Can't use Norton Ghost under Ubuntu KVM

[Tong Sun]

Binary package hint: qemu-kvm

Hi,

I can't use Norton Ghost under Ubuntu KVM, whereas the same version of kvm under Debian launches Norton Ghost just fine.

Info of kvm under Debian:

$ dpkg -l | grep kvm
ii qemu-kvm 0.12.5+dfsg-3 Full virtualization on x86 hardware

$ cat /etc/issue
Debian GNU/Linux squeeze/sid \n \l

$ uname -rm
2.6.33-grml64 x86_64

Info of kvm under Ubuntu:

$ apt-cache policy qemu-kvm
qemu-kvm:
  Installed: 0.12.5+noroms-0ubuntu7.1
  Candidate: 0.12.5+noroms-0ubuntu7.1
  Version table:
 *** 0.12.5+noroms-0ubuntu7.1 0
        500 http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ maverick-updates/main amd64 Packages
        100 /var/lib/dpkg/status
     0.12.5+noroms-0ubuntu7 0
        500 http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ maverick/main amd64 Packages

(I've just upgraded it to the latest version and tried again, same problem)

The symptom is while kvm was lauching NG, it failed, and rebooted all over again. I've tried many times and I've also tried both Norton Ghost 2003 and Norton Ghost 8.3. Same symptom.

Actual command used is,

 kvm -m 1024 -smp 2 -usbdevice tablet -hda hda -cdrom /path/to/NortonGhost-Version.iso -boot d

The same command, using the same hda & cdrom, works just fine under Debian.

Please investigate

Thanks

PS. if you don't have a Norton Ghost iso file, you can try Hiren.BootCD.8.6.iso. Works the same.

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 10.10
Package: qemu-kvm 0.12.5+noroms-0ubuntu7
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 2.6.35-22.33-generic 2.6.35.4
Uname: Linux 2.6.35-22-generic x86_64
Architecture: amd64
Date: Sun Jan 23 16:43:30 2011
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 10.10 "Maverick Meerkat" - Release amd64 (20101007)
KvmCmdLine:
 UID PID PPID C SZ RSS PSR STIME TTY TIME CMD
 tong 3425 3349 98 308004 19044 1 16:43 pts/4 00:00:09 kvm -m 1024 -smp
Lsusb:
 Bus 002 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hub
 Bus 001 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub
MachineType: BIOSTAR Group N61PC-M2S
ProcCmdLine: root=/dev/sdb6 ro text
ProcEnviron:
 PATH=(custom, user)
 LANG=C
 SHELL=/bin/bash
SourcePackage: qemu-kvm
dmi.bios.date: 11/25/2008
dmi.bios.vendor: Phoenix Technologies, LTD
dmi.bios.version: 6.00 PG
dmi.board.name: N61PC-M2S
dmi.board.vendor: BIOSTAR Group
dmi.chassis.type: 3
dmi.chassis.vendor: BIOSTAR Group
dmi.chassis.version: N61PC-M2S
dmi.modalias: dmi:bvnPhoenixTechnologies,LTD:bvr6.00PG:bd11/25/2008:svnBIOSTARGroup:pnN61PC-M2S:pvr:rvnBIOSTARGroup:rnN61PC-M2S:rvr:cvnBIOSTARGroup:ct3:cvrN61PC-M2S:
dmi.product.name: N61PC-M2S
dmi.sys.vendor: BIOSTAR Group

[Serge Hallyn (serge-hallyn)]

Thanks for reporting this bug and helping to make Ubuntu better.

What is Hiren's boot cd?

Can you try booting both 32-bit and 64-boot Ubuntu maverick or Fedora installs? Complete the installation and make sure you can reboot - the fact that the cd successfully boots is not sufficient.

[Tong Sun (suntong001)]

On Mon, Jan 24, 2011 at 11:22 AM, Serge Hallyn <email address hidden>wrote:

> What is Hiren's boot cd?
>

 http://www.google.com/search?q=Hiren.BootCD.8.6

See the first 2 hits, one for the info, and other for the dl.

Can you try booting both 32-bit and 64-boot Ubuntu maverick or Fedora
> installs? Complete the installation and make sure you can reboot - the
> fact that the cd successfully boots is not sufficient.
>

Sorry you lost me. I was talking about booting Norton Ghost CD from kvm from
within Ubuntu maverick.

