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Introduction to Xen: http://wiki.xenproject.org/wiki/Xen_Beginners_Guide#What_is_this_Xen_Project_software_all_about.3F

Installation (host/dom0)

TODO: is xen-docs useful (probably not; installed hoping for an xl man page)?

aptitude install xen-docs-4.1 xen-linux-system

Adjust grub so the default boot item is Xen (ref: https://xen-orchestra.com/cant-find-hypervisor-Relevance and versions: this page covers the Xen and related components Blue Light has standardised on:

• OS: Debian 7 Wheezy 64 bit
• Xen 4.1
  • Toolstack: xl (other toolstacks are mentioned to provide context)
• Xen-tools 4.3.1
• Networking:
  • Host/Dom0:
        Single physical interface with multiple public IP addresses
        Single bridge for a private internal network.
        Single interface on the bridge @@@@@
        Netfilter (iptables/ipchains) forwarding single public IP addresses to a VM/DomU interface on the bridge
        Netfilter (iptables/ipchains) NATting traffic from the VMs/DomUs to the physical interface.
  • VMs/DomUs: each with:
        A single interface connected to the bridge

Installation (host/dom0)

aptitude install xen-linux-system

Adjust grub so the default boot item is Xen (ref: https://xen-orchestra.com/cant-find-hypervisor-information-in-sysfs/)

dpkg-divert --divert /etc/grub.d/08_linux_xen --rename /etc/grub.d/20_linux_xen
update-grub
shutdown -r now

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Useful commands:

• brctl show

Rough note to edit in somewhere ...

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DomU configuration

Each DomU (the VM itself, not its OS etc.) is configured by a file in /etc/xen.(the VM itself, not its OS etc.) is configured by a file in /etc/xen.  Its name is the DomU's hostname with .cfg appended.

Its format, for use with the xl toolstack, is documented at http://xenbits.xen.org/docs/unstable/man/xl.cfg.5.html.

vif

vif (Default=[]; Value="type=TYPE, mac=MAC, bridge=BRIDGE, ip=IPADDR, script=SCRIPT," + \ "backend=DOM, vifname=NAME, rate=RATE, model=MODEL, accel=ACCEL" )

• The vif is configured by calling the given configuration script.
• If type is not specified, default is netfront.
• If mac is not specified a random MAC address is used.  If not specified then the network backend chooses it's own MAC address.
• If bridge is not specified the first bridge found is used.
• If script is not specified the default script is used.
• If backend is not specified the default backend driver domain is used.
• If vifname is not specified the backend virtual interface will have name vifD.N where D is the domain id and N is the interface id.
• If rate is not specified the default rate is used.
• If model is not specified the default model is used.
• If accel is not specified an accelerator plugin module is not used. This option may be repeated to add more than one vif. Specifying vifs will increase the number of interfaces as needed.

Maintaining Debian in DomUs

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Monitoring and controlling DomUs

TBC

Troubleshooting

TODO: integrate the next para.

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File or directory	Usage	Notes
/etc/default/xen
/etc/default/xend
/etc/default/xendomains
​/etc/xen/	​Configuration	​
​/etc/xen/*.cfg	Individual DomU configs
/etc/xen/scripts/	?	Scripts and scrippets	As installed, all bash
/etc/xen/scripts/vif-nat

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