[Fedora-xen] server migration

[Paul Wouters]

On Thu, 24 May 2007, jm-ml wrote:

> i have an existing fedora core 1 machine and want to convert this machine to a
> xen-domU on a fc6(7) dom0.
> i tried the following:
> - create an imagefile and format it.
> - rsync the existing machine to the xen-dom0 into the mounted image file
> - then i took the existing kernel of a fc6 domU and copied it to the fc1-domU

You also put the modules of that kernel in /lib/modules/ ? If you don't the
initrd process will break.

> there is a problem during the systemboot and so i think there should be better
> ways to convert the fc1 machine to a xen-domU.

You're on the right track, but remember:
- use an FC6 kernel+initrd and make sure /lib/modules/XXX are there
- on the physical machine, build module-init-tools (fc1 still uses modutils AFAIK)
  and transfer this to your new image (not needed if you don't need any modules
  not loaded by initrd, eg disk, net, ext3,)
- mv /lib/tls /lib/tls-disabled on your image
- rebuild the initrd to include xenblk using:
  mkinitrd --preload xenblk --with=xennet /boot/initrd-2.6.20-1.2944.fc6-xenu.img 2.6.20-1.2944.fc6
- don't use pygrub to boot, but specify the kernel/ramdisk options in the xen config file.
- disable sshd and only use the xen console to login (remember, FC is after all EOL)

This worked to get our FC1 legacy machine virtualised. I might have forgotten
something, since it's been a long time since we converted this machine. So
feel free to ask if you get any other problems.

Paul