Re: fun with xen caps

[Sarton O'Brien <bsd-xen%roguewrt.org@localhost>]

On 25/09/2009 7:15 AM, Michael Litchard wrote:
> right now this is what xen caps looks like
> xen_caps               : xen-3.0-x86_64 xen-3.0-x86_32p
>
> Do I need pae support for a x86 domU when the domO is amd64?
> If not, how do I re-compile xen to allow the non-pae x86 xen?

Yes, you do ... and from my understanding, you can't ...

With an amd64 dom0 and a PV guest you will need either an amd64 domU or 
an i386-PAE domU. I don't believe these limitations apply to HVM though 
but I don't use HVM so don't quote me :) ... the i386-PAE kernel is a 
drop-in replacement for the old 1386 kernels.

All distro linux xen kernels tend to be PAE enabled. Actually, this is 
why I switched to an amd64 dom0, out-of-the-box functionality with linux.

If you already have a NetBSD PV guest OS that is i386, your best bet 
would be to use an i386-PAE kernel and upgrade your userland.

Unfortunately when it comes to PAE and PV guests, it's all or nothing. I 
managed to convert all my old i386 guests to amd64 with very little 
trouble (vnd->domu, extract sets, replace kernel, etcupdate), so it's 
not all bad. HTH :)

Sarton