[Xen-users] Dual Booting

["Alexandre Miguel Pedro Gomes" <alexmipego@xxxxxxxxx>]

Hello,

I've questioned you before about the use of 3D and accelerated graphic cards from inside a Xen guest and the conclusion is that its not possible now if it ever will anytime soon.

So, my alternative would be to Dual boot between a Xen host and another OS (Windows XP in this case). I wonder if Xen allows me to boot an Operating System that is also used as a Dual boot option. I don't know if I'm explaning myself correctly so here's an example: In grub I've Windows XP and Linux (Xen Host), I can boot Windows XP and use it natively. Alternatively I can boot the Xen host that will have several guests, one of them that same Window XP instalation.

VMWare supports this, although for some (the most recent/advanced) OS are not supported by their support services. But they do provide information on how to do this (the most important detail is the use of Windows Hardware Profiles to allow the "hardware" changes). The problem with Windows XP is the hardrive drivers that Windows doesn't install using plugnplay so the only needed "hardcoded" change needed in the new profile is the IDE driver. The major problem is that they do not support SCSI drivers due to some "format" things that only the correct driver can address and the virtual drivers aren't ready to handle. In my case, I use SATA drives but Linux recognize/handle them as SCSI, at least they are mapped to /dev/sd*.

Can Xen workarround this problem and allow this dual-boot & guest at same time?

Another question (unrelated to the main subject) I've about Xen is if the Host can be used normaly, i.e., use X, Gnome, etc..., while having one or several guests running?

-- 
Alexandre Gomes, Portugal
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