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Finding servers which are the “Best Fit” canadates for virtualization can be tricky. I have put together the following criteria checklist to help determine whether a new server provision or a P2V should use virtualization.
The Best Fit checklist uses my own criteria and weight recommendations but it can be modified with more liberal values. However, remeber the “Best Fit” for virtualizing a server should always consider the user’s experience, too liberal will produce poor performance and complaining users.
The “Best Fit” file has been attached for you to use it as-is or you can make your own. Open file: best-fit-virtualization-criteria-checklist-vminstall
Best Fit Virtualization Criteria Checklist
Requestor: ____________________________________________ Date: ___________________
Server Name: __________________________ Server Role: ______________________________
Primary Application: ______________________________ Database: ______________________
Purpose:
The purpose of this checklist is to evaluate new server provisions for server virtualization. The checklist criteria are designed to only allow “Best Fit” usage for virtualization. A weight of 3 or more will waive the server’s provision for virtualization.
Instructions:
Each item has a weight assigned. While going down the checklist place the weight value on the line to the left of the items that apply. Once you are complete, total the weights.
Checklist:
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1. Is the primary application supported when hosted on a VMware VM? Yes/No (If no add 3 Pt.) Self explanatory. |
| ____ |
2. If this is a database server will clustering be required? Yes/No (If yes add 3 Pt.) Caveat: If clustering is required, high availability is hindered on the host server. |
| ____ |
3. Is this server considered a fail-over for a physical server? Yes/No (If yes add 3 Pt.) Caveat: Fail-over servers should be provisioned on an equivalent platform. |
| ____ |
4. Can recommended system requirements be scaled back (CPU/Memory)? Yes/No (If no then use items 5 and 6 to calculate weight. |
| ____ |
5. Will memory requirement be greater than 2 GB? Yes/No (If yes add 1 and .5 for each additional 512 MB) |
| ____ |
6. Will disk requirements grow beyond a 20 GB (C: or Root disk) and 50 GB of combined additional disk space. Yes/No (If yes add 1 and .5 for each additional 50 GB) How much? _____GB |
| ____ |
7. Will this be a temporary installation/deployment? Yes/No How many months? _____ (If yes can Lab Manager be used?) (0 Pt.) |
| ____ |
8. Will a database be hosted on the server (SQL/MySQL/Oracle)? Yes/No Other ___________ (If yes add 1 Pt.) |
| ____ |
9. _______________________________________________________ |
| ____ |
10. ______________________________________________________ |
( ) A server with a total 3 and greater should not be virtualized.
Evaluation Summary: _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Originally posted 2009-02-21 09:54:36. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
Does your vCenter flicker when browsing clusters? There could be a problem…
Over the last 3 years I’ve seen this happen twice and both times it was not good. Both cases were caused from an HA event that was interrupted, which left multiple VMs registered on more than one host. Fortunately, the VM stays running and the fix does not cause an outage but it is intimidating having to “KILL” VM processes.
HA being HA might have casued it and the KB below gives more causes and the solution.
HA is a good thing to have enabled, but if your NOC is monitoring your VMs and they see an alert that VMs are powering off they will log into the VIC and start powering them back on, no down time right? That’s one of the main causes of this problem and VMware admins need to educate their NOC admins on letting HA do its job power VMs back on.
Now, the devil’s advocate in me says that sounds good but how does a NOC know it’s a VM, or bunch of VMs? And, don’t we tell then to just treat them like any other server? The devil’s advocate has a good question and I will ask for help answering it. Can I get feedback on how to avoid this issue when and event happens that might cause “VM jumpers”?
Here’s a must know process for every VMware Admin on how to fix this problem…
VMware KB Link: http://kb.vmware.com/selfservice/microsites/search.do?language=en_US&cmd=displayKC&externalId=1005051
Here’s how VMware describes it:
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After one of the following, a Virtual Machine appears as being registered on two ESX Servers:
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A VMotion fails to complete correctly or times out in VirtualCenter
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A DRS issue where virtual machines are VMotioned automatically in quick succession
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When a machine is powered on during VMware HA failover.
