Rusty Russell | f938d2c | 2007-07-26 10:41:02 -0700 | [diff] [blame] | 1 | Welcome, friend reader, to lguest. |
| 2 | |
| 3 | Lguest is an adventure, with you, the reader, as Hero. I can't think of many |
| 4 | 5000-line projects which offer both such capability and glimpses of future |
| 5 | potential; it is an exciting time to be delving into the source! |
| 6 | |
| 7 | But be warned; this is an arduous journey of several hours or more! And as we |
| 8 | know, all true Heroes are driven by a Noble Goal. Thus I offer a Beer (or |
| 9 | equivalent) to anyone I meet who has completed this documentation. |
| 10 | |
| 11 | So get comfortable and keep your wits about you (both quick and humorous). |
| 12 | Along your way to the Noble Goal, you will also gain masterly insight into |
| 13 | lguest, and hypervisors and x86 virtualization in general. |
| 14 | |
| 15 | Our Quest is in seven parts: (best read with C highlighting turned on) |
| 16 | |
| 17 | I) Preparation |
| 18 | - In which our potential hero is flown quickly over the landscape for a |
| 19 | taste of its scope. Suitable for the armchair coders and other such |
| 20 | persons of faint constitution. |
| 21 | |
| 22 | II) Guest |
| 23 | - Where we encounter the first tantalising wisps of code, and come to |
| 24 | understand the details of the life of a Guest kernel. |
| 25 | |
| 26 | III) Drivers |
| 27 | - Whereby the Guest finds its voice and become useful, and our |
| 28 | understanding of the Guest is completed. |
| 29 | |
| 30 | IV) Launcher |
| 31 | - Where we trace back to the creation of the Guest, and thus begin our |
| 32 | understanding of the Host. |
| 33 | |
| 34 | V) Host |
| 35 | - Where we master the Host code, through a long and tortuous journey. |
| 36 | Indeed, it is here that our hero is tested in the Bit of Despair. |
| 37 | |
| 38 | VI) Switcher |
| 39 | - Where our understanding of the intertwined nature of Guests and Hosts |
| 40 | is completed. |
| 41 | |
| 42 | VII) Mastery |
| 43 | - Where our fully fledged hero grapples with the Great Question: |
| 44 | "What next?" |
| 45 | |
| 46 | make Preparation! |
| 47 | Rusty Russell. |