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
    • The default is now to install libraries in /usr/lib by default. Use --libdir=/usr/lib64 if your system uses those paths.
  • 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 bugs / missing functionality / unexpected results. Make sure to follow the guidelines on Reporting Bugs against Xen.

Reporting success

We would love it if you could report successes by e-mailing xen-devel@lists.xen.org, preferrably including:

• Hardware: Please at least include the processor manufaturer (Intel/AMD). Other helpful information might include specific processor models, amount of memory, number of cores, and so on
• Software: If you're using a distro, the distro name and version would be the most helpful. Other helpful information might include the kernel that you're running, or other virtualization-related software you're using (e.g., libvirt, xen-tools, drbd, &c).
• Guest operating systems: If running a Linux version, please specify whether you ran it in PV or HVM mode.
• Functionality tested: High-level would include toolstacks, and major functionality (e.g., suspend/resume, migration, pass-through, stubdomains, &c)

The following template might be helpful:

Subject: [TESTDAY] Test report
 
* Hardware:
 
* Software:

* Guest operating systems:

* Functionality tested:

* Comments:

For example:

Subject: [TESTDAY] Test report
 
* Hardware: 
Dell 390's (Intel, dual-core) x15
HP (AMD, quad-core) x5
 
* Software: 
Ubuntu 10.10,11.10
Fedora 17

* Guest operating systems:
Windows 8
Ubuntu 12.10,11.10 (HVM)
Fedora 17 (PV)

* Functionality tested:
xl
suspend/resume
pygrub

* Comments:
Window 8 booting seemed a little slower than normal.

Other than that, great work!