xen-tools 3.0 review

xen-tools project is a collection of scripts which allow you to manipulate virtual images for the Xen virtualization software. Wit

License: GPL (GNU General Public License) File size: 87K Developer: Steve Kemp

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xen-tools project is a collection of scripts which allow you to manipulate virtual images for the Xen virtualization software.

With the tools installed, you may create new instances of Debian, complete with networking, OpenSSH, and user accounts, with one simple command. Images may also be easily updated, listed, or deleted.

Here are some key features of "xen tools":
Create new Xen instances of Debian Sarge, in minutes. (xen-create-image)
Duplicate an existing image, whilst updating the networking information. (xen-duplicate-image)
List all existing images with their networking details (xen-list-images)
Delete previously created instances. (xen-delete-image)
Update the images you've created with apt-get, without booting them. (xen-update-image)

Creating A New Image:

The script will contains a full manual written using the perl documentation system, perldoc, which you can read by executing:

xen-create-image --manual

This manual describes the operation of the script, and the supported options. (Each of the available options may be setup in a configuration file for ease of use.)
As a very simple example the following command willcreate an image using DHCP to obtain its networking information. The primary disk will 2Gb with 128Mb memory and swap:

xen-create-image --hostname='vm01' --dir=/home/xen
--size=2Gb --swap=128Mb --memory=128Mb --dhcp

If you wish to give the instance a static IP address then provide the information with the following flags:

--ip
The IP address to give the instance.
--gateway
The IP address of the gateway machine.
--broadcast
The broadcast address to use.
--network
The network the image is upon.
--netmask
The netmask to use.

What's New in This Release:
This release includes several more bugfixes, and adds support for creating disk images and Xen configuration files without actually installing a guest system.
This can be useful for FAI-based environments.