[previously posted to xen-devel@ and xen-api@ but this might be of interest to
xen-users@ too]
Hi,
I''ve refreshed the Xen Cloud Platform (XCP) .isos on xen.org with a new
development snapshot (labelled version 0.1.1). XCP is a collaborative
effort to build a complete cloud infrastructure platform, complete with
a powerful management stack, standards-based APIs, support for
multi-tenancy and much more. See:
http://www.xen.org/products/cloud_source.html
Since we released the first snapshot (0.1) we''ve had lots of
contributions
and valuable feedback. Particular thanks to
* Nicira for contributing the openvswitch (enabled by default,
replaces linux bridging)
* Marathon for contributing patches for FT
* Ahmed Kamal for documenting how XCP consoles work[1]
* Colin Dean for creating a VNC console proxy and web front end[2]
* Alberto Gonzalez Rodriguez for creating a standalone front-end[3]
In this update further highlights are:
* dom0 refreshed to CentOS 5.4
* xen refreshed to 3.4.2
* support for host SMBIOS data to be passed through to VMs
* improvements to experimental PCI passthrough
This update contains hundreds of changesets containing lots and lots of
bugfixes and performance improvements, including:
* VM lifecycle queuing deadlock fixed
* rare post-fork() spinning xapi process fixed
* Active Directory authentication fixes
* PV drivers check for magic strings in xenstore removed
* lots of memory ballooning fixes
What''s next:
* more stabilising/ bugfixing
* more hg repositories (storage coming soon)
* prototypes of new features (e.g. stub domains, advanced vhd management)
* aim to release an alpha late Jan/ early Feb
Development continues on the mailing list: xen-api@lists.xensource.com
As always, comments / suggestions / patches welcome!
Cheers,
Dave
[1]
http://foss-boss.blogspot.com/2010/01/taming-xen-cloud-platform-consoles.html
[2] http://www.xvpsource.org/
[3] http://www.openxencenter.com/
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On Mon, Jan 18, 2010 at 1:12 PM, Dave Scott <Dave.Scott@eu.citrix.com>wrote:> [previously posted to xen-devel@ and xen-api@ but this might be of > interest to xen-users@ too] > > Hi, > > I''ve refreshed the Xen Cloud Platform (XCP) .isos on xen.org with a new > development snapshot (labelled version 0.1.1). XCP is a collaborative > effort to build a complete cloud infrastructure platform, complete with > a powerful management stack, standards-based APIs, support for > multi-tenancy and much more. See: >This sounds like an interesting project but I''m not sure how it fits in the overall picture. Would you say it''s basically Xen 3.4.2 with a bunch of included software or more than that? I guess what I''m wondering is why I''d move over from running a stock Xen 3.4.2 system to XCP. What advantages will I have? Thanks, Grant McWilliams _______________________________________________ Xen-users mailing list Xen-users@lists.xensource.com http://lists.xensource.com/xen-users
On Mon, Jan 18, 2010 at 01:25:07PM -0800, Grant McWilliams wrote:> On Mon, Jan 18, 2010 at 1:12 PM, Dave Scott <[1]Dave.Scott@eu.citrix.com> > wrote: > > [previously posted to xen-devel@ and xen-api@ but this might be of > interest to xen-users@ too] > > Hi, > > I''ve refreshed the Xen Cloud Platform (XCP) .isos on [2]xen.org with a > new > development snapshot (labelled version 0.1.1). XCP is a collaborative > effort to build a complete cloud infrastructure platform, complete with > a powerful management stack, standards-based APIs, support for > multi-tenancy and much more. See: > > This sounds like an interesting project but I''m not sure how it fits in > the overall picture. Would you say it''s basically Xen 3.4.2 with a bunch > of included software or more than that? I guess what I''m wondering is why > I''d move over from running a stock Xen 3.4.2 system > to XCP. What advantages will I have? >XCP supports managing pools of Xen hosts with the included management tools (xe) and the xapi, not just a single dom0 like the normal ''hypervisor-only'' Xen. Check the XCP documentation to get an idea. -- Pasi _______________________________________________ Xen-users mailing list Xen-users@lists.xensource.com http://lists.xensource.com/xen-users
