doc/acrn_configuration_tool: refactor the logic flow and contents

This patch reorganizes the sections in acrn_configuration_tool.rst for more
natural logic flow and removes step 3 (Auto-Code Generation) of the
configuration workflow which is no longer needed from user point of view.

v2:
 - Refactor the sections to introduce the configuration concepts, workflow and
   details in order.
 - Align names of the components for ACRN configuration.
 - Always use "scenario/launch configuration" rather than "scenario/launch
   setting".

Tracked-On: #5644
Signed-off-by: Junjie Mao <junjie.mao@intel.com>
Co-authored-by: Geoffroy Van Cutsem <geoffroy.vancutsem@intel.com>
This commit is contained in:
Junjie Mao 2021-02-23 14:48:18 +08:00 committed by fitchbe
parent 9b4bf5e2a8
commit c0da58c7ec
2 changed files with 206 additions and 185 deletions

View File

@ -1,114 +1,205 @@
.. _acrn_configuration_tool:
ACRN Configuration Tool
#######################
Introduction to ACRN Configuration
##################################
The ACRN configuration tool is designed for System Integrators / Tier 1s to
customize ACRN to meet their own needs. It consists of two tools, the
``Kconfig`` tool and the ``acrn-config`` tool. The latter allows users to
provision VMs via a web interface and configure the hypervisor from XML
files at build time.
ACRN configuration is designed for System Integrators / Tier 1s to customize
ACRN to meet their own needs. It allows users to adapt ACRN to target boards as
well as configure hypervisor capabilities and provision VMs.
Introduction
************
ACRN configuration consists of the following key components.
ACRN includes three types of configurations: Hypervisor, Board, and VM. Each
is discussed in the following sections.
- Configuration data which are saved as XML files.
- A configuration toolset that helps users to generate and edit configuration
data. The toolset includes:
Hypervisor Configuration
========================
- A **board inspector** which collects board-specific information on target
machines.
- A **configuration editor** which edits configuration data via web-based UI.
The hypervisor configuration defines a working scenario and target
board by configuring the hypervisor image features and capabilities such as
setting up the log and the serial port.
The following sections introduce the concepts and tools of ACRN configuration
from the aspects below.
The hypervisor configuration uses the ``Kconfig`` mechanism. The configuration
file is located at ``acrn-hypervisor/hypervisor/arch/x86/Kconfig``.
- :ref:`acrn_config_types` introduces the objectives and main contents of
different types of configuration data.
- :ref:`acrn_config_workflow` overviews the steps to customize ACRN
configuration using the configuration toolset.
- :ref:`acrn_config_data` explains the location and format of configuration
data which are saved as XML files.
- :ref:`acrn_config_tool_ui` gives detailed instructions on using the
configuration editor.
A board-specific ``defconfig`` file, for example
``misc/vm_configs/scenarios/$(SCENARIO)/$(BOARD)/$(BOARD).config``
is loaded first; it is the default ``Kconfig`` for the specified board.
.. _acrn_config_types:
Types of Configurations
***********************
ACRN includes three types of configurations: board, scenario and launch. The
following sections briefly describe the objectives and main contents of each
type.
Board Configuration
===================
The board configuration stores board-specific settings referenced by the
ACRN hypervisor. This includes **scenario-relevant** information such as
board settings, root device selection, and the kernel cmdline. It also includes
**scenario-irrelevant** hardware-specific information such as ACPI/PCI
and BDF information. The reference board configuration is organized as
``*.c/*.h`` files located in the
``misc/vm_configs/boards/$(BOARD)/`` folder.
The board configuration stores hardware-specific information extracted on the
target platform. It describes the capacity of hardware resources (such as
processors and memory), platform power states, available devices and BIOS
versions. This information is used by ACRN configuration tool to check feature
availability and allocate resources among VMs, as well as by ACRN hypervisor to
initialize and manage the platform at runtime.
VM Configuration
=================
The board configuration is scenario-neutral by nature. Thus, multiple scenario
configurations can be based on the same board configuration.
VM configuration includes **scenario-based** VM configuration
information that is used to describe the characteristics and attributes for
