How to install Fedora Core 6 as a Xen guest under openSuse 10.2
 

Has anyone succeeded in installing Fedora Core 6 as a Xen guest under openSuse 10.2? If so, how do you do it?

I have tried using the Yast Virtual Machine Management module - and also xm from the commandline - with no success. My xm config file is like this:

disk = [ 'file:/var/lib/xen/images/vm1/hda,hda,w', 'phy:/dev/hdc,hdb,r' ]
memory = 256
vcpus = 1
builder = 'linux'
kernel = '/boot/guests/FedoraCore6/vmlinuz'
ramdisk = '/boot/guests/FedoraCore6/initrd.img'
name = 'vm1'
vif = [ 'mac=00:16:3e:bb:9a:df' ]
localtime = 0
on_poweroff = 'destroy'
on_reboot = 'destroy'
on_crash = 'destroy'
extra = 'install=hd:/dev/hdb TERM=xterm textmode=1 vnc=0'

I got my files for the kernel and ramdisk parameters from the Fedora Core 6 DVD in /images/xen.

The xm log always winds up like:

[2007-01-20 17:01:20 xend.XendDomainInfo 4181] ERROR (XendDomainInfo:202) Domain construction failed
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "/usr/lib/python2.5/site-packages/xen/xend/XendDomainInfo.py", line 195, in create
vm.initDomain()
File "/usr/lib/python2.5/site-packages/xen/xend/XendDomainInfo.py", line 1384, in initDomain
raise VmError(str(exn))
VmError: (22, \047Invalid argument\047)
[2007-01-20 17:01:20 xend.XendDomainInfo 4181] DEBUG (XendDomainInfo:1470) XendDomainInfo.destroy: domid=3
[2007-01-20 17:01:20 xend.XendDomainInfo 4181] DEBUG (XendDomainInfo:1478) XendDomainInfo.destroyDomain(3)

FC6 under openSuSE 10.2
 

I just figured this one out myself, thanks to reading lots of mailing list.

The default XEN kernel under openSuSE 10.2 is not PAE.

The default XEN kernel under FC6 is PAE.

They are incompatible.

Install and boot under the XEN-PAE kernel for openSuSE 10.2 to get past the first hurdle.

.... now, to the next problem ...