Re: User feedback

[Anthony Liguori <anthony-rdkfGonbjUSkNkDKm+mE6A@public.gmane.org>]

rob wilco wrote:
> Hello,
>
> I have been using KVM on debian 4.1 lenny with several virtual
> machines (debian 4.0 etch, fedora 7, centos4) every day for work for
> the past two weeks. The machine is a Dell Optiplex 745 with an Intel
> Core Duo 2.
>
> What I like the most is the simplicity of the set up. The wiki page on
> debian is short, super clear and correct.
> (kvm.qumranet.com/kvmwiki/Debian)
>
> Compared to Xen, I like the fact that I keep my debian kernel and
> drivers. It is less invasive: 'modprobe kvm-intel' is really
> convenient. Also, compared to Xen it works 'out of the box'.
>
> VM configuration with command line options also helps to get a VM
> running in a few seconds. Compared to VMware, the creation of a new VM
> is easier: less mandatory parameters. Except maybe for the '-net'
> parameters which are not cristal clear to me.
>
> So far, the host and VMs have never crashed which is a great confort
> when you want it to 'just work' and focus on your job.
>
> Also, there are few things that I find not easy to do :
>
>  - I can't mount the logical volume where the VM sits, I guess it is
> the qcow format not 'recognised' by mount. It is cool to be able to do
> that with Xen or Vserver, you do not have to boot the machine or read
> the docs on the qcow format to check out a file.
>   

http://hg.codemonkey.ws/qemu-nbd/

This will let you expose a qcow file (or an individual partition within 
a qcow file) as an NBD server which you can then mount on your host.  A 
bit round-about but it gets the job done.

>  - I can't launch kvm from a console and still see the kernel boot
> message (i'll dig into the qemu options someday)
>   

If you configure your guest to output to the serial console (add 
console=ttyS0 to the kernel command line in menu.lst), then you only 
need to pass -serial stdio when launching the VM.

>  - the VM will almost pause when you're not watching! It is quite
> obvious on a VM boot:  when you're working on another virtual desktop
> ! Does it have something to do with the debian kernel being maybe
> optimized for 'desktop usage' and the active window getting most of
> the responsiveness? I tried to 'nice' kvm without much noticeable
> effect.
>   

Yeah, this is a weird SDL issue.  I'm not really sure why it happens.

>  - I don't understand the output of ifconfig when there is a bridge
> involved. The bridge is said transparent but it is the only interface
> carrying with the real IP address. It is a bit confusing and does not
> help network troubleshootings. I know it is standard linux bridging
> but if you can put a super clear wiki page on bridging designed on use
> cases that would help numerous VM users.
>   

http://kvm.qumranet.com/kvmwiki/AnthonyLiguori/Networking

This is for Ubuntu but it probably works in Debian too.  It uses NAT 
instead of bridging and it is what I use on my desktop.

Regards,

Anthony Liguori

> We work in the Telco field and see the virtualization tools mainly for
> development and tests purpose. Production architecture based on
> virtualization are in the roadmap though.
>
> I guess the company will go VMWare as it has an ecosystem of third
> party companies offering expertise on VMWare deployment architectures.
> If the techies have a say, we will propose Xen or Vserver as these two
> technologies have
> several years of experience and user feedback.
>
> Thank you for your work, have a good day,
>
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