Subject: [alpine-devel] xen support in default kernel

From: Natanael Copa <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 06 Apr 2009 16:32:37 +0200

The default kernel (named linux-grsec in 1.9.x) have paravirt enabled. A
user here asked for xen support too which is not there currently.

The problem is that this requires that kernel is compiled for i586. We
currently do 486.

IIRC there was some newer cpus (found in TU-40?) that basicly is a
faster 486 CPU.

So, the question is, should we say that i596 is required for default
kernel, and support xen paravirtualization by default? Or should we make
a separate xenlinux kernel, with full xen support (live migration etc).

I tend to think that the default kernel should work with as much as
possible, but have some optimized kernel flavors for different needs.
For example linux-grsec for the real lowend without highmem, smp and
largblock deveices.

The drawback with many kernels is that it takes some extra time to
compile things. For example dahdi-linux driver and iscsi dirvers will be
need to be recompiled for each kernel flavor. This should ideally be
fully automated, but it is not right now.

Ideas, thoughts?

-nc

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From: Nathan Angelacos <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 06 Apr 2009 14:48:14 -0400

> IIRC there was some newer cpus (found in TU-40?) that basicly is a

Looks like the TU-40 is a 586 chip.  The Ebox-2300SX was a custom "486" 
chip, but was basically unusable anyway - they got rid of it and moved 
to a 586 chipset
> a separate xenlinux kernel, with full xen support (live migration etc).

i586 should be sufficiently ancient, IMHO.  Looks like even the AMD 
Geode processors on PC Engine's Alix boards will work with i586.

> fully automated, but it is not right now.

Just wonder if "custom kernel" means "you compile it yourself"  - this 
might be a place for more volunteers to step forward and maintain the 
custom kernels, if they desire.

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From: Carlo Landmeter <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 8 Apr 2009 17:39:20 +0200

I just installed the latest kernel and from serial it complains that
this kernel does not run on my proc.
I have a ALIX with AMD Geode LX. I think it supports 586 but its missing PAE.

Would be nice if these smaller systems could still be supported.

Carlo

On Mon, Apr 6, 2009 at 8:48 PM, Nathan Angelacos <[email-masked]> wrote:
> chip, but was basically unusable anyway - they got rid of it and moved to a
> 586 chipset
>>
> i586 should be sufficiently ancient, IMHO.  Looks like even the AMD Geode
> processors on PC Engine's Alix boards will work with i586.
>
>
> Just wonder if "custom kernel" means "you compile it yourself"  - this might
> be a place for more volunteers to step forward and maintain the custom
> kernels, if they desire.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> ---

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