[Users] New Kernel Patch

[Scott Dowdle]

Dietmar,

----- "Dietmar Maurer" <dietmar at proxmox.com> wrote:
> We at Proxmox ended up compiling the RHEL kernel for Debian. So we
> now have a Debian system with RHEL kernel and OpenVZ. So far that works
> quite good.

I'm very glad to hear that.  Would you recommend that a stock Debian user use your kernel for OpenVZ stuff?  If so, I have to wonder how well it would work on the upcoming distro releases that Suno was talking about.

Also, you didn't mention it so I will... your "RHEL kernel for Debian" also includes KVM support, right?  If so, I imagine your kernel might also be of interest to RHEL/CentOS host node users so they could gain the KVM functionality.  Would you recommend that?  I assume that your binary packaging of it is in .deb format and I'm not sure of the process of installing that on an rpm-based system.  I know .deb packages use common underlying tools so even without dpkg I should be able to get to the contents once I learn the specifics.

And finally, to combine the two together... what about the other tools... vzctl and vzquota?  Would one use stock OpenVZ supplied packages or would one use the tools packages by you as well for your packaged kernel?  And what about management of KVM machines?

The simple answer I guess is to use Proxmox VE and I'm certainly not against that as I know a number of happy PVE users and you do a fantastic job of supporting your software.  I'd just like, if at all possible, to see some of the PVE stuff make it back out to the stock OpenVZ user.  I know your sources are available but so far we don't have anyone in the community with the needed skills who has stepped forward to do the work.  I know I'm not qualified.  I'd love to see your "RHEL kernel for Debian" be available as a "RHEL kernel for rpm-based distros that includes both OpenVZ and KVM support".  Or maybe I'm looking at this the wrong way.  I asked Kir some time ago if the newer official OpenVZ RHEL-based kernels included KVM support and he said that Red Hat doesn't package the KVM stuff with the kernel... and that the KVM modules and user-space apps are in separate packages which OpenVZ doesn't provide.  So I guess the stock OpenVZ RHEL-5.4-based kernel could be used for KVM stuff too if someone were packaging the extra bits or... perhaps... if the existing RHEL/CentOS KVM support packages could be used if some instructions were put together saying out.

I use KVM for a few things (like for non-Linux VMs) and I'd love to be able to use both OpenVZ and KVM on the same machine as a RHEL/CentOS fanboy.

Sorry for getting so off the topic that Suno originally asked about but I like the directions this discussion is going in. :)

TYL,
-- 
Scott Dowdle
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