FAQ on OLVM: Answers to Your Burning Questions

Virtualization technology has revolutionized the way we deploy and manage enterprise IT environments. It enables us to create multiple virtual machines on a single physical server, which can be used for a variety of tasks such as hosting applications, running databases, and testing software. Oracle Linux Virtualization Manager (OLVM) is one such virtualization solution that allows organizations to deploy and manage virtual machines in an enterprise environment.

As an engineer who has installed numerous OLVM setups and worked extensively with virtualization technology, I have noticed that customers often have a lot of questions regarding OLVM and how it works. To address these questions and provide a comprehensive resource for those looking to use OLVM, I have put together this FAQ guide that covers some of the most common questions I have received. Whether you are new to virtualization or an experienced IT professional, I hope the information in this blog will be useful to you.

What is OLVM

OLVM is based on the open-source virtualization management platform called oVirt. Oracle has used the oVirt platform as the foundation for developing OLVM, which is a commercially supported version of the open-source platform. OLVM provides additional features, integration with Oracle products, and commercial support that are not available in the oVirt community version. However, both oVirt and OLVM use the same underlying KVM hypervisor technology to create and manage virtual machines.

By using KVM as its foundation, OLVM is able to take advantage of the performance, security, and scalability benefits of this proven virtualization technology. KVM is widely used in data centers around the world, and is supported by many of the major Linux distributions, including Oracle Linux, Red Hat Enterprise Linux, and SUSE Linux Enterprise Server.

How do I backup a virtual machine in OLVM?

To back up a virtual machine, you can use the libvirt tool to create a snapshot of the VM’s disk image. You can then copy the snapshot to a backup location using any standard backup method, such as rsync or scp. It’s important to note that backups should be stored on a separate physical disk or network location to ensure that they are protected in case of disaster.

What is the difference between a snapshot and a backup?

Snapshots are kept locally and can be used to revert to a previous state if something goes wrong during an update or configuration change. However, snapshots are not a substitute for backups, as they do not protect against hardware or storage failures. Backups, on the other hand, are kept off-site so they can be used to restore the VM in case of hardware or storage failures.

Can I run Windows virtual machines on OLVM?

Yes, you can run Windows virtual machines on OLVM, but you’ll need to ensure that the necessary Windows drivers and tools are installed. This includes the VirtIO drivers, which provide optimized I/O performance for Windows virtual machines running on KVM. You can download the VirtIO drivers from the oracle software delivery cloud and install them on your Windows virtual machine using the installation wizard.

How does Oracle Database Licensing work on OLVM?

Oracle Database licensing on OLVM is based on the physical hardware that the virtual machines are running on. In general, you need to have valid licenses for every physical server, regardless of how many virtual machines or how many instances of the database are running. So it is in fact following licensing rules independent from OLVM.

There is one important exception though. OLVM supports hard-partitioning which can be used to limit the amount of cpu/cores allocated for running Oracle Databases and hence can be used to limit the required licenses. This is accomplished using the CPU pinning feature. CPU pinning allows you to assign specific physical CPU cores to a virtual machine, effectively limiting the number of cores that the virtual machine can use.

In general, it is always best to consult with an Oracle licensing expert to ensure that you are properly licensed for your specific use case. Oracle licensing rules can be complex, and it’s important to ensure that you are in compliance.

Can I import virtual machines from other virtualization platforms into OLVM?

Yes, it is possible to import virtual machines from other virtualization platforms into OLVM. OLVM supports the import of virtual machines in both the Open Virtualization Format (OVF) and Virtual Machine Disk (VMDK) formats. It’s important to note that the imported virtual machine may require some configuration adjustments to ensure optimal performance and compatibility with OLVM. ( f.e. uninstall VMware Tools )

Conclusion

I hope this FAQ has been helpful in answering some of your questions about Oracle Linux Virtualization Manager (OLVM). If you have any additional questions about OLVM, or if you need assistance with installing or configuring the platform, please don’t hesitate to contact me. I’m always here to help and I’m happy to share my experience and expertise with you.

Thank you for reading, and happy virtualizing!

Bjorn

Different Storage Domains in Oracle Linux Virtualization Manager

Introduction

Oracle Linux Virtualization Manager (OLVM) is a comprehensive cloud and virtualization management platform for enterprises. It provides an easy and reliable way for businesses to manage their virtualization infrastructure. This article will discuss the different storage domains available in OLVM and how they can be used to provide a high-performance and reliable environment for virtual machines.

Local Storage Domain

Local storage domains are the simplest and most straightforward form of storage available in OLVM. These domains are created directly on the host and can be used to store virtual machine images. This type of storage provides the highest performance, as the data is stored directly on the physical host. However, it is not suitable for large scale deployments, as data is stored on a single physical host.

