QEMU v2.11 released

QEMU v2.11 is out. Here are the highlights from a KVM on Z perspective:

• TOD-Clock Epoch Extension Support: Extends the TOD clock beyond the year 2042.
• Setting sysctl vm.allocate_pgste is now superfluous.
• Netboot: The network boot firmware sets the client architecture option (93) in the DHCP request to 0x1f ("s390 Basic"). This allows a DHCP server to deliver the correct boot image for IBM Z guests. This is useful in situations where a single DHCP server has to provide network boot images for multiple architectures, e.g. for the purpose of installing operating systems.
• Added support for virtio-input-ccw and virtio-gpu-ccw. These newly supported devices lay the foundation for applications that require graphical interfaces, which thereby become usable from remote via VNC or SPICE.
  Here is a sample XML snippet for a guest definition:
  
      <input type='keyboard' bus='virtio'/>
      <graphics type='vnc' port='-1' autoport='yes' listen='0.0.0.0'>
        <listen type='address' address='0.0.0.0'/>
      </graphics>
      <video>
        <model type='virtio' heads='1' primary='yes'/>
      </video>

Performance: Network Storage Protocols in a KVM Environment

Our performance group has published a new white paper titled "Network Storage Protocols in a KVM Environment - NFS/SMB/iSCSI Report" (.pdf and .html).

Abstract: 

"iSCSI, NFS, and SMB protocols provide access to storage resources via a TCP/IP network. While iSCSI provides block device access, NFS and SMB are file-level access protocols. In cases where the devices are mounted on the KVM host (as in our case) they could be functionally considered as equivalent when utilized for KVM guest device attachment with image files."

Getting Started: Ubuntu Cloud Image Setup Instructions added

Instructions on how to setup one of the Ubuntu Cloud Images were added to the "Getting Started with KVM on Z" series.
See here for the entry page.

Getting Started: Instructions for Ubuntu 16.04 to 17.10 added

Instructions for Ubuntu 16.04 to 17.10 were added to the Getting Started with KVM on Z series.
See here for the entry page.

New "Getting Started" Series

A new series of articles will provide step-by-step instructions on how to setup and run KVM on Z. It will be updated continuously for new Linux distributions.
See here for the entry page.