[et-mgmt-tools] cobbler system add

[drew einhorn]

On 8/10/07, drew einhorn <drew.einhorn at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>
>
> On 8/10/07, Peter Wright < wright at imageworks.com> wrote:
> >
> > Michael DeHaan wrote:
> > >
> > >
> > > >
> > > > Peter Wright suggested that it looks like my vmlinuz/initrd.img
> > > > don't support my virtual nic.  He's probably right,  I've got to
> > > > figure out how to build the right vmlinz/initrd.img before I try
> > > > again and we see if there's a third problem lurking behind these
> > > > two.
> > >
> > > cobbler import will pick the kernel/initrd from the "os/images/pxe"
> > > directory for
> > > TFTP installs.   If you used "cobbler import" and your distro/profile
> > > didn't contain
> > > the word "Xen" in it, that's the one you are using.   The Xen pair
> > > definitely
> > > probably won't work.    If those don't work, the NIC is probably the
> > > issue -- though
> > > I would kind of expect them to be simulating something relatively
> > > standard.    Could be wrong :)
> > >
> >
> >
> > I memory serves me correctly VMWare emulates either an NE100 NIC or a
> > generic AMD NIC (can't remember the divers specifically off the top of
> > my head though).  you do not need the vm-tools package though to get the
> >
> > NIC working though - i believe the tools package addresses some
> > performance problems with the virtual NIC, but i do not think it
> > modifies the kernel module used.
> >
> > while googling it seems they do emulate a generic AMD NIC, what's
> > interesting is that the OpenBSD folks have developed a specific VMware
> > driver named "vic" which "supports the vmxnet driver protocol".
>
>
> VMware has 3 network virtual devices/drivers
>
> the one you are thinking of they call the vlance driver which is based on
> the
> AMD PCnet 3, there are issues with this virtual nic/driver and it is
> recommended
> only if you have bigger issues with the better drivers and can't get them
> to work.
>
> the vmxnet virtual device/driver is a custom virtual nic, don't believe
> there
> are any physical implementations.  This one is recommended for 32-bit VMs
>
> the e1000 is a virtual Intel Pro 1000 and is recommended for 64-bit VMs.
>
> Don't think any of these are included in the stock vmlinuz/initrd.img,
>
> VMware Tools includes all this and more (virtual graphics adapter,
> monitoring tools, etc.)
>
> But I think some distributions take some if not all of these pieces and
> loads them up with all the other drivers.
>
> Did a find on the wrong box (I was confused), and found a whole of
> versions
> of vmnet.o and vmmon.o for different kernels.
>
> Wonder if vmnet.o has all three drivers bundled together?
>
> So far I finding new questions faster than answers.
>
> I'll figured it out sooner or later.
>

I was wrong about one thing the low end vlance driver is included in the
default vmlinuz/initrd.img

And if I build a vm using the vlance virtualdevice things work!!!

And I do need to build a custom 32-bit vmlinuz/initrd.img with the vmxnet
driver
and a 64-bit vmlinuz/initrd.img with the e1000 driver.  Hmm,  Maybe it's a
stock
e1000 driver, and maybe that one is already supported.

-- 
Drew Einhorn
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