0,LOADER=generic,BSD_SYMTAB'
> ERROR: Error constructing guest OS
> 
> OK, apparently, NetBSD only works with Xen 2.0 (Xen 3.0 was issued a
> few weeks before).
> 
> Now, I have to choose: either wiping out Xen 3.0 and downgrading to
> Xen 2.0 *or* waiting for a NetBSD image with Xen 3.0 support.
> 
> My question is: do you think I can expect the NetBSD for Xen 3.0 image
> in the next weeks or should I be more patient and still use Xen 2.0 in
> the mean time?

Well, Manuel has been bussy porting NetBSD to Xen3.

http://mail-index.netbsd.org/source-changes/2006/01/15/0036.html

and here:

http://mail-index.netbsd.org/source-changes/2006/01/15/0038.html

Log message of the lastest thread i pasted:

"Log Message:
Snapshot of work in progress on NetBSD port to Xen3:
- kernel (both dom0 and domU) boot, console is functionnal and it can 
starts
  software from a ramdisk
- there is no driver front-end expect console for domU yet.
- dom0 can probe devices and ex(4) work when Xen3 is booted without acpi
  and apic support. But the on-board IDE doens't get interrupts.
  The PCI code still needs work (it's hardcoded to mode 1). Some of this
  code should be shared with ../x86
  The physical insterrupt code needs to get MPBIOS and ACPI support, and
  do interrupt routing to properly interract with Xen.
To enable Xen-3.0 support, add
options XEN3
to your kernel config file (this will disable Xen2 support)
Changes affecting Xen-2.0 support (no functionnal changes intended):
- get more constants from genassym for assembly code
- remove some unneeded registers move from start()
- map the shared info page from start(), and remove the pte = 0xffffffff 
hack
- vector.S: in hypervisor_callback() make sure %esi points to
  HYPERVISOR_shared_info before accessing the info page. Remplace some
  hand-written assembly with the equivalent macro defined in frameasm.h
- more debug code, dissabled by default."

Very cool!!! I am waiting for the intel machine with virtualisation 
technology or an AMD who calls it pacifica virtualisation. Then running 
xen3 and netbsd as dom0 will rock. :-)
Anyway, work's in progress as you see.
Regards,

Mipam.