PS, my Ubuntu maverick was installed from Ubuntu maverick CD and is
rebootable.

thanks

[Serge Hallyn (serge-hallyn)]

> > What is Hiren's boot cd?
>
> http://www.google.com/search?q=Hiren.BootCD.8.6
>
> See the first 2 hits, one for the info, and other for the dl.

Yes, I was hoping to avoid downloading an iso I'd never heard of.

My question about 32-bit and 64-bit maverick was in a guest, not on the host. It will be helpful if you can reproduce this bug with a more common iso.

[Serge Hallyn (serge-hallyn)]

Can you try to reproduce with the latest daily-upstream package? Upgrade by doing:

   sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ubuntu-server-edgers/server-edgers-qemu-kvm
   sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get -y dist-upgrade

[Tong Sun (suntong001)]

Thanks a lot for your replies and help, Serge.

On Mon, Jan 24, 2011 at 12:22 PM, Serge Hallyn <email address hidden>wrote:

> Can you try to reproduce with the latest daily-upstream package?
>

Done:

$ apt-cache policy qemu-common qemu-kvm
qemu-kvm:
  Installed: 1.0+201101212012
  Candidate: 1.0+201101212012
  Version table:
 *** 1.0+201101212012 0
        500
http://ppa.launchpad.net/ubuntu-server-edgers/server-edgers-qemu-kvm/ubuntu/maverick/main
amd64 Packages
        100 /var/lib/dpkg/status
     0.12.5+noroms-0ubuntu7.1 0
        500 http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ maverick-updates/main amd64
Packages
     0.12.5+noroms-0ubuntu7 0
        500 http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ maverick/main amd64
Packages
qemu-common:
  Installed: 1.0+201101212012
  Candidate: 1.0+201101212012
  Version table:
 *** 1.0+201101212012 0
        500
http://ppa.launchpad.net/ubuntu-server-edgers/server-edgers-qemu-kvm/ubuntu/maverick/main
amd64 Packages
        100 /var/lib/dpkg/status
     0.12.5+noroms-0ubuntu7.1 0
        500 http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ maverick-updates/main amd64
Packages
     0.12.5+noroms-0ubuntu7 0
        500 http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ maverick/main amd64
Packages

but the proble remains. Same symptom.

Yes, I was hoping to avoid downloading an iso I'd never heard of.
>

Yep, me neither. But it's OK for this case, 'cause we are only using it in a
guest on the virtual machine.

> It will be helpful if you can reproduce this bug with a more common iso.
>

Problem is, the bug is especially regards Norton Ghost, the most well-known,
and widely-used disk cloning tools for windows. Check out:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norton_Ghost

My question about 32-bit and 64-bit maverick was in a guest, not on the
> host.

Ok, now I know what you meant.

Actually, we are not even there yet.

Please do the following.

- create a brand new kvm disk image,

kvm-img create -f qcow hda 6G

- without doing anything else, try to boot Norton Ghost from within kvm:

kvm -hda hda -cdrom /path/to/Hiren.BootCD.8.6.iso -boot d

and see if you can boot into Norton Ghost yourself.

Thanks

[Serge Hallyn (serge-hallyn)]

Quoting Tong Sun (<email address hidden>):
> Packages
> qemu-common:
> Installed: 1.0+201101212012
> Candidate: 1.0+201101212012
...
> but the proble remains. Same symptom.

Excellent, so the problem is still in upstream, or is in our
configuration.

Actually it's probably our bios.

> Yes, I was hoping to avoid downloading an iso I'd never heard of.
> >
>
> Yep, me neither. But it's OK for this case, 'cause we are only using it in a
> guest on the virtual machine.

An exploit from a guest kernel through an emulated device through the kvm
process into the kvm kernel module isn't inconcievable :)

But I'll go ahead and download that and give it a try tonight. I
suspect we'll need either an update to the bioses, or to use the
multiboot bios.

> Please do the following.
>
> - create a brand new kvm disk image,
>
> kvm-img create -f qcow hda 6G
>
> - without doing anything else, try to boot Norton Ghost from within kvm:
>
> kvm -hda hda -cdrom /path/to/Hiren.BootCD.8.6.iso -boot d
>
> and see if you can boot into Norton Ghost yourself.

Will try tonight.

[Tong Sun (suntong001)]

On Mon, Jan 24, 2011 at 2:27 PM, Serge Hallyn <email address hidden>wrote:

> Will try tonight.
>

thanks a lot!