After booting into the xen kernel, xm cannot run because xend is not running
(the sysfs hypervisor is not populated)

# dpkg -l | grep xen
ii  libc6-xen                                                2.10.2-6
GNU C Library: Shared libraries [Xen version]
ii  libxenstore3.0                                           3.4.3~rc3-2
Xenstore communications library for Xen
ii  linux-headers-2.6.32-5-common-xen                        2.6.32-12
Common header files for Linux 2.6.32-5-xen
ii  linux-headers-2.6.32-5-xen-686                           2.6.32-12
Header files for Linux 2.6.32-5-xen-686
ii  linux-image-2.6.32-5-xen-686                             2.6.32-12
Linux 2.6.32 for modern PCs, Xen dom0 support
ii  nvidia-kernel-2.6.32-5-xen-686                           190.53-4+2.6.32-12
NVIDIA binary kernel module for Linux 2.6.32-5-xen-686
ii  xen-docs-3.4                                             3.4.3~rc3-2
Documentation for Xen
ii  xen-hypervisor-3.4-i386                                  3.4.3~rc3-2
The Xen Hypervisor on i386
ii  xen-linux-system-2.6.32-5-xen-686                        2.6.32-12
Xen system with Linux 2.6.32 on modern PCs
rc  xen-shell                                                1.8-3
Console based Xen administration utility
ii  xen-utils-3.4                                            3.4.3~rc3-2
XEN administrative tools
ii  xen-utils-common                                         3.4.2-4
XEN administrative tools - common files
ii  xenstore-utils                                           3.4.3~rc3-2
Xenstore utilities for Xen
ii  xenwatch                                                 0.5.4-2
Virtualization utilities, mostly for Xen


# uname -r
2.6.32-5-xen-686


# xm list
WARNING!  Can't find hypervisor information in sysfs!
Error: Unable to connect to xend: No such file or directory. Is xend running?


# xend
WARNING!  Can't find hypervisor information in sysfs!
ERROR Internal error: Could not obtain handle on privileged command interface
(2 = No such file or directory)
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "/usr/lib/xen-default/bin/xend", line 38, in <module>
    from xen.xend.server import SrvDaemon
  File "/usr/lib/xen-3.4/lib/python/xen/xend/server/SrvDaemon.py", line 26, in
<module>
    import relocate
  File "/usr/lib/xen-3.4/lib/python/xen/xend/server/relocate.py", line 28, in
<module>
    from xen.xend import XendDomain
  File "/usr/lib/xen-3.4/lib/python/xen/xend/XendDomain.py", line 35, in
<module>
    from xen.xend import XendOptions, XendCheckpoint, XendDomainInfo
  File "/usr/lib/xen-3.4/lib/python/xen/xend/XendCheckpoint.py", line 20, in
<module>
    from xen.xend import balloon, sxp, image
  File "/usr/lib/xen-3.4/lib/python/xen/xend/image.py", line 46, in <module>
    xc = xen.lowlevel.xc.xc()
xen.lowlevel.xc.Error: (1, 'Internal error', 'Could not obtain handle on
privileged command interface (2 = No such file or directory)')

Please show the complete kernel log.

Bastian

I've attached the kernel log from the most recent session

The kernel does not run on Xen. Closing as user error.

Bastian

I have the same problem.

I had a box running xen under Debian/Lenny (fairly plain installation). Upgraded
to squeeze today, and run into the same problem. Noticed that xen-3 was not upgraded
to xen-4.
I uninstalled
  xen-hypervisor-3.2-1-amd64 xen-linux-system-2.6.26-2-xen-amd64,
and installed
  xen-linux-system-2.6-xen-amd64 linux-image-2.6.32-5-xen-amd64
  xen-hypervisor-4.0-amd64 xen-linux-system-2.6-xen-amd64
  xen-linux-system-2.6.32-5-xen-amd64 xen-utils-4.0
I also checked that any package that remotely sounds like xen has not version 4.


I respectfully submit that this is not an 'user error', but a problem with debian
upgrade scripts. Maybe somehow related to upgrading to grub2 at the same time, I don't
know.

The problem seems to be that grub2 wants to boot the machine into a regular
linux kernel, and not the xen hypervisor.

There is a workaround at
http://wiki.debian.org/Xen#XenonTesting.2BAC8-SqueezeandonUnstable.2BAC8-SidasDom0.2CtocreateamultitudeofDomU.27s

In short it is
  mv -i /etc/grub.d/10_linux /etc/grub.d/50_linux
  update-grub2

This makes it prefer the hypervisor.

Another way is to
  apt-get remove --purge grub2 grub-pc
  apt-get autoremove
  apt-get install grub-legacy
  grub-install
  update-grub

and reboot - not before you have done all the steps above!

Actually, that will give problems next time you upgrade grub. If nothing else, do a
  echo "#moved to 50_linux" > /etc/grub.d/10_linux
so that apt will warn you before (re)establishing 10_linux.

It would be more correct to edit the default line in /etc/alternatives/grub to
point to the hypervisor you want to start. That is also the place to set up
boot parameters for the hypervisor and for the kernel it boots dom0 in.

Looks suspiciously like bugs #580500 and #603832 are the same issue.

How to deal with this situation is now well documented, it may be time to
close these.