NetBSD Problem Report #47157

From gson@gson.org  Sat Nov  3 18:43:39 2012
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Date: Sat,  3 Nov 2012 20:43:35 +0200 (EET)
From: gson@gson.org (Andreas Gustafsson)
Reply-To: gson@gson.org (Andreas Gustafsson)
To: gnats-bugs@gnats.NetBSD.org
Subject: No Howto for NetBSD/xen 6.0
X-Send-Pr-Version: 3.95

>Number:         47157
>Category:       port-xen
>Synopsis:       No Howto for Xen/NetBSD 6.0
>Confidential:   no
>Severity:       serious
>Priority:       medium
>Responsible:    gdt
>State:          closed
>Class:          doc-bug
>Submitter-Id:   net
>Arrival-Date:   Sat Nov 03 18:45:00 +0000 2012
>Closed-Date:    Mon Feb 02 14:59:39 +0000 2015
>Last-Modified:  Mon Feb 02 14:59:39 +0000 2015
>Originator:     Andreas Gustafsson
>Release:        NetBSD 6.0
>Organization:
>Environment:
System: NetBSD
Architecture: amd64
Machine: amd64
>Description:

The NetBSD 6.0 release announcement mentions new Xen features such as
DomU MP support, but when I go to http://www.netbsd.org/ports/xen/howto.html,
there is no mention of 6.0 at all.

A user following the instructions on that page will end up installing
NetBSD 5.0 (not even 5.1) - is that really the recommended release?

>How-To-Repeat:

Read http://www.netbsd.org/ports/xen/howto.html.  Notice absence of
references to NetBSD 6.0.

>Fix:

Please.

>Release-Note:

>Audit-Trail:

Responsible-Changed-From-To: port-xen-maintainer->jnemeth
Responsible-Changed-By: jnemeth@NetBSD.org
Responsible-Changed-When: Thu, 08 Nov 2012 01:54:59 +0000
Responsible-Changed-Why:
I'll look at fixing this, as I also want to update it to de-emphasize the
use of GRUB.  The standard NetBSD bootloader has been capable of booting
Xen for some time.


From: jnemeth@victoria.tc.ca (John Nemeth)
To: gnats-bugs@NetBSD.org, port-xen-maintainer@NetBSD.org,
        gnats-admin@NetBSD.org, netbsd-bugs@NetBSD.org
Cc: 
Subject: Re: port-xen/47157: No Howto for NetBSD/xen 6.0
Date: Wed, 7 Nov 2012 17:53:47 -0800

 On Feb 19,  6:52am, Andreas Gustafsson wrote:
 }
 } >Number:         47157
 } >Category:       port-xen
 } >Synopsis:       No Howto for Xen/NetBSD 6.0
 } >Responsible:    port-xen-maintainer
 } >State:          open
 } >Class:          doc-bug
 } >Arrival-Date:   Sat Nov 03 18:45:00 +0000 2012
 } >Originator:     Andreas Gustafsson
 } >Release:        NetBSD 6.0
 } >Environment:
 } System: NetBSD
 } Architecture: amd64
 } Machine: amd64
 } >Description:
 } 
 } The NetBSD 6.0 release announcement mentions new Xen features such as
 } DomU MP support, but when I go to http://www.netbsd.org/ports/xen/howto.html,
 } there is no mention of 6.0 at all.
 } 
 } A user following the instructions on that page will end up installing
 } NetBSD 5.0 (not even 5.1) - is that really the recommended release?

      One, can use a variety of different versions of NetBSD in a DomU,
 so obviously, one would need to adjust the instructions for the version
 they want to use.

      As for, 6.0 it will be SMP out of the box assuming, you assign
 multiple vcpus to the DomU.

      However, the instructions could probably be more clear about these
 items.

