RE: [Xen-users] Config: Paravirtualization and Full Virtualization

["Petersson, Mats" <Mats.Petersson@xxxxxxx>]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: xen-users-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 
> [mailto:xen-users-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of 
> ggerber@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Sent: 31 January 2007 09:56
> To: xen-users@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: RE: [Xen-users] Config: Paravirtualization and Full 
> Virtualization
> 
> Where's the difference in the guest installation (or maybe in the host
> installation?) when you install a Linux in paravirtualization mode, or
> in full virtualization mode (VT or pacifica)?
> 
> g>> Full gives better performance from what I hear.  Your 
> hardware should be suitable and the bios option enabled.
> If you know anything about bios pls do let me know as Sony 
> have disabled this option in there bios.

Not quite correct. Para-virtual is definitely the faster way to go (at
least in the current generation of processors). However, one of the
drawbacks of para-virtualization is that it requires access to the
source-code of the OS to modify the way the OS behaves (and someone
working on the source-code to make those modifications!). Since neither
of those two are that easy to come by for ALL OS's, particularly for
OS's that are "closed source", having a method where you can take the
stock binary of the OS and just run it makes life a whole lot easier.
There are alternatives: Vmware uses something called "binary
translation", where the OS-code is stepped through and modified where it
sits in memory, to "divert" the tricky bits of code that needs extra
work for virtual machines.

--
Mats



_______________________________________________
Xen-users mailing list
Xen-users@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
http://lists.xensource.com/xen-users