This page is part of my webdevster.com tutorial, see index to OpenQRM and XEN LVM based HVM VM.
[2.0] Chapter 2 - Install Xen and VM
Shows how to install Debian x64; how to install Xen; and how to create an LVM based HVM VM. This chapter is de singed, for absolute beginners, as it attempts to detail every step.
Overview
-Requirements
-Assumptions
-Tutorial Objective
About OpenQRM
-About the OpenQRM Version
-About our OpenQRM Network
-About our OpenQRM Topology and Resource Allocation
[1.0] Chapter 1 - Install OpenQRM
[1.1] Step 1: Install Debian x64
[1.2] Step 2: Install Optional GUI and NX on Debian x64
[1.3] Step 3: Firewall/DHCP/NAT (MOnowall) Configuration
[1.4] Step 4: Network Interface Configuration
[1.5] Step 5. Install OpenQRM Server
[1.6] Step 6. OpenQRM Installer Configuration
[1.7] Step 7. Database Configuration
[1.8] Step 8. OpenQRM Web Interface Manager Configuration
[2.0] Chapter 2 - Install Xen and VM
[2.1] Step 1. Install and Provision Debian x64
[2.2] Step 2. Install XEN and configure
[2.3] Step 3. Install VNC and configure
[2.4] Step 4. Configure LVM for Xen VM
[2.5] Step 5. Install Xen Guest VM, on Xen Host LV
[2.6] Step 6. Xen Troubleshooting and Optional Useful CLI Commands
[3.0] Chapter 3 - Xen and OpenQRM Integration
[3.1] Step 1. Log into OpenQRM, enable, and start Plugins
[3.2] Step 2. Integrate XEN hypervisor server with OpenQRM server
[3.3] Step 3. Provision XEN-Storage Host in OpenQRM as Resource
[3.4] Step 4. Verify XEN LVM VM on Remote/Local XEN Host Server
[3.5] Step 5. Optional PXE Boot
[3.6] Step 6. Optional Import Xen Host Kernel to OpenQRM
[3.7] Step 7. Remove and Recreate VM (vmx01cms01.cfg) cfg file
[3.8] Step 8. Configure VM Image
[3.9] Step 9. Configure Appliance
[3.10] Step 10. Start the Appliance
[3.11] Step 11. Have Fun with VM
My Step by Step tutorial, is divided into 5 sections which include 3 Chapters.
About OpenQRM
This tutorial is split into three chronological chapters:
Chapters
Install OpenQRM
Install Xen and VM
Xen and OpenQRM Integration
In this chapter you’ll accomplish:
- 1 XEN Host Server
Xen Host
Debian x64
Host name (Server Name) x01
Domain Name lc1.cloud1
fqdn x01.lc1.cloud1
ip address 10.1.11.11
- 1 VM on Xen Host Server
Xen LVM based HVM VM
Debian x64 v5.06
Host name (Server Name) vmx01cms01
Domain Name lc1.cloud1
fqdn vmx01cms01.lc1.cloud1
ip address dhcp, (10.1.11.254 given by OpenQRM)
In this chapter, we’ll be installing Xen on Debian x64 and creating an LVM based VM, on the second server from scratch. What this jargon means, is that, we’ll install a Debian 64 bit Operating System; we’ll install Xen; and we’ll create a Virtual Machine on a hard drive partition (instead of a ‘file based’); all on a second server. The VM, will be the Debian x64; of course you can create the VM with your favorite distro, i.e. Ubuntu, etc…, because the same process applies.
Xen is a hypervisor, installed on an OS, in our case the OS will be Debian x64. We’ll call this the Xen host. This Xen host, can host many virtual machines, we’ll call these VMs. Our XEN setup is on a HVM (Hardware Virtual Machine), Full Virtualization, therefore requires VT enabled processor. If you don’t have VT, you’ll probably want to set up “file based” Xen VMs, in order for OpenQRM to manage Xen with the “xen” plugin, but this is not in the scope of this tutorial. At the time of this tutorial, OpenQRM 4.7 “xen-storage” plugin didn’t support paravirtualization. Xen host can do both types of Virtualization and OpenQRM also supports the integration of both.
Before getting started make sure your server is VT enabled:
prompt>egrep ‘(vmx|svm)’ –color=always /proc/cpuinfoIf you get a response then your good to go. If no response, than no VT and you’ll have to do “file based” Xen, as described above.
It’s important to know the significance of Full Virtualization and Paravirtualization in XEN, here is a (quick and dirty*) breakdown:
Paravirtualization:
- The hypervisor (i.e. Xen host), provides it’s physical hardware (instructions*) to all the VMs.
