Messages

Ah, yes. Thanks. I edited/added my experiences. Especially for the beta-testing, this KVM solution has been a great help to retain a stable server.
Adding to an existing Wiki saves my time

I have a small FTP-site and would be glad to share. Not the best transfer rates, but steady.
you could mail me at (myusername)(at)arcor(dot)de

I tried a pair of 200Mbit Devolos. The data rate was too low for my needs. A file transfer was about 5-6 MByte/sec, going from 0-level to cellar and back to 0-level.
I'd always prefer CAT7 LAN cables.

Ah, ok. Thanks. That explains much

So I'd have to run the filldatabase via console.
To post the latest news: PXE-booting of MD is fine, including NVidia-drivers and UI2 on 7050-chipset. So the VM-install has gone better than my last "real" installation 

I'm not quite sure about the PXE-over-Gb-LAN-performance, but I'll test that with some copy-actions. I'd put 8.10 into RC-status   

At Core-only installation, the KDE desktop does not run with my ATI. Startup has blank screen with cursor. Pluto-admin is accessible from any PC, switching to console is possible, but no X. I don't understand that. Perhaps the installation (I tried two times yesterday) does not finish correctly.

Instead the hybrid installation runs perfectly. UI1 is fine, system runs smoothly.

*bumb*

Anything new about this theme? I'd like to have it
UI2 would be nice of course, but the "final" UI1 is fine, too.
Is there a download anywhere?
Thanks,
Daniel

I forgot to mention, that the Host-NIC needs to be set up as bridge:

(/etc/network/interfaces:)

auto br0
iface br0 inet static
    address 192.168.80.254
    netmask 255.255.255.0
    network 192.168.80.0
    broadcast 192.168.80.255
    gateway 192.168.80.100            (<-my WAN-Router, if you use a second NIC for Internet, remove line)
    dns-nameservers 192.168.80.100 [dns2] [dns3]          (again, my router)
    bridge_ports eth0
    bridge_stp off
    bridge_fd 0
    bridge_maxwait 0

auto eth0
iface eth0 inet manual



This need to be done before installing Kubuntu as Guest, else you can't choose the "shared physical network (eth0)" in virt-manager.

Greetings,
Daniel

Hi all,
now for the first time I'm perhaps able to give st. to the community instead of always asking

"mini-howto" for a LMCE-core in a VM: (please read it fully before beginning as its "golden thread" is not straight )

My server:
Tyan n6650w, currently one Quad-Opteron 2352, 8GB RAM, 8x1TB HDDs at an Adaptec 2820SA, ATI 2600XT. The server has uses a Technisat Skystar HD2.

Very Important: The Host-CPU(s) needs to support VT-d (Intel) or AMD-V (AMD). The Barcelona-Opterons are quite fine for this. I did not look up for other CPUs, but newer AMD should all have this feature.
My "Host", as the physical server ist to be called in this text, runs at Kubuntu 9.04 x64, patched with latest updates. You can choose the "type" (x32/x64) for each virtual machine individually, so it does not hinder LMCE-x32.

1) Set up your Host/Server with any Linux that supports hardware-KVM. Kubuntu 9.04 is nice as it features the latest KVM-packages. Install all KVM packages, if not already. Install and use "virt-manager" on KDE for an easy installation of a Kubuntu 8.10 guest, but install the VM in the "System" section, as it gives a necessary NIC-option: Bridged-Mode for the NIC! If there's no "System" available, start virt-manager from the console "virt-manager -c qemu://meinserver/system"

1a) In the install options, when assigning the NIC, take "bridged mode -> share physical network (eth0)". You can assign it later an IP in the "normal" network-range, LMCE will detect and configure quite fine a kind of double-bridge which runs smoothly.

1b) Install the guest-Kubuntu as usual now. I recommend saving the "pure" Kubuntu guest for faster recovery if st. does not work later.

1c) After installation, start the VM and look if everything is ok. I recommend to assign the 192.168.80.x IP-range to every PC in the house or change the LMCE-install-files...
My Host uses 192.168.80.254. Assign the virtual Kubuntu e.g. the IP 192.168.80.252, netmask 255.255.255.0, gateway [Host-IP, in this example 192.168.80.254] and do all the updates. I strongly recommend to shut down every DHCP-server as the LMCE-core, installed in the next step, should be the only one in the LAN.

