Guys,
Thanks for the massive updates. I am having to wait for people to shutdown VMs so I can't yest upgrade and test, but I have some questions about the new features.
1) Open vSwitch
I am hoping this solves or will eventually solve the one problem I have had making Proxmox a production system over VMware. The issues are as follows and I would like to know if Open vSwitch does not or should eventually enable these features in Proxmox.
1a) The ability to have internal virtual network interfaces that can only be used by VMs. If this is possible, do you have plans to make this work with clusters. e.g. A VM running on Proxmox Server 1 that is connected to an internal only network can, using this network, communicate with a VM running on Proxmox Server 2 that is connected to that same network.
1b) The ability to add external networks without rebooting the system or entire network stack. Lets take two scenarios assuming that my server has 4 network ports and I currently have 1 connected to a network.
If I add a VLAN to that port for VMs to use I should not have to reboot the server or the network stack in a way the interrupts active VMs.
If I connect one of the other ports to a network and I do not want to add an IP to it for the host OS, but use it for VMs and/or to create VLAN interfaces for VMs I should not have to reboot the server or the network stack in a way the interrupts active VMs.
I would like to see a no reboot server or network stack for any changes, but that would probably require kernel modifications and/or some hefty scripting using ip addr to add, change, replace, delete, etc. rather than ifconfig for changes to everything but the primary Proxmox access IP, so I do not see this happening using the standard Linux network stack.
1c) Permission system to control who can access which networks. e.g. If i build a network for client A, I do not want client B to be able to access client B's network.
1d) Hopefully you will allow firewall controls in the future. Being able to protect VMs from each other is needed for some deployments. If the routing table on the Proxmox will not bypass firewalls then this would be fine, but if not, having a firewalls at the vSwitch layer is needed. Here are some good and bad examples. If either or both of the good examples work now with vSwitch, then we are OK.
Bad:
<VM1: 1.1.1.1> --> |
| <Proxmox Server Network Stack>
<VM2: 2.2.2.2> <---
Good:
<VM1: 1.1.1.1> --> <Proxmox Server Network Stack> --> Router/Firewall |
<VM2: 2.2.2.2> <--------------------------------------------------------
Good:
<VM1: 1.1.1.1> --> <internal vSwitch network> --> <Router/Firewall running an a VM; 5.5.5.5> | <Proxmox Server Network Stack>
<VM2: 2.2.2.2> <----------------------------------------------------------------------------
2) Spice replacing VNC
Perhaps I am confused on what is happening. My impression is that the VNC console was being replaced by a Spice console that ran in the browser like the VNC console, indicated by the name spiceterm. However, from the posts in this thread I gather that the Spice console that is replacing the VNC console is the same spice console we have now requiring a application on the system from which I am connecting to the VM. if this is the case I have to say that is disappointing and would rather keep the VNC even with a popup security warning. I would like to have a console option that runs on any platform without all the bells and whistles for emergencies (e.g. a car without power locks, windows, mirrors and no radio, but will run on fuel obtainable anywhere), for emergencies and an electric car with all the nice great features, rather than only an electric car with all the nice great features.
Maybe it's not possible to use TightVNC with all it's features when accessing a console rather than having it installed in the OS running in the VM, but I can tell you the TightVNC java client launched via a browser provides copy and paste between the host and remote OS and has buttons for crtl+alt+del, start menu and lock keys for ctrl and alt.
One of my favorite things about Proxmox compared to VMware is that management is OS independent. I can configure all settings with a web browser and in some cases an SSH client which I can access on any client OS including phone OSes. The VM consoles needed during the initial setup are java based which also runs on any or at least many platforms. I run Linux as my primary desktop OS and it is rather annoying that even through VMware is based on Linux, they do not provide full management controls for any OS especially Linux. I don't want Proxmox to be the same. Somethign to note: Enterprise network appliances like firewalls, switches and routers made by Cisco, Juniper and others, load balancers made with Citrix and others, etc. use java based clients for management on any platform.
Hopefully I have just misinterpreted posts in this forum and there will continue to be a console option that does not require a nonstandard or non-platform independent application to be installed on the OS accessing the VM console.
Thanks again for all the hard work Proxmox team.
Rhongomiant
