VMware VmWare ESX Server 2.12 Deployment Quick reference guide

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VMware®ESX Server™2.1.2 Software
for Dell™PowerEdge™Servers
Deployment Guide
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www.dell.com | support.dell.com
VMware®ESX Server™2.1.2 Software
for Dell™PowerEdge™Servers
Deployment Guide
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Notes, Notices, and Cautions
NOTE: A NOTE indicates important information that helps you
make better use of your computer.
NOTICE: A NOTICE indicates either potential damage to
hardware or loss of data and tells you how to avoid the problem.
CAUTION: A CAUTION indicates a potential for property
damage, personal injury, or death.
____________________
Information in this document is subject to change without notice.
© 2004 Dell Inc. All rights reserved.
Reproduction in any manner whatsoever without the written permission of
Dell Inc. is strictly forbidden.
Trademarks used in this text: Dell, the DELL logo, and PowerEdge are
trademarks of Dell Inc.; VMware, VMotion, and ESX Server are trademarks of
VMware, Inc.; EMC is a registered trademark of EMC Corporation; Linux is a
registered trademark of Linus Torvalds; Netware is a registered trademark of
Novell Inc.; Intel, Xeon, and Pentium are registered trademarks of
Intel Corporation; Microsoft and Windows are registered trademarks of
Microsoft Corporation.
Othertrademarksandtradenamesmaybeusedinthisdocumenttorefertoeither
the entities claiming the marks and names or their products. Dell Inc. disclaims
any proprietary interest in trademarks and trade names other than its own.
Portions of this document Copyrighted VMware, Inc. 2004.
August 2004 P/N X6320 Rev. A00
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Contents 3
Contents
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Understanding Dell Configurations . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Understanding ESX Server Components . . . . . . . . 11
Understanding VirtualCenter Components. . . . . . . 11
Current Hardware and Software
Qualification List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Installation of ESX Server 2.1.2 Software . . . . . . . 12
Before Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Recommended Local Disk Partitioning . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Service Console Configuration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
After Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
SAN Environment Setup with
ESX Server Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Setting Up Manual Load Balancing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Dell OpenManage in a
VMware ESX Server Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
OpenManage Software Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Using the Dell Remote Access Card III (DRAC III)
on PE 6650 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Installing OpenManage Server Administrator and
Remote Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
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4Contents
Guest Operating Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Guest OS Installation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Guest OS Performance Tuning Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Additional Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Product Documentation Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Technical Support Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Newsgroups. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Tables
Table 1-1. Base ESX Server System
Hardware Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-7
Table 1-2. Additional Supported Devices for a Stand-Alone
ESX Server System Configuration . . . . . . . . 1-8
Table 1-3. Additional Supported Devices for a SAN-attached
ESX Server System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-8
Table 1-4. Recommended VirtualCenter Server
Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-8
Table 1-5. Suggested Disk Partitioning within
VMware ESX Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-14
Table 1-6. Limiting Resources by Application Type . . . . 1-23
Figures
Figure 1-1. VMware ESX Server Architecture . . . . . . . 1-5
Figure 1-2. Non-VirtualCenter Configuration, One or More
PowerEdge Servers with Optional SAN . . . . 1-9
Figure 1-3. VirtualCenter Configuration with SAN for
VMotion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-10
Figure 1-4. VirtualCenter Configuration with SAN for
VMotion (with HBA Failover) . . . . . . . . . 1-10
Figure 1-5. Example of a Management Station and
Managed Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-19
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Deployment Guide 5
Introduction
VMware
®
ESX Server
™
software provides the rapid creation of multiple
virtual machines (VMs) on a single physical server. These VMs each run in a
resource-isolated, secure environment and include a Microsoft
®
Windows,
Linux™, or Novell
®
NetWare
®
operating system (OS) with their associated
applications. The ESX Server software has a virtualization layer that
allocates virtualized Dell resources to VMs and a Service Console – a
management interface for the VMware virtualization layer.
Figure 1-1 shows
the ESX Server architecture.
Figure 1-1. VMware ESX Server Architecture
VMware VirtualCenter is a management application that monitors and
manages virtual machines distributed across ESX Server installations, as well
as the ESX Server systems themselves. VirtualCenter can show global task
lists, each individual ESX Server, or each individual VM.
