[Qemu-devel] Re: [PATCH 0/3]: Add UUID command-line option

[Anthony Liguori <anthony@codemonkey.ws>]

Gleb Natapov wrote:
> On Mon, Jul 28, 2008 at 09:37:01AM -0500, Anthony Liguori wrote:
>   
>> The backdoor interface is deprecated (from a VMware perspective) and is  
>> pretty terrible.  I'll go through and do a more thorough review of the  
>> patches Chris posted but one thing I already know I'd like to see the  
>>     
> Review my last submission I linked above then too.
>   

Applying the -uuid support without making use of that uuid anywhere 
isn't very useful.

>> UUID plumbed through the SMBIOS tables for x86.  That's a requirement in  
>> my mind for adding a -uuid option.  I see no harm in also supporting the  
>> backdoor interface but the primary way to expose a UUID should be SMBIOS.
>>     
> I am not sure I understand what you mean. Currently SMBIOS tables are
> built by bochs bios and UUID backdoor is needed to fill in missing info.
>   

But that patch that got pushed into the Bochs BIOS was wrong.

So here's what I'd like to see in order to apply these patches:

1) A new patch to the Bochs BIOS that used CMOS to pass a UUID (or 
possibly an OF data structure as Blue Swirl suggested--although CMOS is 
safer).
2) The patches updated to work with this new interface.

We should only support the VMware backdoor interface when it lets us 
reuse existing third-party code.  We should not be creating new guest 
code (or BIOS code) that makes use of the backdoor interface.

Regards,

Anthony Liguori

> --
> 			Gleb.
>