Suggestions for best configuration for KVM

[bigmo]

Hello,

ive a machine where i want to run Proxmox 2.1 on, and install at least one Windows 7 installation (KVM)
The machine is a i7-920 with 8GB of ram and two SATA HDDs with 1GB each (non raid)

So my questions is now, how to configure proxmox and the guest, to get the best preformace possible.

Harddisc:
Should i make an LVM over both discs? Should rather use softraid and use raw mode? Or what do you suggest me? What gworks best?

RAM:
4GB for Host and 4GB for Guest or 2 and 6 ?

Thx in advance

 

[bigmo]

Any hints?

 

[mlanner]

Buy a hardware RAID card. It's the best solution. Configure RAID1, install Proxmox and you're done.

 

[bigmo]

Ok thanks for this, but this is not possible, this is a rootserver, and for this server no hardware raid is possible. So pls someone answer on my question how to configure two SATA disc best for proxmox....
Thx

 

[mmenaz]

I would install proxmox on one disk, and then use the other as direct lvm storage, that provides the best I/O performances. Also decoupling the disk with proxmox from the one with the VM gives some benefit. In proxmox fstab I would also add "noatime", just to reduce unneeded I/O. Of course for good performances the way to go is an hardware raid10 with BBU, or maybe a SSD instead of a sata.
Regarding RAM, I would keep 1GB free for the host (proxmox), and the rest can be used by VMs.
This is only how I would do
regards

 

[mlanner]

Well, in that case, install Debian Squeeze, configure your two drives in software RAID1 and then install Proxmox on top of it. There are examples/tutorials of how to do it here on the forums. Just search the forums and you will find it.

 

[bigmo]

Would you recomend me either to use an lvm-stripe over both discs for the guest or to assign an mdraid0 like /dev/md1 in direct raw to the vm or to use the mdraid0 with an vmdk file?

 

[mlanner]

With that setup I would probably just do a standard RAID1.