Re: [PATCH] KVM test: Unattended install - Give Linux VMs time to shutdown cleanly

[Lucas Meneghel Rodrigues <lmr@redhat.com>]

On Wed, 2011-04-13 at 13:16 -0300, Eduardo Habkost wrote:
> On Tue, Apr 12, 2011 at 07:28:15PM -0300, Lucas Meneghel Rodrigues wrote:
> > During unattended install, right after we receive the ACK from the guest
> > the test is deemed to be finished, and as shutdown_vm = yes, it'll try
> > to end the vm issuing a shutdown command to it. However, on virtually
> > all Linux guests an SSH server is not available at the end of install,
> > so KVM autotest will end the VM forcefully, which is not really safe,
> > although it has served us well so far.
> > 
> > We did not fix this 'problem' so far because on RHEL3, a supported
> > guest, the anaconda syntax does not support the 'poweroff' directive,
> > only 'reboot', so if we don't finish the VM right after the ACK from
> > guest we really can't prevent it from starting the install again,
> > getting an infinite loop.
> 
> On the other hand, RHEL 3 supports 'reboot'[1], so we could simply run
> the install-finished notification on first boot (it's the method we use
> for Windows guests, right?), and simply shut down the machine cleanly
> using ssh or the virtual power button.

Nope, as the VM is started with -kernel and -initrd options, the machine
will start anaconda and therefore, install again. I wish we could do it
as you described, really.

Windows is a different beast, we don't start it with -kernel and -initrd
options, just regular boot from the CD + the unattended floppy, so the
VM can first boot nice and fine, and then we execute the finish.exe
program, telling autotest the install is done.

> 
> [1] http://docs.redhat.com/docs/en-US/Red_Hat_Enterprise_Linux/3/html/System_Administration_Guide/s1-kickstart2-options.html
>