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The Service Console on an ESX host is low on memory starving the vpxa process
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In VirtualCenter, you see the virtual machine as appearing on one ESX Server for a few seconds, then it seems to be on the other.
The virtual machine may appear to jump back and forth among different ESX hosts.
To correct this misconfiguration:
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Click Inventory in the navigation bar. Expand the inventory as needed and click the appropriate managed host.
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Click the Virtual Machines tab.
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Note the virtual machine that disappears every few seconds.
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Log in as root with SSH to both affected ESX hosts.
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Run the vmware-cmd -l command to display the names of the virtual machines registered on this host.
Run the vm-support -x command to show which virtual machines are currently running on the ESX host.
Compare results from these commands to determine which ESX host has the virtual machine registered, but is not running it. When you have determined this, you need to unregister the virtual machine from the ESX host on which it is registered but not running.
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Run the following command to unregister the virtual machine from the ESX host:
vmware-cmd -s unregister </vmfs/volumes/datastore/folder/machine>.vmx
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If the virtual machine has a process (PID) associated with it, ESX may not allow you to unregister it and the command fails with the error:
If you see this error and are unable to unregister the virtual machine:
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Kill the process for the virtual machine in the Service Console with the following two commands:
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Unregister the virtual machine from the ESX host again with the command:
vmware-cmd -s unregister </vmfs/volumes/datastore/folder/machine>.vmx
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Run the following command to stop the hostd process:
service mgmt-vmware stop
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Use a text editor to open the /etc/vmware/hostd/vmInventory.xml file.
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Locate the machine you want to remove.
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Remove all of the information between the <ConfigEntry> tags for the affected virtual machine.
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Run the following command to start the hostd process:
service mgmt-vmware start
VMControl error -999: Unknown error: SoapError: ServerFaultCode(0): (The attempted operation cannot be performed in the current state (Powered On).)
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Log in to all of your ESX Servers directly using VI Client.
You see the virtual machine on both ESX hosts with a Powered-on status. One host however does not display any details of VMware Tools, IP address, etc in the Summary tab.
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Click the virtual machine on the host that does not display any details in the Summary tab.
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Right-click the virtual machine, and click Power Off.
Originally posted 2009-08-10 18:56:49. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
 Yesterday I was working on a PowerShell script for identifying VMs that are using resources but their role is no longer required. Either because the server owner decided to use a physical server because the VM was not performing as required, or the duties of the VM are completed and the decommissioning process was somehow over looked.
I came up with a concept and decided these VMs would be officially called “Zombies”. Then the name coined for my script “vZombie” was added. I was also lucky enough yesterday to register the domain vZombie.com and will be posting my script there soon.
Just think of these VMs like Zombies sucking valuable resources out of your Virtual Infrastructure. They may sit there idle but disk space (expensive SAN storage), memory and CPU are still allocated to them. I’m guessing that I’ll find maybe 5 or 10 percent of the VMs are vZombies.
To be continued…
The name vZombie is copyright of VMinstall.com, all rights are reserved.
Originally posted 2009-03-07 07:29:59. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
Good free tools for VMware VI are not easy to come by so I thought I would write a post about one I think may have some usefulness. It’s from VKernel and it’s called SearchMyVM. According to  VKernel here are the benefits:
- FREE “Google–like” SearchMyVM tool
- Quickly find info in your VMware data center
- Gain more insight into your environment
- Save significant time
The tool, like other VKernel downloads, comes already packaged as a VM that just needs to be imported into your VirtualCenter (vCenter or ESX). Once imported and booted, do a quick configuration and just open your browser to the IP address you have given the tool. Then create a custom query for your search, a good example listed: “Return a list of all VMs that fail to vMotion”.
The tool release is version 3.0 and there is pretty good step-by-step instructions for the installation guide.
