Microsoft has their "boot" version of their iSCSI software initiator. Apparently this still requires that the network card be iSCSI Boot "enabled." Intel seems to be the only obvious company out there supporting it on their Server adapters - I was wondering if there are any thoughts/plans on implementing iSCSI Boot functionality in the HVM Boot ROM? Or maybe there''s already some way to do it, with something like etherboot? -Nick This e-mail may contain confidential and privileged material for the sole use of the intended recipient. If this email is not intended for you, or you are not responsible for the delivery of this message to the intended recipient, please note that this message may contain SEAKR Engineering (SEAKR) Privileged/Proprietary Information. In such a case, you are strictly prohibited from downloading, photocopying, distributing or otherwise using this message, its contents or attachments in any way. If you have received this message in error, please notify us immediately by replying to this e-mail and delete the message from your mailbox. Information contained in this message that does not relate to the business of SEAKR is neither endorsed by nor attributable to SEAKR. _______________________________________________ Xen-users mailing list Xen-users@lists.xensource.com http://lists.xensource.com/xen-users
On Tue, Aug 05, 2008 at 02:09:52PM -0600, Nick Couchman wrote:> Microsoft has their "boot" version of their iSCSI software initiator. > Apparently this still requires that the network card be iSCSI Boot "enabled." > Intel seems to be the only obvious company out there supporting it on their > Server adapters - I was wondering if there are any thoughts/plans on implementing > iSCSI Boot functionality in the HVM Boot ROM? Or maybe there''s already > some way to do it, with something like etherboot? >I think broadcom server NICs support iSCSI boot too. broadcom+dell: http://www.dell.com/downloads/global/power/ps4q07-20070596-Broadcom.pdf press releases: http://www.embeddedstar.com/press/content/2004/10/embedded16905.html http://www.linuxelectrons.com/news/hardware/14128/broadcoms-iscsi-block-storage-over-ethernet-delivers-high-performance http://www.broadcom.com/press/release.php?id=635611 http://www.byteandswitch.com/document.asp?doc_id=61762 http://news.thomasnet.com/companystory/810702 also, IBM blades contain iBFT capable iSCSI initiator in their BIOS, allowing iSCSI boot without HBA. Some links about booting from iSCSI disk without iSCSI HBA (using just the normal NIC and iBFT table): http://etherboot.org http://etherboot.org/wiki/sanboot http://www.etherboot.org/wiki/iscsiboot http://www.etherboot.org/wiki/ibft Although I''m not sure how up-to-date those pages are.. Anyway, the basic idea for iSCSI boot nowadays is that the iSCSI boot initiator (BIOS, NIC or firmware) doing the initial boot up (loading GRUB from the disk, int13h emulation) should fill up iBFT table with iSCSI NIC/IP configuration info, and also the target/LUN info. The booted OS can then set up it''s iscsi software initiator based on the info in iBFT table. iBFT table is stored in memory. RHEL 5.2 (and CentOS 5.2) already supports this. Microsoft iSCSI software initiator (boot version) also supports iBFT, I think. So yeah.. to support iSCSI boot for HVM guests would mean being able to specify iBFT information in the domain configuration, and that information should end up in iBFT table in HVM domain memory. And then there should be int13h emulation using that same iBFT information so that bootloaders (GRUB) work.. Shouldn''t be that hard thing to implement :) -- Pasi _______________________________________________ Xen-users mailing list Xen-users@lists.xensource.com http://lists.xensource.com/xen-users
I guess maybe it's more a discussion for the devel list, but I attempted to generate a gpxe .rom file on rom-o-matic.net and then use the mkhex tool in the tools/firmware/hvmloader directory to make it into a header. I think rebuilt the hvmloader file and installed in the /usr/lib/xen/boot directory and attempted to boot an HVM off the network card. No good - didn't even try to load the ROM image. So, I guess I'll have to try to figure out why, but apparently there's more than just regenerating the header file :-). Thanks for the additional info - most of the support nowadays seems to be for servers - I'd actually love to boot my workstations off iSCSI. Maybe that will come in time... -Nick>>> On Wed, Aug 6, 2008 at 2:21 AM, Pasi Kärkkäinen <pasik@iki.fi>wrote: On Tue, Aug 05, 2008 at 02:09:52PM -0600, Nick Couchman wrote:> Microsoft has their "boot" version of their iSCSI software initiator. > Apparently this still requires that the network card be iSCSI Boot"enabled."> Intel seems to be the only obvious company out there supporting it ontheir> Server adapters - I was wondering if there are any thoughts/plans onimplementing> iSCSI Boot functionality in the HVM Boot ROM? Or maybe there'salready> some way to do it, with something like etherboot? >I think broadcom server NICs support iSCSI boot too. broadcom+dell: http://www.dell.com/downloads/global/power/ps4q07-20070596-Broadcom.pdf press releases: http://www.embeddedstar.com/press/content/2004/10/embedded16905.html http://www.linuxelectrons.com/news/hardware/14128/broadcoms-iscsi-block-storage-over-ethernet-delivers-high-performance http://www.broadcom.com/press/release.php?id=635611 ( http://www.broadcom.com/press/release.php?id=635611 ) http://www.byteandswitch.com/document.asp?doc_id=61762 ( http://www.byteandswitch.com/document.asp?doc_id=61762 ) http://news.thomasnet.com/companystory/810702 also, IBM blades contain iBFT capable iSCSI initiator in their BIOS, allowing iSCSI boot without HBA. Some links about booting from iSCSI disk without iSCSI HBA (using just the normal NIC