Hi,> This sounds like an interesting project but I'm not sure how it fits in the > overall picture. Would you say it's basically Xen 3.4.2 with a bunch of > included software or more than that? I guess what I'm wondering is why I'd move > over from running a stock Xen 3.4.2 system > to XCP. What advantages will I have?XCP is really a complete system for running and managing virtual infrastructure, rather than a hypervisor and a bunch of tools. As well as xen + linux 2.6.27 it includes * windows PV drivers * multi-host resource pools * pluggable storage modules (iSCSI, FC, NFS) * live snapshot, checkpoint, migration * DR * XMLRPC API + CLI for configuration * RRD-based performance monitoring * event system and task progress tracking * simple host-installer However, IMHO, the most important thing is that these are all integrated and tested together, as a single coherent whole. Cheers, Dave _______________________________________________ Xen-users mailing list Xen-users@lists.xensource.com http://lists.xensource.com/xen-users
On Mon, Jan 18, 2010 at 1:52 PM, Dave Scott <Dave.Scott@eu.citrix.com>wrote:> Hi, > > > This sounds like an interesting project but I''m not sure how it fits in > the > > overall picture. Would you say it''s basically Xen 3.4.2 with a bunch of > > included software or more than that? I guess what I''m wondering is why > I''d move > > over from running a stock Xen 3.4.2 system > > to XCP. What advantages will I have? > > XCP is really a complete system for running and managing virtual > infrastructure, rather than a hypervisor and a bunch of tools. As well as > xen + linux 2.6.27 it includes > * windows PV drivers > * multi-host resource pools > * pluggable storage modules (iSCSI, FC, NFS) > * live snapshot, checkpoint, migration > * DR > * XMLRPC API + CLI for configuration > * RRD-based performance monitoring > * event system and task progress tracking > * simple host-installer > > However, IMHO, the most important thing is that these are all integrated > and tested together, as a single coherent whole. > > Cheers, > Dave > >Sounds interesting. So maybe a better comparison would be to Xenserver 5.5? After having many issues with "undocumented features" in xen 3.4.1 (qcow?) I''ve been checking out Xenserver in the hopes that it would be more stable and have notices many of the features are similar to what you''ve listed. So the $64 question may be what do I get with XCP that I don''t get with Xenserver 5.5? Grant McWilliams _______________________________________________ Xen-users mailing list Xen-users@lists.xensource.com http://lists.xensource.com/xen-users
Hi,> Sounds interesting. So maybe a better comparison would be to Xenserver 5.5? > After having many issues with "undocumented features" in xen 3.4.1 (qcow?) I've > been checking out Xenserver in the hopes that it would be more stable and have > notices many of the features are similar to what you've listed. So the $64 > question may be what do I get with XCP that I don't get with Xenserver 5.5?The XCP snapshot = XenServer development trunk (except windows GUI, HA and WLB) So with XCP you get shiney new stuff like: * RBAC * memory ballooning * much more recent kernel (2.6.27 vs 2.6.18) etc * checkpoint/ rollback However with XenServer you get a fully polished thing which has been extensively stress-tested for ages. Cheers, Dave _______________________________________________ Xen-users mailing list Xen-users@lists.xensource.com http://lists.xensource.com/xen-users
> > question may be what do I get with XCP that I don''t get with Xenserver > 5.5? > > The XCP snapshot = XenServer development trunk (except windows GUI, HA and > WLB) > > So with XCP you get shiney new stuff like: > * RBAC > * memory ballooning > * much more recent kernel (2.6.27 vs 2.6.18) etc > * checkpoint/ rollback > > However with XenServer you get a fully polished thing which has been > extensively stress-tested for ages. > > Cheers, > Dave >So is that shiny new kernel a pv_ops kernel or has the xen patches been forward ported again. I''ve not tested both the xen kernel and the pv_ops but I keep hearing theirs a fairly major performance hit with pv_ops. Grant McWilliams _______________________________________________ Xen-users mailing list Xen-users@lists.xensource.com http://lists.xensource.com/xen-users