VMs on each user scenario. It also includes **launch script-based** VM
configuration information, where parameters are passed to the device model
to launch post-launched User VMs.
Scenario Configuration
======================
Scenario based VM configurations are organized as ``*.c/*.h`` files. The
reference scenarios are located in the
``misc/vm_configs/scenarios/$(SCENARIO)/`` folder.
The board-specific configurations on this scenario are stored in the
``misc/vm_configs/scenarios/$(SCENARIO)/$(BOARD)/`` folder.
The scenario configuration defines a working scenario by configuring hypervisor
capabilities and defining VM attributes and resources. You can specify the
following in scenario configuration.
User VM launch script samples are located in the
``misc/vm_configs/sample_launch_scripts/`` folder.
- Hypervisor capabilities
ACRN Configuration XMLs
- Availability and settings of hypervisor features, such as debugging
facilities, scheduling algorithm, ivshmem and security features.
- Hardware management capacity of the hypervisor, such as maximum PCI devices
and maximum interrupt lines supported.
- Memory consumption of the hypervisor, such as the entry point and stack
size.
- VM attributes and resources
- VM attributes, such as VM names.
- Maximum number of VMs supported.
- Resources allocated to each VM, such as number of vCPUs, amount of guest
memory and pass-through devices.
- Guest OS settings, such as boot protocol and guest kernel parameters.
- Settings of virtual devices, such as virtual UARTs.
For pre-launched VMs, the VM attributes and resources are exactly the amount of
resource allocated to them. For post-launched VMs, the number of vCPUs define
the upper limit the Service VM can allocate to them and settings of virtual
devices still apply. Other resources are under the control of the Service VM and
can be dynamically allocated to post-launched VMs.
The scenario configuration is used by ACRN configuration tool to reserve
sufficient memory for the hypervisor to manage the VMs at build time, as well as
by ACRN hypervisor to initialize its capabilities and set up the VMs at runtime.
Launch Configuration
====================
The launch configuration defines the attributes and resources of a
post-launched VM. The main contents are similar to the VM attributes and
resources in scenario configuration. It is used to generate shell scripts that
invoke ``acrn-dm`` to create post-launched VMs. Unlike board and scenario
configurations which are used at build time or by ACRN hypervisor, launch
configuration are used dynamically in the Service VM.
.. _acrn_config_workflow:
Using ACRN Configuration Toolset
********************************
ACRN configuration toolset is provided to create and edit configuration
data. The toolset can be found in ``misc/config_tools``.
Here is the workflow to customize ACRN configurations using the configuration
toolset.
#. Get the board info.
a. Set up a native Linux environment on the target board. Make sure the
following tools are installed and the kernel boots with the following
command line options.
| **Native Linux requirement:**
| **Release:** Ubuntu 18.04+
| **Tools:** cpuid, rdmsr, lspci, dmidecode (optional)
| **Kernel cmdline:** "idle=nomwait intel_idle.max_cstate=0 intel_pstate=disable"
#. Copy the ``target`` directory into the target file system and then run the
``sudo python3 board_parser.py $(BOARD)`` command.
#. A ``$(BOARD).xml`` that includes all needed hardware-specific information
is generated in the ``./out/`` directory. Here, ``$(BOARD)`` is the
specified board name.
#. Customize your needs.
a. Copy ``$(BOARD).xml`` to the host development machine.
#. Run the ACRN configuration editor (available at
``misc/config_tools/config_app/app.py``) on the host machine and import
the ``$(BOARD).xml``. Select your working scenario under **Scenario Setting**
and input the desired scenario settings. The tool will do a sanity check
on the input based on the ``$(BOARD).xml``. The customized settings can be
exported to your own ``$(SCENARIO).xml``. If you have a customized scenario
XML file, you can also import it to the editor for modification.
#. In ACRN configuration editor, input the launch script parameters for the
post-launched User VM under **Launch Setting**. The editor will sanity check
the input based on both the ``$(BOARD).xml`` and ``$(SCENARIO).xml`` and then
export settings to your ``$(LAUNCH).xml``.
.. note:: Refer to :ref:`acrn_config_tool_ui` for more details on
the configuration editor.
#. Build with your XML files. Refer to :ref:`getting-started-building` to build
the ACRN hypervisor with your XML files on the host machine.
#. Deploy VMs and run ACRN hypervisor on the target board.
