Xen devel - Mar 2005 - [Fwd: Re: Newbee - Xenoboot CD]

Tim:
I emailed improperly so am now forwarding to you and the list and have 
also included -- immedialy
below -- a question about the LIVE CD.

Could you provide the URL for the statement you made, "There will be a 
Xen/Debian/BSD live CD available from the Xen project site within the 
next few days, which does boot to Xen". I am very interested in this CD 
(probably an iso image?).

Does this mean that the LIVE CD contains a Debian Distribution with Xen 
installed and containing one virtual machine containing the BSD OS? If 
so, I assume one can create another virtual machine with some other OS, 
or would this LIVE CD be restricted to the one existing virtual machine? 
In other words what would one be able to do with this LIVE CD other than 
run the BSD OS as a demo? Could the LIVE CD or it''s contents somehow be
put onto a hard drive to provide a fully functional and expandable 
system? I read in a magazine that such things are possible when the OS 
is Debian.

Following is the contents of the email I am forwarding.

Tim

Thank you for the comment.  I created a high level brief (no details) 4 
point outline regarding what I think I have to do and would appreciate 
your comments.  

So I guess (based on what you said) I will have to:

1. Install a Linux distribution (how about SuSE 9.1 which has a 2.6.x kernel)?
2. Either (using the Xen source or an Xen binary) replace the SuSE 9.1 kernel
with Xen which I understand is built on (uses or is part of -- ported to) either
the 2.4.x and the 2.6.x kernel)?
3. Then using Xen create a virtual machine into which I can "plant"
SuSE 9.2 OS
or some other 2.6.x based Linux distribution or even BSD?
4. Then I can take the customized Xenoboot CD for that Xen installation and use
it for
a permanent front end boot and recovery system and also a way to backup systems
as well as using one system as a template to create(clone) others or migrate a
system
or even partitions????

Thanks, Ted 


Tim Deegan wrote:
>Hi Ted,
>
>Just to be clear -- you know the Xenoboot CD doesn''t have Xen on
it,
>right?  It''s just a piece of boot infrastructure we use for
controlling
>test machines.
>
>There will be a Xen/Debian/BSD live CD available from the Xen project
>site within the next few days, which does boot to Xen (but doesn''t
do
>the boot infrastructure things that the Xenoboot does), or alternatively
>Jred Rhine has made a Xen/ttylinux boot CD which is much smaller and
>would be easier to download. ( http://software.wordzoo.com/xencd/ )
>
>Tim.
>
>
>
>  
>
>>-------------------------------------------------------
>>Xen-devel mailing list
>>Xen-devel@lists.sourceforge.net
>>https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/xen-devel
>>    
>>
>
>  
>

Ted,

On Tue, Mar 01, 2005 at 02:01:52PM -0700, Ted Hilts
wrote:
> Could you provide the URL for the statement you made, "There will be a
> Xen/Debian/BSD live CD available from the Xen project site within the 
> next few days, which does boot to Xen". I am very interested in this
CD
> (probably an iso image?).
Not just yet, but I will when it''s uploaded.
 
> Does this mean that the LIVE CD contains a Debian Distribution with Xen 
> installed and containing one virtual machine containing the BSD OS? 
The live demo CD boots to Debian + Xen, and can boot additional Debian
and FreeBSD guest OSes (I haven''t checked the upper limit, but
let''s say
between five and thirty) by taking copy-on-write snaphshots of the root
filesystems and using those for the guest filesystems.
> In other words what would one be able to do with this LIVE CD other than 
> run the BSD OS as a demo? Could the LIVE CD or it''s contents
somehow be
> put onto a hard drive to provide a fully functional and expandable 
> system?
Certainly, although currently there''s no automatic method for doing it.

It should be as easy as copying the filesystem to a disk partition and
installing GRUB.  After that you''d have to configure the system for
your
required setup, and maybe update the boot order so it doesn''t start the
demo.  And, of course, make copies of the root filesystem for any guest
OSes you want to run as well.
> 1. Install a Linux distribution (how about SuSE 9.1 which has a 2.6.x 
> kernel)?
> 2. Either (using the Xen source or an Xen binary) replace the SuSE 9.1 
> kernel
> with Xen which I understand is built on (uses or is part of -- ported to) 
> either
> the 2.4.x and the 2.6.x kernel)?
> 3. Then using Xen create a virtual machine into which I can
"plant" SuSE
> 9.2 OS
> or some other 2.6.x based Linux distribution or even BSD?
This happens the other way around, mostly.  You build a root filesystem
containing the OS you want as the guest and when it''s ready boot the
virtual machine using it.
> 4. Then I can take the customized Xenoboot CD for that Xen installation and
> use it for
> a permanent front end boot and recovery system and also a way to backup 
> systems
> as well as using one system as a template to create(clone) others or 
> migrate a system
> or even partitions????
Yes, you could do that.  The Xenoboot CD would just need to be
customised to get its boot instructions from your server.  

Tim.

-- 
Tim Deegan                           (My opinions, not the
University''s)
Systems Research Group
University of Cambridge Computer Laboratory


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