WARNING - OLD ARCHIVES

This is an archived copy of the Xen.org mailing list, which we have preserved to ensure that existing links to archives are not broken. The live archive, which contains the latest emails, can be found at http://lists.xen.org/
   
 
 
Xen 
 
Home Products Support Community News
 
   
 

xen-users

Re: [Xen-users] XCP - xenserver tools required?

To: xen-users@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: [Xen-users] XCP - xenserver tools required?
From: George Shuklin <george.shuklin@xxxxxxxxx>
Date: Thu, 24 Mar 2011 08:34:41 +0300
Delivery-date: Wed, 23 Mar 2011 22:36:40 -0700
Dkim-signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; c=relaxed/relaxed; d=gmail.com; s=gamma; h=domainkey-signature:message-id:date:from:user-agent:mime-version:to :subject:references:in-reply-to:content-type :content-transfer-encoding; bh=6t/98TNw0U8+08+uDdZlk5H2Gk+8NxP5tgsFZAbGnXE=; b=YySjqEKdOhGICpTO28YmrRmbPPkaP+PwAAmiSDYaC4XR/ORDcwDUG1pEpF7/auofh6 RLxNnQY1zArJXVfbofVBLXiRNSRaFkmMxiwAqOrH3zqmOXZm/3O0qjNIbQOePuI3lEMu bSiWgv4GLYAyiYIVaK4QcL1Zdp+9D5bVxhoPc=
Domainkey-signature: a=rsa-sha1; c=nofws; d=gmail.com; s=gamma; h=message-id:date:from:user-agent:mime-version:to:subject:references :in-reply-to:content-type:content-transfer-encoding; b=AmTdSxKdnh/Nlqf4SLEdV1yiEt9AfAaU74QjF9U3IemCz/0IoqbP3w9fjeFSaomW/T 1fpE69AswUTja1sTVO6VjalTqyKy/kYb1tbIO1VS3+RjvshX2K5cIQMUf7gZAyHJFE2Y TQxT5mDReIh7Vz7HV7k/XZl0Sat8DSq9qhJBs=
Envelope-to: www-data@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
In-reply-to: <alpine.LRH.2.02.1103211420360.17955@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
List-help: <mailto:xen-users-request@lists.xensource.com?subject=help>
List-id: Xen user discussion <xen-users.lists.xensource.com>
List-post: <mailto:xen-users@lists.xensource.com>
List-subscribe: <http://lists.xensource.com/mailman/listinfo/xen-users>, <mailto:xen-users-request@lists.xensource.com?subject=subscribe>
List-unsubscribe: <http://lists.xensource.com/mailman/listinfo/xen-users>, <mailto:xen-users-request@lists.xensource.com?subject=unsubscribe>
References: <alpine.LRH.2.02.1103211420360.17955@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sender: xen-users-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
User-agent: Mozilla/5.0 (X11; U; Linux x86_64; en-US; rv:1.9.1.16) Gecko/20110303 Icedove/3.0.11
That problem was bother me long time ago.

Any 'guest' part is need for some HVM-junk (like windows) and do nothing good for PV guests.

So we solve problem by creating 'faking tools' (I post script few weeks ago in xen-api@) allowing us to migrate (and other operations) without guest tools with any PV domain. Actually, I have plans to remove xe-guest-tools from installation scripts of our customers with next update...

More clear solution is removing checking guest tools version for PV guest in xapi code...



On 24.03.2011 08:08, brooks@xxxxxxxxxxx wrote:

One of the issues I've had using XenServer in a multitenant environment is the requirement for the VMs to have xentools installed as it causes significant issues when upgrading the VM OS or the pool from one version of XenServer (XCP) to another. Having to touch hundreds VMs (by hand) after an upgrade just doesn't scale nor is delegating the task to VM owners an option. Unfortunately a customer, even if they could be educated to do so, can't easily install or update the tools unless the xs-tools iso is in the virtual DVD drive, and to load it into the DVD drive you need access to XenCenter or to the CLI (vm-cd-add, vm-cd-eject, vm-cd-insert, vm-cd-list, vm-cd-remove). On the flip side, even if we did cental admin for all the VMs (what a nightmare) we wouldn't necessarily have root access to the VM preventing us from installing the new tools.

Not only does this create a management issue it also requires a fair amount of knowledge to do the right thing based on the VM. I've seen situations where the kernel on the VM has been updated yet install.sh wants to downgrade the kernel. For example, I have a Debian Etch VM that is running an updated kernel:

    2.6.18.8.xs5.5.0.15.449

Yet, running install.sh on that VM without the -k option causes an older kernel to be installed:

    2.6.18.8.xs1.0.0.16.450_1.0.0.16.450

Not only that but the tools that get installed are for XCP 1.0.

    xe-guest-utilities_1.0.0-647_i386.deb

I have installed the patch file (/etc/xensource/xapi_version_override) and XenCenter does report back the correct version:

    XenServer Version: 5.6.199

Yet, if you run:

    install.sh -k

    warning: downgrading xe-guest-utilities from 5.5.0-466 to 1.0.0-647.

It's doing the correct thing by installing 1.0.0-647 (XCP 1.x), but is certainly doesn't look correct unless you do some digging. XCP really needs it's own version of XenCenter, or a better alternative.

The XenServer 5.6fp1 manual states:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

XenServer Tools must be installed for each Virtual Machine (Windows and Linux) in order for the VM to have a fully supported configuration, and to be able to use the XenServer management tools (the xe CLI or XenCenter). A Windows VM will function without them, but performance will be significantly hampered unless the tools are installed.

Without the tools being installed, you cannot:

      - Cleanly shut down a VM
      - Cleanly reboot a VM
      - Suspend a VM
      - Migrate a running VM (aka XenMotion)
      - Use the checkpoint and roll back feature
      - Change the vCPUs Live

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Given the above it would seem that it's important to have windows pv drivers, some older CentOS kernels, and the xe-guest-utilities installed in an XCP environment. But how do we manage it? The cloud.com guys (which is based on the free version of XenServer) seem to ignore the problem. What do you do?

All ideas, comments, and opinons are welcome.

_______________________________________________
Xen-users mailing list
Xen-users@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
http://lists.xensource.com/xen-users

_______________________________________________
Xen-users mailing list
Xen-users@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
http://lists.xensource.com/xen-users

<Prev in Thread] Current Thread [Next in Thread>