xen discuss - Oct 2007 - Boot process for a DomU

Hi

I still don''t understand the boot process for DomUs - is the boot
process used for DomUs documented anywhere?

for example:

A DomU config file like this

bash-3.2# cat Solaris10_run.phy 

name = "solaris_10_snv75"
memory = "368"
vcpus = "1"
disk = [
''file:/export/xen-images/Solaris10_snv75/Solaris10_snv75.raw,0,w''
]
vif = [ ''mac=00:0e:0c:3e:18:cd'' ]
on_shutdown = ''destroy''
on_reboot = ''restart''
on_crash = ''destroy''

works in a Solaris Dom0. Solaris picks up the correct kernel and boots the DomU.

How does Solaris decide which kernel to boot and which boot archive to use? 

Is it always the kernel  /platform/i86xpv/kernel/$ISADIR/unix on slice 0?

Can I change this? 

It would be nice to use grub in the DomUs to have more than one Solaris version
on one disk image (which can not be started in parallel, of course)

regards

Bernd
 
 
This message posted from opensolaris.org

On Fri, Oct 26, 2007 at 01:44:38PM -0700, Bernd Schemmer wrote:
> I still don''t understand the boot process for DomUs - is the boot
process used for DomUs documented anywhere?
Hi Bernd. See here:

http://blogs.sun.com/levon/entry/booting_para_virtualised_os_instances
> How does Solaris decide which kernel to boot and which boot archive to use?
> 
> Is it always the kernel  /platform/i86xpv/kernel/$ISADIR/unix on slice 0?
It''s always the relevant unix file on the ''/'' slice
of the active partition of
the first disk.
> Can I change this? 
You can change your kernel+ramdisk to use but not the other bits. See here:

http://www.opensolaris.org/os/community/xen/docs/changing-boot-flags/

This will be easier in the future.

regards
john