[Libvirt-cim] Xen_ComputerSystem RequestStateChange

[Jim Fehlig]

Dan Smith wrote:
> KR> Right now, shutdown isn't supported.  The DMTF Virtual System Profile
> KR> lists an extra step for shutdown - the provider needs to tell the
> KR> software running on the guest to shutdown.  Once the software has
> KR> terminated its tasks and shut itself down, the provider then treats
> KR> the shutdown action in the same manner it treats disable.
>
> KR> The steps to indicate to the guest that the OS needs to shutdown are
> KR> involved.  This is probably out of the project's scope, for awhile at
> KR> least.
>
> KR> It would be possible to have shutdown and disable behave the same way,
> KR> but that wouldn't conform to the DMTF profile.
>
> KR> Dan - thoughts?
>
> For paravirt Xen, issuing the shutdown command actually triggers an
> action in the guest kernel to start a shutdown (which becomes the
> equivalent of "shutdown -h now").  For fullvirt and KVM guests, a
> shutdown action should be simulated via ACPI (the equivalent of
> pushing the power button on an ACPI-enabled physical machine).  I
> think I recall there being some plumbing issues to make this really
> work for KVM guests, but I think we should assume that it works.
>   

IIRC, someone in the Xen community is doing similar work to inject ACPI 
events in HVM guests.  Additionally, many existing Xen HVM guests using 
PV drivers support the "shutdown -h now" semantics.

> From what I can tell, requesting the shutdown state is equivalent to
> requesting the disabled state from our perspective.

Agreed.

Regards,
Jim