[PVE-User] info.

[Martin Maurer]

Hi,

> -----Original Message-----
> From: pve-user-bounces at pve.proxmox.com [mailto:pve-user-
> bounces at pve.proxmox.com] On Behalf Of Philippe Dhont
> Sent: Montag, 11. Oktober 2010 13:18
> To: pve-user at pve.proxmox.com
> Subject: [PVE-User] info.
> 
> Hi All,
> 
> I have some questions regarding Proxmox VE.
> For the moment we use vmware 3.5 and I am looking to implement 1 or 2
> new servers for virtualization.
> Maybe, I would like to use proxmox (with maintenance contract) but I am
> new and I have some questions.
> 
> 1) Is Proxmox for the moment stable enough to use in production
> environment?

Yes. We have several kernel branches, depending on your needs (see  http://pve.proxmox.com/wiki/Proxmox_VE_Kernel)

> I would install proxmox on the servers and run all our servers on it (about 15 -
> 20 servers mixed environment -W2003/W2008/Linux).
> Are there users who use proxmox fully operational with more than 15
> servers ?
> 
> 2) How does backup works with databases ?
> We are using exchange, can I make a safe backup when the VM is running or
> do I have to stop the exchange services or is it better to use a database
> backup program in windows ?
> (this is not specially for exchange but for every database).

Vzdump is using LVM snapshots, issues with consistent data in database should be handled by the database (there are some threads in our forum about this topic, just read there). 

On our site, we do weekly backups with vzdump (GUI integrated) and we so daily Backups with a windows based and exchange aware backup tool. 
In the case of disaster, we have a fast restore with the image backup, for the rest we have the backup tool on windows.

> 
> 3) How much resources does openVZ  uses compared with a fully virtual linux
> installation ?
> Is OpenVZ totally safe ? Is it possible that if there is a problem with the host
> (proxmox) that this reflects the openvz container ?

Depends on the usage but if possible, I always recommend to use OpenVZ.

> 
> 4) If we buy only one server, how does upgrading works in proxmox to a new
> version ?
> Do you have to stop all virtual machines, update & reboot ?

If you got a new kernel, you need to reboot.

> What if you reboot & you face problems with booting ? Is it best to make a
> backup of all virtual servers first ?

A backup is always a good idea but this is a global answer, applies to all solutions.

> 
> 5) If you upgrade 2 servers, can you live migrate all servers to the other
> server (also exchange server) ? or is this just too much work to do ?

If you have the virtual disks on shared storage you can use live migrate.

> 
> 6) Is proxmox (enterprise) working fine without shared storage or is it the
> best practice to use shared storage for live migration (and high availability in
> the future).

You need shared storage (or DRBD), otherwise you cannot live migrate.

> What shared storage products are compatible with proxmox ?

See http://www.proxmox.com/products/proxmox-ve/system-requirements-proxmox-ve

> 
> 7) Can you schedule automatic backup during night ?

Yes.

> 
> 8) If you have a maintenance contract with proxmox, how do they connect ?
> via teamviewer on a computer and then ssh ?

Standard support is via email trouble ticket system, if needed ssh access. We are also preparing a customer portal, available next year.

> 
> 9) I have no experience with KVM, how is it (speed, resources) compared
> with concurrent products as vmware, xenserver, hyper-v ?

There are a lot of performance benchmarks around, redhat says KVM is the fastest, vmware say vshpere is the fastest, same xen and microsoft. As VMware does not allow to publish benchmarks there is not much available here.

My personal opinion is that there is not that much difference, KVM improved a lot since last year, especially the latest kernels and KVM version are quite nice. If this development speed is kept, the future of KVM is  brilliant.

For running Linux, in almost all end to end cases OpenVZ is unbeatable due to the container technology.

> 
> 10) This is the configuration we would maybe buy, is it compatible with
> proxmox ?
> - PowerEdge R715 Rack Chassis for Up to 6x 2.5" HDDs
> - 2x AMD Opteron 6128 (2.0GHz, 8x512K L2 Cache, 115W TDP, 8C)
> - R715 EMEA1 Ship Docs No Power Cord
> - (English/Slovenian/Slovakian/Polish/Czech/Hungarian/Greek/Arabic)
> - 2U Rack Bezel (R715/R810/R815)
> - 32GB Memory for 2CPU (16x2GB Dual Rank RDIMMs) 1333MHz
> - 600GB SAS 6Gbps 10k 2.5" HD Hot Plug  -- 5 disks
> - PERC H700 Integrated RAID Controller, 512MB Cache
> - 16X DVD-ROM Drive SATA
> - 2M Rack Power Cord C13/C14 12A
> - Redundant Power Supply (2 PSU) 750W
> - Intel Gigabit ET Quad Port Server Adapter, Cu, PCIe x4
> - Two Dual Port Embedded Broadcom NetXtreme II 5709 Gigabit Ethernet NIC
> with TOE & iSCSI
> - iDRAC6 Express
> - No Operating System
> - Dell Management Console DVD
> - You have chosen not to take the Dell PowerEdge installation service
> - Sliding Ready Rack Rails with Cable Management Arm
> - C4 - R5 for PERC H700, Min. 3 Max. 6 Drives
> - PowerEdge Order - Belgium
> - Base Warranty
> - 3Yr Basic Warranty - Next Business Day - Minimum Warranty
> - 5Yr ProSupport for End Users and Next Business Day On-Site Service
> 
> 
> Thank you.
> Philippe Dhont.
> 
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