Re: does i386 still work?

[Greg Troxel <gdt%lexort.com@localhost>]

Brad Spencer <brad%anduin.eldar.org@localhost> writes:

> 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.

Thanks.  After disabling autoballoon (for dom0), checking things over,
rebooting the dom0, and trying again, it worked normally.

> 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).

Is there a PR?

Is there a pointer to how to run PVSHIM?   Is this the same as "stub
domain", or different?  I'd like to get this into the HOWTO.   I'm open
to you explaining in private mail and me trying to figure it out and
write it up.

> 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.

I might have mounted it and unmounted; I wonder if that's trouble.
Using vnconfig failed on me -- zvols seem pesky -- but maybe it left bad
state.

I did add to the HOWTO that you need the block device.