- Requires a modified installation (image) of the OS for the VM, i.e. the OS image you download with xen-tools or virt-manager.
- The VM is completely aware, it’s in a virtual environment
- VNC is not required to install OS
- XM Console easy to setup.
- OpenQRM Supports
- XEN Supports
Full Virtualization
- The hypervisor (i.e. Xen host), provides it’s physical hardware (as-is*) to all the VMs.
- Does not require a modified installation (image) of the OS for the VM, i.e. you can use the OS cdrom you purchased; windows, or you can use an ISO of a debian installation cdrom you downloaded, normally from their website.
- The VM may or not be aware it’s in a virtual environment.
- Most likely you need VNC to install OS, so Xen Host needs a basic VNC Server setup.
- XM Console cumbersome to setup.
- OpenQRM Supports
- Xen Supports
As far the performance difference, you can find many articles, google full virtualization vs paravirtualization performance. I’ve read many detailed articles/benchmarks and I’ve tested many variations, which lead me to surmise the following saying, “It all Depends”.
In my example I use Debian x64 XEN host with LVM VMs (instead of File Based VMs); VT enabled.
NOTE:
If your testing this XEN environment in a virtual VMWare Workstation 6.5-7, 32 bit XEN-ified Debian faults at boot with following error:
..”"a virtual cpu has entered the shutdown state”"..
However a 64 bit XEN-ified Debian boots cleanly in VMWare Workstation 6.5-7. I installed the 32 bit as described in this “how to” article on “physical” IBM blade, and it booted cleanly.
NOTE:
Before getting started, (as noted above) make sure your server is VT enabled:
If you have access to the server: prompt>egrep ‘(vmx|svm)’ –color=always /proc/cpuinfo
If you get a response then your good to go. If no response, than no VT and you’ll have to do “file based” Xen, as described above.
If it’s new server, with no OS.Than read your server’s owner’s manual to see if the bios supports VT, if it does than make sure your CPU also supports VT. Most newer systems support VT.
Ok, now that we have an understanding of Xen Virtualization, we can get started on installing the Xen Server in the following page 5, Step 1. Install and Provision Debian x64.
" OpenQRM and XEN LVM based HVM VM. "
I loved this example of how to OpenQRM and XEN servers. It is a truly a complete installation guide. Incredible artcile.
" OpenQRM and XEN LVM based HVM VM. "
Thanks for the effort you took in writing this article. It really helped me with my first OpenQRM setup!
Loved it!
" OpenQRM and XEN LVM based HVM VM. "
Hi,
A really cool how to about Openqrm, especially when it is pretty hard to find a similar article related Openqrm on the Internet.
We are testing this product at the moment. Just want to know if you have the experience of integrating Openqrm with a iSCSI storage application, like Openfiler or similar applications.
Thanks for this excellent contribution.
" OpenQRM and XEN LVM based HVM VM. "
Thanks a ton for This post! Very Informative. Got Exactly what i was looking for. keep it up.
" OpenQRM and XEN LVM based HVM VM. "
@Colin
Thanks for your kind words, and great sentence structure; you must be an English major.
You asked about, “Openqrm with a iSCSI storage application, like Openfiler”, well it’s like netapp filer (cha-ching) and openQRM, but you and the whole world already new that. OpenQRM targets iSCSI model apps, after all it’s a cloud right, and you need a lot of space. I am by no means an expert on Openfiler, netapp, or other iSCSI storage apps. But I hope soon I’ll own some, because that means I’m doing pretty good, ay.
I can tell you, openQRM is pluggable into almost every environment. So you can merry along with any virtual environment backed by almost any storage app, and openQRM will plug right in and manage it. And if you rather use their proprietary applications to manage, you can also do that as well without interference. Well I hope this all made sense, because it made no sense to me, JK.
Also here is good read on iSCSI.
" OpenQRM and XEN LVM based HVM VM. "
I don’t see “Vol” on this Step “Verify Logical Volume Storage on XEN Host (x01-lc1-cloud1-lvm)”
Error during selecting volume group ! Please check the Event-Log
" OpenQRM and XEN LVM based HVM VM. "
Thank you for this great howto, this made it so much easier to setup a POC for a project I was hoping to do. I have run into one annoying glitch. OpenQRM rewrites the vm config files in /etc/xen. So any xen config file options that I enter, like usbdevice=’tablet’, just gets erased. I was told to enter them in the xen_generate_vm_config function in /usr/share/openqrm/plugins/xen/bin/openqrm-xen, but I have tried, and this does not work. This seems like such a small thing, but until I can add options to the xen config file when the vm is generated, this program just misses the mark. Have any of you solved this. Your suggestions would be appreciated.