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{{Anchor|Virtualization}}
{{Anchor|Virtualization}}


== Virtualization ==
== Virtualization ==
In this section, we cover discussion on the @et-mgmnt-tools-list, @fedora-xen-list, @libvirt-list and @ovirt-devel-list of Fedora virtualization technologies.  
In this section, we cover discussion of Fedora virtualization technologies on the
@fedora-virt list.


Contributing Writer: [[User:Dale | Dale Bewley]]
Contributing Writer: [[User:Dale | Dale Bewley]]
=== Enterprise Management Tools List ===
This section contains the discussion happening on the
[http://www.redhat.com/mailman/listinfo/et-mgmt-tools et-mgmt-tools list]
==== New Release virt-manager 0.7.0 ====
[[ColeRobinson|Cole Robinson]] announce<ref>http://www.redhat.com/archives/et-mgmt-tools/2009-March/msg00058.html</ref>
a new {{package|virt-manager}}<ref>http://virt-manager.org/</ref> release, version 0.7.0.
Virtual Machine Manager provides a graphical tool for administering virtual
machines for <code>KVM</code>, <code>Xen</code>, and <code>QEmu</code>. Start, stop, add or remove virtual devices,
connect to a graphical or serial console, and see resource usage statistics
for existing VMs on local or remote machines. Uses {{package|libvirt}} as the backend
management API.
'''New features:'''
* Redesigned 'New Virtual Machine' wizard (Jeremy Perry, Tim Allen, Cole Robinson)
* Option to remove storage when deleting a virtual machine.
* File browser for libvirt storage pools and volumes, for use when attaching storage to a new or existing guest.
* Physical device assignment (PCI, USB) for existing virtual machines.
* Bug fixes and minor improvements.
<references />
==== New Release virtinst 0.4.3 ====
[[ColeRobinson|Cole Robinson]] announce<ref>http://www.redhat.com/archives/et-mgmt-tools/2009-March/msg00057.html</ref>
a new {{package|python-virtinst}} release, version 0.400.3.
<code>virtinst</code>  is a module that helps build and install <code>libvirt</code> based virtual
machines. It currently supports <code>KVM</code>, <code>QEmu</code> and <code>Xen</code> virtual machines. Package
includes several command line utilities, including <code>virt-install</code> (build
and install new VMs) and <code>virt-clone</code> (clone an existing virtual machine).
This is largely a bug fix release.
<references />
====  ====
<references />


=== Fedora Virtualization List ===
=== Fedora Virtualization List ===
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[http://www.redhat.com/mailman/listinfo/fedora-virt fedora-virt list].
[http://www.redhat.com/mailman/listinfo/fedora-virt fedora-virt list].


==== Serial Console Support in virt-manager ====
==== Virt Status Report ====
Jan ONDREJ tested<ref>http://www.redhat.com/archives/fedora-virt/2009-March/msg00028.html</ref> the new {{package|virt-manager}} 0.7.0 on Fedora 10, and had some suggestions.
[[JustinForbes|Justin Forbes]]
 
posted<ref>http://www.redhat.com/archives/fedora-virt/2009-December/msg00056.html</ref> a Fedora virtualization status report.  
{{Admon/note|TODO}}
Justin pointed out F13 bugs<ref>http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Virtualization_bugs</ref> now include Important and Pony classifications in addition to Blocker and Target.
 
<pre>
Starting an domain starts my serial console owned by root and is not
accesssible from virt-manager (virt-viewer). After changing ownership it's
immediatelly available. Is it possible to change this in time of virtual
machine creation? (in libvirt or where?)
 
  Another feature enhacement can be adding "Serial 0" tab automatically,
when there is no Console available for guest. Message "Console not
configured for guest" can be sometimes misinterpretated, because I can have
serial console for my guest. I prefer to use serial consoles, because they
do not need to install graphical environment on host. They have multiple
advantages, like access from another machine using serial or ipmi console,
viewing crash status, when host crashes, ...
 
  And last possible enhancement: when pressing F10 key in guest's serial
console, is it possible to avoid opening of "File menu" and send this key to
serial 0, as it is done in VGA console?
</pre>
 
Cole
<ref>http://www.redhat.com/archives/fedora-virt/2009-March/msg00036.html</ref>
<pre>
Yes, this is one of the drawbacks of not running virt-manager as root:
since the qemu:///system libvirt connection will launch your guests as
root, a regular user won't be able to access ptys.
 
I don't know of a proper solution to it all, other then running the app
as root or changing the the pty permissions as you did.
 
>  Another feature enhacement can be adding "Serial 0" tab automatically,
> when there is no Console available for guest. Message "Console not
> configured for guest" can be sometimes misinterpretated, because I can have
> serial console for my guest.
 
I see what you mean. The wording could certainly be better, and It would
make sense to try to connect to the serial console if no graphics device
is attached. Thanks for the idea.
 
>
>  And last possible enhancement: when pressing F10 key in guest's serial
> console, is it possible to avoid opening of "File menu" and send this key to
> serial 0, as it is done in VGA console?
>
 
We would probably need some sort of keygrab process like we do for VNC
to get this right. Not sure if that's even an option for the VTE widget
though.
</pre>


<references />
<references />


=== Fedora Xen List ===
==== RHEL and Fedora Virtualization Feature Parity ====
This section contains the discussion happening on the
Robert Day wondered how the virtualization features<ref>http://www.redhat.com/virtualization/rhev/</ref> of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.4
[http://www.redhat.com/mailman/listinfo/fedora-xen fedora-xen list].
compared to Fedora 12.


