Subject: Re: Which Platform?
To: Freidank, Kenneth <Kenneth.Freidank@delta.com>
From: Stephen Borrill <netbsd@precedence.co.uk>
List: port-xen
Date: 02/09/2007 18:36:55
On Fri, 9 Feb 2007, Freidank, Kenneth wrote:
> I'm facing a delima.  I want to put Xen on as a production level server
> with individual domains serving the user community.  I can't figure out
> from all the posts, which NetBSD and pkgsrc xen tools versions would
> best serve my intentions.
>
> Anyone have recommendations on the best (most stable) platform to use
> for dom0?

Well, we'd say NetBSD :)

NetBSD apparently has the edge over Linux for speed of virtual disk 
access.

> NetBSD 3.1?

That's what I use, but it's Xen2 only. Our Xen3 doesn't support PCI export 
to DomU, but has other advantages. We don't have things like xm migrate 
yet.

>  pkgsrc-2006Q2?

pkgsrc-Q4 at least. On dom0 you aren't going to have too many packages so 
you won't get to play dependency hell if you choose -current.

> NetBSD current?

Yes if you need Xen3. If it's production, then I'd be tempted to stick to 
3.1_STABLE (N.B. _STABLE). -current a bit too much of a moving target for 
me (especially at the moment - hi ad@!).

> Can a higher version of NetBSD run as domU than run as dom0?

Yes, feel free to mix as you see fit.

> Are there problems mixing and matching pkgsrc versions with the NetBSD 
> versions?

Not really, but make sure you stick to either the release branch of pkgsrc 
or current (nothing any older). I use -current on dom0 and the release 
branch of pkgsrc on domU with which I build up a shared vnd I mount 
read-only across domUs.

-- 
Stephen