Monday, January 28, 2008

Re: [BLUG] Ubuntu 7.10 as domU in Xen

Actually that's a very good suggestion and one I had not thought about. My
current attempts were with the server ISO. I'll give it a try with the desktop
ISO and see what happens.

Thanks!!

David


Quoting Steven Black <blacks@indiana.edu>:

> This may seem like an odd question, but...
>
> Which Ubuntu ISO are you using?
>
> There are three main ones:
> * Ubuntu Desktop
> * Ubuntu Alternate
> * Ubuntu Server


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Re: [BLUG] Ubuntu 7.10 as domU in Xen

This may seem like an odd question, but...

Which Ubuntu ISO are you using?

There are three main ones:
* Ubuntu Desktop
* Ubuntu Alternate
* Ubuntu Server

Ubuntu Desktop is the only one of the three that has a "Live CD" mode
and an X-based installation. The Alternate and Server CDs use a
descendant of the text-based installation process that Debian's been
using for 10+ years.

I have no experience with Xen. I do have experience with Ubuntu, though.

With 7.10 they've added improved support for virtualization. This will
get better with 8.04, as this is an area they're actively working on
improving.

If you've been trying this with the Desktop ISO, then I suggest you
stop and try another ISO. I know the Server ISO has a different set
of default kernel options, you may want to try that next. (For those
familiar with Ubuntu, it uses the 'linux-server' package instead of
the 'linux-generic' package.) I thought the Alternate ISO had a
kernel with different kernel options as well, but I may be mistaken.

If you've been trying this with the Server ISO, then to mix it up,
I suggest you try it with the Alternate ISO.

An additional note: Regardless of the ISO chosen, you get access to
all the same packages once the system is up and online. They use a
common package repository, depending on the ISO some packages are
not available on the CD. The Server ISO does not include X on the
CD. The Alternate ISO includes both GNOME and KDE on the CD. (And
the Kubuntu ISO includes KDE and not GNOME on the CD.)

I hope this helps.

Cheers,
Steven Black

On Mon, Jan 28, 2008 at 02:05:40AM -0700, davmoo@gibbousmoon.com wrote:
> [My apologies if everyone gets two copies of this...on the first send I used the
> wrong email address and not the one I have subscribed to the list. Mr or Ms
> Moderator, feel free to delete that one unsent if you'd like.]
>
> And lo, another long-time lurker uncloaks in order to ask a question...
>
> I've got Xen running on Dell server with RHEL5.1. I've got several
> CentOS and Mandriva virtual machines running, so I know Xen itself is
> working fine. For a client who has a preference for Ubuntu, I'm now
> trying to create a virtual machine running 7.10 (since I'm not an
> Ubuntu person I can't remember for sure, but I think that's a Gutsy
> Gibbon). When I start up the VM for the install, it hangs at
> "Loading...", and then dies on that third dot.
>
> Is there some special trick to installing Ubuntu as a domU?
>
> Oh, since this can be important to know, I probably should mention
> that this server is not sitting on my desk. I do not have local
> access to the hardware. Its some 600 miles away. Everything must be
> done remotely, or else the first step for gaining local access is "buy
> an airplane ticket". This is probably a good thing, since it keeps me
> from attacking the server with a hammer ;-)
>
> I've asked this in several Ubuntu specific forums. So before anyone
> answers here, and pardon me for sounding like a flaming asshole, but
> here are the questions I do NOT need answered that everyone in those
> forums insisted on answering instead of dealing with my actual
> question. I'm not trying to install Ubuntu as dom0. I'm not trying
> to install RHEL5 as dom0 or domU. I'm not having a problem installing
> Xen on RHEL5.1, I've already got it working. I know the difference
> between para-virtualized and fully virtualized...my current VMs are
> fully virtualized, and that's what I was going for with an Ubuntu VM.
> I know my Ubuntu ISO is not corrupt. Again, I apologize for sounding
> like an ass, but I don't need those questions answered or topics dealt
> with.
>
> And for lack of a better idea on how to refresh the memory of the one
> person who has met me once in person, Mark, I'm the dude who bought
> the CRT monitors from you a while back and met you in the Best Buy
> parking lot in the black convertible.
>
> David
> davmoo@gibbousmoon.com
>
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Re: [BLUG] Ubuntu 7.10 as domU in Xen

My main use for Xen is to give a few clients who need it full and complete
control over their servers, but at the same time not enough control to actually
hose the server itself or have access to areas that aren't theirs. Putting them
each in a VM makes a very effective way to more fully utilize the actual
hardware (none of them use more than 5 or 10 percent of a server) and at the
same time safely limit them to their own sandbox.