When VirtualCenter-managed ESX Server farms have a common
Storage Area Network (SAN), they can take advantage of VMotion™
technology. This technology allows for the “hot” migration of a running VM.
A live, state-full application, with its OS, can be moved from one
PowerEdge™ server running ESX Server to another. This migration is
transparent to the end users, who are not aware that it is taking place.
VMotion technology provides dynamic scaling, performance, and
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6Deployment Guide
zero-downtime maintenance. If a physical server needs servicing, it can be
vacated; that is, all running VMs are moved to other ESX Server systems
without affecting users. The vacant system can be shutdown, repaired, then
placed back into service at which time VMs can be migrated back to it – all
without impacting availability to end users.
Dell configurations of ESX Server software and VirtualCenter allow users to:
• Implement server consolidation
• Deliver high availability and guaranteed service levels
• Streamline testing and deployment
• Scale hardware and software infrastructure
• Upgrade to current and standard hardware, independently of
software upgrades
This document is a companion guide to the
VMware ESX Server 2.1
Installation Guide
and provides specific information as it relates to
Dell servers and Dell recommended configurations. For the latest version of
this document see
www.dell.com/vmware under the Resource tab. For more
information about ESX Server software and VirtualCenter, consult the
following documents, which are distributed with the software and are
available on the VMware Web site at
www.vmware.com/support/esx21/ and
www.vmware.com/support/vc11/ :
• ESX Server 2.1 Installation Guide
• ESX Server 2.1 Administrator’s Guide
• Guest Operating System Installation Guide
• VMware Scripting API User’s Manual
• VMware VirtualCenter 1.1 User's Manual
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Deployment Guide 7
Understanding Dell Configurations
For this release, Dell has qualified a base server configuration for use with
ESX Server 2.1.2 software. A single server can be used in a "stand-alone"
mode, or one or more servers can be connected to a shared SAN through a
switch. VMotion technology is available when two or more servers share a
common SAN. VirtualCenter may be used to manage servers in any of these
configurations, and is required to initiate VMotion events.
NOTE: USB devices are not supported with ESX Server 2.1.2 software default
installation and configuration. Even if USB is enabled in the BIOS, the
ESX Server 2.1.2 software will disable it by default. If you need to use USB with
ESX Server 2.1.2, see the VMware knowledge base article 1326 - Using USB
When ESX Server Disables It.
The following tables list Dell's recommended configurations. Tabl e 1- 1
shows the common baseline configuration. For standalone configurations,
add the contents of
Table 1 -2 to that of Tabl e 1 -1 . For SAN-attached
configurations, add the contents of
Table 1-3 to that of Table 1-1 .
Table 1-1. Base ESX Server System Hardware Configuration
Device
Class
Configuration Configuration Configuration
Server PowerEdge 6650 PowerEdge 2850 PowerEdge 1850
Processor Four Intel Xeon
Processors
Two Intel Xeon
Processors
Two Intel Xeon
Processors
RAM 16 GB
(recommended)
8 GB
(recommended)
8 GB
(recommended)
RAID
Controller
PowerEdge
Expandable Raid
Controller 4, dual
channel
(PERC4/DC)
PowerEdge
Expandable Raid
Controller 4e/Di
(Dual Channel
Integrated)
PowerEdge
Expandable Raid
Controller 4e/Si
(Single Channel
Integrated)
Networking Two Integrated
Network Ports
Add-On NIC
Two Integrated
Network Ports
Add-On NIC
Two Integrated
Network Ports
Add-On NIC
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8Deployment Guide
Table 1-2. Additional Supported Devices for a Stand-Alone
ESX Server System Configuration
Server PE 6650 PE 2850 PE 1850
Storage Five internal hard
disks (15K RPM
at RAID 5
recommended)
Six internal hard
disks (15K RPM
at RAID 5
recommended)
Two internal hard
disks (15K RPM
at RAID 1
recommended)
Table 1-3. Additional Supported Devices for a SAN-attached
ESX Server System
Device Class Configuration
Host Bus Adapter (HBA) One fiber channel host bus
adapter (HBA)
or
Two fiber channel host bus
adapters (HBAs) for HBA failover
configurations
For higher availability on the PE
1850, the Qlogic QLA 2342 (dual
port HBA card) is recommended.
