I wish and plan to start with Xen, but should like to hear first from this list users what the experience and opinions are regarding the following questions: 1. Is Xen mature to be installed and used by avarage skilled desktop users, who else manage to install both Linux and Windows on dual boot systems? 2. Is it clear which hardware (workstation, desktop PC or laptops) that does support Intel VT or AMD SVM, when the purpose is to install Windows and Linux concurrently? Is there any preferences and benefits regarding Intel VT/AMD SVM? 3. Is there some limits or some usual required feature that will not work yet with Xen? Rgds Terje J. Hanssen _______________________________________________ Xen-users mailing list Xen-users@lists.xensource.com http://lists.xensource.com/xen-users
On Wed, Aug 09, 2006 at 01:58:38PM +0200, Terje J. Hanssen wrote:> I wish and plan to start with Xen, but should like to hear first from > this list users what the experience and opinions are regarding the > following questions:> 1. Is Xen mature to be installed and used by avarage skilled desktop > users, who else manage to install both Linux and Windows on dual boot > systems?Yes. Assuming their distribution supports it easily. (eg. Debian works nicely, and SuSE and other distros have it included.) Of course it is possible to build from source, or get binaries, but that is more effort and may be harder.> 2. Is it clear which hardware (workstation, desktop PC or laptops) that > does support Intel VT or AMD SVM, when the purpose is to install Windows > and Linux concurrently? Is there any preferences and benefits regarding > Intel VT/AMD SVM?No idea on this front. I''ve not used VT hardware.> 3. Is there some limits or some usual required feature that will not > work yet with Xen?Two common problems I can think of are hardware support and graphics drivers. Xen and Nvidia drivers tend not to play nicely together without manual patching. Also if you use the Xen binary image(s) you might discover that your hardware isn''t supported. For example when I used the stock Debian Xen image(s) my sound card wasn''t recognised. Ditto with the xensource.com binary release. I had to rebuild the kernel to explictly enable the hardware. Otherwise for a reasonably skilled user I see no downsides at all. Steve -- _______________________________________________ Xen-users mailing list Xen-users@lists.xensource.com http://lists.xensource.com/xen-users
I would add that, currently, you can not seem to run 64 bit windows DomU. At 2006-08-09 13:13 +0100, Steve Kemp wrote:>On Wed, Aug 09, 2006 at 01:58:38PM +0200, Terje J. Hanssen wrote: > > > I wish and plan to start with Xen, but should like to hear first from > > this list users what the experience and opinions are regarding the > > following questions: > > > 1. Is Xen mature to be installed and used by avarage skilled desktop > > users, who else manage to install both Linux and Windows on dual boot > > systems? > > Yes. Assuming their distribution supports it easily. (eg. Debian > works nicely, and SuSE and other distros have it included.) > > Of course it is possible to build from source, or get binaries, > but that is more effort and may be harder. > > > 2. Is it clear which hardware (workstation, desktop PC or laptops) that > > does support Intel VT or AMD SVM, when the purpose is to install Windows > > and Linux concurrently? Is there any preferences and benefits regarding > > Intel VT/AMD SVM? > > No idea on this front. I''ve not used VT hardware. > > > 3. Is there some limits or some usual required feature that will not > > work yet with Xen? > > Two common problems I can think of are hardware support and graphics > drivers. > > Xen and Nvidia drivers tend not to play nicely together without > manual patching. Also if you use the Xen binary image(s) you might > discover that your hardware isn''t supported. > > For example when I used the stock Debian Xen image(s) my sound > card wasn''t recognised. Ditto with the xensource.com binary release. > I had to rebuild the kernel to explictly enable the hardware. > > Otherwise for a reasonably skilled user I see no downsides at all. > >Steve >-- > >_______________________________________________ >Xen-users mailing list >Xen-users@lists.xensource.com >http://lists.xensource.com/xen-users_______________________________________________ Xen-users mailing list Xen-users@lists.xensource.com http://lists.xensource.com/xen-users
Terje J. Hanssen wrote:> I wish and plan to start with Xen, but should like to hear first from > this list users what the experience and opinions are regarding the > following questions: > > 1. Is Xen mature to be installed and used by avarage skilled desktop > users, who else manage to install both Linux and Windows on dual boot > systems? > > 2. Is it clear which hardware (workstation, desktop PC or laptops) that > does support Intel VT or AMD SVM, when the purpose is to install Windows > and Linux concurrently? Is there any preferences and benefits regarding > Intel VT/AMD SVM? > > 3. Is there some limits or some usual required feature that will not > work yet with Xen?I doesn''t look like Redhat think Xen is enterprise ready (?) http://news.zdnet.co.uk/software/applications/0,39020384,39280211,00.htm Terje J. Hanssen _______________________________________________ Xen-users mailing list Xen-users@lists.xensource.com http://lists.xensource.com/xen-users
Terje J. Hanssen wrote:>> I wish and plan to start with Xen, but should like to hear first from >> this list users what the experience and opinions are regarding the >> following questions: >> >> 1. Is Xen mature to be installed and used by avarage skilled desktop >> users, who else manage to install both Linux and Windows on dual boot >> systems? >> >> 2. Is it clear which hardware (workstation, desktop PC or laptops) that >> does support Intel VT or AMD SVM, when the purpose is to install Windows >> and Linux concurrently? Is there any preferences and benefits regarding >> Intel VT/AMD SVM? >> >> 3. Is there some limits or some usual required feature that will not >> work yet with Xen? > > I doesn''t look like Redhat think Xen is enterprise ready (?) > http://news.zdnet.co.uk/software/applications/0,39020384,39280211,00.htmRegarding Xensource Enterprise I haven''t seen if is released or prices. Just wonder if they have a desktop/workstation product similar like VMware. As far as I read in a datasheet Linux and Windows on Xen should be much easier to install and use when the product became ready this year. Any experience with Xensource Enterprise, benefits and addons tool compared with vanilla Xen typical included with SuSE 10.1? Terje J. Hanssen _______________________________________________ Xen-users mailing list Xen-users@lists.xensource.com http://lists.xensource.com/xen-users