Cannot boot Xen-Kernel

English Virtualization
1

Hi,

i am an average Linux-User. I´m running openSUSE 13.1 with Kernel 3.11.10-21-pae. I´ve also installed a Xen-Kernel(same Version) for Virtualization with vm-install but i cannot boot this kernel. He starts to load the kernel and stops with the Error “you have to load the kernel first”. The only thing that i can see here is the “multiboot” command, because it wants to load “/boot/xen.gz” - but there is no xen.gz. But the kernel and the initrd are there so he should be able to start it. Any suggestions??
THX

Here´s the Xen-Section of my grub.cfg:

BEGIN /etc/grub.d/20_linux_xen

menuentry ‘openSUSE 13.1 GNU/Linux, with Xen hypervisor’ --class ‘opensuse-13-1’ --class gnu-linux --class gnu --class os --class xen $menuentry_id_option ‘xen-gnulinux-simple-08066fb1-5eb6-4962-9289-59609c66b989’ {
insmod part_msdos
insmod ext2
set root=‘hd0,msdos2’
if x$feature_platform_search_hint = xy ]; then
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root --hint-bios=hd0,msdos2 --hint-efi=hd0,msdos2 --hint-baremetal=ahci0,msdos2 --hint=‘hd0,msdos2’ 08066fb1-5eb6-4962-9289-59609c66b989
else
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root 08066fb1-5eb6-4962-9289-59609c66b989
fi
echo ‘Loading Xen xen …’
if “$grub_platform” = “pc” -o “$grub_platform” = “” ]; then
xen_rm_opts=
else
xen_rm_opts=“no-real-mode edd=off”
fi
multiboot /boot/xen.gz placeholder ${xen_rm_opts}
echo ‘Loading Linux 3.11.10-21-xen …’
module /boot/vmlinuz-3.11.10-21-xen root=UUID=08066fb1-5eb6-4962-9289-59609c66b989 ro quiet quiet liveinstall resume=/dev/disk/by-id/ata-HITACHI_HTS723232L9SA60_090401FC1420NEGVDDPD-part1 splash=silent quiet showopts
echo ‘Loading initial ramdisk …’
module /boot/initrd-3.11.10-21-xen
}

Don´t know if it´s necessary but here is the containment of my boot folder:
ackup_mbr
boot.readme
config-3.11.10-17-default
config-3.11.10-21-default
config-3.11.10-21-desktop
config-3.11.10-21-pae
config-3.11.10-21-xen
initrd
initrd-3.11.10-17-default
initrd-3.11.10-21-default
initrd-3.11.10-21-desktop
initrd-3.11.10-21-pae
initrd-3.11.10-21-xen
initrd-xen
ls
memtest.bin
message
symvers-3.11.10-17-default.gz
symvers-3.11.10-21-default.gz
symvers-3.11.10-21-desktop.gz
symvers-3.11.10-21-pae.gz
symvers-3.11.10-21-xen.gz
sysctl.conf-3.11.10-17-default
sysctl.conf-3.11.10-21-default
sysctl.conf-3.11.10-21-desktop
sysctl.conf-3.11.10-21-pae
sysctl.conf-3.11.10-21-xen
System.map-3.11.10-17-default
System.map-3.11.10-21-default
System.map-3.11.10-21-desktop
System.map-3.11.10-21-pae
System.map-3.11.10-21-xen
vmlinux-3.11.10-17-default.gz
vmlinux-3.11.10-21-default.gz
vmlinux-3.11.10-21-desktop.gz
vmlinux-3.11.10-21-pae.gz
vmlinux-3.11.10-21-xen.gz
vmlinuz
vmlinuz-3.11.10-17-default
vmlinuz-3.11.10-21-default
vmlinuz-3.11.10-21-desktop
vmlinuz-3.11.10-21-pae
vmlinuz-3.11.10-21-xen
vmlinuz-xen

2

How did you install the xen kernel?
The highly recommended method is to use the YAST applet “Install virtualization.”

If you did not do that, you should remove the kernel you installed (or <maybe> leave it alone assuming it won’t cause problems for another xen kernel) and install xen as I described above.

TSU

3

Have you installed the package xen? If not, you are unable to boot the Xen kernel since it doesn’t find a component necessary to boot the hypervisor.
What actually is happening is that Grub

  1. loads xen.gz
  2. loads the Linux kernel (here the Xen-aware kernel)
  3. loads initrd.

Before the kernel is actually fired up, Grub attempts to launch the hypervisor first, then boots the Xen-aware kernel to set up your Domain-0. However, without xen there’s no hypervisor - and a Xen-aware kernel without a hypervisor won’t work correctly, because some components present in the non-Xen kernels have been moved to the hypervisor (first and foremost processor preemption and global memory management).

In case you need any further assistance, feel free to send me a PM (if you prefer, you may do so in German).