introducing python-xen

introducing python-xen

[William Pitcock]

Hello,

I would like to introduce the Python Xen library, which uses libxs and
libxc directly to provide some manipulation functions for the domains
running on a hypervisor.

This code is being used in production right now on a semi-private
cloud, as part of the management backplane.

The code is available from PyPI at:
   http://pypi.python.org/pypi/Python-Xen

You may also view the code online via Bitbucket:
  http://bitbucket.org/tortoiselabs/python-xen

The code itself is under the ISC license, so it may be used for any
use, including commercial hypervisors.  We also accept patches for
desired functionality which may be missing.

William

Re: introducing python-xen

[Vasiliy Tolstov]

Great!

2012/12/13 William Pitcock <nenolod@dereferenced.org>:
> Hello,
>
> I would like to introduce the Python Xen library, which uses libxs and
> libxc directly to provide some manipulation functions for the domains
> running on a hypervisor.
>
> This code is being used in production right now on a semi-private
> cloud, as part of the management backplane.
>
> The code is available from PyPI at:
>    http://pypi.python.org/pypi/Python-Xen
>
> You may also view the code online via Bitbucket:
>   http://bitbucket.org/tortoiselabs/python-xen
>
> The code itself is under the ISC license, so it may be used for any
> use, including commercial hypervisors.  We also accept patches for
> desired functionality which may be missing.
>
> William
>
> _______________________________________________
> Xen-devel mailing list
> Xen-devel@lists.xen.org
> http://lists.xen.org/xen-devel



-- 
Vasiliy Tolstov,
Clodo.ru
e-mail: v.tolstov@selfip.ru
jabber: vase@selfip.ru

Re: introducing python-xen

[Ian Jackson]

William Pitcock writes ("[Xen-devel] introducing python-xen"):
> I would like to introduce the Python Xen library, which uses libxs and
> libxc directly to provide some manipulation functions for the domains
> running on a hypervisor.

Thanks, that's interesting.

However, we would recommend nowadays to build this kind of
functionality on top of libxl.  The existing python bindings for libxl
may need some work, but they're probably a good starting point.

Ian.

Re: introducing python-xen

[William Pitcock]

Hello,

On Mon, Dec 17, 2012 at 12:08 PM, Ian Jackson <Ian.Jackson@eu.citrix.com> wrote:
> William Pitcock writes ("[Xen-devel] introducing python-xen"):
>> I would like to introduce the Python Xen library, which uses libxs and
>> libxc directly to provide some manipulation functions for the domains
>> running on a hypervisor.
>
> Thanks, that's interesting.
>
> However, we would recommend nowadays to build this kind of
> functionality on top of libxl.  The existing python bindings for libxl
> may need some work, but they're probably a good starting point.
>
> Ian.

The plan is to eventually shift over to using the libxl bindings once
they become more mature.  We had a project goal to build a cloud using
the XL toolstack as a basis instead of the xend toolstack, but various
people have told me that the Python bindings aren't ready for
prime-time yet.

We did not feel that shadowing the Xen package in Alpine was worth it
just to get an incomplete set of bindings, and we had to come up with
a solution so we could proceed with the project on time.  I intend to
come back and look at the state of the libxl bindings later, once we
have satisfied our main requirements.  I agree that poking at the
hypervisor and xenstore directly from Python is suboptimal, and I
would prefer not to do it.

William

Re: introducing python-xen

[Ian Campbell]

On Tue, 2012-12-18 at 14:55 +0000, William Pitcock wrote:
> Hello,
> 
> On Mon, Dec 17, 2012 at 12:08 PM, Ian Jackson <Ian.Jackson@eu.citrix.com> wrote:
> > William Pitcock writes ("[Xen-devel] introducing python-xen"):
> >> I would like to introduce the Python Xen library, which uses libxs and
> >> libxc directly to provide some manipulation functions for the domains
> >> running on a hypervisor.
> >
> > Thanks, that's interesting.
> >
> > However, we would recommend nowadays to build this kind of
> > functionality on top of libxl.  The existing python bindings for libxl
> > may need some work, but they're probably a good starting point.
> >
> > Ian.
> 
> The plan is to eventually shift over to using the libxl bindings once
> they become more mature.

libxl itself is in a good state. But AFAIK no one is working on the
Python bindings. Personally I don't think that what is there is a good
basis for future work, it'd be better to tear them up and start again.

I'm happy to give pointers etc about the libxl and IDL side of things,
you probably know way more about the Python side than I do though... (I
can cargo cult bindings together and that's about it ;-))

Ian.

Re: introducing python-xen

[Joseph Glanville]

On 19 December 2012 02:30, Ian Campbell <Ian.Campbell@citrix.com> wrote:
> On Tue, 2012-12-18 at 14:55 +0000, William Pitcock wrote:
>> Hello,
>>
>> On Mon, Dec 17, 2012 at 12:08 PM, Ian Jackson <Ian.Jackson@eu.citrix.com> wrote:
>> > William Pitcock writes ("[Xen-devel] introducing python-xen"):
>> >> I would like to introduce the Python Xen library, which uses libxs and
>> >> libxc directly to provide some manipulation functions for the domains
>> >> running on a hypervisor.
>> >
>> > Thanks, that's interesting.
>> >
>> > However, we would recommend nowadays to build this kind of
>> > functionality on top of libxl.  The existing python bindings for libxl
>> > may need some work, but they're probably a good starting point.
>> >
>> > Ian.
>>
>> The plan is to eventually shift over to using the libxl bindings once
>> they become more mature.
>
> libxl itself is in a good state. But AFAIK no one is working on the
> Python bindings. Personally I don't think that what is there is a good
> basis for future work, it'd be better to tear them up and start again.
>
> I'm happy to give pointers etc about the libxl and IDL side of things,
> you probably know way more about the Python side than I do though... (I
> can cargo cult bindings together and that's about it ;-))
>
> Ian.
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Xen-devel mailing list
> Xen-devel@lists.xen.org
> http://lists.xen.org/xen-devel

Hi,

I would be interested in assisting with the Python libxl bindings.
I made some preliminary work at interfacing with libxl via Cython with
moderate success prior to the overhaul WRT async ops.
Now that the API has been stabilized and async APIs are available I
would like to take another go at it and integrate it with
gevent/libev.
If any others are interested in collaborating on this that would be awesome.

Joseph.


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Re: introducing python-xen

[Ian Jackson]

Joseph Glanville writes ("Re: [Xen-devel] introducing python-xen"):
> I would be interested in assisting with the Python libxl bindings.
> I made some preliminary work at interfacing with libxl via Cython with
> moderate success prior to the overhaul WRT async ops.
> Now that the API has been stabilized and async APIs are available I
> would like to take another go at it and integrate it with
> gevent/libev.
> If any others are interested in collaborating on this that would be awesome.

Providing the glue between the libxl event system and gevent and/or
libev would be useful in itself.

But do people using Python always use one of those ?  Do we need to
allow the Python programmer to choose their event loop ?

Ian.