[SOLVED] 1.9 -> 2.1 Upgrade/New install with iSCSI question...

[NSW]

Hi everyone, I have a question regarding the upgrade process when you have iSCSI with LVM for the storage system.

Current configuration:
2x servers running Proxmox 1.9 clustered.
1x iSCSI storage array connected to both servers.

Question:
I would like to upgrade to Proxmox 2.1 but i'm curious if anyone can tell me what i need to do with this setup. Unfortunately i'm not super knowledgeable about how iSCSI works on the back end, so please feel free to correct or suggest anything. I've read the upgrade documentation but i'm not sure if i can safely have both 1.9 and 2.1 accessing the same iSCSI array when backing up and restoring to the new version, or if i need to backup and wipe out both servers, clean off the iSCSI array and start everything fresh with restores.

In other words, can i backup one of the servers, reinstall it to 2.1 and restore the VM's to the same array that the other 1.9 server is using? Is it possible to offline migrate from a 1.9 to a 2.1 server and not touch the data on the array? Am i totally clueless?

Thanks for any input and help you can offer.
~NSW

 

[NSW]

No ideas on this one then i take it. Alright, well i'll get full backups and tinker with it. I'll post back here what experiences i come across. I think my first attempt will be rebuilding one server at a time and seeing if it will play nice with the iSCSI array while the other unit is still attached.

On another note, and maybe Tom could chime in here, are there any changes needed to the LVM on the iSCSI array? From what i've read so far, and i'm quoteing Tom below, 2.x may need some changes for safe access?

we implemented our own mechanism for 1.x to make sure that only one VM accesses the volume, so no clvm is needed. but this will change for 2.x series.

Just checking.

Thanks.

 

[dietmar]

2.x may need some changes for safe access?

No, no changes required on user side.

 

[NSW]

Thanks Dietmar, your input is appreciated!

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Alright, well after one day, i have all my VM's backed up to a separate system for safety and i've started the process of upgrading my cluster. The first thing i've done is move/migrate all my VM's to the 1.9 master node, this will move the VM *.conf configuration files. At this point everything is in a stopped state and all VM's are now listed on the master node/server. I then made sure there is nothing of importance left on the second, soon to be upgraded, system. This would include any ISO images, configuration files or anything else i cant easily replace.

After making sure the second node is ready to go, i remove it from the 1.9 cluster. (HowTo: Remove a cluster node) After it's been removed, i insert the Proxmox 2.1 installation CD and reboot the system. Now, just following the prompts, i make a clean install of 2.1 on the server. I get the new install of 2.1 configured and setup to the point that all the networking is working and it's time to start adding storage.

Before i add my iSCSI array to the new 2.1 install, i go into the storage section of the 1.9 server and uncheck the "enable" checkbox on all my LVM's stored on the iSCSI array and also the iSCSI entry itself. Basically i want the 1.9 server to take it's paws off the iSCSI array and leave it alone. Now i go into the 2.1 system and add my iSCSI array. I give it a name (ID), put in the IP address for the array (Portal), and then select my target from the drop-down list. Following the general wiki instructions i also uncheck the "Use LUNs directly" checkbox and then hit the add button. The iSCSI array connected without problems.

With that done, it's time to pull back in the LVM groups. Still on the storage tab, i select add and pick LVM group. I give it a name (ID), LEAVE "Base storage" set to "Existing volume groups", and select the old LVM group i want to associate with the ID from the drop down list. I check "Enable" and "Shared" and hit add. I do this again for each LVM i need to bring back in. Now i have recovered all my LVM's and i can see the VM volumes inside them.

Now it's time to copy over the original VM configuration files to the 2.1 server. I SSH into the 1.9 server and SCP (copy) over all the VM *.conf files from /etc/qemu-server to /etc/pve/qemu-server/ on the new 2.1 server. At this point i can now see my VM's listed in the 2.1 web interface. Everything should be ready to go and low and behold, it works!

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Some things to consider...
1.) If you have ISO images loaded into your VM's, you'll probably want to remove them. I haven't reinstalled/copied in my ISO images yet and some of my VM's had ISO's loaded they couldn't find. It will throw an error and refuse to start, but easy to fix.

2.) It seems the network card settings are different in 2.1. Meaning the way its written in the .conf file. When starting my images, it removed the network card settings. This was an easy fix, just recreate a network card in the web interface for the VM. However... if you have anything locked to a MAC address you gave one of your VM's, it would be a good idea to write it down before hand, so you can give it the same MAC address again.

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I'm currently now upgrading and getting the 1.9 master installed to 2.1. I'll let you know if i hit any road blocks as i try to cluster them. Also, if i got anything wrong here, please feel free to correct me or comment. It may help keep someone else down the line from having problems.

Thanks.

 

[NSW]

Well so far (knock on wood) i'm up and going with 2.1, with both my servers running in a cluster. I will say, the new web interface and feature set is amazing. Big thanks to the Proxmox team for all their hard work.