Re: [Qemu-devel] [PATCH v2] ide: Adds "model=s" option, allowing the user to override the default disk model name "QEMU HARDDISK"

[Markus Armbruster]

Floris Bos <address@hidden> writes:

> Some Linux distributions use the 
> /dev/disk/by-id/scsi-SATA_name-of-disk-model_serial addressing scheme
> when refering to partitions in /etc/fstab and elsewhere.
> This causes problems when starting a disk image taken from an existing 
> physical server under qemu,
> because when running under qemu name-of-disk-model is always "QEMU HARDDISK"
> This patch introduces a model=s option which in combination with the existing 
> serial=s option can be used to
> fake the disk the operating system was previously on, allowing the OS to boot 
> properly.
>
> Cc: address@hidden
> Signed-off-by: Floris Bos <address@hidden>

At first glance:

1. IDE only, scsi-disk is missing.

2. "model" needs to be a device property, just like "serial".

3. I'd rather not add "model" to -drive.  This should simplify your
   patch quite a bit.

   -drive mixes up frontend (a.k.a. device model) and backend
   configuration.  It provides only common device model configuration
   knobs.  For full device model control, use -device.

   "model" isn't common.  It applies only to some device models, and is
   silently ignored for all others.

   "serial" is in -drive only for backward compatibility.

   Should you insist on adding "model" to -drive, too, please split the
   patch: first part adds the property, second part adds the -drive
   parameter.