Storage Two internal hard disks (15K RPM
at RAID 1 recommended)
Table 1-4. Recommended VirtualCenter Server Configuration
Resource Class Recommendation
Server PowerEdge 1850
Memory 2 GB RAM
RAID Controller Integrated RAID controller
enabled
Storage Two internal hard disks (largest
capacity available at RAID 5)
Network Two integrated network ports
Operating System Microsoft Windows Server 2003
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Deployment Guide 9
Figure 1-2 shows the Dell qualified base server configuration when not using
VirtualCenter.
Figure 1-2. Non-VirtualCenter Configuration, One or More PowerEdge Servers
with Optional SAN
Dell's qualified configuration with VMware VirtualCenter is: VMware ESX
Server 2.1.2 software on each PowerEdge server with a single
VirtualCenter 1.1 Server on a PowerEdge 1850 managing all ESX Server
installations in a farm. For additional performance or VMware VMotion
features, Dell|EMC CX300, CX500, or CX700 storage is required.
Figure 1-3 shows the configuration when using VirtualCenter and Figure 1-4
shows the configuration when implementing HBA failover.
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10 Deployment Guide
Figure 1-3. VirtualCenter Configuration with SAN for VMotion
Figure 1-4. VirtualCenter Configuration with SAN for VMotion (with HBA Failover)
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Deployment Guide 11
Understanding ESX Server Components
• ESX Server – VMware virtualization software infrastructure installed
on PowerEdge Servers for partitioning and consolidating systems,
providing a platform for VMs.
• Service Console – a management interface for VMware virtualization
layer, which enables management of the ESX Server software remotely
from a web browser.
• Management User Interface (MUI) – Web based interface used to
configure the ESX Server software.
• Remote Console - Windows application, or Linux application that runs
locally on a PowerEdge Server. This enables remote console access to
Virtual Machines.
• Virtual Machine - an encapsulation of an operating system and its
application with dynamic features beyond physical machines.
NOTE: An explanation of the VMware ESX Server software component product
license information can be found at the www.dell.com/vmware under the
Product and Services tab.
Understanding VirtualCenter Components
• VirtualCenter Server - a management server for network-connected
VMware ESX Server systems.
• VirtualCenter Client - the client interface for end users and
administrators to access the VirtualCenter server. This is often run on
the same physical machine as the VirtualCenter Server.
• VirtualCenter Database - backend database used by the
VirtualCenter Server. This database can either be located on the same
server as the VirtualCenter Server or a separate server with
Microsoft SQL or Oracle database.
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12 Deployment Guide
• Template Repository - is a persistent storage location that maintains
VM templates. These are run-able images of OSs, optionally including
applications. The images can be rapidly cloned for use by
ESX Server systems.
NOTE: Cloning is deployment of a new VM and not migration of an
existing VM.
• VirtualCenter Agent - an agent that is installed on each
Dell PowerEdge Server with ESX Server software that is part of a
VirtualCenter farm. This agent allows the ESX Server software to be
managed by VirtualCenter and allows for the VMotion capability. This
agent is installed automatically when a host is added to VirtualCenter.
NOTE: If you are installing ESX Server 2.1.2 software in your network for the
first time and are using VirtualCenter, be sure to install or upgrade to
VirtualCenter 1.1 first. VirtualCenter 1.1 contains the correct version of the
VirtualCenter agent for ESX Server 2.1.2. This agent will be installed
automatically on ESX Server 2.1.2 systems when VirtualCenter discovers them.
Current Hardware and Software
Qualification List
For current Dell qualified configurations of VMware ESX Server software
and VirtualCenter, see
www.dell.com/vmware .
For Dell|EMC qualified storage configurations of VMware ESX Server
software and VirtualCenter, see EMC Support Matrix (ESM) at
www.emc.com/horizontal/interoperability/ .
For additional, non-qualified Dell configurations, see VMware's system, IO,
and SAN Compatibility Guides' located at
www.vmware.com/support/ .
Installation of ESX Server 2.1.2 Software
NOTE: ESX Server 2.1.2 software is only supported with VirtualCenter 1.1. If you
are using VirtualCenter to manage your ESX Server systems, you MUST
upgrade your VirtualCenter installation to VirtualCenter 1.1 BEFORE you
upgrade your ESX Server software to 2.1.2.
