xen discuss - Feb 2008 - Unable to boot Solaris 10 64-bit DomU HVM on CentOS 5 32-bit DomO

Hello All

I am trying to boot Solaris 10 U4 DomU HVM in 64-bit mode on CentOS 5.1 32-bit
Dom0. I have installed Xen 3.2 with 64-bit hypervisor. The machine I am using is
an AMD rackable server (dual core AMD Opteron, 8GB ram).

I am able to start the 32-bit mode with no problems at all. However when I try
to change boot options in grub (as discussed in
http://www.opensolaris.org/jive/thread.jspa?messageID=182632#182177) by
specifying the 64 bit kernel it panics.

What I would like to know is whether it is possible to use a 64 bit Solaris 10
with the conditions mentioned above and if yes what can I be doing wrong? Thanks
in advance for your help/comments.

Regards
AK
 
 
This message posted from opensolaris.org

> Hello All
> 
> I am trying to boot Solaris 10 U4 DomU HVM in 64-bit
> mode on CentOS 5.1 32-bit Dom0. I have installed Xen
> 3.2 with 64-bit hypervisor. The machine I am using is
> an AMD rackable server (dual core AMD Opteron, 8GB
> ram).
Is there any problem with install CentOS 5.1 64-bit on
your box ((dual core AMD Opteron, 8GB RAM) ?
> 
> I am able to start the 32-bit mode with no problems
> at all. However when I try to change boot options in
> grub (as discussed in
> http://www.opensolaris.org/jive/thread.jspa?messageID> 182632#182177) by
specifying the 64 bit kernel it
> panics.
> 
> What I would like to know is whether it is possible
> to use a 64 bit Solaris 10 with the conditions
> mentioned above and if yes what can I be doing wrong?
> Thanks in advance for your help/comments.
> 
> Regards
> AK
 
 
This message posted from opensolaris.org

Boris Derzhavets wrote:
>> Hello All
>>
>> I am trying to boot Solaris 10 U4 DomU HVM in 64-bit
>> mode on CentOS 5.1 32-bit Dom0. I have installed Xen
>> 3.2 with 64-bit hypervisor. The machine I am using is
>> an AMD rackable server (dual core AMD Opteron, 8GB
>> ram).
>>     
> Is there any problem with install CentOS 5.1 64-bit on
> your box ((dual core AMD Opteron, 8GB RAM) ?
>   
>> I am able to start the 32-bit mode with no problems
>> at all. However when I try to change boot options in
>> grub (as discussed in
>> http://www.opensolaris.org/jive/thread.jspa?messageID>>
182632#182177) by specifying the 64 bit kernel it
>> panics.
>>
>> What I would like to know is whether it is possible
>> to use a 64 bit Solaris 10 with the conditions
>> mentioned above and if yes what can I be doing wrong?
>> Thanks in advance for your help/comments.
>>
>> Regards
>> AK
>>     
>  
>  
> This message posted from opensolaris.org
> _______________________________________________
> xen-discuss mailing list
> xen-discuss@opensolaris.org
>   
I''m assuming you have a 1218 series AMD Opteron or better, as Solaris
10
needs HVM, and as you said, it boots under 32-bit mode.  I''ve noticed
similar issues with Solaris 10 in 64-bit mode under a hypervisor, but I
can''t pinpoint the specific problem yet.  My experience originally was
that it panics, and it has something to do with the amount of ram
allocated to the VM.  This bug is fixed in Xen 3.1, which afaik isn''t
yet available for Nevada, but is for Linux hosts, but not CentOS 5.1
unless you manually upgrade it from source or can find packages.  Again,
I don''t have the bug # on hand, and it may not be the same one causing
the issue.

I recommend you try a newer build of Xen if you have the time.  Do you
have any unsupported features being used by the guest, such as PCI/USB
bridging, alternate drivers, or is there anything on the host such as
the processor or motherboard that could be causing problems booting
64-bit guests under virtualization?  Have you tried another 64-bit guest
such as FreeBSD AMD64 under HVM under Xen on the same host?

