This is a random question, but why doesn't amazon just have a HVM flag on instance creation?
Is it to try and better DRM the windows machines?
FreeBSD on EC2 via defenestration
11–20 of 22 posts
Re: FreeBSD on EC2 via defenestration
#12Yikes. This looks like exactly the kind of patchwork hack (in the "kludge" sense of the word) that keeps later on biting people in the ass over and over and over again. So let's say you have a job for which FreeBSD + EC2 is the right answer (or you just really like FreeBSD + EC2), so you make use of this, and then it works for a while and works well so you begin to build some kind of infrastructure on it, and even th…
Agree, why don't people concentrate on the core problem:
> FreeBSD's poor paravirtualized Xen support
Re: FreeBSD on EC2 via defenestration
#13Earlier quoted context omitted.
Not really. The only time it would break is if Amazon moved Windows to hypervisor virtualization. When they're doing hardware virtualization, practically any OS should work and without much "kuldginess" Colin's not suggesting some crazy hack, it's exactly the same as buying a Dell, formatting it to remove Windows, and then install BSD instead.
I think you mean Windows para -virtualization. This is never going to happen though. Not because Windows PV is not possible. Windows was ported to Xen PV in the distant past because Cambridge University had a Windows source license. The reason it's not going to happen is because with the latest chips and 64 bit, hardware full virtualization is faster than paravirt. Paravirt on x86-64 can't use the i386 segmentation t…
By segmentation trick, do you mean the same thing that Russ Cox's 9vx (by way of vx32) does?
Re: FreeBSD on EC2 via defenestration
#14Yikes. This looks like exactly the kind of patchwork hack (in the "kludge" sense of the word) that keeps later on biting people in the ass over and over and over again. So let's say you have a job for which FreeBSD + EC2 is the right answer (or you just really like FreeBSD + EC2), so you make use of this, and then it works for a while and works well so you begin to build some kind of infrastructure on it, and even th…
Agree, why don't people concentrate on the core problem: > FreeBSD's poor paravirtualized Xen support instead of hacking around EC2? (I'm not a programmer)
Two reasons: First, this is a lot of work, and in really scary parts of the kernel. Second, 99% of places using Xen are now running HVM, so improved PV Xen support isn't as useful as it sounds.
Re: FreeBSD on EC2 via defenestration
#15This is a great news, thanks for your efforts on this! However, it's really sad to have to pay the Microsoft toll over FreeBSD (afaik Windows EC2 Instances are a bit more expensive because the cost of the OS licence is factored into the hourly cost). I hope Amazon will do something about this, like providing HVM-based Unix instances.
I hope Amazon will do something about this, like providing HVM-based Unix instances.
We can hope. I have a feeling that the larger the number of people running FreeBSD in EC2, the more likely they are to change this.
Re: FreeBSD on EC2 via defenestration
#16This is a random question, but why doesn't amazon just have a HVM flag on instance creation? Is it to try and better DRM the windows machines?
why doesn't amazon just have a HVM flag on instance creation?
Probably because they didn't need it. Amazon is the most customer-centric company I know, but this cuts both ways -- I've never seen them add a feature unless they have customers asking for it.
Re: FreeBSD on EC2 via defenestration
#17Good news, but too bad there aren't small EC2 instances yet.
Working on it. ;-)
Re: FreeBSD on EC2 via defenestration
#18Earlier quoted context omitted.
Not really. The only time it would break is if Amazon moved Windows to hypervisor virtualization. When they're doing hardware virtualization, practically any OS should work and without much "kuldginess" Colin's not suggesting some crazy hack, it's exactly the same as buying a Dell, formatting it to remove Windows, and then install BSD instead.
I think you mean Windows para -virtualization. This is never going to happen though. Not because Windows PV is not possible. Windows was ported to Xen PV in the distant past because Cambridge University had a Windows source license. The reason it's not going to happen is because with the latest chips and 64 bit, hardware full virtualization is faster than paravirt. Paravirt on x86-64 can't use the i386 segmentation t…
[deleted]
Re: FreeBSD on EC2 via defenestration
#19Earlier quoted context omitted.
Not really. The only time it would break is if Amazon moved Windows to hypervisor virtualization. When they're doing hardware virtualization, practically any OS should work and without much "kuldginess" Colin's not suggesting some crazy hack, it's exactly the same as buying a Dell, formatting it to remove Windows, and then install BSD instead.
I think you mean Windows para -virtualization. This is never going to happen though. Not because Windows PV is not possible. Windows was ported to Xen PV in the distant past because Cambridge University had a Windows source license. The reason it's not going to happen is because with the latest chips and 64 bit, hardware full virtualization is faster than paravirt. Paravirt on x86-64 can't use the i386 segmentation t…
woah, link to article about win xen pv please?
Re: FreeBSD on EC2 via defenestration
#20Someday people will understand how awesome OpenBSD is, and add it to EC* and other could services.