Can't xen-create-image --install-method=copy or --install-method=tar)

[Hans]

Hi all

One of the great things about Xen is that the backup allows you to reconstitute a fully working XEN guest from the backup area, simply with a command like:

On XEN 3 on Debian Lenny it could be done with:
sudo xen-create-image --copy=/var/backup/mymachine.rdiff-backup.mirror --ip=192.168.1.10 --hostname=mymachine.tld

On XEN4 on Debian Squeeze, the --copy method seems to be ambiguous, so i tried:
xen-create-image --install-method=copy --install-source=/var/backup/mymachine.tld.rdiff-backup.mirror --ip=192.168.1.10 --hostname=mymachine.tld

This seems to work on Debian Squeeze with Xen4, because i see:

General Information
--------------------
Hostname : mymachine.tld
Distribution : squeeze
Mirror : http://ftp.nluug.nl/pub/os/Linux/distr/debian/
Partitions : swap 128Mb (swap)
/ 4Gb (ext3)
Image type : full
Memory size : 128Mb
Kernel path : /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.32-5-xen-amd64
Initrd path : /boot/initrd.img-2.6.32-5-xen-amd64

Networking Information
----------------------
IP Address 1 : 192.168.1.10 [MAC: 00:16:3E:1B:6D:15]
Netmask : 255.255.255.0
Broadcast : 192.168.1.255
Gateway : 192.168.1.1


Creating swap on /dev/lvg0/mymachine.tld-swap
Done

Creating ext3 filesystem on /dev/lvg0/mymachine.tld-disk
Done
Installation method: copy
(Source: /var/backup/mymachine.tld.rdiff-backup.mirror)
Done

Running hooks


It looks good so far, but the problem is that "Running hooks" takes forever (this happens with --install-method=copy or --install-method=tar).

After executing the command lvdisplay, i can see that the logical volumes are created.
Without a reboot, it is not possible to delete those logical volumes.

lvremove /dev/lvg0/test.korpershoek.info-swap
lvremove /dev/lvg0/test.korpershoek.info-disk

results in:

Can't remove open logical volume "mymachine.tld-swap"
Can't remove open logical volume "mymachine.tld-disk"


Can anyone tell me what might be wrong?
I also wonder if the syntax xen-create-image --install-method=copy --install-source=/var/backup/mymachine.tld.rdiff-backup.mirror --ip=192.168.1.10 --hostname=mymachine.tld is correct.

[Hans]

Within the xen-tools log file of the vm i read the following lines:

hook 50-setup-hostname: done.
Running hook 55-create-dev
hook 55-create-dev: done.
Running hook 60-copy-host-files
hook 60-copy-host-files: done.
Running hook 65-copy-user-files
hook 65-copy-user-files: done.
Running hook 70-install-ssh
Generating public/private rsa key pair.
/tmp/j0vB2bPgP1/etc/ssh/ssh_host_rsa_key already exists.

This is exactly as reported here: http://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=607236

the hook /usr/lib/xen-tools/debian.d/70-install-ssh needlessly generates ssh
keys which stalls xen-create-image.