Re: [Pkg-xen-devel] [Xen-devel] xen-linux-system-2.6.32-5-xen-amd64: Lenovo R61, kernel boots on baremetel, no boot with xen4 hypervisor‏

[Konrad Rzeszutek Wilk <konrad.wilk@oracle.com>]

On Mon, Aug 30, 2010 at 11:08:21AM -0400, Mike Viau wrote:
> 
> > On Mon, 30 Aug 2010 10:44:14 -0400 <konrad.wilk@oracle.com> wrote:
> > > On Mon, Aug 30, 2010 at 10:16:17AM -0400, Mike Viau wrote:
> > > 
> > > > On Mon, 30 Aug 2010 14:39:51 +0100 <ijc@hellion.org.uk> wrote:
> > > > 
> > > > Sid kernel would be most interesting first off, I think.
> > > > 
> > > > Ian.
> > > 
> > > Same behaviors after updating the three packages: xen-linux-system-2.6.32-5-xen-amd64, linux-image-2.6.32-5-xen-amd64, and linux-base (2.6.32-21).
> > > 
> > > apt-cache policy xen-linux-system-2.6.32-5-xen-amd64
> > > xen-linux-system-2.6.32-5-xen-amd64:
> > >   Installed: 2.6.32-21
> > >   Candidate: 2.6.32-21
> > >   Version table:
> > >  *** 2.6.32-21 0
> > >         500 http://mirror.csclub.uwaterloo.ca sid/main Packages
> > >         100 /var/lib/dpkg/status
> > >      2.6.32-20 0
> > >         990 http://mirror.csclub.uwaterloo.ca squeeze/main Packages
> > > 
> > > apt-cache policy linux-image-2.6.32-5-xen-amd64
> > > linux-image-2.6.32-5-xen-amd64:
> > >   Installed: 2.6.32-21
> > >   Candidate: 2.6.32-21
> > >   Version table:
> > >  *** 2.6.32-21 0
> > >         500 http://mirror.csclub.uwaterloo.ca sid/main Packages
> > >         100 /var/lib/dpkg/status
> > >      2.6.32-20 0
> > >         990 http://mirror.csclub.uwaterloo.ca squeeze/main Packages
> > > 
> > > apt-cache policy linux-base
> > > linux-base:
> > >   Installed: 2.6.32-21
> > >   Candidate: 2.6.32-21
> > >   Version table:
> > >  *** 2.6.32-21 0
> > >         500 http://mirror.csclub.uwaterloo.ca sid/main Packages
> > >         100 /var/lib/dpkg/status
> > >      2.6.32-20 0
> > >         990 http://mirror.csclub.uwaterloo.ca squeeze/main Packages
> > > 
> > > Bare-metal or with hypervisor does not boot with nomodeset on the kernel cmdline.
> > > 
> > > Just for troubleshooting purpose the current default Debian squeeze kernel linux-image-2.6.32-5-amd64 (2.6.32-20) also does not boot when nomodeset is set on the kernel cmdline.
> > > 
> > 
> > Well, 'nomodeset' I don't think will help b/c you don't have KMS in
> > squeeze (I believe so).
> > 
> 
> I really am not sure either, but I do see KMS messages in my kernel log, see attached nouveau-crash.txt

Hm, I think it is "nouveau.modeset=0" that you need.

> 
> > The other thing is that you have:
> > Aug 21 09:08:27 BUBBLE kernel: [    5.046676] NVRM: loading NVIDIA UNIX
> > x86_64 Kernel Module  173.14.25  Thu Jan 28 01:53:43 PST
> > 
> > the proprietary NVidia driver loaded. We haven't tried those
> > yet and instead focused on making sure the upstream nouveau drivers
> > work with Xen. Which they do now.
> > 
> 
> Right, so I removed the nvidia driver and used the KMS/Nouveau driver, but the system does not boot still.

Right, that is b/c it does not have all of the patches needed. I think.
> 
> > I would suggest you boot in runlevel 3, so that X is not started and see
> > if the machine works (as in, you don't see other failures).
> > 
> 
> I would like to, but I enlisted in some suggestion (from Pasi) on how to temporarily boot my system without X... My system defaults to run level 2 which apparently starts gdm3 and then gnome DE anyways. 
> 
> > And if you want X and the NVidia driver (the proprietary one), you might
> > need to take the brunt of debugging it and finding where the NVidia is
> > doing some weird stuff.
> > 
> 
> I don't really care for the enchanced 3d features offered by the nvidia drivers anyway. Good video playback and multi-screen support is more important for me.
> 
> > Or, there is another option, and that to use a back-ported version of
> > 2.6.34 DRM/KMS/TTM driversets which include the nouveau support.
> > (I am right now running with that on a GeForce 8600 GT on Xen 4.1 +
> > latest PVOPS kernel).
> > 
> 
> According to http://www.backports.org/dokuwiki/doku.php?id=packages
> 
> There are only back ports for lenny or etch, could you please elaborate your set and how one might mimic what you have done using Debian squeeze?

http://wiki.xensource.com/xenwiki/XenPVOPSDRM

But it might be that those patches are already in the source tree that
you are using. 

If you know how to search for patches that were compiled in an Debian
kernel, try looking for these:

http://git.kernel.org/?p=linux/kernel/git/konrad/xen.git;a=shortlog;h=refs/heads/devel/kms.fixes-0.5

Or you can wait two-three days and I will get to take a look at the
kernel's patch queue.