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HEPiX Virtualisation Working Group Meeting
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Title: HEPiX vwg Description: Community: WLCG Password: lip Phone Bridge ID 312 2387 pwd 1922
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- Meeting URL: http://evo.caltech.edu/evoNext/koala.jnlp?meeting=MaMDMt292lDIDi9e9aDI9a
HEPiX Virtulisation WG meeting minutes 2011-03-28
Present (in no particular order):
Tony Cass, CERN
Ulrich Schwickerath, CERN
Thomas Finnern, DESY
Owen Synge, DESY
Ian Gable, University of Victoria
Romain Wartel, CERN
Ian Collier, RAL
Andrea Chierici, INFN Bologna
Keith Chadwick, FNAL
Felix Lee
Jie Tao, KIT
David Kelsey, RAL
Apologies from: Martin Bly
1. Previous Meeting minutes
- no comments
2. Implementing Image Exchange
- Owen reported that 2 weeks ago he turned over a image list signing tool to Ian Gable.
- Owen is in the process of developing a tool for automated image signature checking.
- Ian reported that he initially produced a Xen HVM image (which had problems at CERN). Ian then produced a KVM image without virtio drivers and then an then a third image containing the virtio drivers.
- Ulrich tried booting all three images. He had no luck no with the Xen image, he was able to boot the KVM HVM image with some modification to his process (could only mount a single disk) and it successfully contextualized. The KVM HVM + virtio image booted fine, but failed because Ian forgot to make the contextualized script executable (minor bug).
- Ulrich commented that the lesson learned here that you need a little bit more information about the image to boot it, know if it is Xen or KVM is not enough.
- Ulrich plans to release a generic package of the contextualization scripts.
- Tony asked if the community is loosing interest in Xen. Ulrich nodded his head (in the room with tony). Andrea commented that RHEL 6 does not have Xen support. Ian commented that a number of the sites he is working with are running Xen because it arrived early in RHEL and they have experience with getting good performance from Xen in paravirtualized mode. He also commented that Amazon using Xen was also important. He said he also saw momentum shifting to KVM and if there is little demand for Xen the group should not burden itself to support both.
- Tony asked why Ulrich was able to log into the image with a password. Ian commented that password login was enabled simply for debugging purposes.
- Ian asked if the boot device could be included in the metadata, Ulrich suggested that the name of the paravitulized drivers be included (virtio for example). There were no objections.
- Owen has most of the pieces in place for verifying image signatures. He needs to add some user interface features.
- Ulrich commented that we need user documentation. Tony suggested that the HEPiX wiki at CASPUR contain a link to the master documentation. Owen wants to produce docbook.
- There will be a demonstration on April the 8th of the Stratus Lab tool.
- Ian commented that there are methods other then the mounting disk images and we should keep this in mind even if we don't support it. The group thought that this wouldn't be a problem as long as the HEPiX scripts fail gracefully in the event that site is not using that contextualization mechanism.
3. HEPiX presentation from working group
- Owen will give a presentation on the work done. He is also going to give a talk on image signing in the security track.
- StratusLab will also give a presentation, with emphasis on the image marketplace.
5. Next meeting
- Next meeting on the 27th of April
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