Re: [Qemu-devel] [PATCH] Add -option-rom option to allow loading of PCI option ROMs

[Anthony Liguori <aliguori@cs.utexas.edu>]

Fabrice Bellard wrote:
> Hi,
>
> OK for the -option-rom option. Later it would be better to handle it 
> at the NIC level, but it is more complicated (some BIOS patches would 
> be needed to remap the PCI ROM at the right address for example).

Ok.

> I think the -boot n option should be merged in QEMU too. Some people 
> need it to make tests.

Okay, I'll post that patch.

> Regarding VMI, I began some work in this area with kqemu but I did not 
> manage to find time to finish it (VMI in QEMU would enable to run 
> Linux VMs with performance levels close to Xen at the expense of a 
> patched kernel).

I had a VMI ROM working with an older version of VMI.  I've got some 
time this week so I've been trying to do the same thing with the newer 
VMI spec.

I'd like to at least get a pass through ROM working and then start 
playing around with stuff like moving some of the device emulation into 
the ROM.  This would be most useful for something like KVM where the PIO 
latency is a major bottleneck.

Eventually, it would be nice to use it to run the guest in ring 1 on 
bare metal of course.  I do agree that with VMI QEMU should be 
competitive with Xen.

Regards,

Anthony Liguori

> Regards,
>
> Fabrice.
>