1d) Install LMCE in the VM as usual. I recommend to edit the installer-files before starting the installation with the current usage: "vim mce_wizard_data-single_nic.sh", set device-type to Core, Ext-DHCP no, run dhcp-server yes and put in the IP-values for your "external" network, see above.
When the installer has finished and restarts the VM, it should run quite fine. The pluto-admin page should be available from every PC in the house with the standard address (192.168.80.1 or .252 in this example). As it happens, the VM will use two IPs, the one assigned in 1c) and the .1-default IP. Not necessary, but it does no damage.

It's now time to put the TV-card(s) into the VM.

2) Grab the 2.6.30-rc7 (the latest available) source, unpack it on the Host to e.g. /usr/src/linux-2.6.30-rc7 and do a "make menuconfig"

3) Follow the instructions in: http://www.linux-kvm.org/page/How_to_assign_devices_with_VT-d_in_KVM to assign the card to the virtual machine. I tried those instructions for many times without success because they miss to state that a 2.6.30.x-kernel is needed!!
- I tried the 2.6.29.4, but it misses the pci-reset-ability or anything else. 2.6.29. is bad, 2.6.30 is your friend.

3a) After compiling and installing the new kernel, enter /etc/libvirt/qemu and search for your VMs' .xml file. Edit it (e.g. "vim lmce810.xml") and add the following lines:
    <hostdev mode='subsystem' type='pci'>
        <source>
        <address bus='0x01' slot='0x04' function='0'/>   
        </source>
    </hostdev>
Of course, you need your own values. My card is located at 01:04.0, so simply adapt it to your needs.
Save the file and do the reboot with the new kernel.
(you can do this step any time, but you need a restart of the libvirt to load the edited .xml; simply restarting virsh/virt-manager isn't enough)

4) After you now did the remaining steps of the KVM-link above (3-6), test if everything is ok:
- kernel 2.6.30.x is running on the Host?
- do a "lspci -v" on the Host. The DVB-card should now list the driver "pci-stub"

5) start up the VM-LMCE. Login on the ususal ways, e.g. via putty from any Windows-PC. On the VM, do a "lspci". The dvb-card should be present.

Install the drivers for the dvb-card on the VM and have fun.

----

It's a crude howto, but those of you with some linux knowledge should get the points. When setting up the whole system again, I'll take some screenshots to give a "nice" Howto. Please excuse the bad englisch, I lack the practise...

This should be possible with multiple PCI-cards. It may even possible *only* with all PCI-cards, as the KVM-Howto mentions that all PCI-devices behind a bridge need to be assigned in whole.
I did shutdown the firewire-port in BIOS to have the DVB-card as the only device behind a bridge on my mainboard.
If you experience problems which sound like this, try "lspci -t" on the Host and have a look for your DVB-cards.
On my Host it looks (now, after disabling firewire) like:
-[0000:00]-+-00.0
           +-01.0
           +-01.1
           +-02.0
           +-02.1
           +-04.0
           +-05.0
           +-05.1
           +-06.0-[0000:01]----04.0                                           (<- DVB-card)
           +-06.1
           +-08.0
           +-09.0
           +-0d.0-[0000:02-04]--+-00.0-[0000:03]----04.0
           |                    \-00.1-[0000:04]--
           +-0f.0-[0000:05]--+-00.0
           |                 \-00.1
           +-18.0
           +-18.1
           +-18.2
           +-18.3
           \-18.4

------------------------------

I used many, many days to get this working, so don't give up! I got it working and so can you.
And if someone asks "why the hell....": I use another VM with Windows Server+Exchange Server and the Host hosts as internal file server... other applications may come in future.
- and the weekly LMCE-experiments "8.10" do not interfere with the normal server services

Pehaps a Wiki-Page would be nice? I'd do the first text

Greetings!

Thanks!
But contrary to other posters, I knew that

I just wanted to tell the alpha-problems *I* encountered, because I thought thats what this thread is for...
-sniff-

Hiya!
I try to post my experiences with the alpha1:
1) System: Tyan N6650W w/Nforce3600pro. Single Opteron 2352, 4gb RAMDDR2-667reg, dual GB-NIC. ATI 2600XT-256. Install as Core (ev. hybrid). Second: Diskless MD with Nvidia 630a chipset, 2GB RAM, Athlon Be2350.
2) Installation of 8.10 without problems.
But the next 2 days...