 } >How-To-Repeat:
 } 
 } Read http://www.netbsd.org/ports/xen/howto.html.  Notice absence of
 } references to NetBSD 6.0.
 } 
 } >Fix:
 } 
 } Please.
 } 
 }-- End of excerpt from Andreas Gustafsson

From: Andreas Gustafsson <gson@gson.org>
To: gnats-bugs@NetBSD.org
Cc: jnemeth@NetBSD.org,
    gnats-admin@netbsd.org,
    netbsd-bugs@netbsd.org,
    gson@gson.org (Andreas Gustafsson)
Subject: Re: port-xen/47157: No Howto for NetBSD/xen 6.0
Date: Sun, 18 Nov 2012 15:51:38 +0200

 On Nov 8, John Nemeth wrote:
 >  } The NetBSD 6.0 release announcement mentions new Xen features such as
 >  } DomU MP support, but when I go to http://www.netbsd.org/ports/xen/howto.html,
 >  } there is no mention of 6.0 at all.
 >  } 
 >  } A user following the instructions on that page will end up installing
 >  } NetBSD 5.0 (not even 5.1) - is that really the recommended release?
 >  
 >       One, can use a variety of different versions of NetBSD in a DomU,
 >  so obviously, one would need to adjust the instructions for the version
 >  they want to use.

 My primary concern is what NetBSD version to use for the dom0, not the
 domU.  The "Installing NetBSD as privileged domain (Dom0)" section of
 the HOWTO currently says I should install 5.0.  If 5.0 is indeed the
 recommended release to use, I'd like to see an explanation of why that
 is the case (in the HOWTO, not in a response to this message), and if
 it's not the recommended version, then the HOWTO is just wrong.
 -- 
 Andreas Gustafsson, gson@gson.org

From: Andreas Gustafsson <gson@gson.org>
To: gnats-bugs@NetBSD.org
Cc: 
Subject: Re: port-xen/47157: No Howto for NetBSD/xen 6.0
Date: Fri, 22 Feb 2013 17:57:26 +0200

 Any progress on this?  I have a machine that I had planned
 to install NetBSD/Xen on, but it has been sitting unused
 for a couple of months now because I still don't know
 what version to install.
 -- 
 Andreas Gustafsson, gson@gson.org

From: jnemeth@victoria.tc.ca (John Nemeth)
To: gnats-bugs@NetBSD.org
Cc: 
Subject: Re: port-xen/47157: No Howto for NetBSD/xen 6.0
Date: Fri, 22 Feb 2013 09:16:59 -0800

 On Jun 9,  4:07am, Andreas Gustafsson wrote:
 } 
 } From: Andreas Gustafsson <gson@gson.org>
 } To: gnats-bugs@NetBSD.org
 } Date: Fri, 22 Feb 2013 17:57:26 +0200
 } 
 }  Any progress on this?  I have a machine that I had planned
 }  to install NetBSD/Xen on, but it has been sitting unused
 }  for a couple of months now because I still don't know
 }  what version to install.

      Unfortunately not yet, and I'm busy with work right now.  But, the
 short answer is install whatever version you want.  I'm currently
 running this:

 NetBSD fibrenet-vm 6.0_STABLE NetBSD 6.0_STABLE (FIBRENET_VM_XEN) #1: Sun Oct 28 18:27:08 PDT 2012  jnemeth@relbuild:/sys/arch/amd64/compile/FIBRENET_VM_XEN amd64

 That's a netbsd-6 build from just after 6.0 was released.  I'll
 probably do a new build in the next few weeks just before that machine
 goes production.

 }-- End of excerpt from Andreas Gustafsson

From: Andreas Gustafsson <gson@gson.org>
To: gnats-bugs@NetBSD.org
Cc: 
Subject: Re: port-xen/47157: No Howto for NetBSD/xen 6.0
Date: Fri, 22 Feb 2013 20:09:00 +0200

 John Nemeth wrote:
 >  But, the
 >  short answer is install whatever version you want.  I'm currently
 >  running this:
 >  
 >  NetBSD fibrenet-vm 6.0_STABLE NetBSD 6.0_STABLE (FIBRENET_VM_XEN) #1: Sun Oct 28 18:27:08 PDT 2012  jnemeth@relbuild:/sys/arch/amd64/compile/FIBRENET_VM_XEN amd64