If you’d like to try SearchMyVM for yourself here is the link to VKernel <Download>
Do you know of a free tool that you’d like to recommend for VMware, Hyper-V or Xen? Please let us know with a quick post. |
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Originally posted 2009-03-22 08:05:13. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
The long awaited Microsoft Virtual Server dubbed Hyper-V has now been released. At $28 a license, verses $7, 000 – $14,00 for VMware ESX, it should be well received with the economy possibly suffering from a recession.
Should you install Hyper-V instead of VMware VI? Let’s see, one of the many purposes of virtualization is to consolidate physical servers, especially those on old hardware that is out of warranty, to new hardware still in warranty. Granted VMware VI has quite a few whistles and bells such as HA, DRS and vMotion but I’m sure Microsoft will soon be able to duplicate these features and at $28, it might be worth the risk to consolidate those file , print or web servers to Hyper-V.
Here’s what Microsoft has to say about Hyper-V
Introducing Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V
Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V, the next-generation hypervisor-based server virtualization technology, allows you to make the best use of your server hardware investments by consolidating multiple server roles as separate virtual machines (VMs) running on a single physical machine. With Hyper-V, you can also efficiently run multiple different operating systems—Windows, Linux, and others—in parallel, on a single server, and fully leverage the power of x64 computing. Read more…
Where’s the catch Microsoft?
Here’s the catch, I think… I searched around and couldn’t find a version of Hyper-V that installs on Windows Server 2003, so you’ll need Windows 2008 to run Hyper-V. That means more Microsoft license fees? This may not be a problem if you’re a Windows shop already headed in this direction and the money’s already in your IT budget, but what about shops that can’t upgrade due to strict compliance rules? Are they out of luck until Windows Server 2008 is approved for production? These are just a few questions I’ll have to research.
VMinstall.com Hyper-V Trials
I decided to download Windows Server 2008 and get started learning Hyper-V. More blogs to come on this subject. Here’s a link to Microsoft’s Hyper-V downloads (actually for Windows Server 2008 with Hyper-V) if you’re interested in testing out Hyper-V. Download Hyper-V
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=F3AB3D4B-63C8-4424-A738-BADED34D24ED&displaylang=en
Also, here’s a step by step guide and instructions for how to install Hyper-V.
http://technet2.microsoft.com/windowsserver2008/en/library/c513e254-adf1-400e-8fcb-c1aec8a029311033.mspx?mfr=true
Hyper-V Installation Prerequisites and Requirements
http://technet2.microsoft.com/windowsserver2008/en/library/c513e254-adf1-400e-8fcb-c1aec8a029311033.mspx?mfr=true
VMware Virtual Infrastructure Vs. Microsoft Server 2008 Hyper-V
It’s too early to call a winner but I would definitely suggest checking out Hyper-V. I know first hand how expensive VMware renewals are so maybe if you don’t need all the whistles and bells that VMware offers, setting up a couple of Windows Server 2008 machines with Hyper-V might save you some money. Don’t get me wrong, I love VMware but I’ve supported it long enough to have formed an opinion on some of the down side (support and costs).
Here’s where I cut you loose to decide for yourself and please remember to recommend VMinstall.com to you friends.
Originally posted 2008-07-04 07:29:49. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
PowerShell Script for Snapshot Backup of Hyper-V >>>Download Off-line <<<
How are you backing up your Hyper-V VMs? Agent backups with a legacy backup software like NetBackup. This is good for file by file backups but is a real pain if you need to do a full system with system state restore. Too often system admins get hung up trying to do a full system restore from a legacy backup and loose the system state in the process.
I found a PowerShell script that was written to do SnapShots of Hyper-V VMs and export them somewhere where you can do a regular backup of the VM folder and files, offline. Tore Lervik who blogs at Mindre.net is the author of the script. After reading the many comments Tore has received on his script, it looks like the Hyper-V VM Backup Script is a success, good going Tore!
