Re: [RFC PATCH 01/10] smbios: Add "plus VMware-Tools" to HVM_XS_SYSTEM_PRODUCT_NAME.

[Don Slutz <dslutz@verizon.com>]

On 12/12/13 17:07, Andrew Cooper wrote:
> On 12/12/2013 19:35, Olaf Hering wrote:
>> On Thu, Dec 12, Don Slutz wrote:
>>
>>> -    s = xenstore_read(HVM_XS_SYSTEM_PRODUCT_NAME, "HVM domU");
>>> +    s = xenstore_read(HVM_XS_SYSTEM_PRODUCT_NAME, "HVM domU plus VMware-Tools");
>> This will break other code which checks for the current string.
>> (/sys/class/dmi/id/product_name)
>>
>> Olaf
That is true, however since this is a xenstore_read, this is the default value.  I do not know of any code that checks for just "HVM domU", and it would break on any system that uses xenstore to change this to something else.
> Furthermore, the whole point of this is so the toolstack can write the
> xenstore key
>
> /local/domain/$DOMID/bios-strings/system-product-name
>
> with a custom value which will be written into the SMBios table.
True.  The default tool stack (xl) does not change this, and so I was looking into a simple way to let xl users enable this.  I can add a xenstore_read of "platform/vmware_hw", "0" (set in patch #4) to make it conditional.  This is some what optional in that VMware's stated way of using this is only after CPUID fails.
> The toolstack itself should have a big "pretend to be vmware" flag for a
> domain.
And Verizon's does and so we do not need this change.  Maybe I should have just added this to some documentation.

    -Don Slutz
> ~Andrew