2.6.18-xen-r12 and udev-146-r1 = Your kernel is too old to w

[atatut]

Hi

I'm having troubles to start VMs in Xen probably because of the udev version that gives me:

* Mounting proc at /proc
* Mounting sysfs at /sys
* Your kernel is too old to work with this version of udev.
* Current udev only supports Linux kernel 2.6.25 and newer.

then the system finishes booting but:

- xend doesn't start the network-bridges, I need to manually restart xend to have the NICs up
- TUN/TAP devices don't exist in /dev/net/ (actually /dev/net didn't exist either), I created them but VMs won't start

BACKGROUND:

The kernel config has TUN/TAP built-in and all the needed stuff for Xen to work (I already installed dozens of Gentoo Xen before this one). The server worked fine up to a hard drive failure, I had to rebuild the whole RAID 5 because of multiple hdd failures. The initial setup was made the 30.06.2009 and all worked fine until the hdd crash. 2 days ago I had the cash to change the hdds and reinstalled Gentoo, then Xen had the "udev" version problem. Since then I fight with the system to find a way to have the VMs working again.

OUTPUT BEFORE MANUALLY CREATING TUN/TAP: /var/log/xen/qemu-dm-MYVMNAME.log

domid: 2
qemu: the number of cpus is 2
warning: could not open /dev/net/tun: no virtual network emulation
Could not initialize device 'tap'

OUTPUT AFTER MANUALLY CREATING TUN/TAP: qemu-dm-MYVMNAME.log.1

domid: 1
qemu: the number of cpus is 2
config qemu network with xen bridge for tap1.0 xenbr0
config qemu network with xen bridge for tap1.1 xenbr1
Watching /local/domain/0/device-model/1/logdirty/next-active
Watching /local/domain/0/device-model/1/command
qemu_map_cache_init nr_buckets = 10000 size 4194304
shared page at pfn feffd
buffered io page at pfn feffb
Guest uuid = 2cef47c9-98e9-d2bc-c338-41138e8dd8e1
Time offset set 0
populating video RAM at ff000000
mapping video RAM from ff000000
Register xen platform.
Done register platform.
xs_read(/vm/2cef47c9-98e9-d2bc-c338-41138e8dd8e1/log-throttling): read error
platform_fixed_ioport: changed ro/rw state of ROM memory area. now is rw state.
xs_read(/local/domain/0/device-model/1/xen_extended_power_mgmt): read error
xs_read(): vncpasswd get error. /vm/2cef47c9-98e9-d2bc-c338-41138e8dd8e1/vncpasswd.
I/O request not ready: 0, ptr: 0, port: 0, data: 0, count: 0, size: 0
I/O request not ready: 0, ptr: 0, port: 0, data: 0, count: 0, size: 0

and the:

xm create /PATH/TO/MY/VM/CONF

gives after a while:

Error: Device 0 (vif) could not be connected. Hotplug scripts not working.

- It seems obvious that I need to correct the "udev" problem before I start doing useless things, but my question is:

Do I downgrade "udev" to a version that works with the 2.6.18-xen-r12 kernel? and I don't know which version I should use and how to safely downgrade "udev"

or

Do I give up using the xen sources in the portage and download the sources for a newer xen kernel somewhere else?

If there's a need for extra info, don't hesitate to ask.

Thanks to everybody.
_________________
“When I left you, I was but the learner, now I am the master.”

[atatut]

I know the last portage tree that worked with xen was the 30.06.2009, if there was an alternative portage tree stuck to the software versions as they were at that time, then I might be able to recompile the whole Gentoo and Xen and have them work again.

I don't know if it's possible to have the Gentoo people create a specific portage tree for those who want to install Xen and put it in the Handbook so that people installing Gentoo see "If you intend to use Xen, please use the following Portage overlay"? Because even if I reinstall Gentoo adding

=sys-fs/udev-xxx

in /etc/portage/package.mask

I'm not sure it will be enough to have a working system, as there is probably a lot of software version conflicts that may require skills I don't have.
_________________
“When I left you, I was but the learner, now I am the master.”

[atatut]

Problem solved using the

/etc/portage/package.mask

file to lock the udev and gentoo-sources packages version to

>sys-kernel/gentoo-sources-2.6.30
>sys-fs/udev-141-r1

during the whole reinstall of the system just before the “emerge gentoo-sources” step in the Gentoo Handbook. After the package.mask file creation, just emerge udev, so that you have the downgraded version installed before you emerge gentoo-sources.

on x86_64 you’ll get:

linux-2.6.29-gentoo-r5
sys-fs/udev-141

and

linux-2.6.18-xen-r12

on x86 you'll get:

linux-2.6.29-gentoo-r6
sys-fs/udev-141

and

linux-2.6.29-xen-r4

The x86 package versions is new enough to allow Xen to run on the Asus EeePC 1101HA, with only a little problem; rebooting a domU reboots the dom0 too. The x86_64 behaves as expected; everything works but the Dual Intel® 82574L Gigabit Ethernet Controller found on the Supermicro X8SAX not recognized by the e1000 in the 2.6.18.
_________________
“When I left you, I was but the learner, now I am the master.”