Qemu/KVM/nx

[Robert Dinse]

I am actually using CentOS 6.3 which is Redhat derived. I apologize
in advance if this is not the most appropriate group but I couldn't find
any group dedicated to CentOS and my understanding is that CentOS is
supposed to be binary compatible with Redhat (and indeed I am using a lot
of stuff from the Rawhide repository just fine).

My question is for those who have messed with Qemu, the only Qemu
that comes with the distribution seems to be the KVM module, thus it is
impossible to emulate anything other than the host architecture except for
say 32 bit Intel on a 64 bit Intel platform.

I would like to emulate ancient Sparc-32 stuff for nostalgic
reasons. I started Eskimo North originally as a BBS in 1982, then Unix
Timeshare in 1985, then Internet in 1992. When we first went on the net
it was with Sparc hardware. I still have one old shell server running on
an SS-10. I'd like to retire it but I want to keep the OS and apps alive
for nostalgic reasons, lots of old BSD text games and the like.

I've compiled Qemu from source and gotten it partially working but
have not succeeded in booting SunOS. I have been able to get Redhat
4.2 Linux to boot but SunOS will not. I know Sun used some bizzare format
with multiple sector sizes on one CD, that might be an issue.

[Wesley Hearn]

On 7/23/2012 12:12 AM, Robert Dinse wrote:
>
> I am actually using CentOS 6.3 which is Redhat derived. I apologize
> in advance if this is not the most appropriate group but I couldn't find
> any group dedicated to CentOS and my understanding is that CentOS is
> supposed to be binary compatible with Redhat (and indeed I am using a lot
> of stuff from the Rawhide repository just fine).

Can you elaborate on the "Rawhide repository"? The only Rawhide
repository for RHEL I know of is internal to Red Hat. Are you referring
to the Fedora Rawhide? If so this is a *BAD* idea as RHEL/CentOS 6 is
based on Fedora 13 and Fedora 14. The current Rawhide is the ground work
for Fedora 18(soon to be Fedora 19).

>
> My question is for those who have messed with Qemu, the only Qemu
> that comes with the distribution seems to be the KVM module, thus it is
> impossible to emulate anything other than the host architecture except for
> say 32 bit Intel on a 64 bit Intel platform.
>
> I would like to emulate ancient Sparc-32 stuff for nostalgic
> reasons. I started Eskimo North originally as a BBS in 1982, then Unix
> Timeshare in 1985, then Internet in 1992. When we first went on the net
> it was with Sparc hardware. I still have one old shell server running on
> an SS-10. I'd like to retire it but I want to keep the OS and apps alive
> for nostalgic reasons, lots of old BSD text games and the like.
>
> I've compiled Qemu from source and gotten it partially working but
> have not succeeded in booting SunOS. I have been able to get Redhat
> 4.2 Linux to boot but SunOS will not. I know Sun used some bizzare format
> with multiple sector sizes on one CD, that might be an issue.
>

For using qemu for something other then x86/x64 try "yum search
qemu-system-\*". If this doesn't return the results you are looking for
you might be able to build qemu-system-sparc yourself.