> > So with XCP you get shiney new stuff like: > > * much more recent kernel (2.6.27 vs 2.6.18) etc> So is that shiny new kernel a pv_ops kernel or has the xen patches been forward > ported again. I've not tested both the xen kernel and the pv_ops but I keep > hearing theirs a fairly major performance hit with pv_ops.It's a forward port again. I'm not a kernel expert but I believe pv_ops is the next target. Once it's suitably polished I'm sure it'll be merged into XCP. Cheers, Dave _______________________________________________ Xen-users mailing list Xen-users@lists.xensource.com http://lists.xensource.com/xen-users
On Tue, Jan 19, 2010 at 07:37:25AM -0800, Grant McWilliams wrote:> > question may be what do I get with XCP that I don''t get with Xenserver > 5.5? > > The XCP snapshot = XenServer development trunk (except windows GUI, HA > and WLB) > > So with XCP you get shiney new stuff like: > * RBAC > * memory ballooning > * much more recent kernel (2.6.27 vs 2.6.18) etc > * checkpoint/ rollback > > However with XenServer you get a fully polished thing which has been > extensively stress-tested for ages. > > Cheers, > Dave > > So is that shiny new kernel a pv_ops kernel or has the xen patches been > forward ported again. I''ve not tested both the xen kernel and the pv_ops > but I keep hearing theirs a fairly major performance hit with pv_ops. >XCP kernel is based on the SLES11 Xen kernel. XCI is also based on that kernel. -- Pasi _______________________________________________ Xen-users mailing list Xen-users@lists.xensource.com http://lists.xensource.com/xen-users
> > > question may be what do I get with XCP that I don''t get with Xenserver > > 5.5? > > > > The XCP snapshot = XenServer development trunk (except windows GUI, HA > and > > WLB) > > > > So with XCP you get shiney new stuff like: > > * RBAC > > * memory ballooning > > * much more recent kernel (2.6.27 vs 2.6.18) etc > > * checkpoint/ rollback > > > > However with XenServer you get a fully polished thing which has been > > extensively stress-tested for ages. > > > > Cheers, > > Dave > > > > So is that shiny new kernel a pv_ops kernel or has the xen patches been > forward ported again. I''ve not tested both the xen kernel and the pv_ops > but > I keep hearing theirs a fairly major performance hit with pv_ops. > > Grant McWilliams >A 0.1.1 release was posted on Jan 18, 2010 with the following additional features and fixes: - Openvswitch - Fault Tolerance - XCP Console Documentation<http://foss-boss.blogspot.com/2010/01/taming-xen-cloud-platform-consoles.html> - VNC Console Proxy <http://www.xvpsource.org/> and Web Front-End - Standalone Front-End <http://www.openxencenter.com/> - VM Lifecycle Queuing Deadlock Fixed - Rare Post-Fork() Spinning XAPI Process Fixed - Active Directory Authentication Fixes - Memory Ballooning Fixes "Fault Tolerance" in more detail what this means? (code fix or new feature) The HA expected functionality? How is it possible for upgarde from 0.1.0 to 0.1.1? Menox _______________________________________________ Xen-users mailing list Xen-users@lists.xensource.com http://lists.xensource.com/xen-users
> > > A 0.1.1 release was posted on Jan 18, 2010 with the following additional > features and fixes: > > - Openvswitch > - Fault Tolerance > - XCP Console Documentation<http://foss-boss.blogspot.com/2010/01/taming-xen-cloud-platform-consoles.html> > - VNC Console Proxy <http://www.xvpsource.org/> and Web Front-End > - Standalone Front-End <http://www.openxencenter.com/> > - VM Lifecycle Queuing Deadlock Fixed > - Rare Post-Fork() Spinning XAPI Process Fixed > - Active Directory Authentication Fixes > - Memory Ballooning Fixes > > "Fault Tolerance" in more detail what this means? (code fix or new > feature) > The HA expected functionality? > How is it possible for upgarde from 0.1.0 to 0.1.1? > > Menox > > _ >Looks like the Standalone Front-End is OpenXenCenter which should run on Linux fine. I''m hoping. That alone may be worth it. Openvswitch I''ll have to look into to see if I need to go that route. My biggest problem with Xen is stability and features listed actually being available and/or stable enough to use. Grant McWilliams. _______________________________________________ Xen-users mailing list Xen-users@lists.xensource.com http://lists.xensource.com/xen-users