James

> Boris Derzhavets wrote:
> >> Hello All
> >>
> >> I am trying to boot Solaris 10 U4 DomU HVM in
> 64-bit
> >> mode on CentOS 5.1 32-bit Dom0. I have installed
> Xen
> >> 3.2 with 64-bit hypervisor. The machine I am using
> is
> >> an AMD rackable server (dual core AMD Opteron, 8GB
> >> ram).
> >>     
> > Is there any problem with install CentOS 5.1 64-bit
> on
> > your box ((dual core AMD Opteron, 8GB RAM) ?
> >   
> >> I am able to start the 32-bit mode with no
> problems
> >> at all. However when I try to change boot options
> in
> >> grub (as discussed in
> >>
> http://www.opensolaris.org/jive/thread.jspa?messageID> >>
182632#182177) by specifying the 64 bit kernel it
> >> panics.
> >>
> >> What I would like to know is whether it is
> possible
> >> to use a 64 bit Solaris 10 with the conditions
> >> mentioned above and if yes what can I be doing
> wrong?
> >> Thanks in advance for your help/comments.
> >>
> >> Regards
> >> AK
> >>     
> >  
> >  
> > This message posted from opensolaris.org
> > _______________________________________________
> > xen-discuss mailing list
> > xen-discuss@opensolaris.org
> >   
> I''m assuming you have a 1218 series AMD Opteron or
> better, as Solaris 10
> needs HVM, and as you said, it boots under 32-bit
> mode.  I''ve noticed
> similar issues with Solaris 10 in 64-bit mode under a
> hypervisor, but I
> can''t pinpoint the specific problem yet.  My
> experience originally was
> that it panics, and it has something to do with the
> amount of ram
> allocated to the VM.  This bug is fixed in Xen 3.1,
> which afaik isn''t
> yet available for Nevada, but is for Linux hosts, but
> not CentOS 5.1
> unless you manually upgrade it from source or can
> find packages.  
James,
As far as i understood original message, Xen 3.2 64-it was installed on CentOS
5.1(xen disabled i would guess). So, CentOS 5.1 embedded Xen version
shouldn''t be a matter. Personally, i''ve only installed Xen 3.1
64-bit on CentOS
5.0 (x86_64) targeting task different from S10 U4 HVM install.
Thanks.
-b.
Again,
> I don''t have the bug # on hand, and it may not be the
> same one causing
> the issue.
> 
> I recommend you try a newer build of Xen if you have
> the time.  Do you
> have any unsupported features being used by the
> guest, such as PCI/USB
> bridging, alternate drivers, or is there anything on
> the host such as
> the processor or motherboard that could be causing
> problems booting
> 64-bit guests under virtualization?  Have you tried
> another 64-bit guest
> such as FreeBSD AMD64 under HVM under Xen on the same
> host?
> 
> James
> 
> _______________________________________________
> xen-discuss mailing list
> xen-discuss@opensolaris.org
 
 
This message posted from opensolaris.org

> Hello All
> 
> I am trying to boot Solaris 10 U4 DomU HVM in 64-bit
> mode on CentOS 5.1 32-bit Dom0. I have installed Xen
> 3.2 with 64-bit hypervisor. The machine I am using is
> an AMD rackable server (dual core AMD Opteron, 8GB
> ram).
> 
> I am able to start the 32-bit mode with no problems
> at all. However when I try to change boot options in
> grub (as discussed in
> http://www.opensolaris.org/jive/thread.jspa?messageID> 182632#182177) by
specifying the 64 bit kernel it
> panics.
> 
> What I would like to know is whether it is possible
> to use a 64 bit Solaris 10 with the conditions
> mentioned above and if yes what can I be doing wrong?
> Thanks in advance for your help/comments.
You may have right now S10 U4 fully virtualized guest (64-bit mode) as VMWare
Server''s (1.0.4)  VM on CentOS 5.X (x86_64) . View ,for example:-
http://bderzhavets.blogspot.com/2007/05/running-solaris-10-1106-virtual-machine.html
The potential issue is only performance provided by VMware Server''s
Solaris 10 VM. But , i am not sure, that Xen 3.2 HVM Solaris 10 Guest will be
much faster
(plus time to resolve the ongoing issues).
Actually, it depends on what you desperatly need.
 > 
> Regards
> AK
 
