12.3 VM install on 42.3 Host failes

English Virtualization
1

Hello to all - a very special question :
For a special reason (many steps of an update queue of an old php5 CMS) I need to install opensuse 12.3 - the pure initial server version - nothing special - as a xen guest-vm on a 42.3 xen host. There are other 42.3 and 15.1 guests - running reliable - which cannot be interrupded.

What is the trick, to install a vm as 12.3 or 13.2 ? Or : what are the differences between 12.3/13.2 and 42.3 as guests on a xen 42.3 host ? As I kow, it shoud work but it didnt. It hangs around the network connection.
(alternatively : ist there a way zu downgrade current php5 to an older version of opensuse 12.3 ?)

any hint is welcome - thank you in advance

Gert - the nightworker

2

I installed 12.3 in a KVM virtual machine (under Leap 15.1), maybe a month or two ago. But this was straight KVM, without XEN. Both the 32-bit and the 64-bit installed without problems. My install was of the KDE desktop. I was testing a different issue. I have since deleted that virtual machine.

This may not help with your problem, except I hope it helps narrow down where the problem might be.

3

I would guess that your approach to installing 12.3 in a VM is likely the easiest, quickest way to set up a LAMP with those components if you are sure your desired LAMP is included in that openSUSE version.

You also shouldn’t have a problem installing the DVD (obviously a NET install won’t work because the repos have been taken down).

You can browse and download old, discontinued ISOs at the following

https://ftp5.gwdg.de/pub/opensuse/discontinued/distribution/12.3/

Once you’ve installed, you should install the last updates released

https://ftp5.gwdg.de/pub/opensuse/discontinued/update/12.3/

Note for both of the above are not the full URL, you’ll have to point to specific files or directories depending on your architecture.
And, for the same reason you can’t install “from online repositories.”

If you’re still having a problem, try to describe your problem in more detail…
Including the exact type of install you’re doing, eg x64 DVD ISO.

TSU

4

2020- may 23th
Thank you for all your hints, my current brand new server is a ryzen 5 in a data center with 2 TB RAID1 disks. The host OS on all new servers is opensuse 42.3 with XEN hypervisor. this is absolutely stable since some years on all my other servers. Normally I install from “[FONT=Arial]ftp5.gwdg.de” repositories and it works, on my new sever I did install and fill my own [FONT=arial, Arial, Helvetica][FONT=Arial]300 giga [/FONT]repo partition and all 12.3 and 13.2 and 42.3 repos are available. all VM installations are really fast. installing 42.3 VMs and 15.1 VMs - fine - it works perfectly well. trying to install 12.3 or 13.2 VMs, I can see the install procedure within the virt-managers VNC screen - text or grafics, no matter and directly during checking the network - it fails - it hangs forever. I cannot see the dhcp success (it must be the second dhcp requenst, because a lot of sofware was already loaded from repository) any more, it hangs. The log does not say anything because the new VM is almost dead and no more bootable.

my last try was
[FONT=Arial]
ftp://ftp5.gwdg.de/pub/linux/suse/opensuse/discontinued/distribution/12.3/repo/oss/ (and /non-oss)
everything seems to be fine, but it hangs in the middle of th job

So - ist there a difference in detecting the vif - means the bridge0 on the xen host - between 13.2 and 42.3 ?[/FONT]
[/FONT][/FONT]
tonight I do setup a 12.3 Server, installing XEN and try to install a 12.3 guest, if that works a 13.2 guest and if that works a 42.3 guest.
(and may be a 15.1 guest) to see whether the platform compatibility of the host to the guests ist equal or compatible.

I will write down all my experience on software.rde.de with explanation and links and screenshots, but that takes some time.

Is there anybody out, installing the same “combination” - means a new host and a really old guest ?
(my friend tried the virtbox -unknow release - with opensuse guests 12.3 an 15.1 and that works ???)

may be - what do I do miss or what do I do wrong ? the last 10 years I did install all VM guests from scratch
from an opensuse repos or from a mirror … and with some prereleases never had a problem during installation

thanks in advance
Gert
…

5

Hi to all, the tests from tonight …
in my office I have a testserver with Intel i5 (4 kernel) and 8GB RAM, a Esprimo 900E90E with 128GB SSD. I do install 64 bit software only,
the XEN host is opensuse 12.3, installing the first guest with 12.3, running fine, than a guest with 13.2 with some selfmade mistakes,
at the end running fine, now I am installing a 42.3 guest and ist seems to run fine. the installer detects the xennet virtual network
and continues with a valid DHCP IPv4 number and loads all software from ftp://ftp5.gwdg.de repository.

but something went wrong with the 42.3, after reboot it did no more find a kernel ??? whats that ??

thats for tonight, more will follow.
Gert

6

If you build a new Host, you should install the latest stable LEAP (currently 15.1).
I don’t know exactly when Xen changed, but sometime around 42.x the Xen components were integrated into the mainline kernel instead of being compiled and distributed as a completely separate kernel which among things should have eased maintenance issues.

