[kernel-xen] CentOS 7?

[Gordan Bobic]

On 07/23/2014 09:08 AM, Steven Haigh wrote:
> On 23/07/2014 5:01 PM, Steve Freitas wrote:
>> Hi Steven,
>>
>> Nice work with your Xen packaging, I'm setting up a Xen server of my own
>> at home and will probably end up using your packages. Having said that,
>> I need to make a decision on my dom0 OS, and I wondered if you have any
>> plans to support CentOS 7 anytime soon.
>
> Hi Steve (Great name!),
>
> At the moment, my advice for you regarding EL7 - run the other way.
>
> I did briefly write up the following:
> 	https://www.crc.id.au/2014/07/12/avoid-centos-7-rhel-7-for-now/

Having been using EL7 since the first public beta, I don't agree with 
some of the points raised. Specifically, there is no requirement to use 
Gnome 3 - I am a KDE user, and that works fine. The biggest desktop 
related problem I found is a bug in gnome-terminal that causes it to 
shrink to 1 line and about 10 columns when started under KDE. Incredibly 
annoying, and the bug fix for this was pushed back from the release 
version despite being reported within days of the public beta shipping - 
but not exactly a show-stopper (you can resize the terminal to whatever 
size is required afterwards).

systemd does still handle legacy init.d scripts.

Having said that, I do detest systemd - it is a major pain in the 
backside and IMNSHO an epic leap backwards, all for the sake of shaving 
a few seconds off the boot time and making sure that you get a login 
prompt even if an init script hangs (so it's less obvious it failed and 
you don't have to boot with init=/bin/bash to fix it - boo #"$%!&* hoo).

And don't get me started on grub2.

> I've been keeping a look out on #xen on Freenode IRC and I have seen a
> few people trying to get Xen working as a Dom0 using CentOS 7 - and its
> been a work in progress for a few weeks now. From what I understand it
> hasn't been successful.

I've been meaning to do this on my backup virtualization system. The 
only problem is that I have to find time to actually build it (all the 
parts have been sitting on my work bench for a while now).

Having said that - what could possibly be causing such a show-stopping 
problem? Xen tools are pretty self-contained. Xen runs underneath dom0, 
and I am starting with the assumption that the kernel will need to be 
changed anyway. Over and above that, the only possible problem could be 
in userspace. If it is in userspace, what is the actual problem?

> Couple it with all the other issues stumbled across at the moment and I
> wouldn't recommend anyone 'upgrade' to EL7. It does seem that that the
> general consensus is that RedHat has 'screwed the pooch' with this
> release - including releasing a beta quality 'final' product.

Things have, sadly, been going in that direction for quite some time 
now. Fedora is now pure cowboy-hacker-space, and it is directly 
impacting EL by lowering the standard of the starting point.

Gordan