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Virtualization

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

Contributing Writer: Dale Bewley

Enterprise Management Tools List

This section contains the discussion happening on the et-mgmt-tools list


Fedora Virtualization List

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

Guest Configuration with augeas and libguestfs

After blogging[1] just last week that "Nothing much is coded at the moment", the prolific Richard Jones announced[2] he has added support to Package-x-generic-16.pngaugeas for his latest project, libguestfs[3]. libguestfs "lets you examine and modify virtual machine disk images, so you can perform sysadmin tasks on virtual machines without needing to bring them up or log into them."

"Augeas is a configuration editing tool. It parses configuration files in their native formats and transforms them into a tree. Configuration changes are made by manipulating this tree and saving it back into native config files."[4]

"libguestfs now supports Augeas, so you can use Augeas to edit configuration files within the virtual machine."

Virtualization Technology Preview Repo

Daniel Berrange

[1]

The obvious problem with what we do for libvirt at the moment, is
that we are introducing major new features into the stable release
stream here. This risks destabalizing the stable Fedora streams, 
and also compromises our 'Feature' process because stuff we're 
pushing for Fedora 11 appears in Fedora 9 / 10 before F11 even comes
out.

I think it would be desirable to get the stable Fedora releases onto a 
pretty strong bugfix only policy,...
under the umbrella of the
Fedora Virtualization SIG. Specifically, to provide a 'virt-preview' YUM
repo for the most recent stable stream (ie F10, but not F9).
So in summary

 - All new upstream releases built in rawhide
 - New upstream releases also built in stable preview branch if possible
 - Only bugfixes built in stable updates/updates-testing branch
 - In exceptional circumstances, rebase for preview branch can be
   built to updates/updates-testing after alot of positive testing

This would

 - Ensure users of stable Fedora release have high confidence in 
   quality of the updates/updates-testing stream
 - Allow users to trivially test new upstream rebases while 
   staying on the stable distro stream
 - Improve testing coverage of major new rawhide features without using
   the stable release stream users as guinea pigs

Mark McLoughlin thought[2] "this would be hugely useful to people interested in the latest virt bits, but without a testing machine for running rawhide." And even proposed a name for the repo "How about 'virt-hide' ? :)".

When libvirt-0.6.0 hit my laptop through updates-testing and was
significantly broken, my reaction was along the lines of "wait, I didn't
sign up for this!" - I suspect other people in that situation might
disable updates-testing as a result. That damages not only testing of
virt packages, but testing of the whole distro.

I think it was after that update that I wrote these guidelines<ref>http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/PackageMaintainers/Package_update_guidelines</ref> and had
it approved by FESCo.

Fedora Virtualization Status Report

Mark McLoughlin reminds[1] us "It's only a matter of days until the F11 tree freezes and the list of bugs isn't getting any shorter!"

Read on for more coverage of virtualization developments in the past week.

Fedora Xen List

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

Experimental Dom0 Kernel Update

Michael Young I asked MY where he got his dom0 patches:

The patches were generated using git from the git repository 
git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/jeremy/xen.git combined with 
a mainline kernel git repository such as 
git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux-2.6-stable.git
possibly with a bit of manual merging. So there isn't a single URL. I am 
not sure which is the best branch of the xen git to use at the moment, 
because the effort is focused on egtting the patches into the main kernel 
during the merge window.
If it helps Jeremy commented about the state of the xen repository in this 
email 
http://lists.xensource.com/archives/html/xen-devel/2009-04/msg00151.html
My most recent kernel was built using the push2/xen/dom0/master branch, 
though I think I might wait a week or so to see what gets merged before 
doing another update.


Libvirt List

This section contains the discussion happening on the libvir-list.