XenClient requires VT-x and recommends VT-d. In vSphere 5 and Workstation 8, we can virtualize VT-x, but not VT-d. In theory, we'd be able to virtualize XenClient but some parts (HD Audio and 3D graphics) might perform like crap.
Besides these requirements, I found that the biggest problem isn't VT-x or VT-d, but SATA. XenClient requires (and expects) to be installed and booted from a SATA-disk.
I managed to install XenClient onto a VMDK using VirtualBox (VBox supports both SATA-drives inside the VM and encapsulating it in a VMDK-file).
Now comes the real conundrum:
1. VMware Workstation 8 doesn't support SATA but supports virtualizing VT-x.
2. Sun VirtualBox supports SATA but doesn't support virtualizing VT-x.
I need one of three solutions:
1. Get VMware Workstation to support a SATA controller in the VM. Not likely to happen.
2. Get Sun VirtualBox to support virtualizing VT-x. Not likely to happen.
3. Compile kernel modules for SCSI-support for the kernel inside vmlinuz and put these modules inside initramfs, so XenClient works with SCSI (in addition to SATA).
Option number three seems realistic:
1. Sources for four different kernels are supplied in the first 'Source ISO'. I've already built all SCSI kernel modules for all four supplied kernel source trees
2. I'm able to inject these modules in to the initramfs file, which is located in /boot inside the VMDK with XenClient installed
I'm hitting a brick wall in getting the running kernel (which does not specify which of the in the sources supplied four different kernels it is) to actually load the SCSI modules...