1.7 SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10 SP1

NOTE:The drivers for SLES 10 are not included in the driver pack. They are available through the standard update channels.

This section provides isntructions for running SLES 10 SP1 as a fully virtual guest with Xen drivers and contains the following topics:

1.7.1 Meeting System and Software Requirements

You must have SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10 SP1 or later.

1.7.2 Setting Up the Virtual Machine

  1. Create a new fully virtual machine or start an existing fully virtual machine. (Use YaST > Virtualization > Virtual Machine Manager).

  2. Get the latest updates for the operating system from your update channel. For information on updating SLES 10, see the SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10 SP1 documentation.

    IMPORTANT:Make sure you perform this step.

  3. If you want to back up the driver files, enter mv initrd- xxx.img to initrd- xxx.img.bak (where xxx is the kernel version) at a terminal.

  4. Verify that the Xen drivers are installed.

    1. Launch YaST by entering yast2 at a terminal.

    2. Select Software > Software Management.

    3. Search for xen-kmp and make sure that the appropriate drivers are installed for your system.

      If they are not selected, select them and click Accept to complete the installation.

1.7.3 Setting Up the Virtual Machine’s Block Device

  1. Edit the virtual machine’s /boot/grub/menu.lst file. At the kernel line, append an hdx=noprobe parameter where hdx is the drive designation specified in the virtual machine configuration file.

    For example, if the virtual machine configuration file specifies a virtual disk as hda, such as:

    disk=['file:/var/lib/xen/images/vm1/hda,ioemu:hda,w']

    the following kernel line should be appended:

    kernel vmlinuz-kernel_ver hda=noprobe

    Also at the kernel line, change root=/dev/disk/by-id/xxx to root=/dev/hdxx, where hdxx is the disk and partition of your root partition. For example, root=/dev/hda2.

  2. Shut down the virtual machine.

1.7.4 Editing the Configuration File to Recognize the Virtual Network Card

  1. On the virtualization host server, open a terminal and enter xm delete vm_name to delete the virtual machine’s reference in the Xen store so it is no longer managed.

    HINT:Enter xm list to see the name of the virtual machine ( vm_name).

  2. Open the virtual machine configuration file located on virtualization host server ( /etc/xen/vm/vm_cfgfile, where vm_cfgfile is usually the same as the name of the virtual machine).

  3. Remove all parameters from the vif= line except the mac=mac_address parameter. Make sure to leave the single quotes.

    For example, change the line 

    vif=[ 'mac=00:16:3e:55:24:21,model=pcnet,type=ioemu', ]

    to 

    vif=[ 'mac=00:16:3e:55:24:21', ]

  4. At the terminal, enter xm new vm_cfgfile to reference the virtual machine in the Xen store so it is managed again.

  5. Restart the virtual machine by using YaST > Virtualization > Virtual Machine Manager.

    You can also restart the virtual machine by using xm start vm_cfgfile, but make sure to connect to it with a viewer.

    The first time the virtual machine boots, you might see a message indicating that new hardware was found. This message is to be expected and can be safely cancelled.

1.7.5 Configuring the Virtual Network Card

  1. Identify the number of each virtual network card.

    Virtual network cards are identified by vif-x files located in the /sys/class/net/ethx/device/driver directories. For example, network card 0 is designated as /sys/class/net/eth0/driver/vif-0. Look in each ethx/driver directory for a vif-x file, such as vif-0, vif-1, and so on.

  2. In YaST, click Network Devices > Network Card. Select and delete each network card that is already configured.

  3. Click Add, then change the ethx parameter to a network card number identified in Step 1 and enter xen-vnif as the module name. Repeat the process to add all virtual network cards.