linux-kernel - Re: Linux with kvm-intel locks up VMplayer guest is started

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Date:	Wed, 18 Jun 2008 21:05:44 +0200
From:	devzero@....de
To:	kvm@...r.kernel.org, linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org
Cc:	Anthony Liguori <anthony@...emonkey.ws>, ecollins@...are.com,
	Javier Guerra <javier@...rrag.com>,
	Martin Michlmayr <tbm@...ius.com>
Subject: Re: Linux with kvm-intel locks up VMplayer guest is started

i`d like to give a comment about those claims in this thread (see below),  vmware kernel part would be closed source or binary module.

i think, they arenŽt. they just are not available via public/opensource code repository.

just go and download workstation 6.5 beta from:

http://download3.vmware.com/software/wkst/VMware-workstation-e.x.p-91182.i386.tar.gz
(you may need register for that)

unpack and take a look at vmware-distrib/lib/modules/source - there is source for 6 independent kernel
modules in those .tar files:

vmblock, vmci, vmmon, vmnet, vmppuser and vsock. (~3MB alltogether)

regards
roland


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

>i think what he's saying is that VMWare is a closed binary blob
>executing in the kernel; so there's no way to certify anything with
>this.

>as soon as you put some unknown (and unknowable, unverifiable,
>untrustable) code in the kernel, you can't know what will work and
>what won't.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

>So ask vmware. They have source to both parts we don't."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

>If the VMware code was upstream, then we could work together to make a 
>software arbitration mechanism.  It's not, and worse yet, it's closed 
>source so there's no chance it will be.  Even if someone wrote an 
>arbitration mechanism and got VMware to use it, it still shouldn't be 
>merged because KVM would be the only thing using that mechanism 
>upstream.  I'm not interested in adding kernel infrastructure to support 
>external binary kernel modules.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

>VMware is a binary kernel module that's out of kernel.  KVM is not 
>misbehaving and the fact that VMware breaks when the KVM module is 
>loaded isn't our problem.  If they submitted their code for inclusion in 
>mainline, we could possibly come up with solution for arbitrating who is 
>using VT.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


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