Re: Kernel based virtual machine

[Manuel Bouyer <bouyer%antioche.eu.org@localhost>]

On Sun, Oct 14, 2012 at 09:42:29PM +0200, Lukas Laukamp wrote:
> Hello all,
> 
> I would like to ask whether there are plans to port the Kernel based
> virtual machine (KVM) from Linux to NetBSD. I already asked that on
> the netbsd-ports list, but Hubert Feyrer said that this list could
> also be a good place for this.
> 
> I personaly think that KVM is a technology for the future and other
> OSes for example from the Solaris world (SmartOS) are seem to agree
> to this. With WinKVM there is also a Windows port (it's inactive
> since a while).

I don't think KVM is such a great idea. I like the idea that the
hypervisor is separate from the management domain(s) like in Xen.

Right now Xen doesn't support rebooting dom0 without rebooting the hypervisor
(but I think this is something that could show up in the future),
but you can delegate management tasks to other domains.

> 
> I don't know if I think right, but I would say that the most work is
> already done with the QEmu Port, so just the KVM core component
> kernel modules must be ported. So I don't know how much the APIs,
> driver structures etc. distinguish from Linux and NetBSD but I would
> say it would be possible.
> 
> Also this would be a great step for NetBSD I think because then
> there are Xen, QEmu and KVM are supported so there is
> paravirtualization, full virtualization and emulation supported.

Xen can also do what you call "full virtualization", with HVM guests.

-- 
Manuel Bouyer <bouyer%antioche.eu.org@localhost>
     NetBSD: 26 ans d'experience feront toujours la difference
--