 And which version of the hypervisor?
 -- 
 Andreas Gustafsson, gson@gson.org

From: jnemeth@victoria.tc.ca (John Nemeth)
To: gnats-bugs@NetBSD.org, gnats-admin@NetBSD.org, netbsd-bugs@NetBSD.org,
        gson@gson.org (Andreas Gustafsson)
Cc: 
Subject: Re: port-xen/47157: No Howto for NetBSD/xen 6.0
Date: Fri, 22 Feb 2013 11:15:01 -0800

 On Jun 9,  6:17am, Andreas Gustafsson wrote:
 } The following reply was made to PR port-xen/47157; it has been noted by GNATS.
 } 
 } From: Andreas Gustafsson <gson@gson.org>
 } To: gnats-bugs@NetBSD.org
 } Date: Fri, 22 Feb 2013 20:09:00 +0200
 } 
 }  John Nemeth wrote:
 }  >  But, the
 }  >  short answer is install whatever version you want.  I'm currently
 }  >  running this:
 }  >  
 }  >  NetBSD fibrenet-vm 6.0_STABLE NetBSD 6.0_STABLE (FIBRENET_VM_XEN) #1: Sun Oct 28 18:27:08 PDT 2012  jnemeth@relbuild:/sys/arch/amd64/compile/FIBRENET_VM_XEN amd64
 }  
 }  And which version of the hypervisor?

      Currently running:  xenkernel41-4.1.2.  That will probably be
 updated to the latest version in the next few weeks.  I'm hoping that
 Xen 4.2 will show up in pkgsrc soon, so that I can check it out.

 }-- End of excerpt from Andreas Gustafsson

From: Manuel Bouyer <bouyer@antioche.eu.org>
To: gnats-bugs@NetBSD.org
Cc: jnemeth@NetBSD.org, gnats-admin@NetBSD.org, netbsd-bugs@NetBSD.org,
        Andreas Gustafsson <gson@gson.org>
Subject: Re: port-xen/47157: No Howto for NetBSD/xen 6.0
Date: Sat, 23 Feb 2013 10:14:07 +0100

 On Fri, Feb 22, 2013 at 04:00:14PM +0000, Andreas Gustafsson wrote:
 > The following reply was made to PR port-xen/47157; it has been noted by GNATS.
 > 
 > From: Andreas Gustafsson <gson@gson.org>
 > To: gnats-bugs@NetBSD.org
 > Cc: 
 > Subject: Re: port-xen/47157: No Howto for NetBSD/xen 6.0
 > Date: Fri, 22 Feb 2013 17:57:26 +0200
 > 
 >  Any progress on this?  I have a machine that I had planned
 >  to install NetBSD/Xen on, but it has been sitting unused
 >  for a couple of months now because I still don't know
 >  what version to install.

 just install 6.0. there's no difference between 5 and 6 for this
 specific part.

 -- 
 Manuel Bouyer <bouyer@antioche.eu.org>
      NetBSD: 26 ans d'experience feront toujours la difference
 --

From: Andreas Gustafsson <gson@gson.org>
To: gnats-bugs@NetBSD.org
Cc: jnemeth@NetBSD.org,
    gnats-admin@netbsd.org,
    netbsd-bugs@netbsd.org
Subject: Re: port-xen/47157: No Howto for NetBSD/xen 6.0
Date: Mon, 22 Apr 2013 21:02:32 +0300

 On Feb 22, John Nemeth wrote:
 >  But, the short answer is install whatever version you want.

 So, I tried installing a NetBSD 6.0.1 dom0, xenkernel41-4.1.4, and
 xentools41-4.1.4nb2 on amd64, and ran into a number of issues.
 Although not all of them are issues with the HOWTO as such, I will
 list them all here anyway in an attempt to give a more complete
 picture of what obstacles someone installing NetBSD/xen might
 encounter.

 Issue 1: After successfully installing a binary package of xenkernel from

   ftp://ftp.netbsd.org/pub/pkgsrc/packages/NetBSD/x86_64/6.0/All/xenkernel41-4.1.3nb2.tgz

 I found that there was no corresponding binary package of xentools.
 I worked around this by building xentools from source.

