Re: [Xen-users] Xen for intel mac?

[Mark Williamson <mark.williamson@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

> There could be issues with TPM and the like, stuff that locks down
> Darwin to Apple machines.  You also need some way to turn on VT
> technology in those Core Duo processors, or maybe it's already
> enabled through EFI?

You can probably boot Xen somehow...  either using mbootpack and Apple's Boot 
Camp, or by booting Linux and kexec-ing into Xen.

> >Graphics support would be part of what I mean by 'get Xen running'
> >in the context of an intel mac since I imagine that 'support for
> >unmodified guests' means osx could boot (as a guest ... alongside
> >'e.g. Windows', linux, etc).

Well what would be *nice* is if it were possible to port MacOSX to Xen and let 
it boot on top of Xen.  Then you could have it control the real display 
(pretty aqua graphics!) and run other domains with virtual machines.  
However, there are problems with this...

> >Having said that, I have no idea how (or even if) Xen manages
> >competing demands for graphics hardware by unmodified guest os'.
> >Would ATI drivers for linux be enough?
>
> You would be definitely be limited to remote desktop, same as Windows
> is mostly limited to RDP.  I doubt OS X will ever be able to run as a
> Dom0 since you would have to be able to build a supported custom kernel.

And that's the problem.   Unless Apple make it possible to compile custom 
kernels for OSX86, it's certainly not going to be possible to port it to run 
on Xen (and even then I'm not sure what the implications for their DRM are).  
Right now, you can't really have a dom0 that doesn't know about Xen, but 
there would be (relatively difficult) ways to hack round that if anyone 
*really* wanted to make it work (such as making Xen loadable as a kext after 
boot - this would require a fair bit of Evil Hacking but might work!).

Cheers,
Mark

-- 
Dave: Just a question. What use is a unicyle with no seat?  And no pedals!
Mark: To answer a question with a question: What use is a skateboard?
Dave: Skateboards have wheels.
Mark: My wheel has a wheel!

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