[et-mgmt-tools] virt-manager and pxe install

Tue May 27 15:54:12 UTC 2008

Daniel P. Berrange wrote:
> On Tue, May 27, 2008 at 04:56:06PM +0200, Farkas Levente wrote:
>> hi,
>> we try again to install a new guest from virt-manager through pxe boot 
>> without much success:-(
>> out setup:
>> - host:
>>   - Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Quad CPU Q6600  @ 2.40GHz
>>   - Intel S3000AHV
>>   - 8GB RAM
>>   - CentOS-5.1
>>   - kernel-2.6.18-53.1.21.el5 x86_64 64bit
>> - packages from http://www.lfarkas.org/linux/packages/centos/5/x86_64/
>>   libvirt-0.4.2-5
>>   libvirt-python-0.4.2-5
>>   python-virtinst-0.300.3-6
>>   virt-manager-0.5.4-4
>>   virt-top-0.4.1.0-2.el5
>>   virt-viewer-0.0.3-1
>>   kmod-kvm-69-1.2.6.18_53.1.21.el5
>>   kvm-69-1
>>
>> we try to create a new file based virtual guest fedora-8 through pxe 
>> install on the kvm host machine. the problems:
>> - if i select cpu architecture i386, the i can't select hypervisor kvm. 
>> why? imho it's a bug!
> 
> KVM only virtualizes a CPU that matches the host. If you're on a 64-bit
> host, then it only virtualizes a 64-bit CPU. It doesn't virtualize a
> 32-bit CPU - if you want a true 32-bit cpu on a 64-bit host you need to
> emulate with QEMU instead.  That said its rather pointless because you
> can run a 32-bit  guest OS in a 64-kvm KVM vm just fine.

huu i learn again something:-) until now (ie. in previous version of 
virt-manager) i can select 32bit for my guest so i assume kvm can 
virtualize 32bit cpu on 64bit host. but if it can't it'd better to not 
allow to choose 32bit in case of kvm. and of course virt-manager already 
know the host has only kvm hypervisor.

>> - after select i386 creating the disk image virt-manager crash with some 
>> python backtrace as can't connect the guest.
> 
> Please file a BZ with the details

it's more then half year old:
https://www.redhat.com/archives/et-mgmt-tools/2007-October/msg00062.html

>> - if i select x86_64 then in a bridged network it can't get an ip 
>> address (searching for dhcp server).
> 
> There's many things which can go wrong - some versions of KVM have
> broken PXE support. Start off by tracing the network traffic in the
> host using tcpdump.  It may also be an incompatability with your
> DHCP server and etherboot

the dhcp server is a centos-5.1 with default dhcp server, default pxe 
boot etc. and the pxe boot works for fedora and centos with real 
hardware (we did dozens of such installs). and at the same kvm host 
we've got 5 other guest using the same shared network adapter.
i'm just attached the screenshot of the install screen.
and when we reach this screen virt-manager's shutdown not working, the 
only way to stop the guest is a kill.
here is a process list (the last one should have to be the new guest):
---------------------------------------------------------------
root      3278  181 25.9 2285204 2119796 ?     Sl   14:32 350:50 
/usr/bin/qemu-kvm -M pc -m 2048 -smp 4 -monitor pty -boot c -hda 
/dev/VolGroup00/centos-i386-root -hdb /dev/VolGroup00/centos-i386-swap 
-hdc /dev/md2 -net nic,macaddr=00:16:3e:58:66:7b,vlan=0 -net 
tap,fd=11,script=,vlan=0,ifname=vnet0 -usb -usbdevice tablet -vnc 
127.0.0.1:0
root      3314  134  5.9 707332 490444 ?       Sl   14:32 260:41 
/usr/bin/qemu-kvm -M pc -m 512 -smp 4 -monitor pty -boot c -hda 
/dev/VolGroup00/centos-x86_64-root -hdb 
/dev/VolGroup00/centos-x86_64-swap -net 
nic,macaddr=00:16:3e:2e:99:e2,vlan=0 -net 
tap,fd=14,script=,vlan=0,ifname=vnet1 -usb -usbdevice tablet -vnc 
127.0.0.1:1
root      3347  3.3  6.7 686688 548920 ?       Sl   14:32   6:28 
/usr/bin/qemu-kvm -M pc -m 512 -smp 2 -monitor pty -no-acpi -boot c -hda 
/dev/VolGroup00/windows-xp -net nic,macaddr=00:16:3e:18:81:69,vlan=0 
-net tap,fd=18,script=,vlan=0,ifname=vnet2 -usb -usbdevice tablet -vnc 
127.0.0.1:2
root      3378  3.0  1.5 676440 129008 ?       Sl   14:32   5:53 
/usr/bin/qemu-kvm -M pc -m 512 -smp 1 -monitor pty -boot c -hda 
/dev/VolGroup00/mandrake-9-root -hdb /dev/VolGroup00/mandrake-9-swap 
-net nic,macaddr=00:16:3e:37:68:fd,vlan=0 -net 
tap,fd=22,script=,vlan=0,ifname=vnet3 -usb -usbdevice tablet -vnc 
127.0.0.1:3
root      3409  0.2  0.8 676440 68260 ?        Sl   14:32   0:33 
/usr/bin/qemu-kvm -M pc -m 512 -smp 1 -monitor pty -boot c -hda 
/dev/VolGroup00/mandrake-10 -net nic,macaddr=00:16:3e:03:37:eb,vlan=0 
-net tap,fd=26,script=,vlan=0,ifname=vnet4 -usb -vnc 127.0.0.1:4
root      4334  6.7  0.3 494440 32536 ?        Ss   17:43   0:11 python 
/usr/share/virt-manager/virt-manager.py --connect qemu:///system
root      4345 85.7  0.1 676672 15344 ?        Sl   17:45   0:30 
/usr/bin/qemu-kvm -M pc -m 512 -smp 1 -monitor pty -no-reboot -boot n 
-hda /var/lib/libvirt/images/dfgdsfg.img -net 
nic,macaddr=00:16:3e:76:03:2c,vlan=0 -net 
tap,fd=30,script=,vlan=0,ifname=vnet5 -usb -vnc 127.0.0.1:5 -k en-us
---------------------------------------------------------------

but anyway. my question is anybody ever be able to install a guest from 
virt-manager using pxe boot on kvm? since my assumption is that it's 
never been tried and never worked.

-- 
   Levente                               "Si vis pacem para bellum!"
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