Citrix XenServer 5.
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Contents 1 Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Citrix XenServer Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . VM Operating System Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . XenMotion Support Requirements 2 Installing and Configuring Citrix XenServer . . . . . . . . Installing XenServer . 4 Citrix XenCenter 7 8 9 . . . . . . . . . . . 11 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Dell Systems Build and Update Utility . . . . . . . 18 Server Update Utility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Dell Update Package . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 IPMI Baseboard Management Controller . . . . . 19 . . . . . . . . . 19 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Server Administrator Web Server Installing OpenManage Using Dell OpenManage in XenServer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 . . . . . . . . . . . 22 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Creating a Storage Repository on PowerVault MD3000i and MD32x0i Storage Arrays . Dell EqualLogic PS Series . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Creating a Storage Repository on Dell EqualLogic PS Series Arrays 6 Best Practices . . . . . . . . . . 32 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 High Availability Configuration and IP Storage Traffic Segregation . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Adjusting SCSI Timeouts to Tolerate Storage Controller Failures . . . . . . . . . .
B Appendix: NIC Enumeration in Citrix XenServer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C Appendix: Supported Hardware D Appendix: Troubleshooting . . . . . . 43 . . . . . . . . . . 45 Unable to Power on a Microsoft Windows Virtual Machine (VM) . . . . . . . . . . . Symptom . . . . . . . 45 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Resolution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Resolution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
1 Overview This document contains information that is specific to running Citrix XenServer on Dell servers and storage systems, including features, supported hardware, reference configurations, and best practices. Dell and Citrix have partnered to bring pre-qualified and virtualization-ready platforms for dynamic and growing data centers.
• Improved reliability—XenServer hosts can connect to remote internet small computer system interface (iSCSI) or Network File System (NFS) storage and take advantage of features such as Citrix XenMotion to minimize VM downtime and workload migration. • Improved XenServer updates—To improve reliability of software upgrades, the XenServer image contains a primary and secondary copy of the XenServer file system.
XenMotion Support Requirements XenMotion is the capability of a VM to migrate between physical hosts within a XenServer resource pool with no interruption in service. A resource pool is an aggregate of one or more homogeneous XenServer hosts, and can support up to a maximum of sixteen hosts. XenMotion is only possible among hosts that are part of a resource pool.
Overview
Installing and Configuring Citrix XenServer 2 Installing XenServer NOTE: If your XenServer host is preinstalled, you can skip the following installation steps and proceed to "Configuring the XenServer Host" on page 12. 1 Burn the downloaded ISO image to a media. NOTE: To download the XenServer ISO image, go to mycitrix.com. 2 Insert the XenServer installation media and boot to the media.
Configuring the XenServer Host 1 Connect the network cables to the appropriate NIC connectors. NOTE: If you need to separate the virtual machine (VM) or storage IP traffic from the management console traffic, ensure that your network cables are connected appropriately. 2 Turn on the system. Citrix XenServer boots automatically. The XenServer local console menu is displayed after booting and provides a range of management and configuration options for the XenServer host.
3 Citrix XenCenter Citrix XenCenter is the client application for managing the Citrix XenServer host and its virtual machines (VMs). Table 3-1 outlines the system requirements for XenCenter: Table 3-1. XenCenter System Requirements Operating system Windows 7, Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2008, or Windows Vista SP1 and SP2 with .NET framework version 2.
• Click Next to accept the default path C:\Program Files\Citrix\XenCenter. By default, XenCenter allows you to save user names and passwords. To disable XenCenter from saving the passwords and user names feature: a Open the registry editor and navigate to the key HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Citrix\XenCenter. b Add the AllowCredentialSave key with the string value false.
Windows Vista and Windows 7: 1 Click StartControl PanelPrograms and Features. A list of programs installed on the system is displayed. 2 Select XenCenter. 3 Select Uninstall from the toolbar above the list of programs. 4 When the XenCenter is uninstalled from the system, a message is displayed. Click OK to close the message box. NOTE: For more information on using XenCenter to manage your Dell XenServer host, see the online help. You can access online help by selecting Help Contents from the Help menu.
