Introduction

Xen can be very temperamental, especially the Citrix version with the incomplete XenCenter. That’s why, here are some tips to help you navigate through difficult situations.

Adding Boot Options in XenCenter “Startup Options”

To add this option, which is missing when creating a VM using a template.

You need to access the server console and check the UUID of the concerned VM:

  xe vm-list

Retrieve the UUID preceding the VM: uuid=xxxxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Then run the following command:

  xe vm-param-set HVM-boot-policy=BIOS\ order uuid=xxxxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxxx

To verify that the command worked correctly:

  xe vm-param-list uuid=xxxxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Check that the HVM-boot-policy value is indeed set to ‘BIOS order’

It’s quite possible that the VM will no longer boot normally with this option activated, or that you simply want to return to the original mode. To deactivate it, use the following line:

  xe vm-param-set HVM-boot-policy= uuid=xxxxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxxx
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Last updated 08 May 2009, 15:25 CEST. history