.. figure:: images/offline_tools_workflow.png
:align: center
Configuration Workflow
.. _acrn_config_data:
ACRN Configuration Data
***********************
The ACRN configuration includes three kinds of XML files for acrn-config
usage: ``board``, ``scenario``, and ``launch`` XML. All
scenario-irrelevant hardware-specific information for the board
configuration is stored in the ``board`` XML. The XML is generated by
``misc/acrn-config/target/board_parser.py``, which runs on the target
board. The scenario-relevant board and scenario-based VM configurations
are stored in the ``scenario`` XML. The launch script-based VM
configuration is stored in the ``launch`` XML. These two XMLs can be
customized by using the web interface tool at
``misc/acrn-config/config_app/app.py``. End users can load their own
configurations by importing customized XMLs or by saving the
configurations by exporting XMLs.
ACRN configuration data are saved in three XML files: ``board``, ``scenario``,
and ``launch`` XML. The ``board`` XML contains board configuration and is
generated by the board inspector on the target machine. The ``scenario`` and
``launch`` XMLs, containing scenario and launch configurations respectively, can
be customized by using the configuration editor. End users can load their own
configurations by importing customized XMLs or by saving the configurations by
exporting XMLs.
The predefined XMLs provided by ACRN are located in the ``misc/config_tools/data/``
directory of the ``acrn-hypervisor`` repo.
Board XML Format
================
The board XMLs are located in the
``misc/vm_configs/xmls/board-xmls/`` folder.
The board XML has an ``acrn-config`` root element and a ``board`` attribute:
.. code-block:: xml
<acrn-config board="BOARD">
As an input for the ``acrn-config`` tool, end users do not need to care
about the format of board XML and should not modify it.
As an input to the configuration editor and the build system, board XMLs are not
intended for end users to modify.
Scenario XML Format
===================
The scenario XMLs are located in the
``misc/vm_configs/xmls/config-xmls/`` folder. The
scenario XML has an ``acrn-config`` root element as well as ``board``
and ``scenario`` attributes:
The scenario XML has an ``acrn-config`` root element as well as ``board`` and
``scenario`` attributes:
.. code-block:: xml
<acrn-config board="BOARD" scenario="SCENARIO">
See :ref:`scenario-config-options` for a full explanation of available scenario XML elements.
See :ref:`scenario-config-options` for a full explanation of available scenario
XML elements. Users are recommended to tweak the configuration data by using
ACRN configuration editor.
Launch XML Format
=================
The launch XMLs are located in the
``misc/vm_configs/xmls/config-xmls/`` folder.
The launch XML has an ``acrn-config`` root element as well as
``board``, ``scenario`` and ``uos_launcher`` attributes:
The launch XML has an ``acrn-config`` root element as well as ``board``,
``scenario`` and ``uos_launcher`` attributes:
.. code-block:: xml
@ -188,78 +279,20 @@ current scenario has:
interface. When ``configurable="0"``, the item does not appear on the
interface.
Configuration Tool Workflow
***************************
.. _vm_config_workflow:
Board and VM Configuration Workflow
===================================
Python offline tools are provided to configure Board and VM configurations.
The tool source folder is ``misc/acrn-config/``.
Here is the offline configuration tool workflow:
#. Get the board info.
a. Set up a native Linux environment on the target board.
#. Copy the ``target`` folder into the target file system and then run the
``sudo python3 board_parser.py $(BOARD)`` command.
#. A $(BOARD).xml that includes all needed hardware-specific information
is generated in the ``./out/`` folder. Here, ``$(BOARD)`` is the
specified board name.
| **Native Linux requirement:**
| **Release:** Ubuntu 18.04+
| **Tools:** cpuid, rdmsr, lspci, dmidecode (optional)
| **Kernel cmdline:** "idle=nomwait intel_idle.max_cstate=0 intel_pstate=disable"
#. Customize your needs.
a. Copy ``$(BOARD).xml`` to the host development machine.
#. Run the ``misc/acrn-config/config_app/app.py`` tool on the host
machine and import the $(BOARD).xml. Select your working scenario under
**Scenario Setting** and input the desired scenario settings. The tool
will do a sanity check on the input based on the $(BOARD).xml. The
customized settings can be exported to your own $(SCENARIO).xml.
#. In the configuration tool UI, input the launch script parameters
for the post-launched User VM under **Launch Setting**. The tool will
