Re: does i386 still work?

[Brad Spencer <brad%anduin.eldar.org@localhost>]

Greg Troxel <gdt%lexort.com@localhost> writes:

> I am trying to use xen again after a long absence.
>
> dom0: netbsd-10 amd64, xen 4.15.4, netbsd/pkgsrc both up to date (WORKS FINE)
>
> domU: PV, netbsd-9 amd64, 2 cpus, vif/bridge, disk/zvol (WORKS)
> domU: PV, netbsd-9 i386 PAE, 1 or 2 cpus, vif/bridge, disk/zvol (DOES NOT BOOT)
>
>
> Do people think i386 guests still work?

Works fine for me....  I run several 9.x i386 DOMU using the
XEN3PAE_DOMU config or a derivation of that.

All of my i386 DOMUs are PVSHIM style guests.  In theory, a full PVH
guest will boot (using something newer then 9.x), but the i386 guest
(unlike the amd64 guest) in PVH mode will hang itself after a certain
amount of time if there is any amount of disk activity (unpacking the
sets did it for me).

> Output from "xl create -c n9-i386" (skipping copyright lines):
>
> [   1.0000000] NetBSD 9.3_STABLE (XEN3PAE_DOMU) #43: Wed Jun 28 14:59:23 EDT 2023
> [   1.0000000]  gdt%lexort.com@localhost:/usr/obj/gdt-9/i386/sys/arch/i386/compile/XEN3PAE_DOMU
> [   1.0000000] total memory = 2000 MB
> [   1.0000000] avail memory = 1955 MB
> [   1.0000000] running cgd selftest aes-xts-256 aes-xts-512 done
> [   1.0000000] mainbus0 (root)
> [   1.0000000] hypervisor0 at mainbus0: Xen version 4.15.4nb0
> [   1.0000000] vcpu0 at hypervisor0
> [   1.0000000] vcpu0: Pentium(R) Dual-Core  CPU      E5700  @ 3.00GHz, id 0x1067a
> [   1.0000000] vcpu0: package 0, core 1, smt 0
> [   1.0000000] xenbus0 at hypervisor0: Xen Virtual Bus Interface
> [   1.0000000] xencons0 at hypervisor0: Xen Virtual Console Driver
> [   1.0000030] xenbus: can't get state for device/suspend/event-channel (2)
> [   1.0000030] xbd0 at xenbus0 id 0: Xen Virtual Block Device Interface
> [   1.0000030] xennet0 at xenbus0 id 0: Xen Virtual Network Interface
> [   1.0000030] xennet0: MAC address aa:00:00:db:00:01
> [   1.0000030] balloon0 at xenbus0 id 0: Xen Balloon driver
> [   1.0000030] balloon0: current reservation: 2048000 KiB
> [   1.0000030] xennet0: using RX copy mode
> [   1.0000030] xenbus: can't get state for device/suspend/event-channel (2)
> [   1.0109996] balloon0: current reservation: 512000 pages => target: 512000 pages
> [   1.0109996] ignore shutdown request: 
> [   1.0109996] xenbus: can't get state for device/suspend/event-channel (2)

Double check your config..  I have hung a DOMU pretty much exactly in
that location when 1) The back stored disk or file image was in use on
the DOM0 (like I vnconfig'ed the backstore file and then mounted it on
the DOM0 and then tried to boot the DOMU using the same file) 2) I used
the character device from a LVM when the block device was required.

[snip]




-- 
Brad Spencer - brad%anduin.eldar.org@localhost - KC8VKS - http://anduin.eldar.org