Citrix XenCenter
4 Systems Management Using Dell OpenManage Dell OpenManage Systems Management software suite comprises of system management applications for managing Dell PowerEdge systems. Dell OpenManage Components Dell OpenManage Server Administrator Dell OpenManage Server Administrator provides single server management with a secure command line or web-based graphical management user interface. There are several sub-components in Server Administrator which are described below.
Dell IT Assistant Dell IT Assistant (ITA) provides an integrated view of Dell's comprehensive suite of server monitoring and reporting tools. It includes one-to-many management for Dell systems. ITA can also be used to perform BIOS and firmware updates. Hardware monitoring of Dell systems is supported with XenServer. Power monitoring of Dell systems is supported on PowerEdge systems that have power monitoring capability. Performance monitoring of Dell systems is not supported with XenServer.
IPMI Baseboard Management Controller IPMI Baseboard Management Controller (BMC) provides a standard interface for monitoring and managing Dell systems. Server Administrator Web Server Server Administrator Web Server provides a way to manage a server remotely using a web interface. Install the Server Administrator Web Server only if you want to remotely monitor the managed system. You need not have physical access to the managed system.
2 Install OpenManage and run the command: $ cd /mnt $ ./install 3 When the installation is complete, unmount the iso file or media and run the command: $ cd .. $ umount /mnt Using Dell OpenManage in XenServer To start, stop, restart, or check the status of OpenManage services, log in to the XenServer local console and run the following commands, as needed: # srvadmin-services.sh start # srvadmin-services.sh stop # srvadmin-services.sh restart # srvadmin-services.
The XenServer host firewall is pre-configured to allow ports used by OpenManage Server Administrator, so no additional firewall configuration is required. If you change the default OpenManage Server Administrator port to a value other than 1311, make the associated change in /etc/sysconfig/iptables.
3 After you edit the /etc/snmp/snmpd.conf file, save the file and restart the snmpd service by running the following command on the XenServer local console shell: # service snmpd restart 4 Perform a discovery and inventory of the XenServer host in ITA by specifying the XenServer hostname or the management IP address. The ITA discovers the XenServer hosts and lists them under Servers.
To upgrade the system or device firmware or BIOS using ITA, you must create a software update task. To create a software update task: 1 Download the corresponding BIN and .sign files from support.dell.com. 2 In the ITA console, add the Dell Update Package to the ITA repository in the Manage Software Updates tab. 3 Create a task for Software Update and provide the required host details. NOTE: ITA uses the SSH port for installation of the Dell Update Packages.
Upgrading OpenManage A future release (when available) of the OpenManage supplemental pack will allow you to upgrade to the existing installation. Upgrading XenServer With OpenManage Installed If you upgrade the XenServer image to a new version, re-install the OpenManage supplemental pack as the new XenServer image is placed on a different partition than the original partition. NOTE: When you reinstall the OpenManage supplemental pack, all OpenManage configuration settings saved on your system are lost.
5 Configuring Storage PowerVault MD1000 and MD12x0 Storage Enclosures The PowerVault MD1000 and MD12x0 storage enclosures support mixing both SAS and SATA drives within a single enclosure making it ideal for highcapacity applications. The versatility of the PowerVault MD1000 and MD12x0 arrays enable you to configure the specific combination of storage resources. PowerVault MD1000 and MD12x0 support the following features: • The PowerVault MD1000 storage enclosure is capable of housing up to fifteen 3.
PowerVault MD3000 and MD32x0 Storage Enclosures The PowerVault MD3000 and MD32x0 storage enclosures are designed for high availability, offering redundant access to data storage. It features dual active or active RAID controller modules, redundant power supplies, and redundant fans.
3 If you are configuring storage on the PowerVault MD3000 and MD32x0 RAID enclosures for a XenServer pool, add all hosts to the XenServer pool. Ensure that the newly-created virtual disk is visible to all mapped hosts. Log in to the XenServer local console shell on each XenServer host and run the following command: # mppBusRescan 4 On the XenServer host or pool master, identify the disk ID of the PowerVault MD3000 and MD32x0 storage volumes.
