Re: [RFC] Unify KVM kernel-space and user-space code into a singleproject

[Avi Kivity]

On 03/21/2010 10:31 PM, Antoine Martin wrote:
> On 03/22/2010 03:24 AM, Avi Kivity wrote:
> > On 03/21/2010 10:18 PM, Antoine Martin wrote:
> > > > That includes the guest kernel.  If you can deploy a new kernel in 
> > > > the guest, presumably you can deploy a userspace package.
> > >
> > > That's not always true.
> > > The host admin can control the guest kernel via "kvm -kernel" easily 
> > > enough, but he may or may not have access to the disk that is used 
> > > in the guest. (think encrypted disks, service agreements, etc)
> >
> > There is a matching -initrd argument that you can use to launch a 
> > daemon.
> I thought this discussion was about making it easy to deploy... and 
> generating a custom initrd isn't easy by any means, and it requires 
> access to the guest filesystem (and its mkinitrd tools).

That's true.  You need to run mkinitrd anyway, though, unless your guest 
is non-modular and non-lvm.

> >   I believe that -kernel use will be rare, though.  It's a lot easier 
> > to keep everything in one filesystem.
> Well, for what it's worth, I rarely ever use anything else. My virtual 
> disks are raw so I can loop mount them easily, and I can also switch 
> my guest kernels from outside... without ever needing to mount those 
> disks.

Curious, what do you use them for?

btw, if you build your kernel outside the guest, then you already have 
access to all its symbols, without needing anything further.

--
Do not meddle in the internals of kernels, for they are subtle and quick to panic.

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