==== dom0 Kernel: Better, Still Not Ready ====
[[DanielBerrange|Daniel Berrange]]
Itamar Reis Peixoto reported<ref>http://www.redhat.com/archives/fedora-xen/2009-March/msg00046.html</ref>
explained<ref>http://www.redhat.com/archives/fedora-virt/2009-December/msg00040.html</ref>
success with [[MichaelYoung|Michael Young]]'s latest {{package|kernel}} build<ref>http://koji.fedoraproject.org/koji/taskinfo?taskID=1238587</ref> and wondered when it could be released.
"The KVM based virtualization in RHEL-5.4 is not nearly so far behind
 
Fedora as you might think. The {{package|libvirt}} mgmt stack in RHEL-5.4 was
Michael explained, "The current plan is to wait until basic <code>dom0</code> support makes it into the vanilla <code>kernel</code>, which should happen for 2.6.30, and then decide if <code>dom0</code> can be enabled and if the patches for full <code>dom0</code> support can safely be added without affecting ordinary operation."
rebased to be near parity with [[Releases/11|Fedora 11]], and KVM in RHEL-5.4 is
 
also pretty close to that using what's best described as a hybrid of
"At the moment there are still things that are broken such as <code>X</code> support in some cases, and there are also Fedora patches that have been omitted because they were tricky to merge, so it is too early to start adding <code>dom0</code> support to official Fedora kernels."
kvm-83 and kvm-84."


<references />
<references />


==== Missing Hypervisor Capabilities Restored ====
There was progress on a bug discovered<ref>http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/FWN/Issue166#dom0_Kernel_Inches_Closer</ref> last week. This missing file
<code>/sys/hypervisor/properties/capabilities</code> has been
restored<ref>http://www.redhat.com/archives/fedora-xen/2009-March/msg00039.html</ref>,
however a bug<ref>https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=489799</ref> remained<ref>http://www.redhat.com/archives/fedora-xen/2009-March/msg00040.html</ref> in <code>libvirt</code> or <code>virt-install</code>.


====  ====
<references />
<references />


=== Libvirt List ===
====  ====
This section contains the discussion happening on the
[http://www.redhat.com/mailman/listinfo/libvir-list libvir-list].
 
==== Snapshot Support ====
In an attempt to make it easier to backup <code>KVM</code> windows guests,
[[MattMcCowan| Matt McCowan]]
created<ref>http://www.redhat.com/archives/libvir-list/2009-March/msg00177.html</ref>
a checkpoint <code>virsh</code> function.  "Modelled on the <code>virDomainSave</code><ref>http://libvirt.org/html/libvirt-libvirt.html#virDomainSave</ref> function it takes
an optional script which it will execute (and pass the name of the
domain as an argument) while the domain is paused, then resume the
domain." Within this script, a backup of the guest domain could be created.
 
The patch was seen as too ad-hoc, and not accepted as-is.
[[DanielVeillard|Daniel Veillard]]
commented<ref>http://www.redhat.com/archives/libvir-list/2009-March/msg00199.html</ref>
"I think this can help administrators in a controlled situation,
but I'm hoping a real snapshotting API will be possible at some point
where {{package|libvirt}} goes though the list of storage resources used by the
domain and properly make a snapshot using a storage API or return
an error if that's not possible."
 
[[DanielBerrange|Daniel P. Berrange]]
described<ref>http://www.redhat.com/archives/libvir-list/2009-March/msg00205.html</ref>
what he would like to see.
"In terms of API I think I'd like to see
snapshotting<ref>http://wiki.libvirt.org/page/TodoVMSnapshots</ref> available as part
of a more generic save/restore API. I tend to think of the current API
as providing 'unmanaged save/restore'". Libvirt does not track saved images,
so does not know if a snapshot is available to be started at the restart of
<code>libvirtd</code>."
 
"Thus I think the first step towards a general snapshot facility would
be to provide an API for 'managed save/restore' where we explicitly
track saved images."
"With this, you could configure <code>libvirtd</code>, so that when starting up, it"
would "see if the guest was suspended before
the previous host shutdown, and if so, then restore from that saved
image automatically.<ref>http://wiki.libvirt.org/page/TodoDaemonRestart</ref> Or make it skip autostart completely, if any save
images exist, and allow an admin defined initscript to do auto restore
from the save image."
 
<references />
 
==== Memory Ballooning Support for QEMU ====
Daniel P. Berrange
patched<ref>http://www.redhat.com/archives/libvir-list/2009-March/msg00200.html</ref>
the <code>libvirt</code> QEMU driver to fully support memory ballooning.
"Memory ballooning allows you to have your guest dynamically change it’s memory usage by evicting unused memory during runtime. This is a useful feature because it reduces the impact your guest can have on memory usage of your host by giving up unused memory back to the host."<ref>http://www.linux-kvm.com/content/memory-ballooning-feature-coming-soon-kvm</ref>
 
<references />
<references />

Latest revision as of 18:09, 18 December 2009



Virtualization

In this section, we cover discussion of Fedora virtualization technologies on the @fedora-virt list.

Contributing Writer: Dale Bewley

Fedora Virtualization List

This section contains the discussion happening on the fedora-virt list.

Virt Status Report

Justin Forbes posted[1] a Fedora virtualization status report. Justin pointed out F13 bugs[2] now include Important and Pony classifications in addition to Blocker and Target.

RHEL and Fedora Virtualization Feature Parity

Robert Day wondered how the virtualization features[1] of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.4 compared to Fedora 12.

Daniel Berrange explained[2] "The KVM based virtualization in RHEL-5.4 is not nearly so far behind Fedora as you might think. The Package-x-generic-16.pnglibvirt mgmt stack in RHEL-5.4 was rebased to be near parity with Fedora 11, and KVM in RHEL-5.4 is also pretty close to that using what's best described as a hybrid of kvm-83 and kvm-84."