• If you are adding storage to a stand-alone host, run the following command: # xe sr-create content-type=user name-label= type=lvmohba deviceconfig:device=/dev/disk/by-id/ NOTE: is the ID noted in step 4.
By default, the physical network interface on which the XenServer management interface is configured is chosen to route the IP storage traffic. However, a physical interface or a bond of multiple interfaces can be configured to segregate storage traffic from management traffic. NOTE: For specific steps on using MD3000i and MD32x0i with an iSCSI initiator running inside a virtual machine, see the MD3000i Installation Guide or the MD32x0i Owners Manual at support.dell.com/manuals.
5 From the Configure tab, select Configure Host Access (Manual). Enter the host name for the server which has XenServer software installed. Select Linux as the host type. 6 From the next screen, specify the iSCSI initiator by selecting the New button. On the Enter New iSCSI Initiator screen enter the XenServer iSCSI initiator name configured in step 1. The label is auto-populated with the server name. See Figure 5-1. Figure 5-1.
b If you have already created one or more host groups, select the radio button enabling selection from a drop-down menu that lists the existing host groups. Use this option to configure the rest of the hosts in a group. After you select the host group, previously configured hosts for that host group are displayed. NOTE: These host groups are shown as Linux hosts even though they are configured as XenServer hosts. 9 Select Next.
Dell EqualLogic PS Series Dell EqualLogic PS Series iSCSI arrays simplify storage deployment by offering high performance, reliability, intelligent automation, and seamless virtualization of a single pool of storage. The foundation of an EqualLogic storage array is a PS Series group which is an iSCSI SAN including one or more PS Series storage array members connected to an IP network and managed as a single system.
6 Best Practices High Availability Configuration and IP Storage Traffic Segregation • High Availability—Use Citrix XenCenter to create a network interface bond using two NIC ports. This provides high availability for storage traffic. • IP Storage Traffic Segregation—To segregate IP storage traffic, create a new host interface. In XenCenter, click the host and select Management Interfaces.
Adjusting SCSI Timeouts for the PowerVault MD3000 RAID Enclosure If the XenServer host is connected to the PowerVault MD3000 RAID enclosure, you can adjust the SCSI time-out of the Windows VMs residing on the SR resident on the PowerVault MD3000 RAID enclosure by changing the registry settings. Follow the steps below: 1 Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\dis k\TimeOutValue. 2 Create the value if it is not present. Set this value to 200.
Using an iSCSI initiator inside a VM is the same as using an iSCSI initiator in a physical system. For specific steps to install the relevant Dell multi-pathing drivers and supported iSCSI initiators, and to attach the PowerVault MD3000i volumes to a VM using the iSCSI initiator inside the VM, see the MD3000i Systems Installation Guide at support.dell.com/manuals. There are no extra steps required to modify the SCSI timeouts when Dell multi-pathing drivers control the LUN(s) on a PowerVault MD3000i array.
Best Practices
A Appendix: Recovering XenServer After a Board Replacement In the event of a system board change in your XenServer host, the system Service Tag must be reset to its original value for XenServer to function. Download the latest asset.com utility from ftp.us.dell.com/utility. In the command prompt, type asset.com /s .
Appendix: Recovering XenServer After a Board Replacement
B Appendix: NIC Enumeration in Citrix XenServer NIC enumeration involves mapping of the physical network interface to the ethX device name in XenServer. The NIC enumeration is based on the device position in the system. The integrated LAN on Motherboard (LOM) ports are always enumerated first in order of their physical marked position (GB1, GB2, and so on). The add-in network cards are enumerated after the LOM ports in ascending order of the slot position and the PCI bus, device or function information.
PCI name : 0000:03:00.0 PCI Slot : embedded SMBIOS Device Type: Ethernet SMBIOS Instance: 1 SMBIOS Enabled: True BIOS device: eth1 Kernel name: eth1 Permanant MAC: 00:1E:4F:1F:77:69 Assigned MAC : 00:1E:4F:1F:77:69 Driver: bnx2 Driver version: 1.6.7b Firmware version: 3.5.12 UMP 1.1.8 Bus Info: 0000:07:00.0 PCI name : 0000:07:00.