Running the best, most stable HostOS should have no effect on whether any OS can be run in the Guest… The requirements would be the same, ie an x64 architecture for the most part. Old VMs would likely need to be upgraded to run on a more modern HostOS.

TSU

7

a short notice from tonight :

The above hint from** nrickert**](https://forums.opensuse.org/member.php/49759-nrickert) (Global Moderator) was very very helpful. I did install a new 42.3/64 host on my testserver (in my local office here in Wiesbaden) - but installed KVM virtualization (and no more XEN). Then I did install a new 12.3/64 guest from my own repository out of the box - confirming all standard predefined configurations ---- and it runs !!!. As nrickert says, with KVM on my Intel i5 testserver : flawless - no problems.

Following that successful hint and testinstallation, in Dueseldorf I did uninstall all XEN modules and did install KVM - on a running host - with 4 former XEN guests, switching bootloader from XEN to standard 42.3 default. All 4 XEN guests remained in KVM virt-manager - and I could start the former XEN guests under KVM !!! what a surprise.

But : Then I did try exactly the same on my rootserver in Duesseldorf - installing 12.3/64 from the same source and it fails ??? Now I am looking for the difference in network configuration with DHCP. At the end - I have one working sample for further evaluation - after two weeks of evaluation.

8

Interesting “migration.”
I’ve never heard of anyone attempting what you describe before.

I still highly recommend upgrading your HostOS to 15.1, I see no advantage to running such an old OS as your HostOS…
Although as I described, I’d probably expect would require changes to your Xen Guests,
But I’d suspect would require minor if any changes to running as KVM guests.

You might also consider whether your easier path to the future is completing a changeover to running KVM if you find that works and you have no special reason to stay on Xen.

TSU

9

Thanks to all,
I did explain, that there is an absolute strong need to setup a working system as it was on my running Proliant DL380-G5. All suggestions to start with a new system did not fit the (my) needs. The main problem was, on my Fujitsu Esprimo 900E90E testserver (i5 and 8GB ram and 2 x 128GB SSD) runs my KVM sample on a 42.3 host with 4 different (sample-) guests 12.3, 13.2, 42,3 and 15.1. And all guests run super. Installation from a fast net-repository was less than 3 minutes for each guest !!! = 15 minutes for all 4 sample guests !!!

That means, finally “it works”. I did not find out, why the XEN solution did not (or shoud not) work in my datacenter. We are talking about a “dedicated root server” from “Hetzner” or “myloc webtropia” (MSI board with i7 cpu and 32GB).

At the end I found out, that their special inhouse DHCP server does not fit the needs. Whatever is wrong with their DHCP configuration, the decline any responsebility. Installing 42.3 and 15.1 as XEN oder KVM guests works fine with some 3 minute timeout (to get a temp ipv4) compared with my inhous test (0,1 second to display that DHCP ipv4).

Comparing whith my test environment in my laboratory, it could work with their support or help, but they dont want. The main featue of XEN and KVM ist installing and running any guest. Virtbox does this very well with all windows versions from WIN98 on. But Virtbox ist not my solution for a remote server in production environment.

So at the end I did evaluate how a VM ist started and installed on a 42.3 host as a guest und I did replace the VM root with a (on my test-server) preinstalled 12.3. — Funny is, with the 12.3 rescue CD you cannot fix any difference, you need a 42.2 net ISO to start with and do not go to rescue line but to options line and in that menue of very well unknown second page - start a simple menue entry word “start linux” and the installed 12.3 did start - wounderfull without any problems, just modyfying the ip number and gateway with yast and manually an additionally pointopoint entry – and it runs. (since June 1 - the large hifimuseum pages are back online)

That means, you need to evaluate all the tricks, to pass the rocks. (and there are many rocks on the road) - The next step is, to install the 42.3 (or 15.1 this did not run seemless in january) on my test-server with the XEN environment and try to install the same 4 guests - with my DHCP server and from my remote repos.

and I will report, if that works. — it should work.

Another tip :
I did delete all xen modules on another 42.3 test-server (with guests down) and did install the KVM modules on that running system (all with yast2) and the virt-manager could start all old XEN guests - now under KVM.
That means, the virtlib platform - looking upwards to the started guests - is layer compatible !!!

a very good experience

thanks again for reading my texts - I hope, it will help other readers with similar problems

Gert (thenightworker)