xen discuss - Sep 2009 - Solaris 2009.06 PVdomU (SUSE11.1/Xen 3.3): How to get VNC Console to launch

Hello:

I have an OpenSUSE 11.1 / Xen 3.3 based dom0. It''s pretty stable and
works
quite well in being able to host a variety of domU''s from different
distributions,
including openSolaris 2009.06 (which is most the one important to me).

Reference the below "domU.cfg" file for my PV Solaris instance (as the
end of this
post, as I detail my two issue/questions here.

(1) When I perform an "xm create" on the below config file, Solaris
(PV) boots fine,
into a text mode console (cli). However what I want to know is, what changes to
the below domU.cfg file is/are necessary to, instead, automatically launch a
(non
IP based) GUI **CONSOLE** window when I issue the "xm create" command
(... similar
to, say, when I install a Fedora guest). I suspect that it may either be a tweak
to the
following domU.cfg line...

          [b]extra = "/platform/i86xpv/kernel/unix -B
console=ttya,livemode=text"[/b]

and/or the addition of other lines that I may not be aware of as well.

(2) If (1) is not doable, then what steps do I take to manually start
"vncviewer"
**CONSOLE** - to initiate an install off the live CD gui. This preferable would
also
non IP console attachment (e.g. like TERM=sun), if possible... but if not, then
an
IP based VNC session is fine too.

Along the IP lines, when is do a "vncviewer 10.0.2.1" from dom0, here
is what
I get (failure):

root@dom0# vncviewer 10.0.2.1:0
Connected to RFB server, using protocol version 3.8
Performing standard VNC authentication
Password: jack (but hidden)              
Authentication failure
root#

I inserted "jack" for the password above, but it doen''t work.
I don''t know
what the default password is, or if I need to log into Solaris and set it. See
here.


root@opensolaris:~# ifconfig xnf0
xnf0: flags=1000843<UP,BROADCAST,RUNNING,MULTICAST,IPv4> mtu 1500 index 2
        inet 10.0.2.1 netmask ffff0000 broadcast 10.0.255.255
        ether 0:16:3e:26:02:01 

root@opensolaris:~# ps -ef | grep -i vnc
    jack   744   743   0 21:10:01 ?  0:00 /usr/X11/bin/Xvnc :0 -depth 24
-nolisten tcp \
    -rfbauth=/etc/X11/.vncpasswd -audi

In summary, I''m trying to get a VNC console to start automatically upon
"xm create"
for PV domU solaris (... note that hvm solaris does this, but hvm is too slow).


########################################################
# domU.cfg for 2009.06 PV Solaris domU
########################################################
# This section contains directives and arguments that
# MUST change from guest/domU instance to instance. 
# Note: Spaces in between the commas (,) in each disk
# argument is not allowed. "xm create..." complains
# "Error: invalid mode".
########################################################
name = "opensolaris-vm01"
uuid=""
disk =
[''file:/home/nmvega/Download/osol-0906-x86.iso,6:cdrom,r'',
         
''file:/var/lib/xen/images/openSolaris/instance01/root.img,0,w'']

vif=[''mac=00:16:3e:26:02:01, ip=10.0.2.1, vifname=vif2.0'']
########################################################


########################################################
# Compute resource allocations (except storage).
########################################################
memory=512
maxmem=512
vcpus=4
vfb=[''type=vnc,vncunused=1'']
########################################################


########################################################
# Configure xend''s respond to domU/guest run-level changes.
########################################################
on_poweroff="destroy"
on_reboot="restart"
on_crash="destroy"
########################################################


########################################################
# Locale settings.
########################################################
localtime=0
keymap="en-us"
########################################################


########################################################
# Guest/domU boot settings (this is the PV case).
########################################################
ramdisk = "/var/lib/xen/images/openSolaris/x86.microroot"
kernel = "/var/lib/xen/images/openSolaris/i86xpv/kernel/unix"

extra = "/platform/i86xpv/kernel/unix -B console=ttya,livemode=text"
#extra = "/platform/i86xpv/kernel/unix -B console=sun"
########################################################
-- 
This message posted from opensolaris.org

