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[Xen-users] 4.0.1, Debian Squeeze, and p[yv]grub

To: xen-users@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [Xen-users] 4.0.1, Debian Squeeze, and p[yv]grub
From: Simon Hobson <linux@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Fri, 27 May 2011 16:25:27 +0100
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The system is a new install of Debian Squeeze, with Xen 4.0.1 (latest stable package for Debian). I'm trying to get guests booted with pygrub, or even better pvgrub but it's not working for me.

First off, as far as I can tell, pvgrub isn't in Debian - and it won't be as it's been rejected. Does anyone know if this is being worked on ?

As for pygrub, that's failing as well. Apart from hitting the known bug that stops GRUB2 from installing on the guest (had to pull a later version down from Testing), starting a domain gives the error :

   Error: Boot loader didn't return any data!

/var/log/xen/xend.log contains :

Traceback (most recent call last):
File "/usr/lib/xen-4.0/lib/python/xen/xend/XendDomainInfo.py", line 104, in create
    vm.start()
File "/usr/lib/xen-4.0/lib/python/xen/xend/XendDomainInfo.py", line 469, in start
    XendTask.log_progress(31, 60, self._initDomain)
File "/usr/lib/xen-4.0/lib/python/xen/xend/XendTask.py", line 209, in log_progress
    retval = func(*args, **kwds)
File "/usr/lib/xen-4.0/lib/python/xen/xend/XendDomainInfo.py", line 2820, in _initDomain
    self._configureBootloader()
File "/usr/lib/xen-4.0/lib/python/xen/xend/XendDomainInfo.py", line 3266, in _configureBootloader
    bootloader_args, kernel, ramdisk, args)
File "/usr/lib/xen-4.0/lib/python/xen/xend/XendBootloader.py", line 215, in bootloader
    raise VmError, msg
VmError: Boot loader didn't return any data!


Following a hint I came across, I tried manually calling pygrub with :
/usr/lib/xen-default/bin/pygrub --args="root=/dev/xvda1 ro" /dev/vgmain/ipv6root

And got these errors :

Using <class 'grub.GrubConf.Grub2ConfigFile'> to parse /boot/grub/grub.cfg
WARNING:root:Unknown directive load_video
WARNING:root:Unknown directive terminal_output
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "/usr/lib/xen-default/bin/pygrub", line 669, in <module>
    chosencfg = run_grub(file, entry, fs, incfg["args"])
  File "/usr/lib/xen-default/bin/pygrub", line 549, in run_grub
    g = Grub(file, fs)
  File "/usr/lib/xen-default/bin/pygrub", line 205, in __init__
    self.read_config(file, fs)
  File "/usr/lib/xen-default/bin/pygrub", line 413, in read_config
    self.cf.parse(buf)
File "/usr/lib/xen-4.0/bin/../lib/python/grub/GrubConf.py", line 402, in parse
    self.add_image(Grub2Image(title, img))
File "/usr/lib/xen-4.0/bin/../lib/python/grub/GrubConf.py", line 318, in __init__
    _GrubImage.__init__(self, title, lines)
File "/usr/lib/xen-4.0/bin/../lib/python/grub/GrubConf.py", line 87, in __init__
    self.reset(lines)
File "/usr/lib/xen-4.0/bin/../lib/python/grub/GrubConf.py", line 103, in reset
    self._parse(lines)
File "/usr/lib/xen-4.0/bin/../lib/python/grub/GrubConf.py", line 98, in _parse
    map(self.set_from_line, lines)
File "/usr/lib/xen-4.0/bin/../lib/python/grub/GrubConf.py", line 328, in set_from_line
    setattr(self, self.commands[com], arg.strip())
File "/usr/lib/xen-4.0/bin/../lib/python/grub/GrubConf.py", line 106, in set_root
    self._root = GrubDiskPart(val)
File "/usr/lib/xen-4.0/bin/../lib/python/grub/GrubConf.py", line 57, in __init__
    self.disk = str
File "/usr/lib/xen-4.0/bin/../lib/python/grub/GrubConf.py", line 70, in set_disk
    self._disk = int(val[2:])
ValueError: invalid literal for int() with base 10: 'ev/xvda1'


Based on the last line of that, I tried an experiment and edited the script. AFAICS, the line in question is trying to extract a number from a device name, so I tried changing it from
self._disk = int(val[2:])
to
self._disk = int(val[9:])

I can then get the GRUB menu, and then quits - putting :
linux (kernel /var/run/xend/boot/boot_kernel._IqLoQ)(ramdisk /var/run/xend/boot/boot_ramdisk.XUIE7W)(args "root=UUID=0fdd2127-ff17-4bd4-b1b8-08fd8b27ec9a ro quiet root=/dev/xvda1 ro")
to the terminal - but not starting the guest.

Trying to start the guest with "xm create -c ipv6" gives :

Started domain ipv6 (id=3)
[ 0.204334] PCI: Fatal: No config space access function found
[    0.251557] i8042.c: No controller found.
Loading, please wait...
mount: No such device
W: devtmpfs not available, falling back to tmpfs for /dev
Gave up waiting for root device.  Common problems:
 - Boot args (cat /proc/cmdline)
   - Check rootdelay= (did the system wait long enough?)
   - Check root= (did the system wait for the right device?)
 - Missing modules (cat /proc/modules; ls /dev)
ALERT!  /dev/xvda1 does not exist.  Dropping to a shell!
(initramfs)

So it seems to have started the guest, but not with the right setup.

If I change the boot settings back to using kernel= and ramdisk= gives me a working guest again.

Any hints ?

Bear in mind that I'm trying to keep it entirely with packaged software, and 4.1 is only in the Debian unstable repository at the moment.

--
Simon Hobson

Visit http://www.magpiesnestpublishing.co.uk/ for books by acclaimed
author Gladys Hobson. Novels - poetry - short stories - ideal as
Christmas stocking fillers. Some available as e-books.

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