sanity check the input based on both the $(BOARD).xml and
$(SCENARIO).xml and then export settings to your $(LAUNCH).xml.
#. The user defined XMLs can be imported by acrn-config for modification.
.. note:: Refer to :ref:`acrn_config_tool_ui` for more details on
the configuration tool UI.
#. Build with your XML files. Refer to :ref:`getting-started-building` to build
the ACRN hypervisor with your XML files on the host machine.
#. Deploy VMs and run ACRN hypervisor on the target board.
.. figure:: images/offline_tools_workflow.png
:align: center
Offline tool workflow
.. _acrn_config_tool_ui:
Use the ACRN Configuration App
******************************
Use the ACRN Configuration Editor
*********************************
The ACRN configuration app is a web user interface application that performs the following:
The ACRN configuration editor provides a web-based user interface for the following:
- reads board info
- configures and validates scenario settings
- automatically generates source code for board-related configurations and
scenario-based VM configurations
- configures and validates launch settings
- configures and validates scenario and launch configurationss
- generates launch scripts for the specified post-launched User VMs.
- dynamically creates a new scenario setting and adds or deletes VM settings
in scenario settings
- dynamically creates a new launch setting and adds or deletes User VM
settings in launch settings
- dynamically creates a new scenario configuration and adds or deletes VM
settings in it
- dynamically creates a new launch configuration and adds or deletes User VM
settings in it
Prerequisites
=============
@ -271,9 +304,9 @@ Prerequisites
.. code-block:: none
$git clone https://github.com/projectacrn/acrn-hypervisor
$ git clone https://github.com/projectacrn/acrn-hypervisor
- Install ACRN configuration app dependencies:
- Install ACRN configuration editor dependencies:
.. code-block:: none
@ -284,7 +317,7 @@ Prerequisites
Instructions
============
#. Launch the ACRN configuration app:
#. Launch the ACRN configuration editor:
.. code-block:: none
@ -293,9 +326,9 @@ Instructions
#. Open a browser and navigate to the website
`<http://127.0.0.1:5001/>`_ automatically, or you may need to visit this
website manually. Make sure you can connect to open network from browser
because the app needs to download some JavaScript files.
because the editor needs to download some JavaScript files.
.. note:: The ACRN configuration app is supported on Chrome, Firefox,
.. note:: The ACRN configuration editor is supported on Chrome, Firefox,
and Microsoft Edge. Do not use Internet Explorer.
The website is shown below:
@ -311,38 +344,37 @@ Instructions
.. figure:: images/click_import_board_info_button.png
:align: center
#. Upload the board info you have generated from the ACRN config tool.
#. Upload the board XML you have generated from the ACRN board inspector.
#. After board info is uploaded, you will see the board name from the
#. After board XML is uploaded, you will see the board name from the
Board info list. Select the board name to be configured.
.. figure:: images/select_board_info.png
:align: center
#. Load or create the scenario setting by selecting among the following:
#. Load or create the scenario configuration by selecting among the following:
- Choose a scenario from the **Scenario Setting** menu that lists all
user-defined scenarios for the board you selected in the previous step.
- Click the **Create a new scenario** from the **Scenario Setting**
menu to dynamically create a new scenario setting for the current board.
- Click the **Create a new scenario** from the **Scenario Setting** menu to
dynamically create a new scenario configuration for the current board.
- Click the **Load a default scenario** from the **Scenario Setting**
menu, and then select one default scenario setting to load a default
scenario setting for the current board.
- Click the **Load a default scenario** from the **Scenario Setting** menu,
and then select one default scenario configuration to load a predefined
scenario XML for the current board.
The default scenario configuration XMLs are located at
``misc/vm_configs/xmls/config-xmls/[board]/``.
We can edit the scenario name when creating or loading a scenario. If the
current scenario name is duplicated with an existing scenario setting
name, rename the current scenario name or overwrite the existing one
after the confirmation message.
The default scenario XMLs are located at
``misc/config_tools/data/[board]/``. You can edit the scenario name when
creating or loading a scenario. If the current scenario name is duplicated
with an existing scenario setting name, rename the current scenario name or