On 9/12/2009 12:56 AM, Noel Milton Vega wrote:
> Hello:
>
> I have an OpenSUSE 11.1 / Xen 3.3 based dom0. It''s pretty stable
and works
> quite well in being able to host a variety of domU''s from
different distributions,
> including openSolaris 2009.06 (which is most the one important to me).
>
> Reference the below "domU.cfg" file for my PV Solaris instance
(as the end of this
> post, as I detail my two issue/questions here.
>
> (1) When I perform an "xm create" on the below config file,
Solaris (PV) boots fine,
> into a text mode console (cli). However what I want to know is, what
changes to
> the below domU.cfg file is/are necessary to, instead, automatically launch
a (non
> IP based) GUI **CONSOLE** window when I issue the "xm create"
command (... similar
> to, say, when I install a Fedora guest). I suspect that it may either be a
tweak to the
> following domU.cfg line...
>
>            [b]extra = "/platform/i86xpv/kernel/unix -B
console=ttya,livemode=text"[/b]
>
> and/or the addition of other lines that I may not be aware of as well.
We don''t have a PV framebuffer today, so you can''t get a
graphical
console.


> (2) If (1) is not doable, then what steps do I take to manually start
"vncviewer"
> **CONSOLE** - to initiate an install off the live CD gui. This preferable
would also
> non IP console attachment (e.g. like TERM=sun), if possible... but if not,
then an
> IP based VNC session is fine too.
>
> Along the IP lines, when is do a "vncviewer 10.0.2.1" from dom0,
here is what
> I get (failure):
>
> root@dom0# vncviewer 10.0.2.1:0
> Connected to RFB server, using protocol version 3.8
> Performing standard VNC authentication
> Password: jack (but hidden)
> Authentication failure
> root#
>
> I inserted "jack" for the password above, but it doen''t
work. I don''t know
> what the default password is, or if I need to log into Solaris and set it.
See here.
The VNC password is stored in xenstore.. e.g. if you do a xenstore-ls | grep
pass
your should see it..


> root@opensolaris:~# ifconfig xnf0
> xnf0: flags=1000843<UP,BROADCAST,RUNNING,MULTICAST,IPv4>  mtu 1500
index 2
>          inet 10.0.2.1 netmask ffff0000 broadcast 10.0.255.255
>          ether 0:16:3e:26:02:01
>
> root@opensolaris:~# ps -ef | grep -i vnc
>      jack   744   743   0 21:10:01 ?  0:00 /usr/X11/bin/Xvnc :0 -depth 24
-nolisten tcp \
>      -rfbauth=/etc/X11/.vncpasswd -audi
>
> In summary, I''m trying to get a VNC console to start automatically
upon "xm create"
> for PV domU solaris (... note that hvm solaris does this, but hvm is too
slow).
Can''t do that today...

OpenSolaris writes the IP address and VNC password to xenstore
so it is possible to automate the VNC window.. However, I''m not
sure if a Linux dom0 will allow those xenstore writes...

Also, the location (in xenstore) where it writes the IP address
has changed since b111b (xen3.3 doesn''t allow writes where it
used to put it). So for 2009.06, you probably won''t see the
IP address with a 3.3 based dom0.

On a side note, I have been playing with a small text based
installer if your interested.. It''s for my personal use, not
anything officially supported by sun.. It''s still pretty rough,
but works... It can install a small guest (~375M) or the stock
install bits.



MRJ

On Sat, Sep 12, 2009 at 11:56 AM, Noel Milton Vega
<nmvega@computingarchitects.com> wrote:
> (2) If (1) is not doable, then what steps do I take to manually start
"vncviewer"
> **CONSOLE** - to initiate an install off the live CD gui. This preferable
would also
> non IP console attachment (e.g. like TERM=sun), if possible... but if not,
then an
> IP based VNC session is fine too.
To MANUALLY create a vnc session, see
http://www.taiter.com/blog/2009/02/opensolaris-200811-paravirtual.html#more
(or the other references you already found, OTHER than John Levon''s
blog), starting from the lines starting with "mkdir .vnc"
>
> Along the IP lines, when is do a "vncviewer 10.0.2.1" from dom0,
here is what
> I get (failure):
During installation, Opensolaris live CD automatically creates a vnc
session with a random password. See John Levon''s blog on how to find
out the password. As I recall doing something like

xenstore-ls /local/domain/$domid/guest

will dump domU''s IP address (if you have DHCP on that network, like
when using virbr0 bridge) and vnc password.

