[Xen-devel] Xen 4.3 development update CODE FREEZE HAS_BEGUN

[George Dunlap <George.Dunlap@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

This information will be mirrored on the Xen 4.3 Roadmap wiki page:
 http://wiki.xen.org/wiki/Xen_Roadmap/4.3

At this point, code will begin freezing.

This means that every patch will need an exception to be accepted.  The
bar for acceptance will be relatively low this week, but will continue
to raise until the May 6th code freeze.

The key goals we're focusing on now, in order, are as follows:
 1. Have a bug-free 4.3 release
 2. Have an awesome 4.3 release
 3. Have a 4.3 release that happens on schedule (ready by June 15th)

So my goal right now is to ensure, to the best of my ability, that:
 1. No new bugs are introduced that will not be discovered before the
 release
 2. If no code is added, then either:
  - it does case the release to slip
  - if it causes the release to slip, it was worth the cost.

If you are a maintainer or committer, please help me in evaluating new
patches according to these criteria.  (Bug fixes are fine of course.)

If you are submitting patches, please consider these criteria before
submitting; and if you think you want to submit it anyway, consider
making a brief case for acceptance.

The most important thing in making a case is to answer the question,
"If there are bugs in this patch, will they be discovered before the
June 15h release?"  The second most important thing is to consider the
cost/benefit analysis of bugs that are found: what is the risk of
introducing a bug which will delay the release, vs the benefit it will
have in making the release better?

= Timeline =

We are planning on a 9-month release cycle.  Based on that, below are
our estimated dates:
* Feature freeze: 25 March 2013
* Code freezing point: 15 April 2013 <== We are here
* First RC: 6 May 2013
* Release: 17 June 2013

The RCs and release will of course depend on stability and bugs, and
will therefore be fairly unpredictable.  Each new feature will be
considered on a case-by-case basis; but the general rule will be as
follows:

Last updated: 16 April 2013

= Feature tracking =

Below is a list of features we're tracking for this release. Please
respond to this mail with any updates to the status.

There are a number of items whose owners are marked as "?".  If you
are working on this, or know who is working on it, please respond and
let me know.  Alternately, if you would *like* to work on it, please
let me know as well.

And if there is something you're working on you'd like tracked, please
respond, and I will add it to the list.

NB: Several of the items on this list are from external projects:
linux, qemu, and libvirt.  These are not part of the Xen tree, but are
directly related to our users' experience (e.g., work in Linux or
qemu) or to integration with other important projects (e.g., libvirt
bindings).  Since all of these are part of the Xen community work, and
comes from the same pool of labor, it makes sense to track the
progress here, even though they won't explicitly be released as part
of 4.3.

Meanings of prognoses:
- Excellent: It would be very unlikely for this not to be finished in time.
- Good: Everything is on track, and is likely to make it.
- Fair: A pretty good chance of making it, but not as certain
- Poor: Likely not to make it unless intervention is made
- Not for 4.3: Self-explanatory

== Completed ==

* Serial console improvements
  -EHCI debug port

* Default to QEMU upstream (partial)
 - pci pass-thru (external)
 - enable dirtybit tracking during migration (external)
 - xl cd-{insert,eject} (external)

* CPUID-based idle (don't rely on ACPI info f/ dom0)

* Persistent grants for blk (external)
 - Linux
 - qemu

* Allow XSM to override IS_PRIV checks in the hypervisor

* Scalability: 16TiB of RAM

* xl QXL Spice support

== Bugs ==

* xl, compat mode, and older kernels
  owner: ?
  Many older 32-bit PV kernels that can run on a 64-bit hypervisor with
  xend do not work when started with xl.  The following work-around seems to
  work:
    xl create -p lightning.cfg
    xenstore-write /local/domain/$(xl domid
lightning)/device/vbd/51713/protocol x86_32-abi
    xl unpause lightning
  This node is normally written by the guest kernel, but for older kernels
  seems not to be.  xend must have a work-around; port this work-around to xl.

* AMD NPT performance regression after c/s 24770:7f79475d3de7
  owner: ?
  Reference: http://marc.info/?l=xen-devel&m=135075376805215

* qemu-upstream: cd-insert and cd-eject not working
  http://marc.info/?l=xen-devel&m=135850249808960

* Install into /usr/local by default
  owner: Ian Campbell

* Revert Jan's debugging patch (commit bd9be94)
  owner: Jan Beulich

* Race condition in claim hypercall
  owner: Ian Jackson, Konrad Wilk

* Remove hardcoded mobprobe's in xencommons
  owner: ?
  status: ?

== Not yet complete ==

* ARM v7 server port
  owner: ijc@citrix
  prognosis: Excellent
  status: ?

* ARM v8 server port (tech preview)
  owner: ijc@citrix
  status: ?
  prognosis: Tech preview only

* NUMA scheduler affinity
  critical
  owner: dario@citrix
  status: Patches posted
  prognosis: Excellent

* Default to QEMU upstream
 > Add "intel-hda" to xmexample file, since it works with 64-bit Win7/8
 - qemu-based stubdom (Linux or BSD libc)
   owner: anthony@citrix
   status: in progress
   prognosis: ?
   qemu-upstream needs a more fully-featured libc than exists in
   mini-os.  Either work on a minimalist linux-based stubdom with
   glibc, or port one of the BSD libcs to minios.

* Multi-vector PCI MSI (support at least for Dom0)
  owner: jan@suse
  status: Patches posted for Intel; AMD not yet done
  prognosis: Fair

* vTPM updates
  owner: Daniel DeGraaf @ NSA
  status: some patches submitted, more in progress
  prognosis: Good

* xl PVUSB pass-through for PV guests
* xl PVUSB pass-through for HVM guests
  owner: George
  status: ?
  prognosis: Poor
  xm/xend supports PVUSB pass-through to guests with PVUSB drivers
(both PV and HVM guests).
  - port the xm/xend functionality to xl.
  - this PVUSB feature does not require support or emulation from Qemu.
  - upstream the Linux frontend/backend drivers. Current
work-in-progress versions are in Konrad's git tree.
  - James Harper's GPLPV drivers for Windows include PVUSB frontend drivers.

* xl USB pass-through for HVM guests using Qemu USB emulation
  owner: George
  status: v4 patch series posted
  prognosis: Fair

* xl: passing more defaults in configuration in xl.conf
  owner: ?
  There are a number of options for which it might be useful to pass a
  default in xl.conf.  For example, if we could have a default
  "backend" parameter for vifs, then it would be easy to switch back
  and forth between a backend in a driver domain and a backend in dom0.

* Rationalized backend scripts
  owner: roger@citrix
  status: libxl hotplug sumbmitted.  Protocol still needs to be finalized.
  prognosis: Good

* Scripts for driver domains (depends on backend scripts)
  owner: roger@citrix
  status:
  prognosis: Fair

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