and iBFT table): http://etherboot.org http://etherboot.org/wiki/sanboot http://www.etherboot.org/wiki/iscsiboot http://www.etherboot.org/wiki/ibft Although I'm not sure how up-to-date those pages are.. Anyway, the basic idea for iSCSI boot nowadays is that the iSCSI boot initiator (BIOS, NIC or firmware) doing the initial boot up (loading GRUB from the disk, int13h emulation) should fill up iBFT table with iSCSI NIC/IP configuration info, and also the target/LUN info. The booted OS can then set up it's iscsi software initiator based on the info in iBFT table. iBFT table is stored in memory. RHEL 5.2 (and CentOS 5.2) already supports this. Microsoft iSCSI software initiator (boot version) also supports iBFT, I think. So yeah.. to support iSCSI boot for HVM guests would mean being able to specify iBFT information in the domain configuration, and that information should end up in iBFT table in HVM domain memory. And then there should be int13h emulation using that same iBFT information so that bootloaders (GRUB) work.. Shouldn't be that hard thing to implement :) -- Pasi This e-mail may contain confidential and privileged material for the sole use of the intended recipient. If this email is not intended for you, or you are not responsible for the delivery of this message to the intended recipient, please note that this message may contain SEAKR Engineering (SEAKR) Privileged/Proprietary Information. In such a case, you are strictly prohibited from downloading, photocopying, distributing or otherwise using this message, its contents or attachments in any way. If you have received this message in error, please notify us immediately by replying to this e-mail and delete the message from your mailbox. Information contained in this message that does not relate to the business of SEAKR is neither endorsed by nor attributable to SEAKR. _______________________________________________ Xen-users mailing list Xen-users@lists.xensource.com http://lists.xensource.com/xen-users
On Wed, Aug 06, 2008 at 07:04:33AM -0600, Nick Couchman wrote:> I guess maybe it''s more a discussion for the devel list, but I attempted > to generate a gpxe .rom file on rom-o-matic.net and then use the mkhex > tool in the tools/firmware/hvmloader directory to make it into a header. > I think rebuilt the hvmloader file and installed in the > /usr/lib/xen/boot directory and attempted to boot an HVM off the network > card. No good - didn''t even try to load the ROM image. So, I guess > I''ll have to try to figure out why, but apparently there''s more than > just regenerating the header file :-). > > Thanks for the additional info - most of the support nowadays seems to > be for servers - I''d actually love to boot my workstations off iSCSI. > Maybe that will come in time... >I think gPXE should allow that for your workstation.. It''s also possible to do iscsi-root without iBFT. but then you need to configure all the iscsi settings twice - for the boot initiator, and then for the OS itself.. with iBFT you only have the configuration in one place. -- Pasi> -Nick > > >>> On Wed, Aug 6, 2008 at 2:21 AM, Pasi Kärkkäinen <pasik@iki.fi> > wrote: > > On Tue, Aug 05, 2008 at 02:09:52PM -0600, Nick Couchman wrote: > > Microsoft has their "boot" version of their iSCSI software initiator. > > Apparently this still requires that the network card be iSCSI Boot > "enabled." > > Intel seems to be the only obvious company out there supporting it on > their > > Server adapters - I was wondering if there are any thoughts/plans on > implementing > > iSCSI Boot functionality in the HVM Boot ROM? Or maybe there''s > already > > some way to do it, with something like etherboot? > > > > I think broadcom server NICs support iSCSI boot too. > > broadcom+dell: > http://www.dell.com/downloads/global/power/ps4q07-20070596-Broadcom.pdf > > press releases: > http://www.embeddedstar.com/press/content/2004/10/embedded16905.html > http://www.linuxelectrons.com/news/hardware/14128/broadcoms-iscsi-block-storage-over-ethernet-delivers-high-performance > http://www.broadcom.com/press/release.php?id=635611 ( > http://www.broadcom.com/press/release.php?id=635611 ) > http://www.byteandswitch.com/document.asp?doc_id=61762 ( > http://www.byteandswitch.com/document.asp?doc_id=61762 ) > http://news.thomasnet.com/companystory/810702 > > > also, IBM blades contain iBFT capable iSCSI initiator in their BIOS, > allowing > iSCSI boot without HBA. > > > Some links about booting from iSCSI disk without iSCSI HBA (using just > the > normal NIC and iBFT table): > > http://etherboot.org > http://etherboot.org/wiki/sanboot > http://www.etherboot.org/wiki/iscsiboot > http://www.etherboot.org/wiki/ibft > > Although I''m not sure how up-to-date those pages are.. > > Anyway, the basic idea for iSCSI boot nowadays is that the iSCSI boot > initiator (BIOS, NIC or firmware) doing the initial boot up (loading > GRUB > from the disk, int13h emulation) should fill up iBFT table with iSCSI > NIC/IP > configuration info, and also the target/LUN info. > > The booted OS can then set up it''s iscsi software initiator based on the > info in iBFT table. iBFT table is stored in memory. > > RHEL 5.2 (and CentOS 5.2) already supports this. Microsoft iSCSI > software > initiator (boot version) also supports iBFT, I think. > > So yeah.. to support iSCSI boot for HVM guests would mean being able to > specify > iBFT information in the domain configuration, and that information > should > end up in iBFT table in HVM domain memory. And then there should be > int13h > emulation using that same iBFT information so that bootloaders (GRUB) > work.. > > Shouldn''t be that hard thing to implement :) > > -- Pasi > > >_______________________________________________ Xen-users mailing list Xen-users@lists.xensource.com http://lists.xensource.com/xen-users