[desktop-discuss] [brandz-discuss] X11 proxy in BrandZ

[Edward Pilatowicz]

On Fri, Oct 05, 2007 at 10:42:48AM -0700, Alan Coopersmith wrote:
> That case just helps the subset of X operations that use shared memory
> to transport the images (the XShm calls for shared memory pixmaps and
> the Xvideo extension that uses those for video playback) - all the commands
> and all other data still flows over the main X transport layer (socket/pipe).
>
> As far as I know, of the three transports supported in the Solaris X11
> server (TCP sockets, named pipes/FIFOs, and Unix domain sockets), only
> TCP sockets are visible to processes in other zones - but I know far
> less about zones than you guys, so if there's a simple way for the X
> server in the global zone to make the sockets or pipes from /tmp/.X11-*
> visible to non-global zones, I'm all ears.   (I know the Linux guys have
> also done some work on adding support for Unix domain sockets in Linux'es
> abstract/non-file-system namespace, but I don't know how a Solaris X server
> could make a socket appear there in a BrandZ zone.)
>

there isn't right now, but that's what we're talking about.  ;)

basically think of it as ssh -X forwarding for zlogin.
similarly to how ssh creates a /tmp/.X11-* socket for it's
remote connections, there's no reason that zlogin couldn't do
the same.  ie.  when you zlogin it creates a /tmp/.X11-* socket
within the non-global zone, set the DISPLAY variable and xauth
info to point to that socket, and then forwards the connection
to that socket to the X server running in the global zone.  (which
would of course be via the /tmp/.X11-* socket in the global zone.)

am i making any sense?  :)

ed



> 	-Alan Coopersmith-           alan.coopersmith at sun.com
> 	 Sun Microsystems, Inc. - X Window System Engineering
>
> Edward Pilatowicz wrote:
> > yeah.  i still think this is a good idea.  it's a pain to have to
> > configure networking for a zone if all you want to do is run an
> > X application.  unfortunatly all my free time is accounted for.
> >
> > also, from my understanding, with this arc case approved:
> > 	http://www.opensolaris.org/os/community/arc/caselog/2007/500/
> >
> > we'd be able to get fully native application performance from an
> > application that is running within a zone and remote displayed via
> > such a tunnel to the global zone.
> >
> > ed
> >
> > On Fri, Oct 05, 2007 at 11:08:46AM -0400, Nils Nieuwejaar wrote:
> >> We've talked about adding an X forwarding option to zlogin, which would be
> >> similar to 'ssh -X'.  (by 'talked' I mean 'talked about informally over
> >> lunch', not 'prepared an effort estimate and business case.').
> >>
> >> It does seem like a useful feature, but we haven't had the cycles to really
> >> dig into it.
> >>
> >> Nils
> >>
> >> On Fri 10/05/07 at 17:02 PM, me at tomservo.cc wrote:
> >>> Here's an idea that is worth to be considered and realized:
> >>>
> >>> Implementing the necessary code infrastructure to enable sort of an X
> >>> server proxy, that more or less allows applications inside the (branded)
> >>> zone to use the X server in the global zone directly (UNIX sockets,
> >>> mmaps or whatever else is actually used), without DISPLAY or forwarding
> >>> over ssh which sends data over via TCP across CrossBow (rather expensive).
> >>>
> >>> Reasons for this are performance related. If application developers are
> >>> going to jump (back) onto the *nix bandwagon, which the signs slowly
> >>> start looking like, they're going to be targeting Linux first, and only
> >>> maybe Solaris depending on its success with Indiana and/or based on how
> >>> much Sun pays them.
> >>>
> >>> If the amount of commercial Linux applications will be growing, it'll
> >>> becomes expensive for Sun to sponsor ports, too. It would cost less to
> >>> pay developers to implement the necessary infrastructure. In an
> >>> optimistic view, Solaris would get access to a whole lot of more of
> >>> applications, again helping the popularity of Solaris as a platform for
> >>> commercial packages (initially with BrandZ crutches). And if that
> >>> happens, developers might consider the idea of doing direct ports,
> >>> either because they can (I suppose at some point, Solaris will be up to
> >>> the point, where it is equivalent to Linux on library level, so that
> >>> things can just compile) or to use specific Solaris functionality.
> >>>
> >>> Applications in question are the types that need high bandwidth, e.g.
> >>> OpenGL applications (that includes games), video applications (sending
> >>> uncompressed video frames over ssh), image editors (Photoshop Linux?
> >>> Like ever :), to name a few examples.
> >>>
> >>> This would also allow sandboxing graphics heavy application into zones,
> >>> for whatever reason this might be necessary. Thing that would come into
> >>> my mind would be application mobility using zones.
> >>>
> >>> -mg
> >>>
> >>
> >>
> >>> _______________________________________________
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> >>> brandz-discuss at opensolaris.org
> >>>
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