large environment migrations to vsphere 4.0 u1 & architecture considerations

Copyright © 2006 Siemens Medical Solutions USA, Inc. All rights reserved.

Large Environment Migrations to vSphere 4.0 U1

&

Architecture Considerations

Victor Barra & Chris Hayes

IT ArchitectureSiemens Health Services

Enterprise Hosting Solutions


Discussion Topics

vSphere4 Real World Upgrades Architecture & Deployment Considerations Observations


The Upgrade Process “Real World”

Setup Update Manager

Install ToolsUpgrade Virtual Hardware

Upgrade vCenter

Use Update Manager or Fresh ESX Install


vSphere 4 Upgrade Process1. Confirm Hardware Compatibility & Versions (vCenter and ESX)

a) Confirm vCenter Server hardware scalabilityb) Conduct RDBMS version upgrade (where applicable)

2. vCenter 4.0a) Configure SNMPb) Confirm Security Rolesc) Install\configure Update Managerd) Build Update Manager Baselinee) Confirm Alerts\Thresholds

3. ESX 4.0, Update1a) Rebuild or Update Manager (very effective)b) Remediate: By cluster or by host (1.5 hours per host)

4. Update Licensing5. VM Tools Upgrade (reboot required)

a) Update Manager (very effective)6. Virtual Hardware 4 Upgrade (reboot required & complicated with static addressed environments)

vCenter and ESX Upgrade Summary


vCenter and ESX Upgrade Details

Check hardware compatibility guides (vCenter and ESX)(http://www.vmware.com/resources/compatibility/search.php) Be sure to check for ESX hosts and vCenter server hardware

Confirm Capability for 3rd party components and hardware updates vCenter: plugins, agents, etc. ESX: hardware, storage microcode and agents

RDBMS considerations: Upgrade or New; What version; Remote or Local? Configure: SQL permissions, ODBC client, etc.

vCenter Configuration (varies based on upgrade process) Security Roles: re-map new granular and new feature function roles Update Manager: download content; build baseline & schedulesz—ESX and VMs Monitoring\Alerting: current and new feature triggers & alarms

ESX Configuration (varies based on upgrade process) Upgrade via VMUM: set and forget Reinstall 3rd parties impacted by upgrade Siemens average timing: 1.5 hours per host

http://www.vmware.com/resources/compatibility/search.php



Licensing…what’s new is old No licensing server Keys are simple 25-character strings Consolidated license keys (versus separate vmotion, HA/DRS, keys)

VM Tools Upgrade Update Manager: typically set and forget Helpful resources for when VMTools installs fail:

Run Setup –c (automates otherwise manual cleanup) http://kb.vmware.com/selfservice/microsites/search.do?

language=en_US&cmd=displayKC&externalId=1015572 http://kb.vmware.com/selfservice/microsites/search.do?

cmd=displayKC&docType=kc&externalId=1014169&sliceId=1&docTypeID=DT_KB_1_1&dialogID=61282982&stateId=0%200%2062711545

http://kb.vmware.com/selfservice/microsites/search.do?language=en_US&cmd=displayKC&externalId=1308



Virtual Hardware 4 Upgrade Execution completion takes 30 seconds, however… Process Requires Outage to VM--multiple reboots Is like replacing the motherboard in a physical machine Installs new devices (disk, NIC and RAID) Uses a VMUpgradeHelper to facilitate upgrade (collects supplies VM’s information) Old devices not always cleaned-up (as seen in next slide) Process is Not static IP friendly (loses WINS info)


Overhead of these complications can significantly impact upgrade project timeline




vCenter and ESX Upgrade Details Hardware, Upgrade Version 4 to 7


vCenter and ESX Upgrade Details, How to check for “hidden devices”


Architecture & Deployment Considerations

LUN Device Naming Service Console Redundancy Guest Network Redundancy Console Memory Allocation Host Partitioning (ESX 4 TBD) Cluster Size Large-footprint VM hosting Planning for cloning, snap-shots, etc. Distributing Administration and Support Roles Storage Migration Thin Provisioning vNetwork Distributed Switch Host Profiles


Base Deployment (Close Up View)

Service Console

Vmotion Network

Networking (VLAN 1)

Networking (VLAN 1)

:::::::

HB

A 1

:::::::

HBA

21

VLAN

1VL

AN 2

2 1

VLAN

1VL

AN 2

2

1 2 3 4

Serv

ice

Cons

ole

VMot

ion

Fiber Cable

Networking

VMotion

ServiceConsole


Console Memory Service Console Memory (Right Sizing)

Find the right size for the Service Console up to the maximum of 800MB, depending on installed 3rd party software (remember the “Free” command)

Mileage may vary depending on 3rd-party agents and overhead


LUN Naming Considerations for Large Environments

LUN Naming Example – <ESX Farm name><Array Serial Number><Device ID>where array serial number is the last 4 digits of the array serial number and volume number is exactly 4 digits in length. ex. dvlp41691249

Example of the host-to-device mappings for 11 of a 22-host farm:


Reminder: VMWare Infrastructure 3 Support Life Cycle

http://www.vmware.com/support/policies/lifecycle/vi/eos.html


Observations…

ESX 1.0 to ESX 4.0: from industry buzz to organizational transformation

Challenging transition from consolidation to tiered hosting model

Native and 3rd party tools started to encourage organizational adoptionvCenter manageability\accessibility advantagesRobust Networking appliances, Storage APIsHardware heath monitoring\alerting integration

Executive leaders finding value in abstraction, but is still a sell

Fewer ROI hearings, some things just need to be done

Technology availability and social computing impact platform expectations

Generic tools not cutting it, but limited funding for vi-specific solutions

Business Recovery tools in unique demand, but data-rep still obstacle


Questions & Answers

Victor Barra & Christopher HayesIT Architecture, Siemens Medical Solutions

[email protected]@siemens.com

mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

large environment migrations to vsphere 4.0 u1 & architecture considerations

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