Over the last 6 months I think I've played with most every Linux virtualization
package there is...VMware, VirtualBox, Xen, OpenVZ (Virtuozzo), etc. And with
the exception of Xen, they either didn't play nice with RHEL5 (VMware) or had
limitations that affected things I wanted to do (VirtualBox and OpenVZ). Only
Xen installed without a hitch and does everything I need, with the possible
exception of running Ubuntu as domU, but I consider that more of a Ubuntu fault
than a Xen fault.

I wanted to attend the meeting where (I think it was) you talked about
virtualization, but Tuesdays just never seem to work out good for me for a
meeting night. I had also wanted to make the recent event at your offices, but,
and I'm a bit embarrassed to admit this, I forgot about it until the next day
even though I had a PostIt note stuck to my computer about it. We'll consider
that a "senior moment". Oh well, I'll cross my fingers for February.

David

Quoting Mark Krenz <mark@slugbug.org>:

>
> Hey David,
>
> Are you trying to install Ubuntu as a dom0? Is your iso image perhaps
> corrupt? Hehe, just kidding. I know just how annoying it is when
> clueless people in forums and IRC channels ask those kinds of questions
> just to ask them. What's worse is that they make it look like your
> question has been answered when it really hasn't.
>
> Its interesting that this isn't working in full virtualization mode.
> I thought you could run unmodified OSes in full virt. I don't use full
> virt myself, but I've also had a problem getting para virt Ubuntu images
> to work. There is something about the kernel that Ubuntu uses that
> makes it different from other distributions. I've had the same problem
> with Fedora. From the research I did, I got the impression that there
> are people working on making Ubuntu more Xen friendly, so you might have
> to just wait until then. I know I probably will have to.
>
> Where is your Ubuntu domU failing? I think mine was having a kernel
> panic when it tried to mount the root filesystem read only on boot or
> somewhere around there. I'd have to load it up again to see.
>
> I'm actually happy to see someone else on the list using Xen in this
> way. I'll have someone to confer with.
>
> Mark


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[BLUG] Ubuntu 7.10 as domU in Xen

[My apologies if everyone gets two copies of this...on the first send I used the
wrong email address and not the one I have subscribed to the list. Mr or Ms
Moderator, feel free to delete that one unsent if you'd like.]

And lo, another long-time lurker uncloaks in order to ask a question...

I've got Xen running on Dell server with RHEL5.1. I've got several
CentOS and Mandriva virtual machines running, so I know Xen itself is
working fine. For a client who has a preference for Ubuntu, I'm now
trying to create a virtual machine running 7.10 (since I'm not an
Ubuntu person I can't remember for sure, but I think that's a Gutsy
Gibbon). When I start up the VM for the install, it hangs at
"Loading...", and then dies on that third dot.

Is there some special trick to installing Ubuntu as a domU?

Oh, since this can be important to know, I probably should mention
that this server is not sitting on my desk. I do not have local
access to the hardware. Its some 600 miles away. Everything must be
done remotely, or else the first step for gaining local access is "buy
an airplane ticket". This is probably a good thing, since it keeps me
from attacking the server with a hammer ;-)

I've asked this in several Ubuntu specific forums. So before anyone
answers here, and pardon me for sounding like a flaming asshole, but
here are the questions I do NOT need answered that everyone in those
forums insisted on answering instead of dealing with my actual
question. I'm not trying to install Ubuntu as dom0. I'm not trying
to install RHEL5 as dom0 or domU. I'm not having a problem installing
Xen on RHEL5.1, I've already got it working. I know the difference
between para-virtualized and fully virtualized...my current VMs are
fully virtualized, and that's what I was going for with an Ubuntu VM.
I know my Ubuntu ISO is not corrupt. Again, I apologize for sounding
like an ass, but I don't need those questions answered or topics dealt
with.

And for lack of a better idea on how to refresh the memory of the one
person who has met me once in person, Mark, I'm the dude who bought
the CRT monitors from you a while back and met you in the Best Buy
parking lot in the black convertible.

David
davmoo@gibbousmoon.com

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