Recommended update for Xen

Knowledgebase

(Last modified: 27JUL2006)

solutions Recommended update for Xen SuSE Linux Maintenance Web (eab6840d28d111c1c8b315a706e95d6b)

Applies to

Package: xen
xen-devel
xen-tools-ioemu
xen-doc-html
xen-doc-pdf
xen-doc-ps
xen-libs
xen-tools
yast2-vm
Product(s): SUSE SLES 10 for x86
SUSE SLES 10 for AMD64 and Intel EM64T

Release: 20060727
Obsoletes: none

Indications

Everyone using Xen with file-based virtual disks should update.

Contraindications

None.

Problem description

Virtual disks for Xen virtual machines can be stored in a file accessed via loopback. Limitations of Xen's virtual disks and the loop driver currently force the administrator to use synchronous write mode for best data reliability, in case of domain 0 crashes or power failures. This mode is very slow, causing VM installations to take hours. This patch changes the default for virtual disks stored on files to be non-synchronous, so that installations can be performed in a reasonable amount of time. It also adds the ability for the administator to later specify an "S" flag on the "disk" line in the VM's definition file, to cause the virtual disk(s) to use synchronous write mode.
When YaST is used to install a new virtual machine to a virtual disk that is stored in a file, the disk image may become corrupted after the "Boot Options" stage in YaST. This issue may be seen when using sparse files, but it is always present when using non-sparse files. This update fixes this issue.

Solution

Please install the updates provided at the location noted below.

Installation notes

This update is provided as an RPM package that can easily be installed onto a running system by using this command:


rpm -Fvh xen.rpm xen-devel.rpm xen-tools-ioemu.rpm xen-doc-html.rpm xen-doc-pdf.rpm xen-doc-ps.rpm xen-libs.rpm xen-tools.rpm yast2-vm.rpm

links to download packages

Download Source Packages

Download the source code of the patches for maintained products.

Disclaimer

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