On Tue, Jan 19, 2010 at 6:03 PM, Dave Scott <Dave.Scott@eu.citrix.com> wrote:>> So the $64 >> question may be what do I get with XCP that I don''t get with Xenserver 5.5? > > The XCP snapshot = XenServer development trunk (except windows GUI, HA and WLB) > > So with XCP you get shiney new stuff like: > * RBAC > * memory ballooning > * much more recent kernel (2.6.27 vs 2.6.18) etc > * checkpoint/ rollbackAnd how does the license exipry fit in there? Does a fully functional XCP require purchase/subscription? -- Fajar _______________________________________________ Xen-users mailing list Xen-users@lists.xensource.com http://lists.xensource.com/xen-users
On Wed, Jan 20, 2010 at 02:00:34PM +0700, Fajar A. Nugraha wrote:> On Tue, Jan 19, 2010 at 6:03 PM, Dave Scott <Dave.Scott@eu.citrix.com> wrote: > >> So the $64 > >> question may be what do I get with XCP that I don''t get with Xenserver 5.5? > > > > The XCP snapshot = XenServer development trunk (except windows GUI, HA and WLB) > > > > So with XCP you get shiney new stuff like: > > * RBAC > > * memory ballooning > > * much more recent kernel (2.6.27 vs 2.6.18) etc > > * checkpoint/ rollback > > > And how does the license exipry fit in there? Does a fully functional > XCP require purchase/subscription? >XCP doesn''t require any licenses. Earlier there was some license/expiry checks still in the code, but I believe those are now removed. -- Pasi _______________________________________________ Xen-users mailing list Xen-users@lists.xensource.com http://lists.xensource.com/xen-users
On Wed, Jan 20, 2010 at 2:38 PM, Pasi Kärkkäinen <pasik@iki.fi> wrote:>> > So with XCP you get shiney new stuff like: >> > * RBAC >> > * memory ballooning >> > * much more recent kernel (2.6.27 vs 2.6.18) etc >> > * checkpoint/ rollback >> >> >> And how does the license exipry fit in there? Does a fully functional >> XCP require purchase/subscription? >> > > XCP doesn''t require any licenses. Earlier there was some license/expiry checks > still in the code, but I believe those are now removed.Strange. I download base iso from http://www.xen.org/products/cloud_source.html, installed it, connect with openxencenter, and see "Expiry date 29 days 08 hours 16 minutes 59 seconds" -- Fajar _______________________________________________ Xen-users mailing list Xen-users@lists.xensource.com http://lists.xensource.com/xen-users
> > XCP doesn''t require any licenses. Earlier there was some > license/expiry checks > > still in the code, but I believe those are now removed. > > Strange. I download base iso from > http://www.xen.org/products/cloud_source.html, installed it, connect > with openxencenter, and see > "Expiry date 29 days 08 hours 16 minutes 59 seconds"Nothing should happen when the clock gets to zero -- try setting the system date to next year and see what happens. In particular, check that you can still start VMs. The 0.1 version of XCP still had a line of code which said, "if the clock gets to zero refuse to start VMs". I removed this line in 0.1.1. I realize that it''s a bit ugly that some of the unused mechanism is still present. Some of the mechanism like per-feature on/off switches could probably be converted into a system for enabling/disabling experimental features. The idea being that, supported released versions would have a supported core featureset but you would be able to turn on advanced experimental stuff if you knew what you were doing. Cheers, Dave _______________________________________________ Xen-users mailing list Xen-users@lists.xensource.com http://lists.xensource.com/xen-users
2010/1/20 Dave Scott <Dave.Scott@eu.citrix.com>:> Nothing should happen when the clock gets to zero -- try setting the system date to next year and see what happens. In particular, check that you can still start VMs.Good to hear that :D> I realize that it''s a bit ugly that some of the unused mechanism is still present.Is there some docs on XCP? What should work, what''s still in progress, docs about vm snapshot, etc.? -- Fajar _______________________________________________ Xen-users mailing list Xen-users@lists.xensource.com http://lists.xensource.com/xen-users