 Issue 2: the HOWTO says to start xend using

   /usr/pkg/share/examples/rc.d/xend start

 but taken literally, this results in an error:

   /usr/pkg/share/examples/rc.d/xend: WARNING: $xend is not set properly - see rc.conf(5).
   $xend is not enabled - see rc.conf(5).
   Use the following if you wish to perform the operation:
     /usr/pkg/share/examples/rc.d/xend onestart

 Issue 3: When instead trying the command

   /usr/pkg/share/examples/rc.d/xend onestart

 the message "Starting xend." is printed, but I don't get a shell
 prompt back.  The proctree command shows:

  | |   |-+= 01075 root /bin/sh /usr/pkg/share/examples/rc.d/xend onestart 
  | |   | \-+- 00871 root /usr/pkg/bin/python2.7 /usr/pkg/sbin/xend start 
  | |   |   |--= 01348 root (python2.7)
  | |   |   \--- 00489 root (blktapctrl)

 Looking at the port-xen archives, I see that others have had the same
 problem and that the solution is to start xencommons before xend.  But
 the HOWTO does not mention xencommons at all.

 Issue 4: The HOWTO says

   xend will write logs to /var/log/xend.log and /var/log/xend-debug.log

 but in actuality, the log files are in /var/log/xen, not /var/log.

 Issue 5: After manually starting xencommons and xend (in that order),
 I tried installing a NetBSD 5.2 domU and running the ATF tests using

   anita --vmm xen test http://ftp.netbsd.org/pub/NetBSD/NetBSD-5.2/amd64/

 This ended in a domU kernel panic while running the fs/tmpfs/t_rename
 test.  This is reproducible, and also happens with a 5.1 domU, though
 the exact test where the panic happens varies; so far, it has happened
 in fs/tmpfs/t_rename, fs/tmpfs/t_remove, and fs/tmpfs/t_link.  A 6.0.1
 domU is not affected by this.
 -- 
 Andreas Gustafsson, gson@gson.org

Responsible-Changed-From-To: jnemeth->gdt
Responsible-Changed-By: gdt@NetBSD.org
Responsible-Changed-When: Wed, 24 Dec 2014 01:31:39 +0000
Responsible-Changed-Why:
I am rewriting the HOWTO.


State-Changed-From-To: open->feedback
State-Changed-By: gdt@NetBSD.org
State-Changed-When: Fri, 26 Dec 2014 23:59:51 +0000
State-Changed-Why:
I believe I have addressed everything except the anita crash with 5.x amd64.
Please feel free to point out things that are missing, wrong or unclear.


From: Andreas Gustafsson <gson@gson.org>
To: gdt@NetBSD.org
Cc: gnats-bugs@NetBSD.org, www@NetBSD.org
Subject: Re: port-xen/47157 (No Howto for Xen/NetBSD 6.0)
Date: Fri, 2 Jan 2015 20:12:23 +0200

 gdt@NetBSD.org wrote:
 > I believe I have addressed everything except the anita crash with
 > 5.x amd64.

 Thank you, much appreciated!

 > Please feel free to point out things that are missing, wrong or
 > unclear.

 I think the most important problem that still needs to be fixed is not
 any issue with your text as such, but the fact that if I google for
 "netbsd xen howto", the first hit is

   http://www.netbsd.org/ports/xen/howto.html

 which is the old, pre-wikification version, not the newly updated

   http://wiki.netbsd.org/ports/xen/howto/

 Could www@ please add a redirect from the former to the latter?
 -- 
 Andreas Gustafsson, gson@gson.org

State-Changed-From-To: feedback->closed
State-Changed-By: gdt@NetBSD.org
State-Changed-When: Mon, 02 Feb 2015 14:59:39 +0000
State-Changed-Why:
Now the old howto URL is a redirect to the new howto in the wiki.
So the basic "howto is out of date" is resolved.


>Unformatted:

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