|  | Welcome, friend reader, to lguest. | 
|  |  | 
|  | Lguest is an adventure, with you, the reader, as Hero.  I can't think of many | 
|  | 5000-line projects which offer both such capability and glimpses of future | 
|  | potential; it is an exciting time to be delving into the source! | 
|  |  | 
|  | But be warned; this is an arduous journey of several hours or more!  And as we | 
|  | know, all true Heroes are driven by a Noble Goal.  Thus I offer a Beer (or | 
|  | equivalent) to anyone I meet who has completed this documentation. | 
|  |  | 
|  | So get comfortable and keep your wits about you (both quick and humorous). | 
|  | Along your way to the Noble Goal, you will also gain masterly insight into | 
|  | lguest, and hypervisors and x86 virtualization in general. | 
|  |  | 
|  | Our Quest is in seven parts: (best read with C highlighting turned on) | 
|  |  | 
|  | I) Preparation | 
|  | - In which our potential hero is flown quickly over the landscape for a | 
|  | taste of its scope.  Suitable for the armchair coders and other such | 
|  | persons of faint constitution. | 
|  |  | 
|  | II) Guest | 
|  | - Where we encounter the first tantalising wisps of code, and come to | 
|  | understand the details of the life of a Guest kernel. | 
|  |  | 
|  | III) Drivers | 
|  | - Whereby the Guest finds its voice and become useful, and our | 
|  | understanding of the Guest is completed. | 
|  |  | 
|  | IV) Launcher | 
|  | - Where we trace back to the creation of the Guest, and thus begin our | 
|  | understanding of the Host. | 
|  |  | 
|  | V) Host | 
|  | - Where we master the Host code, through a long and tortuous journey. | 
|  | Indeed, it is here that our hero is tested in the Bit of Despair. | 
|  |  | 
|  | VI) Switcher | 
|  | - Where our understanding of the intertwined nature of Guests and Hosts | 
|  | is completed. | 
|  |  | 
|  | VII) Mastery | 
|  | - Where our fully fledged hero grapples with the Great Question: | 
|  | "What next?" | 
|  |  | 
|  | make Preparation! | 
|  | Rusty Russell. |