Archive for the ‘ Virtualization ’ Category

Don’t use the Microsoft iSCSI Software Initiator in a Virtual Machine

Lots of people regularly use the Microsoft iSCSI Software Initiator on physical machines to attach iSCSI LUNs from filers to hosts. This is an add on free download for Server 2003, and comes pre-installed on Server 2008.  In general, on physical machines, it works fine. So assuming that it’d work just fine on a virtual machine, we tried to [ READ MORE ]

Add a XenServer storage repository on local disk

Most people use shared storage, like iSCSI, for their XenServer storage repositories to hold virtual machines.  Virtual machines *MUST* be in a shared storage repository in order to enable XenMotion and other advanced features. It is handy to have some local storage repositories available, mainly to hold backups of machines.  For example, you could shutdown a [ READ MORE ]

Stream local desktops with Citrix Provisioning Server (part of XenDesktop)

“Stream a desktop? What is that?”  Well, it’s something like making an image and then deploying it (ala Norton Ghost).  The cool thing is that clients *ALWAYS* PXE boots from the image, nothing is installed locally. So you can make one image, and then run a whole room or building full of machines off that one [ READ MORE ]

Notes on using Openfiler with Xenserver

Once you have Openfiler going with iSCSI (read my notes here), then try serving up iSCSI storage with Openfiler to XenServer.  You need shared storage, like iSCSI, to enable some of the “enterprise” features like XenMotion, where you can move running virtual machines from host to host.  Here are my notes on using Openfiler with [ READ MORE ]

“How did I get a rack of boat anchors?” or why you can’t afford NOT to virtualize

Wherever I have worked, there’s a lot of servers laying around that aren’t doing a whole lot.  A fundamental benefit of virtualization is better utilization of resources.  In a virtualized environment, you *DON’T* have a bunch of unused capacity. Hardware acquisitions work something like this: [ READ MORE ]

Comparison of Citrix XenServer Essentials with VMware vSphere Essentials

XenServer is free.  vSphere is pricey, or so they say.  You really need to compare feature by feature. Some of the key features that virtualization users want are: Hypervisor (XenServer or vSphere) Central multi-hypervisor management (XenCenter or vCenter) If a physical host fails, restart virtual machines on surviving hosts (XenServer High Availability or VMware HA) Move a virtual machine from [ READ MORE ]

How we use virtualization in the Computer Science Department at Cal Poly, SLO

Historically, students and to a smaller degree faculty members, have requested server or other computing resources from the department to support projects or instruction.  In the past, the department was unable to satisfy these requests in a wholly satisfactory fashion.  Often students were given “yesterday’s” aging hardware to use.  In some cases, depending on what [ READ MORE ]

Citrix XenServer is easy and free!

Just for grins, I loaded XenServer the other day.  It was *REALLY* easy.  No big surprises, get the installers for XenServer and XenCenter.  Load XenServer on the server you are going to use for a hypervisor host.  Load XenCenter on any old Windows machine.  You have to register for a free license, and then install [ READ MORE ]

Support the FSF

[FSF Associate Member]
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License.
© 2009 Gregory L. Porter.

Disclaimer

This is *MY* blog, not my employer's. I pay for the hosting. Any opinions expressed here are my own. Your mileage may vary. Don't take the red pill. Do not meddle in the affairs of system administrators, for they are subtle and quick to anger.
"The [atomic] bomb will never go off. I speak as an expert in explosives." -- Admiral William Leahy, U.S. Atomic Bomb Project.