 
This message posted from opensolaris.org

Boris Derzhavets wrote:
>> Boris Derzhavets wrote:
>>     
>>>> Hello All
>>>>
>>>> I am trying to boot Solaris 10 U4 DomU HVM in
>>>>         
>> 64-bit
>>     
>>>> mode on CentOS 5.1 32-bit Dom0. I have installed
>>>>         
>> Xen
>>     
>>>> 3.2 with 64-bit hypervisor. The machine I am using
>>>>         
>> is
>>     
>>>> an AMD rackable server (dual core AMD Opteron, 8GB
>>>> ram).
>>>>     
>>>>         
>>> Is there any problem with install CentOS 5.1 64-bit
>>>       
>> on
>>     
>>> your box ((dual core AMD Opteron, 8GB RAM) ?
>>>   
>>>       
>>>> I am able to start the 32-bit mode with no
>>>>         
>> problems
>>     
>>>> at all. However when I try to change boot options
>>>>         
>> in
>>     
>>>> grub (as discussed in
>>>>
>>>>         
>> http://www.opensolaris.org/jive/thread.jspa?messageID>>     
>>>> 182632#182177) by specifying the 64 bit kernel it
>>>> panics.
>>>>
>>>> What I would like to know is whether it is
>>>>         
>> possible
>>     
>>>> to use a 64 bit Solaris 10 with the conditions
>>>> mentioned above and if yes what can I be doing
>>>>         
>> wrong?
>>     
>>>> Thanks in advance for your help/comments.
>>>>
>>>> Regards
>>>> AK
>>>>     
>>>>         
>>>  
>>>  
>>> This message posted from opensolaris.org
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> xen-discuss mailing list
>>> xen-discuss@opensolaris.org
>>>   
>>>       
>> I''m assuming you have a 1218 series AMD Opteron or
>> better, as Solaris 10
>> needs HVM, and as you said, it boots under 32-bit
>> mode.  I''ve noticed
>> similar issues with Solaris 10 in 64-bit mode under a
>> hypervisor, but I
>> can''t pinpoint the specific problem yet.  My
>> experience originally was
>> that it panics, and it has something to do with the
>> amount of ram
>> allocated to the VM.  This bug is fixed in Xen 3.1,
>> which afaik isn''t
>> yet available for Nevada, but is for Linux hosts, but
>> not CentOS 5.1
>> unless you manually upgrade it from source or can
>> find packages.  
>>     
> James,
> As far as i understood original message, Xen 3.2 64-it was installed on
CentOS 5.1(xen disabled i would guess). So, CentOS 5.1 embedded Xen version
> shouldn''t be a matter. Personally, i''ve only installed
Xen 3.1 64-bit on CentOS
> 5.0 (x86_64) targeting task different from S10 U4 HVM install.
> Thanks.
> -b.
> Again,
>   
>> I don''t have the bug # on hand, and it may not be the
>> same one causing
>> the issue.
>>
>> I recommend you try a newer build of Xen if you have
>> the time.  Do you
>> have any unsupported features being used by the
>> guest, such as PCI/USB
>> bridging, alternate drivers, or is there anything on
>> the host such as
>> the processor or motherboard that could be causing
>> problems booting
>> 64-bit guests under virtualization?  Have you tried
>> another 64-bit guest
>> such as FreeBSD AMD64 under HVM under Xen on the same
>> host?
>>
>> James
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> xen-discuss mailing list
>> xen-discuss@opensolaris.org
>>     
>  
>  
> This message posted from opensolaris.org
> _______________________________________________
> xen-discuss mailing list
> xen-discuss@opensolaris.org
>   
Got it, sorry for the confusion.  Regarding supported boot environments
here, I just tried a bare metal install of OpenSolaris B78 onto an
External USB HDD on my Ultra-20, which supports USB boot.  GRUB works,
but it takes an upwards of 15 minutes to boot OpenSolaris from the
external USB HDD, but only if it boots the default 64-bit mode.  32-bit
doesn''t seem to have this issue.  Running OpenSolaris under VMware with
64-bit also results in a 10-15 minute boot.  Have you tried forcing
32-bit mode, does it work, and in regards to the panic, does it print
out a stack trace or does it act like it''s hanging at the grub loader
right after it tries booting the OS?

James

Boris Derzhavets wrote:
>> Hello All
>>
>> I am trying to boot Solaris 10 U4 DomU HVM in 64-bit
>> mode on CentOS 5.1 32-bit Dom0. I have installed Xen
>> 3.2 with 64-bit hypervisor. The machine I am using is
>> an AMD rackable server (dual core AMD Opteron, 8GB
>> ram).
>>
>> I am able to start the 32-bit mode with no problems
>> at all. However when I try to change boot options in
>> grub (as discussed in
>> http://www.opensolaris.org/jive/thread.jspa?messageID>>
182632#182177) by specifying the 64 bit kernel it
>> panics.
>>
>> What I would like to know is whether it is possible
>> to use a 64 bit Solaris 10 with the conditions
>> mentioned above and if yes what can I be doing wrong?
>> Thanks in advance for your help/comments.
>>     
> You may have right now S10 U4 fully virtualized guest (64-bit mode) as
VMWare Server''s (1.0.4)  VM on CentOS 5.X (x86_64) . View ,for
example:-
>
http://bderzhavets.blogspot.com/2007/05/running-solaris-10-1106-virtual-machine.html
> The potential issue is only performance provided by VMware
Server''s Solaris 10 VM. But , i am not sure, that Xen 3.2 HVM Solaris
10 Guest will be much faster
> (plus time to resolve the ongoing issues).
> Actually, it depends on what you desperatly need.
>  > 
>   
>> Regards
>> AK
>>     
>  
>  
> This message posted from opensolaris.org
> _______________________________________________
> xen-discuss mailing list
> xen-discuss@opensolaris.org
>   
I''ve been using VMware Server for a client, and considering
it''s free,
fast, and doesn''t have so much issues at the moment, perhaps it is
better.  Open-source design aside, Xen does not compare yet, and
doesn''t
provide the support VMware does.  I am all for making progress, and
using Xen from time to time to see how it progresses is the least I can
do, but for consolidation it''s a support nightmare, at least with
OpenSolaris, and it''s not too far off from RHEL/CentOS which
doesn''t
fair very well against VMware server on the same environment.

I haven''t yet tried VMware Server on my Ultra-20, only non-HVM
compliant
platforms, perhaps I should do my own internal testing to see how well
Xen performance wise fairs, ignoring the qualms with setup and
administration for the time being.

James