Cluster Clarification + Plus Setup Q's

[tailwindALWAYS]

First off, the documentation is pretty nice ... and the videos are great! Great work. I'm just looking for little more clarification on the clustering.

* What are the advantages to clustering: easier management (one interface) and live migration, right?

* Live migration just copies from one local storage to the other then starts the VM up, right?

* Is there a way to use NFS storage at all? I mean at all? I have seen the road map, but since it's a base Debian install you would think we could do it somehow right?

* So, if only local storage can be used right now, what's being synced for the cluster? Not the VM disks/data apparently, right?

* I have roughly 10 servers, half Ubuntu jeOS (mail, web, nfs, puppet, zabbix, etc) and half Windows Server 2008 (SharePoint, IIS, file, licenses, print). Would you recommend hosting the VMs all in KVM ... or just the Windows ones? I'm use to that type of setup coming from some ESXi and VMware Server environments, but looking for suggestions.

I just got a quote for $60K for VMware licenses (virtualizing servers and 180 desktops + 3 years of support) and said that's a bunch of BS and came here! I'm just trying to figure out not to go with ESXi (free) or proXmoX ... which proXmoX seems like some great stuff! Thanks a bunch! Keep up the great work!!

 

[dietmar]

* What are the advantages to clustering: easier management (one interface) and live migration, right?

yes.

* Live migration just copies from one local storage to the other then starts the VM up, right?

Also copies RAM and takes over network connections - so the VM continues to run.

* Is there a way to use NFS storage at all? I mean at all? I have seen the road map, but since it's a base Debian install you would think we could do it somehow right?

You can mount it manually under /var/lib/vz. But quotas does not work on nfs.

* So, if only local storage can be used right now, what's being synced for the cluster? Not the VM disks/data apparently, right?

configuration and templates

* I have roughly 10 servers, half Ubuntu jeOS (mail, web, nfs, puppet, zabbix, etc) and half Windows Server 2008 (SharePoint, IIS, file, licenses, print). Would you recommend hosting the VMs all in KVM ... or just the Windows ones? I'm use to that type of setup coming from some ESXi and VMware Server environments, but looking for suggestions.

We prefer containers (when possible). But if you already have fully virtualized images it is easier to use KVM.

- Dietmar

 

[tailwindALWAYS]

Thanks a bunch for the information and clarification! Keep up the great work! I can't wait for the next version (I heard it may be soon(ish))

 

[somecallmemike]

dietmar, can you clarify exactly what systems can be live migrated in proxmox? I have had no succes with openvz containers live migrating (I also read that openvz doesn't support this in another thread, but can you clarify why?), also I am on the waiting list for some better hardware (with virtualization supporting procs) so I currently cannot test KVM. Is there documentation anywhere that shows successes and failures of live migrations on certian systems?

 

[dietmar]

dietmar, can you clarify exactly what systems can be live migrated in proxmox? I have had no succes with openvz containers live migrating (I also read that openvz doesn't support this in another thread, but can you clarify why?),

The OpenVZ live migration works reliable for kernel 2.6.18. Newer kernels are known to have problem (and we use 2.6.24).

also I am on the waiting list for some better hardware (with virtualization supporting procs) so I currently cannot test KVM. Is there documentation anywhere that shows successes and failures of live migrations on certian systems?

no, sorry. But KVM live migration works for VMs with less than 4GB RAM. But we have no a shared storage concept now, so it will copy the disk images (which takes time).

 

[somecallmemike]

no, sorry. But KVM live migration works for VMs with less than 4GB RAM. But we have no a shared storage concept now, so it will copy the disk images (which takes time).

dietmar, will migrations of KVM machines with more than 4gb be possible once a shared storage concept is in place? If possible could you elaborate on what shared storage is coming in 2.0, and how it will be implemented (i.e. speeding up live migrations, fail-over, HA)? I am trying to be as nosey as possible about 2.0 as it seems to promise some really awesome features! Keep up the good work!

 

[dietmar]

dietmar, will migrations of KVM machines with more than 4gb be possible once a shared storage concept is in place?

Its just a kvm bug - which is hopefully fixed soon. The live migration with >4GB works.

If possible could you elaborate on what shared storage is coming in 2.0, and how it will be implemented (i.e. speeding up live migrations, fail-over, HA)?

clvm, corosync, pacemaker.