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    SubjectRe: Paravirtualization on VMware's Platform [VMI].

    * Alok Kataria <akataria@vmware.com> wrote:

    > Here is the patch which actually removes the vmi code.
    >
    > Signed-off-by: Alok N Kataria <akataria@vmware.com>
    > ---
    >
    > Documentation/kernel-parameters.txt | 2
    > arch/x86/Kconfig | 10
    > arch/x86/include/asm/vmi.h | 269 ----------
    > arch/x86/include/asm/vmi_time.h | 98 ----
    > arch/x86/kernel/Makefile | 1
    > arch/x86/kernel/setup.c | 7
    > arch/x86/kernel/smpboot.c | 9
    > arch/x86/kernel/vmi_32.c | 913 -----------------------------------
    > arch/x86/kernel/vmiclock_32.c | 321 ------------
    > 9 files changed, 1 insertions(+), 1629 deletions(-)
    > delete mode 100644 arch/x86/include/asm/vmi.h
    > delete mode 100644 arch/x86/include/asm/vmi_time.h
    > delete mode 100644 arch/x86/kernel/vmi_32.c
    > delete mode 100644 arch/x86/kernel/vmiclock_32.c

    The thing is, the overwhelming majority of vmware users dont benefit
    from hardware features like nested page tables yet. So this needs to be
    done _way_ more carefully, with a proper sunset period of a couple of
    kernel cycles.

    This is as if Intel had sent a patch to desupport say Core2
    optimizations, now that Nehalem is out.

    'Virtual hardware' is no different in this respect: until users benefit
    from something we want to keep it, even if the vendor would like to sell
    new hardware and would like the new hardware to have an edge over the
    installed base.

    If we were able to rip out all (or most) of paravirt from arch/x86 it
    would be tempting for other technical reasons - but the patch above is
    well localized.

    Ingo


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