Originally posted 2009-04-05 08:37:33. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
I’ve mentioned this in a few of my blog posts over the years and here it is again – “Storage has been a major oversight by most companies deploying VMware Virtual Infrastructure”. News Flash! This was confirmed at the recent 2009 VMWorld …
What I’ve heard and read about VMWorld 2009 is that it was really a storage conference. Every storage vendor and his brother were there displaying and promoting storage products to help build better VI environments. And, from many of the emails I get, most visitors were really just interested in finding out what they can do to fix their main storage issue: poor performance.
A year ago I had a talk with my VMware support engineer and I explained to him then that I thought there was going to be a huge market for solutions for improving storage performance coming. I also explained how most VMware deployments are similar to boiling a frog. If a frog is thrown into hot water it will jump out, however, if the water temperature is turned up slowly the frog won’t realize it until it is too late. Likewise, if VMware sales representatives told every new customer they would need a new storage array within a year, nobody except those already planning to buy new storage would virtualize. However, if nothing is said and VMs are built one at a time over a 6 -12 month period on existing shared storage, nobody will notice performance degradation until one day when the main business application database crashes because it shares the same SAN as VMware but then VMware won’t be to blame, storage will. I suspect many companies using VMware are at this point today with their environments?
You have two options for your problem: 1) Buy more storage or 2) Re-carve your existing storage. My gut tells me most SAN Admins reading this post will argue with option 2 because that would take a lot of work and they most likely don’t believe it will help. I suggest for those that just don’t agree because they know better that they get re-educated on carving SAN for VMware.
No disrespect intended but it’s a hard one to digest. Think about this, you’re used to carving one 100GB LUN for one server with many users and dedicated HBA ports, right? Now consider for a moment that for VMware you are carving (8 – 16), 300GB, 400GB or 500GB LUNs for 8 – 16 ESX hosts with 160 – 240 virtual servers all accessing the LUN through the same HBA port, or path and – all at the same time. If I was lucky enough to get your attention then I won’t even try to insult you by trying to explain how each SAN is different – but – I will recommend calling your VMware and SAN support and speaking only with someone who works on storage for VMware.
Furthermore for both options mentioned, many storage vendors have the ability to do a form of what is known as wide-striping (HDS term) and it also requires a special license that will cost you. HDS, 3par, EMC and HP all can have 100s of drives in a single disk pool (RAID/parity group) this is, with the proper licensed features. NetApp will have a similar feature in OnTapp 8.4 from what I’ve been told.
I hope this has been helpful for someone trying to understand why the frog keeps dying. So, the next time you have a VM that starts croaking, I’d have a look at storage option 2.
Originally posted 2009-09-15 15:48:23. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
Free VM Tool – ToutVirtual VirtualIQ Pro – Citrix, Microsoft, Novell, Oracle and/or VMware >>> Download <<<
Last week I wrote about Trilead VM Explorer for managing VMware ESX and 3i hosts without vCenter, today I am writing about VirtualIQ Pro which looks like a similar product except VirtualIQ Pro is hypervisor-agnostic supporting both Type I and Type II hypervisors.
Here’s what ToutVirtual says about their VirtualIQ Pro:
Enterprise Benefits
- Compare and choose the right Hypervisor
- Compare and choose the right Hardware platform
- Plan for Host Capacity
- Plan for Virtual Machine Capacity
- Plan for Virtual Machine Density
- Understand the Impact of Hypervisor
- Get Visibility into Inter-VM, Intra-VM Resouce Dynamics
- Manage Physical and Virtual Servers
- Works without VMware VirtualCenter, Microsoft Virtual Machine Manager or System Center
- Manage 5 CPUs and 25 VMs for FREE
Of course the free version has its limitations but there’s plenty going on in VirtualIQ Pro that makes it worth an evaluation, especially if you use more than one virtual platform:
- VMware ESX
- VMware ESXi
- VMware Server on Windows
- VMware Server on Linux
- VMware GSX Server on Windows
- VMware GSX Server on Linux
- Microsoft Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V
- Microsoft Virtual Server 2005 R2
- Xen running on Novell SUSE Enterprise 10
- Oracle VM
- Citrix XenServer
Wow!
Originally posted 2009-04-05 17:57:18. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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