This section describes the important guidelines for the installation of
ESX Server 2.1.2 software on Dell servers. For step by step installation
instructions and requirements of the ESX Server 2.1.2 software, see the
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Deployment Guide 13
ESX Server 2.1 Installation Guide from VMware. This document comes with
the installation CD and can also be found at:
http://www.vmware.com/pdf/esx/esx21install.pdf .
Before Installation
Planning
Planning is an important phase in the installation of the ESX Server
software. A well planned installation will require fewer reconfigurations
and less tuning in the future. Gather the following information prior
to installation:
• Determine the number of VMs that will run on the ESX Server
installation and their corresponding workloads.
• Size the resource requirements for the VMs, such as
CPU requirements, amount of memory, number of NICs, etc. For more
information on sizing see the sizing guidelines document at
www.dell.com/vmware .
• Size the resource requirements for the Service Console.
• Identify resource sensitive VMs and dedicate the required resources to
those VMs (for example, dedicating a NIC to a file server).
• Gather the required network information, such as IP addresses,
gateways, and so on.
• Determine the most appropriate local disk partitioning scheme. (See
below for recommended disk partitioning.)
VirtualCenter
If you are using VirtualCenter to manage your ESX Server systems, be sure
to upgrade it to VirtualCenter version 1.1 before upgrading any of the
ESX Server systems to 2.1.2.
RAID Configuration
Before installing the ESX Server software make sure that the disks have the
required RAID configurations. Use the highest RAID level available, given
the number of local disk drives. For two disk drives, use RAID 1. For more
than two disk drives, use RAID 5 for improved performance. RAID 0 is not
recommended, since it does not provide redundancy of data.
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14 Deployment Guide
Utility Partition
New Dell Servers ship with the Dell Utility Partition (UP) pre-installed.
The UP is a bootable disk partition that contains Dell diagnostic utilities
and other software useful in maintaining the hardware. It is accessed by
pressing the <F10> key at system boot time. Dell recommends that you
keep the UP on your ESX Server system. If the UP has been deleted, it can
be restored using the
Dell OpenManage Server Assistant CD-ROM . For more
information, see
www.dell.com/openmanage .
NOTE: It is recommended to run the Memory Diagnostic test found in the Utility
Partition before the installation of ESX Server software.
Recommended Local Disk Partitioning
The following table lists the recommended local disk partitioning for the
ESX Server system. When installing the ESX Server system choose the
Manual Partitioning option and use the following table to create the local
disk partitions.
Table 1-5. Suggested Disk Partitioning within VMware ESX Server
Mount Point Type Recommended
Size
Notes
(none) vfat 31 MB Holds the Utility
Partition. Created using
Dell OpenManage Server
Assistant CD-ROM.
/boot ext3 50 MB Holds the boot kernel
image.
swap swap 2 * Service
Console Memory
This is the swap partition
for the Service Console
only and NOT the swap
file for the ESX Server
software.
/ ext3 4 GB Holds the Service
Console and VMware
ESX Server kernel.
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Deployment Guide 15
NOTE: The /vmimages partition can hold ISO9660 images of CD-ROMs as well
as Template Exported Virtual Disks. This space can also be used as temporary
or transient storage to assist in relocating Virtual Disk images. For example, the
Virtual Disks can be moved to this partition, and then copied to the destination
machine or storage area. This space can also be used to make temporary
backup copies of Virtual Disks.
Service Console Configuration
During device allocation, the memory reserved for Service Console is
configured. The amount of memory for the Service Console depends on the
number of virtual machines that are planned to run on the ESX Server
system. It is recommended that more memory (around 128 MB) be allocated
to the Service Console if Dell OpenManage is installed. The amount of
memory dedicated to the Service Console can be changed at any time, but
requires a reboot of the ESX Server system.
/vmimages ext3 10 GB+ Holds both ISO image
files and Template
Exported Virtual Disk
images.
/home ext3 2 GB Holds the individual
Virtual Machine
configuration files.
(none) vmkcore 102 MB Holds the core dump file
for the VMkernel.
(none) vmfs2 Remaining Holds the disk files for
the virtual machines.
Table 1-5. Suggested Disk Partitioning within VMware ESX Server (continued)
Mount Point Type Recommended
Size
Notes
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After Installation
After the installation of the ESX Server software in graphics mode, execute
the following steps to complete the installation.
