Stupid Newbee Questions...

Stupid Newbee Questions...

[Stuart Sheldon]

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I've looked around but can't seem to find these answers.

I'm using KVM to run multiple servers on the same hardware, but it seems
that most of the documentation written is for desktop use.

I'm currently running KVM-66 on a 2.6.24.4 kernel and using the KVM
provided modules. This is sitting on a Debian Lenny install with Intel
hardware.

Here are my questions:

1) Is there a way to give one virtual host priority over another? Would
I just add -cpu 2 on the host I want to give priority?

2) When I started writing the management scripts to start and stop the
guests from the command line, I was using KVM-63 which allowed me to
send a "system_powerdown" to the console, this would send a PWR to the
guest's acpid that would bring the guest down gracefully. This stopped
working in kvm-64 and is still not working in kvm-66. Is there a better
way to do this? How can the host bring down a guest without messing with
it's open programs?

3) Are there any statistics available from to the host os that can be
monitored, such as something in /sys or /proc?

Thanks in advance to all that answer!

Stu



- --
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chokin' From the smell of stale perfume And that cigarette you're
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Let me catch my breath
          -- Three Dog Night - "Mama Told Me Not to Come - Lyrics"
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Re: Stupid Newbee Questions...

[Amit Shah]

* On Wednesday 23 Apr 2008 05:20:03 Stuart Sheldon wrote:
> I've looked around but can't seem to find these answers.
>
> I'm using KVM to run multiple servers on the same hardware, but it seems
> that most of the documentation written is for desktop use.
>
> I'm currently running KVM-66 on a 2.6.24.4 kernel and using the KVM
> provided modules. This is sitting on a Debian Lenny install with Intel
> hardware.
>
> Here are my questions:
>
> 1) Is there a way to give one virtual host priority over another? Would
> I just add -cpu 2 on the host I want to give priority?

Renicing the guest you want to give more priority to is a straightforward way 
of boosting the priority. It's easy to imagine that, since each guest is just 
a process on the host.

> 2) When I started writing the management scripts to start and stop the
> guests from the command line, I was using KVM-63 which allowed me to
> send a "system_powerdown" to the console, this would send a PWR to the
> guest's acpid that would bring the guest down gracefully. This stopped
> working in kvm-64 and is still not working in kvm-66. Is there a better
> way to do this? How can the host bring down a guest without messing with
> it's open programs?

I've no clue about this one; will let someone else answer it.

> 3) Are there any statistics available from to the host os that can be
> monitored, such as something in /sys or /proc?

Can you mention what kinds of stats you're looking for? Since each guest is a 
normal process, a lot of information can be already examined by ps, top 
and /proc/<pid>/...

There also is the kvm_stat that comes with the kvm-userspace which lets you 
monitor guest exits into the host. Those are mainly for debugging purposes 
though.

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Re: Stupid Newbee Questions...

[Avi Kivity]

Stuart Sheldon wrote:
> 2) When I started writing the management scripts to start and stop the
> guests from the command line, I was using KVM-63 which allowed me to
> send a "system_powerdown" to the console, this would send a PWR to the
> guest's acpid that would bring the guest down gracefully. This stopped
> working in kvm-64 and is still not working in kvm-66. Is there a better
> way to do this? How can the host bring down a guest without messing with
> it's open programs?
>   

This is not a question, it's a bug report.  It's a clear regression that 
needs to be fixed, not worked around.

Please send timely reports of such issues when you encounter them.

-- 
Any sufficiently difficult bug is indistinguishable from a feature.


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Re: Stupid Newbee Questions...

[Avi Kivity]

Avi Kivity wrote:
> Stuart Sheldon wrote:
>> 2) When I started writing the management scripts to start and stop the
>> guests from the command line, I was using KVM-63 which allowed me to
>> send a "system_powerdown" to the console, this would send a PWR to the
>> guest's acpid that would bring the guest down gracefully. This stopped
>> working in kvm-64 and is still not working in kvm-66. Is there a better
>> way to do this? How can the host bring down a guest without messing with
>> it's open programs?
>>   
>
> This is not a question, it's a bug report.  It's a clear regression 
> that needs to be fixed, not worked around.
>
> Please send timely reports of such issues when you encounter them.
>

This was caused by

commit 6bb0805aeabd5c6ef5408f57c7da5ca6385dd0f5
Author: Dor Laor <dor.laor@qumranet.com>
Date:   Thu Mar 13 00:11:41 2008 +0200

    kvm: qemu: fix sci irq set when acpi timer about to wrap

    The acpi timer should generate sci irq when enabled and
    when bit 23 of the timer counter toogles.

    Fixes time reading by the performance counter api of windows guest.


I'm reverting it for kvm-68.


-- 
Do not meddle in the internals of kernels, for they are subtle and quick to panic.


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Re: Stupid Newbee Questions...

[Stuart Sheldon]

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Thanks to both of you for answering my questions. And thank you Avi for
fixing the bug. I did not report it because of some of the conversation
I saw in the mailing list regarding that feature, and thought it might
have been removed.

Thanks again...

Stu


Avi Kivity wrote:
> Avi Kivity wrote:
>> Stuart Sheldon wrote:
>>> 2) When I started writing the management scripts to start and stop the
>>> guests from the command line, I was using KVM-63 which allowed me to
>>> send a "system_powerdown" to the console, this would send a PWR to the
>>> guest's acpid that would bring the guest down gracefully. This stopped
>>> working in kvm-64 and is still not working in kvm-66. Is there a better
>>> way to do this? How can the host bring down a guest without messing with
>>> it's open programs?
>>>   
>>
>> This is not a question, it's a bug report.  It's a clear regression
>> that needs to be fixed, not worked around.
>>
>> Please send timely reports of such issues when you encounter them.
>>
> 
> This was caused by
> 
> commit 6bb0805aeabd5c6ef5408f57c7da5ca6385dd0f5
> Author: Dor Laor <dor.laor@qumranet.com>
> Date:   Thu Mar 13 00:11:41 2008 +0200
> 
>    kvm: qemu: fix sci irq set when acpi timer about to wrap
> 
>    The acpi timer should generate sci irq when enabled and
>    when bit 23 of the timer counter toogles.
> 
>    Fixes time reading by the performance counter api of windows guest.
> 
> 
> I'm reverting it for kvm-68.
> 
> 

- --
Well I've always had a deep respect, And I mean that most sincerely.
The band is just fantastic, that is really what I think.
Oh by the way, which one's Pink?
               -- Pink Floyd - "Have a Cigar Lyrics"
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Re: Stupid Newbee Questions...

[Avi Kivity]

Stuart Sheldon wrote:
> Thanks to both of you for answering my questions. And thank you Avi for
> fixing the bug. I did not report it because of some of the conversation
> I saw in the mailing list regarding that feature, and thought it might
> have been removed.

If you see us removing a feature you need, let us know.  We might 
reconsider it.

It's better to waste our time by asking "stupid newbee questions" than 
wasting our time (and other users' time) by not reporting bugs, or 
letting us remove useful features.

[Having said all this lofty stuff, our bug counts are piling up, with no 
light at the end of the tunnel...]

-- 
Do not meddle in the internals of kernels, for they are subtle and quick 
to panic.


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