Memory ballooning deactivated by the guest

Memory ballooning deactivated by the guest

[Daniel Bareiro]

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Hi all!

I'm using Linux 2.6.32.2 with qemu-kvm-0.12.1.1 and, testing memory
ballooning, I obtained the following message:

root@ubuntu:~# telnet localhost 5001
Trying 127.0.0.1...
Connected to localhost.
Escape character is '^]'.
QEMU 0.12.1 monitor - type 'help' for more information
(qemu)
(qemu)
(qemu)
(qemu) info balloon
The balloon device has not been activated by the guest


I have understood that to do balooning it is sufficient that kernel of
guest is compiled with virtio-balloon driver:

test:~# uname -a
Linux test 2.6.32-dgb #1 SMP Thu Dec 24 23:42:21 ART 2009 x86_64
GNU/Linux
test:~#
test:~#
test:~#
test:~# cat /boot/config-2.6.32-dgb | grep -i virtio
CONFIG_NET_9P_VIRTIO=m
CONFIG_VIRTIO_BLK=m
CONFIG_VIRTIO_NET=m
# CONFIG_VIRTIO_CONSOLE is not set
CONFIG_HW_RANDOM_VIRTIO=m
CONFIG_VIRTIO=m
CONFIG_VIRTIO_RING=m
CONFIG_VIRTIO_PCI=m
CONFIG_VIRTIO_BALLOON=m


Which can be the problem?

Thanks in advance.

Regards,
Daniel
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Re: Memory ballooning deactivated by the guest

[Avi Kivity]

On 01/04/2010 11:20 AM, Daniel Bareiro wrote:
> Hi all!
>
> I'm using Linux 2.6.32.2 with qemu-kvm-0.12.1.1 and, testing memory
> ballooning, I obtained the following message:
>
> root@ubuntu:~# telnet localhost 5001
> Trying 127.0.0.1...
> Connected to localhost.
> Escape character is '^]'.
> QEMU 0.12.1 monitor - type 'help' for more information
> (qemu)
> (qemu)
> (qemu)
> (qemu) info balloon
> The balloon device has not been activated by the guest
>    

You need to add '-balloon virtio' to the qemu command line (the error 
message is incorrect).

-- 
error compiling committee.c: too many arguments to function

Re: Memory ballooning deactivated by the guest

[Daniel Bareiro]

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Hi, Avi.

On Monday, 04 January 2010 11:30:23 +0200,
Avi Kivity wrote:

>> I'm using Linux 2.6.32.2 with qemu-kvm-0.12.1.1 and, testing memory
>> ballooning, I obtained the following message:
>>
>> root@ubuntu:~# telnet localhost 5001
>> Trying 127.0.0.1...
>> Connected to localhost.
>> Escape character is '^]'.
>> QEMU 0.12.1 monitor - type 'help' for more information
>> (qemu)
>> (qemu)
>> (qemu)
>> (qemu) info balloon
>> The balloon device has not been activated by the guest

> You need to add '-balloon virtio' to the qemu command line (the error
> message is incorrect).

What do you mean whereupon the error message is incorrect?

Before I didn't need to use '-balloon virtio', although this was when I
used kvm-88. This is a necessary requirement when using recent versions
of qemu-kvm?

If now it is necessary, it could be useful to indicate it in the online
documentation [1].

Thanks for your speedy reply.

Regards,
Daniel

[1] http://www.linux-kvm.org/page/Virtio
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Re: Memory ballooning deactivated by the guest

[Avi Kivity]

On 01/04/2010 12:08 PM, Daniel Bareiro wrote:
>
>>> (qemu) info balloon
>>> The balloon device has not been activated by the guest
>>>        
>> You need to add '-balloon virtio' to the qemu command line (the error
>> message is incorrect).
>>      
> What do you mean whereupon the error message is incorrect?
>    

It should say the balloon device is not activated by the host.

> Before I didn't need to use '-balloon virtio', although this was when I
> used kvm-88. This is a necessary requirement when using recent versions
> of qemu-kvm?
>    

Yes.

> If now it is necessary, it could be useful to indicate it in the online
> documentation [1].
>
>
> [1] http://www.linux-kvm.org/page/Virtio
>    

That page is more about I/O, ballooning deserves a page of its own.

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error compiling committee.c: too many arguments to function