• Create and activate a
swap file for the VMkernel. The swap file helps in
over-provisioning of the memory to the VMs and results in better
resource management.
• Give a name to the local VMFS partition. This will improve usability
and also preserve access to the local VM disk files, even if one or more
peripheral devices are added or removed.
• Create a
virtual switch and bind one or more outbound adapters to the
virtual switch, if the VMs in the server require an uplink.
For detailed instructions on how to execute the above steps see the
VMware ESX Server 2.1 Installation Guide .
SAN Environment Setup with
ESX Server Software
Advanced features such as VMotion technology require a Storage Area
Network (SAN) environment using Dell | EMC CX300, CX500, or CX700
storage devices. Setting up the SAN for ESX Server systems does not require
any special steps. This section provides a quick overview of the general
concepts of a SAN and the steps needed to set up a SAN environment.
LUN: A Logical Unit Number (LUN) is a unique identifier for a set of one or
more physical disks.
NOTE: A single disk can encompass more that one LUN, but it is not
recommended for performance reasons.
RAID Group: A RAID Group is a collection of one or more physical disks. In
order to use the LUNs one has to create a RAID group and bind LUNs to it.
Storage Group: A Storage Group is a set of one or more servers and one or
more LUNs. A server in a Storage Group can only access LUNs which are in
the same Storage Group. Storage Groups are typically used to implement
access control.
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Deployment Guide 17
In order to create and use Storage Groups in Navisphere, the Access Logic
TM
option must be enabled.
NOTE: Access Logic is a software component of Navisphere® which needs to
be installed at the storage system.
Zoning: Zoning controls access between fiber channel devices. Zoning at
the switch would determine the group servers that can access a particular
storage device.
The typical steps involved in setting up a SAN are:
1 Install and setup the CX300, CX500, or CX700 storage device.
2 Configure zoning at the switch level.
3 Create RAID groups.
4 Create and bind LUNs.
NOTE: When creating the LUNs, select Auto Assign to assign the LUN
to the storage processor. This is highly recommended for better
load balancing.
5
Manually register the servers (hosts) connected to the SAN (see below
for step by step instructions).
6 Create Storage Groups containing the servers and the LUNs.
For detailed information about setting up the storage device, and creating
LUNs, RAID groups, and Storage Groups see the
EMC Navisphere Manager:
Administrator’s Guide
. This document comes with the CX-series storage
device on a CD-ROM.
Manual Registration of Servers: The steps to manually register a host server
using Navisphere Manager are given below:
1 Click on the Storage tab on the Navisphere Manager session.
Right-click on the storage system and select
Connectivity Status .
All the World Wide Numbers (WWNs) of the HBAs installed in the
connected hosts should be displayed.
2 Select a WWN and select Register to register the HBA to the
Storage Device.
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18 Deployment Guide
3 Select the following options:
•
Initiator Type : CLARiiON Open
•
Failover Mode :1
•
Array CommPath : Enabled
•
Unit Serial Number : Array
4 Enter the required Hostname and IP address for the server and
select
OK . Repeat the steps for all the WWNs connected to the
storage device.
5 The host server must now be registered to the storage device. The host
is then assigned to a Storage Group along with the LUNs that it will
use to store VMFS files.
NOTE: WWN of HBAs installed in a particular server can be determined by
executing the command
more /proc/scsi/qla2300/* (for Qlogic HBAs) or
more /proc/scsi/lpfdd/* (for Emulex HBAs) in the
service console.
NOTE: EMC PowerPath is not supported with ESX software.
Setting Up Manual Load Balancing
Automatic load balancing is not supported in VMware ESX Server software.
Load balancing can be achieved by manually configuring the preferred path
for each LUN from the ESX MUI. For more information about load
balancing, refer to
Configuring redundancy and load balancing in Dell | EMC
Storage for VMware ESX Server Software
at www.dell.com/vmware .
Dell OpenManage in a
VMware ESX Server Environment
OpenManage Software Overview
Dell OpenManage systems management software is a suite of application
programs for PowerEdge systems. This software allows you to manage your
system with proactive monitoring, diagnosis, notification, and remote
access. Each system that you plan to manage with Dell OpenManage
software products is called a
managed system . Managed system applications
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