Re: Create Debian domU on NetBSD (tutorial)

[Victor Dorneanu <victor%dornea.nu@localhost>]

Étienne wrote:
> Right, now brace yourself for a long and mostly off-topic message.
>   

Hey, I found your message quite interesting :D

> I've just installed a couple of Debians recently, both on i386 and
> amd64. I would suggest to make clearer which version of NetBSD you
> used (as a system), which kernel you booted up and why (STABLE is
> supported on the day you wrote it, 5.0.2 is not), and what hardware
> + Xen version + systems are known to work today and can be expected
> tomorrow (your Howto will be read in the future).

You're right. I should add some technical details (NetBSD version, Xen
version etc.)

>  As far as I know,
> the following is working today:
>
> i386  + NetBSD-5.0.x + Xen-3.3 + netbsd-XEN3PAE_DOM0 (STABLE)
> amd64 + NetBSD-5.0.x + Xen-3.1 + netbsd-XEN3_DOM0 (STABLE)
>
> As far as I understand, this should become in the future:
>
> i386  + NetBSD-5.1.x + Xen-3.3 + netbsd-XEN3PAE_DOM0 (5.1.x)
> amd64 + NetBSD-5.1.x + Xen-3.3 + netbsd-XEN3_DOM0 (5.1.x)
>   

Where did you get that information? If you have some reliable source, I
could mention it too.
 
> When this was installed, I didn't have to download the Linux DomU
> kernel and ramdisk as you wrote, xm-debian.cfg was enough on its own
> (apart from vif, disk, and name parameters that I edited). So I just
> ran:
>
> xm create -c xm-debian.cfg install=true 
> install-mirror=ftp://my.debian.mirror/debian
>   

Of course, this will work too. At the beginning I did it actually the
same way. Till I ran into several problems like misconfigured network
stuff, missing container etc. Every time I ran "xm create -c
xm-debian.cf ..." the kernel + initrd file were downloaded again. What I
did: I downloaded the kernel+initrd file once and specified the location
using "install-kernel" and "install-ramdisk".

> On "Step6: Install Debian", either you boot the DomU with:
>  "xm create xm-debian.cfg ..." and then "xm console debianinstall",
> or just:
>  "xm create -c xm-debian.cfg ..."
> but not:
>  "xm create -c xm-debian.cfg ..." and then "xm console debianinstall"
>   

Oh...I must have some typo error. I'll fix that.

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> This one coming might destroy data when installing the DomU, and might
> not be safe at all when running the DomU, I'm just not qualified to make
> any assessment about it. If you want your DomU to be installed on free
> space on the disk, or on an already defined Linux partition, you need to
> set:
>
> disk = [ 'phy:/dev/wd0d,xvda,w' ]
>   

Well this is another topic. Actually (I don't know where I read that)
Xen + virtual disks should be more faster than the usual way (Xen +
hdd). You can "port/coyp" you container+Xen configuration everywhere you
want (external USB device etc.) and use it from another machine. I
usually do that when setting up my PenTest lab.

-- 
Victor Dorneanu

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