Precedence: list
MIME-Version: 1.0
In-Reply-To: <20111208075522.5804d2a6@ncopa-desktop.nor.wtbts.net>
References: <20111208075522.5804d2a6@ncopa-desktop.nor.wtbts.net>
Date: Wed, 14 Dec 2011 22:41:42 +0100
Message-ID: <CAFivhPk8_yCQNun5ViBDXju3AZN5wUuN4Y-HJjWHZ9fEe_SCrg@mail.gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [alpine-devel] advice for virtualization on desktop
From: Florian Heigl <florian.heigl@gmail.com>
To: Natanael Copa <ncopa@alpinelinux.org>
Cc: alpine-devel@lists.alpinelinux.org
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1

Hi Natanael,

2011/12/8 Natanael Copa <ncopa@alpinelinux.org>:
> Hi,
>
> I have been using qemu for some time for testing and network
> development.
>
> I think raw qemu is a bit cumbersome since i need to keep track of the
> mac address of all the guests. When I create a guest i create a
> start.sh script where i stuff in the mac address. (I sometimes need
> multiple NICs in guests and will need multiple guest vlans etc.

I can offer two things:
Help you with dealing with the XML files needed for use with Libvirt
and making the networks autostart.
Work together to make the Xen port 100% usable and give hints on how
to use it for a desktop-py scenario

I would be happy about the second since it would be good to work on
that. Not saying that it wouldn't help me a lot, too ;)

Also I'm afraid there will be two half-working virtualization
solutions instead of one well-working one, since I except Virtualbox
to be a lot of work to package / make work.

VirtualBox can also be run under libvirt control, or without it. This
year i've probably launched, tested and deleted 600 or so libvirt VMs,
and had no problems with it.
But there is a fine line to it. My workmates had tried to build the
autobuild cluster for our check_mk build using it and virtualbox kept
going topside down, with a wide choice of different errors.

But, to be clear on that, on my work laptop and on the desktop at
home, virtualbox is the #1 choice. I'll also use KVM on the desktop
for OpenNebula testing, but that means it's stricly as a "server" like
scenario. Mostly I blame that on Libvirt idiocy.
One last thing one should mention: VirtualBox is the least user
friendly of the pack once you're using the CLI for automating install
tests, etc.
Cool thing is that VirtualBox has great PXE support, emulates Intel
NICs instead of Realcrap[tm].

I wouldn't object using as a desktop thing Xen instead if I had a
distro that gave me a working Xen install. Although, honestly, stuff
like mounting and unmounting of ISOs is about 5000% more complicated
there than anywhere else ;)

So, err, this is a rather undecided reply.

Poke at Virtualbox, and if you think you can port it in 1-2 days, then
go with virtualbox.
Otherwise, or once you want automated installs, memory compression,
dumping live VM memory, scripting, etc. and a general notation of
"bleeding edge", switch to Xen.

Florian


---
Unsubscribe:  alpine-devel+unsubscribe@lists.alpinelinux.org
Help:         alpine-devel+help@lists.alpinelinux.org
---