Both methods (manual and automatic vnc creation) can be used to
install Opensolaris domU with GUI.

-- 
Fajar

> We don''t have a PV framebuffer today, so you can''t get a
graphical
> console
>
Roger that... Not possible today with a PV based domU Solaris. See further
below** on how
users can automate this based on my IP (non-framebuffer) based graphical console
solution.
> The VNC password is stored in xenstore.. e.g. if you do a "xenstore-ls
| grep pass"
> your should see it...
>
Thanks. I tried that but it (the password) doesn''t appear to be stored
in the
xenstore database. See attachment for "xenstore-ls" output. Perhaps a
more
granular xenstore-ls and/or xenstore-read command is necessary to extract the
password. Or perhaps, as you mentioned, due to changes implemented in Xen 3.3
since the release of 2009.06/build111.b, this information is not available in
the
xenstore database at all. (The IP address is still available by the way). I put
this
paragraph here for the sake of discussion and completness when others search
the internet for this same question.

**But here is what worked for me this morning. Instead of trying to determine
the
random vnc password generated for the "jack" opensolaris live CD user
(which,
again, may not be available for query in the xenstore databased due to ongoing
implementation changes), I simply changed the password to something you know:

jack@opensolaris:~$ vncpasswd /etc/X11/.vncpasswd   (Note: you must specify that
file).
Password: ********
Verify: ********
jack@opensolaris:~$ 

user@dom0$ vncviewer ipaddress::590x  (where x = "domainID - 1")
e.g. user@dom0$ vncviewer 10.0.2.1::5900   (domainID was equal to 1 according to
"xm list")

That works!
> On a side note, I have been playing with a small text based
> installer if your interested.. It''s for my personal use, not
> anything officially supported by sun.. It''s still pretty rough,
> but works... It can install a small guest (~375M) or the stock
> install bits.
>
Sure. But also, lets say all graphical VNC attempts would have failed. What
would have been
the *native* CLI command to start a text based install, either as user
"jack" or "root".
Back in the day it use to be "sun-install". Not sure what it is toay
(if any) in the live CD.

Thanks for you help btw. Appreciated!
-- 
This message posted from opensolaris.org

Thank again fajar. See above for my solution/explanation. Appreciate your help
this weekend on two seperate XEN posts.
-- 
This message posted from opensolaris.org

Sorry I didn''t previously paste in the complete vncviewer dialogue
above. Here is is...

(Step 1 -- on domU)
jack@opensolaris:~$ vncpasswd /etc/X11/.vncpasswd (Note: you must specify that
file).
Password: ********
Verify: ********
jack@opensolaris:~$ 

(Step 2 -- on dom0)
user@dom0$ nohup vncviewer 10.0.2.1::5900  &
Connected to RFB server, using protocol version 3.8
Performing standard VNC authentication
Password: 
Authentication successful
Desktop name "x11"
VNC server default format:
  32 bits per pixel.
  Least significant byte first in each pixel.
  True colour: max red 255 green 255 blue 255, shift red 16 green 8 blue 0
Using default colormap which is TrueColor.  Pixel format:
  32 bits per pixel.
  Least significant byte first in each pixel.
  True colour: max red 255 green 255 blue 255, shift red 16 green 8 blue 0

user@dom0$

A VNC graphical IP based session pops up at this point.
-- 
This message posted from opensolaris.org

On Sat, Sep 12, 2009 at 10:01:44AM -0700, Noel Milton Vega wrote:
> Sure. But also, lets say all graphical VNC attempts would have failed. What
would have been
> the *native* CLI command to start a text based install, either as user
"jack" or "root".
> Back in the day it use to be "sun-install". Not sure what it is
toay (if any) in the live CD.
There is none yet. See:

http://opensolaris.org/os/project/caiman/TextInstallerProject/

regards
john

Copy that John. Appreciate the answer and interesting URL mocking up the text
based installer.
Regards, Noel
-- 
This message posted from opensolaris.org

Noel Milton Vega wrote:
>> On a side note, I have been playing with a small text based
>> installer if your interested.. It''s for my personal use, not
>> anything officially supported by sun.. It''s still pretty
rough,
>> but works... It can install a small guest (~375M) or the stock
>> install bits.
>>
> Sure. 
I put my script for a text based small guest installer @
   http://blogs.sun.com/mrj/entry/installing_a_small_xvm_or



MRJ