NFS Storage Domain

Network File System (NFS) storage domains provide an easy way to store virtual machine images across multiple physical hosts. These NFS storage domains are created on a central server and allow the data to be accessed from multiple physical hosts which leads to a higher level of scalability and flexibility for larger deployments. However, NFS storage domains can also be utilized for smaller deployments as well, since they can provide a straightforward way to share data and resources among multiple physical hosts. Moreover, this type of storage solution offers a great degree of convenience and is highly reliable, as the data is stored in a centralized location. This makes it easy to access the data and resources from any of the physical hosts, ensuring that the data is always available. Consequently, NFS storage domains are an excellent choice for both large and small deployments.

iSCSI Storage Domain

iSCSI storage domains provide a high-performance storage solution for virtual machines, offering increased scalability, performance, and security. By creating a dedicated storage server, multiple physical hosts can access the data, thus providing a higher level of scalability and performance than if the data was stored in a decentralized manner. Moreover, the security of the data is improved, as it is encrypted and stored on a secure server, thus adding an extra layer of protection. With its ability to provide a high level of scalability, performance, and security, iSCSI storage domains make an ideal storage solution for virtual machines.

Conclusion

Oracle Linux Virtualization Manager provides a comprehensive cloud and virtualization management platform for enterprises. It provides multiple storage domains for businesses to store their virtual machine images. Local storage domains provide the highest performance, while NFS and iSCSI storage domains provide greater scalability and security. Businesses should choose the storage domain that best meets their needs in order to provide a high-performance and reliable environment for their virtual machines.

All About Data Domains in Oracle Linux Virtualization Manager

Introduction

Data domains are one of the fundamental building blocks in Oracle Linux Virtualization Manager (OLVM). This blog post will look at the different data domains available in OLVM and explain how they work together.

Network Domains

Network domains are a vital component of a virtual system, as they are responsible for defining the virtual networks that virtual machines and applications can connect to. Additionally, network domains contain important settings such as VLANs, which help to segment the network so that only certain systems can communicate with each other, as well as security policies, which are used to regulate the access of certain users to the network, and routing information, which is used to direct network traffic to the correct destination. All of these settings are crucial for ensuring the smooth functioning of the virtual system.

Storage Domains

Storage domains are the physical storage locations for virtual machines and other resources, such as databases, applications, and operating systems. Storage domains can be shared among multiple virtual systems, allowing for great flexibility when it comes to allocating resources. Settings such as RAID levels, LUNs, and quotas are all managed within the storage domains, ensuring that all virtual machines and other resources have the appropriate configuration for optimal performance. The ability to share storage domains across multiple virtual systems also helps reduce the overall cost of storage, as resources can be allocated in the most efficient manner possible.

Compute Domains

Compute domains are the physical computing resources that are used to deploy and run virtual machines, applications, and services. These domains contain customized settings such as CPU, memory, and networking configurations that are tailored to the specific needs of the applications and services running on them. These settings are essential to ensure the optimal performance of the compute resources and allow them to process data quickly and efficiently. Additionally, the compute domains can be scaled up or down based on the changing needs of the applications and services they are supporting. This scalability ensures that the compute resources are always up to date and able to handle the current workloads.

Conclusion

Data domains are an important part of Oracle Linux Virtualization Manager, and they provide the foundation for creating and managing virtual systems. Network, storage, and compute domains are all necessary for a successful virtual environment.

IOUG Virtualization SIG – Day 1

So, Day 1 of the Virtualization SIG on www.ioug.org is over. All by all an interesting day.
The schedule was :

Session 1 – Oracle on Oracle VM – Expert Panel
Session 2 – Maximizing your Virtualized Environment with Oracle VM
Session 3 – The RAC OVM Templates and the new DeployCluster tool on OVM3
Session 4 – The Latest on Oracle VM
Session 5 – Simplifying Application Deployment in Cloud Using Virtual Assemblies and EM 12c

The first session was a general session about Cloud, Virtualization and introduction to OVM.

Roger Lopez talked about OVM and it’s features in detail in the second session. I had the pleasure of seeing Roger on OOW with this session. It was very well structured and provided a look at how you deploy RAC clusters on OVM with the new templates and DeployCluster tool. A perfect introduction for the next session off course where Saar Maoz talked really enthusiastic about this tool and explained in detail how it worked and how you could go to a very low level and perform the commands yourself. It was no surprise to me that the tool used the same OVM API as I blogged about here. It was a surprise however to see how robust the application was written and how well it adjusted to reruns and failures. There was even some time for demo’s that I really appreciated.

Xsigo was something I talked about in my presentation aswell and was glad to see it in the presentation of Ronen Kofman ( Latest on OVM ). It really simplifies your whole Network topology. I have no idea on prices yet though. The rest of his presentation handled the new features in the 3.2.1 open Beta.

The last session of the day handled the Virtual Assembly Builder, A pretty powerful tool to create, manage and deploy your assemblies as fully functional interconnected Virtual Machines. It’s on my todo list to play around with it.

Tonight is Day 2, the VMWare day. I hope this time it will talk a little bit more about best practices on running Oracle Databases Virtualised, but from the titles of the sessions, I’m sure that will be the case.

You can register here

Virtualization Strategy with Oracle VM and Oracle Linux

I’m giving a presentation on this topic on thursday 25 Oct for OracleOpenXperience. Here are the slides for my presentation. Hope you find it interesting.

Oracle OpenXperience – Virtualization Strategy with Oracle VM & Oracle Linux