Re: [9fans] 9vx as a cpu server?

[Russ Cox <rsc@swtch.com>]

On Sun, Feb 1, 2009 at 10:19 AM, Mathieu <lejatorn@gmail.com> wrote:
> Hello,
>
> Simple question: how hard would it be to modify 9vx so it can be used
> as a cpu server?
>
> As I naively see it, the two main problems are:
> 1) to have 9vx running a cpu server kernel instead of a stand alone
> terminal one (I don't even know if that's the case actually).
> 2) to have the host forwarding whatever packets should go to 9vx.
>
> I had two goals in mind; obviously being able to have a cpu server
> without having to dedicate another machine for that at home, but also
> I will need to run some tests over the net for an app I will try to
> write and that will require to have several plan 9 hosts being able to
> talk to each other.
> I realize vmware could cut it, but I find 9vx much easier to use, so I
> was wondering if that would be at all possible...

you don't need a cpu server kernel to be a cpu server.
the main difference between the two kernels is which
startup script (termrc or cpurc) gets run.  if you start
the listeners, you can be a cpu server.

as for listening, 9vx by default uses the host ip stack,
and plan 9 services tend to use their own port numbers,
so as long as you don't want, say, to split ssh to your
host away from ssh to your 9vx instance, you should
be able to just use the stock 9vx and run "aux/listen tcp".

of course, 9vx is running as an ordinary linux user,
which means that the concept of user when accessing
the local file system will not be meaningful -- everyone
will have the access of the user who started 9vx.

russ