Re: Xen Status : FreeBSD-current as Dom/U.

On October 15, 2007 04:08 pm Michael Neumann wrote:
> Freddie Cash schrieb:
> > On October 15, 2007 11:27 am Vincent Blondel wrote:
> >> I am trying to install FreeBSD-current as Dom/U on my Core2 Quad
> >> server hosting Linux Ubuntu 7.10 as Dom/0.
> >
> > Is that a quad-core CPU or a quad-CPU system?
> >
> > If it's a quad-core CPU, it should support Intel hardware
> > virtualisation feature.  If it does, you don't need any Xen patches
> > or support in FreeBSD.  Just create a Xen VM that supports hardware
> > virtualisation (not a paravirtualised VM) and install FreeBSD as per
> > normal.  That's the beauty of the Intel VT and AMD VX (or whatever
> > they call it now) features -- no need to patch an OS to run in a Xen
> > VM.
>
> Does anybody know if there are big differences in performance
> of running an unchanged OS under Xen with hardware virtualization
> turned on vs. a paravirtualized OS? Or any other problems with an
> unchanged OS using hardware virtualization? If not, then this is
> clearly the way to go!

Haven't tested it yet, personally.

We're trying to track down a Tyan motherboard that will support AMD CPUs 
with hardware virtualisation, with hardware support for Debian Linux 4.0 
and FreeBSD 6.2.  Once we have that, then we're going to start testing 
running Xen with a Debian host, Debian guests (paravirtualised and full 
virtualised), and FreeBSD guests (para and full).

From what I've read online, full virtualised Xen VMs with Xen 3.0.3 is 
slower than paravirtualised Xen VMs.  However, I can't find a definite 
answer to what "slower" is.  :)

-- 
Freddie Cash, LPIC-2 CCNT CCLP      Network Support Technician
School District 73                  (250) 377-HELP [377-4357]
fjwcash+freebsd_at_gmail.com