Archived/Xen 4.2 RC2 test instructions

What needs to be tested

The most important feature we need tested is the new toolstack, xl. Xen 4.2 is the first version where xl is meant to be a complete replacement for xend/xm.

Other things that need to be tested are:

• Making sure that Xen 4.2 compiles and installs properly on different software configurations; particularly on distros
• Making sure that Xen 4.2, along with appropriately up-to-date kernels, work on different hardware.

In general, if you try to test xl on whatever software / hardware configuration you have, that will accomplish the other two as a by-product.

WARNING: As is probably obvious, this is still un-released software. We have tested it internally, but it may contain bugs that will crash, or even corrupt your system. Don't use it on systems you can't afford to lose.

Test instructions

• Remove any old versions of Xen toolstack binaries (including qemu).
• Download and install the most recent Xen 4.2 RC. Make sure to check the README for changes in required development libraries and procedures. Some particular things to note:
  • Xen 4.2 now uses autoconf, so after downloading, you will need to run ./configure before running make
  • Xen 4.2 now provides a make deb target as a convenience to those building from source on Debian systems. The resulting .deb doesn't do any set-up or check any dependencies; it is simply a convenient way to keep track of installed files and allow them to be removed or upgraded easily.

• Read the xl wiki page to understand what xl is, and what differences are expected between xm and xl.
  • In particular, xend typically did network setup (i.e., bridging, &c), while xl does not. So you will need to set up your networking through the standard distro tools.
  • For less common commands, check the xl man page to make sure names or argument conventions haven't changed.

• Try to use xl for things that you used to use xm for.

• Report any missing functionality / unexpected results. Make sure to follow the guidelines on Reporting Bugs against Xen.