- dire problems with networking, because the core should directly connect via PPPOE to the internet. With many work (not a newbie, but no expert either), I got all installed and configured. It would be a great improvement for me, if the alpha/beta-versions of LMCE don't touch the external networking at all: configuring network before installing LMCE is obligatory to get the updates and drivers, configuring dhcp and eth1 would be enough 

- Second problem with networking: the core/router does not route...  getting access from other PCs of the network (non-MD, IP via dhcp of the core) to the internet on eth0/ppp0 was possible after using:
echo 1 >> /proc/sys/net/ipv4/ip_forward
iptables -t nat -A POSTROUTING -o ppp0 -a 192.168.80.0/24 -j MASQUERADE
I have to do this every bootup, so can that be fixed permanently? Or have I done st unusual?
- The problems with ATI were dire and are so far unsolved: when using fglrx, the systems boots into blank screen without any reaction (keyboard dead, etc). Using radeon or vesa without problems. So I use currently radeon+UI1.
- I still have problems with the diskless boot of the MD. I did as written in the Wiki (rebuild i386, quickreload). MD starts PXE-booting, but tells something about missing NFS:
"running /scrips/nfs-premount" -> "mount call failed: 13" -> "retrying ..." - many times until taking busybox. Any ideas?

Aside from these problems, the systems seems to be running fine. I'll begin the configuration the next days.
I wish you a happy new year! - and many thanks for the work you do!

I just installed kubuntu 8.04.1 on the board w/o extra graphics.
First boot doesn't give X, I had to boot in the service mode and install build-essentials and the nvidia-driver (177.80).
After that, X starts up fine, detecting the monitors resolution correctly (1280x1024), and uses the 3D-openGL-screens.
I agree that the desktop stutters sometimes and doesn't feel smoothly.
I'll try the LMCE-betas, thanks for the link.
DM

your are so meany... 
only tried to give a hint to an established .NET for linux...
... won't write anything again here....
.. no one wants...
-sad-

From good old JtG / MCE-recorder they named MONO (http://www.mono-project.com/Main_Page) as linux-.net-derivate, because they tried to convert those two programs to linux. But I won't give it a call for good windoof&linux-compatibility... but... who knows... I read about it some years ago.

Hi all,

I just tried the beta3-x64, CD1 & CD2, on a Kubuntu installation x64 via alternate-install CD.

The system is set up properly. I start the LMCE-install program and give all the answers. Then the routine begins to cache the CD1, CD2 and the "kubuntu live cd", where I use my installation CD (alternate install x64 CD).
I tried that at least six times, everytime the system totally hang up during this caching. Either during CD 2 or the Kubuntu Live CD...
Total hang up, btw, the system has to be rebooted via reset switch, no reaction from Linux anymore.
The problem was once with the CD2, two times with the Kubuntu-x64-alternate-CD. Then I though it could have a problem with the alternate-Cd, so I used the "normal" Live-CD. So another three hang-ups, totaling to six.
btw: for the installation, I have no internet connection available.
Any ideas?

A second problem: On my "big" PC, I use a SCSI-disk for the system(s) with four SATA-HDDs for data. During installation from the live-cd the fdisk detects the SCSI-disk as "sdc" with the SATA as sda, sdb, sdd and sde. Wen I choose the sdc2 as "/" and try to install grub on "/dev/sdc", the installer gives an error message (LSI 1020/1030 U320 controller, Nforce4 SATA). In the bios I choose the SCSI-hdd after the DVD-R with no other boot device options.
Why the error and is there a solution?

Oh, and a third:
Bluetooth. I use the logitech mx-5000. When starting the gui kubuntu, I need to plug out and re-plug in the bt-adapter else the keyboar/mouse aren't functional. If I boot in the repair mode, everything is fine...
I have this problem both with 7.04 and 7.10-kubuntu...

Thanks for the help

Now... I try LMCE since some versions and I wouldn't have known that it uses the whole disk (DVD-Ed.)... I'm quite lucky that I read this thread before I tried to install it this evening... :/
By default, I agree with the opinion that it's kind of stupid *not* to ask for the partition. I e.g. use a high-speed SCSI-disk for system partitions (windoof, linux) and SATA-disks for data. I would be really angry if the whole SCSI-disk would have been wiped...

I'll use the CD-edition and take the unnecessary extra time for the double-install... But I petition for a useful installer on the DVD, too.

Greetings