devstack/tools/xen

Getting Started With XenServer 5.6 and Devstack

The purpose of the code in this directory it to help developers bootstrap a XenServer 5.6 (or greater) + Openstack development environment. This file gives some pointers on how to get started.

Xenserver is a Type 1 hypervisor, so it needs to be installed on bare metal. The Openstack services are configured to run within a "privileged" virtual machine on the Xenserver host (called OS domU). The VM uses the XAPI toolstack to communicate with the host.

The provided localrc helps to build a basic environment. The requirements are:

• An internet-enabled network with a DHCP server on it
• XenServer box plugged in to the same network This network will be used as the OpenStack management network. The VM Network and the Public Network will not be connected to any physical interfaces, only new virtual networks will be created by the install_os_domU.sh script.

Steps to follow:

• Install XenServer
• Download Devstack to XenServer
• Customise localrc
• Start install_os_domU.sh script

The install_os_domU.sh script will:

• Setup XenAPI plugins
• Create the named networks, if they don't exist
• Preseed-Netinstall an Ubuntu Virtual Machine, with 1 network interface:
  • eth0 - Connected to UBUNTU_INST_BRIDGE_OR_NET_NAME, defaults to MGT_BRIDGE_OR_NET_NAME
• After the Ubuntu install process finished, the network configuration is modified to:
  • eth0 - Management interface, connected to MGT_BRIDGE_OR_NET_NAME
  • eth1 - VM interface, connected to VM_BRIDGE_OR_NET_NAME
  • eth2 - Public interface, connected to PUB_BRIDGE_OR_NET_NAME
  • (eth3) - Optional network interface if quantum is used, to enforce xapi to create the underlying bridge.
• Start devstack inside the created OpenStack VM

Step 1: Install Xenserver

Install XenServer 5.6+ on a clean box. You can get XenServer by signing up for an account on citrix.com, and then visiting: https://www.citrix.com/English/ss/downloads/details.asp?downloadId=2311504&productId=683148

For details on installation, see: http://wiki.openstack.org/XenServer/Install

The XenServer IP configuration depends on your local network setup. If you are using dhcp, make a reservation for XenServer, so its IP address won't change over time. Make a note of the XenServer's IP address, as it has to be specified in localrc. The other option is to manually specify the IP setup for the XenServer box. Please make sure, that a gateway and a nameserver is configured, as install_os_domU.sh will connect to github.com to get source-code snapshots.

Step 2: Download devstack

On your XenServer host, run the following commands as root:

wget --no-check-certificate https://github.com/openstack-dev/devstack/zipball/master
unzip -o master -d ./devstack
cd devstack/*/

Step 3: Configure your localrc inside the devstack directory

Devstack uses a localrc for user-specific configuration. Note that the XENAPI_PASSWORD must be your dom0 root password. Of course, use real passwords if this machine is exposed.

cat > ./localrc <<EOF
# Passwords
# NOTE: these need to be specified, otherwise devstack will try
# to prompt for these passwords, blocking the install process.

MYSQL_PASSWORD=my_super_secret
SERVICE_TOKEN=my_super_secret
ADMIN_PASSWORD=my_super_secret
SERVICE_PASSWORD=my_super_secret
RABBIT_PASSWORD=my_super_secret
SWIFT_HASH="66a3d6b56c1f479c8b4e70ab5c2000f5"
# This will be the password for the OpenStack VM (both stack and root users)
GUEST_PASSWORD=my_super_secret

# XenAPI parameters
# NOTE: The following must be set to your XenServer root password!

XENAPI_PASSWORD=my_xenserver_root_password

XENAPI_CONNECTION_URL="http://address_of_your_xenserver"
VNCSERVER_PROXYCLIENT_ADDRESS=address_of_your_xenserver

# Do not download the usual images
IMAGE_URLS=""
# Explicitly set virt driver here
VIRT_DRIVER=xenserver
# Explicitly enable multi-host
MULTI_HOST=1
# Give extra time for boot
ACTIVE_TIMEOUT=45

# NOTE: the value of FLAT_NETWORK_BRIDGE will automatically be determined
# by install_os_domU.sh script.
EOF

Step 4: Run ./install_os_domU.sh from the tools/xen directory

cd tools/xen
./install_os_domU.sh

Once this script finishes executing, log into the VM (openstack domU) that it installed and tail the run.sh.log file. You will need to wait until it run.sh has finished executing.

Step 5: Do cloudy stuff!

• Play with horizon
• Play with the CLI
• Log bugs to devstack and core projects, and submit fixes!

Step 6: Run from snapshot

If you want to quicky re-run devstack from a clean state, using the same settings you used in your previous run, you can revert the DomU to the snapshot called before_first_boot