overwrite the existing one after the confirmation message.
.. figure:: images/choose_scenario.png
:align: center
Note that you can also use a customized scenario XML by clicking **Import
XML**. The configuration app automatically directs to the new scenario
XML**. The configuration editor automatically directs to the new scenario
XML once the import is complete.
#. The configurable items display after one scenario is created, loaded,
@ -366,8 +398,9 @@ Instructions
- Click **Remove this VM** in one VM setting to remove the current VM for
the scenario setting.
When one VM is added or removed in the scenario setting, the
configuration app reassigns the VM IDs for the remaining VMs by the order of Pre-launched VMs, Service VMs, and Post-launched VMs.
When one VM is added or removed in the scenario, the configuration editor
reassigns the VM IDs for the remaining VMs by the order of Pre-launched VMs,
Service VMs, and Post-launched VMs.
.. figure:: images/configure_vm_add.png
:align: center
@ -377,11 +410,11 @@ Instructions
.. note::
All customized scenario XMLs will be in user-defined groups, which are
located in ``misc/vm_configs/xmls/config-xmls/[board]/user_defined/``.
located in ``misc/config_tools/data/[board]/user_defined/``.
Before saving the scenario XML, the configuration app validates the
configurable items. If errors exist, the configuration app lists all
incorrect configurable items and shows the errors as below:
Before saving the scenario XML, the configuration editor validates the
configurable items. If errors exist, the configuration editor lists all
incorrectly configured items and shows the errors as below:
.. figure:: images/err_acrn_configuration.png
:align: center
@ -389,50 +422,38 @@ Instructions
After the scenario is saved, the page automatically directs to the saved
scenario XMLs. Delete the configured scenario by clicking **Export XML** -> **Remove**.
#. Click **Generate configuration files** to save the current scenario
setting and then generate files for the board-related configuration
source code and the scenario-based VM configuration source code.
If **Source Path** in the pop-up model is edited, the source code is
generated into the edited Source Path relative to ``acrn-hypervisor``;
otherwise, source code is generated into default folders and
overwrites the old ones. The board-related configuration source
code is located at
``misc/vm_configs/boards/[board]/`` and the
scenario-based VM configuration source code is located at
``misc/vm_configs/scenarios/[scenario]/``.
The **Launch Setting** is quite similar to the **Scenario Setting**:
#. Upload board info or select one board as the current board.
#. Upload board XML or select one board as the current board.
#. Load or create one launch setting by selecting among the following:
#. Load or create one launch configuration by selecting among the following:
- Click **Create a new launch script** from the **Launch Setting** menu.
- Click **Load a default launch script** from the **Launch Setting** menu.
- Select one launch setting XML file from the menu.
- Select one launch XML from the menu.
- Import the local launch setting XML file by clicking **Import XML**.
- Import a local launch XML by clicking **Import XML**.
#. Select one scenario for the current launch setting from the **Select Scenario** drop-down box.
#. Select one scenario for the current launch configuration from the **Select
Scenario** drop-down box.
#. Configure the items for the current launch setting.
#. Configure the items for the current launch configuration.
#. To dynamically add or remove User VM (UOS) launch scripts:
- Add a UOS launch script by clicking **Configure an UOS below** for the
current launch setting.
current launch configuration.
- Remove a UOS launch script by clicking **Remove this VM** for the
current launch setting.
current launch configuration.
#. Save the current launch setting to the user-defined XML files by
clicking **Export XML**. The configuration app validates the current
configuration and lists all incorrect configurable items and shows errors.
#. Save the current launch configuration to the user-defined XML files by
clicking **Export XML**. The configuration editor validates the current
configuration and lists all incorrectly configured items.
#. Click **Generate Launch Script** to save the current launch setting and
#. Click **Generate Launch Script** to save the current launch configuration and
then generate the launch script.
.. figure:: images/generate_launch_script.png

Binary file not shown.

Before

Width:  |  Height:  |  Size: 54 KiB

After

Width:  |  Height:  |  Size: 78 KiB