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

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Date:	Wed, 18 Jun 2008 14:52:32 -0500
From:	Anthony Liguori <anthony@...emonkey.ws>
To:	devzero@....de
CC:	kvm@...r.kernel.org, linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org,
	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

devzero@....de wrote:
> 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)
>   

vmmon is sort of a stub that loads the actual monitor which is a binary 
blob.

Regards,

Anthony Liguori

> 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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>   

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