Firmware version: 5.6-2 Bus Info: 0000:0b:00.0 PCI name : 0000:0b:00.0 PCI Slot : 4 BIOS device: eth3 Kernel name: eth3 Permanant MAC: 00:15:17:24:A4:B1 Assigned MAC : 00:15:17:24:A4:B1 Driver: e1000 Driver version: 7.6.9.2-NAPI Firmware version: 5.6-2 Bus Info: 0000:0b:00.1 PCI name : 0000:0b:00.1 PCI Slot : 4 The BIOS device name is the name suggested by the system BIOS. The BIOS device name is used by the XenServer kernel to enumerate the device name.
Appendix: NIC Enumeration in Citrix XenServer
Appendix: Supported Hardware C For a complete list of Dell servers and storage arrays supported with XenServer, see Citrix's Hardware Compatibility List at hcl.xensource.com. Table C-1.
Appendix: Supported Hardware
Appendix: Troubleshooting D Unable to Power on a Microsoft Windows Virtual Machine (VM) Symptom On powering on a Windows VM, the following error message is displayed: HVM is required for this operation. Resolution 1 Enable CPU virtualization technology in the system BIOS. Log in to the XenServer local console shell and run the following command: # omconfig chassis biossetup attribute=cpuvt setting=enabled 2 Reboot the system.
4 Use the left- and right-arrow keys to make the selected device the first device in the list. 5 Press twice, save your changes, and then reboot the system. 6 Press during POST to boot to the UP.
Appendix: Migrating From Flash Storage to Hard Drive Storage E Overview Citrix and Dell have decided to retire the embedded OEM Dell editions of XenServer, as of XenServer 5.6 Feature Pack 1. For this release, only the hard-drive installed retail edition of XenServer is available. If you are running the Dell OEM edition of XenServer 5.5 or earlier, you can upgrade to XenServer 5.6 Feature Pack 1, preserving all of their virtual machines and configuration data. Pre-requisites • Upgrade to XenServer 5.
Licensing Citrix XenServer 5.6 Feature Pack 1 uses Citrix standard licensing, and thus requires only a single web key to activate all features (instead of the dual licensing scheme used in previous versions). Dell OEM customers who purchased Essentials for XenServer Enterprise or Platinum editions, and have installed components from the Essentials range (e.g. StorageLink, Workload Balancing, Lab Manager, Stage Manager) will be familiar with redeeming licenses from mycitrix.
Upgrading to XenServer 5.6 Feature Pack 1 1 Download XenCenter 5.6 Feature Pack 1 and install it on a client machine. The new version of XenCenter is suitable for managing older versions of XenServer, and hence no functionality is lost. 2 Download the XenServer 5.6 Feature Pack 1 installation ISO, and burn it to a media. 3 Insert the media into the host that is to be upgraded. 4 From XenCenter, shut down or migrate all virtual machines away from the host. Once this is complete, reboot the XenServer host.
Troubleshooting While upgrading you may experience the following issues: 50 • Installer fails with insufficient space error—If you are a Flash edition customer, ensure that at least 8 GB of free space is available on the local SR on the hard disk in the host. You can free up space by exporting VMs to other storage (or deleting VMs). • Host does not boot into XenServer following upgrade—The hard drive is not present in the list of boot devices configured in the host's BIOS.
Index A adjusting SCSI timeouts PowerVault MD3000, 36 PowerVault MD3000i, 36 tolerate storage controller failures, 35 Dell OpenManage server administrator, 17 systems management using, 17 using in Citrix XenServer environment, 20 Dell Remote Access Controller, 17 C Dell Systems build and update utility, 18 Citrix XenServer about, 7 features, 7 I configuration high availablity, 35 configuring storage, 25 XenServer, 12 XenServer management network, 37 creating SR on MD1000/MD1120, 25 SR on MD3000, 26 SR
S Server update utility, 18 storage configuring, 25 U update utility Dell Systems, 18 server, 18 using Dell IT Assistant in Citrix XenServer environment, 21 Dell OpenManage in Citrix XenServer environment, 20 V Virtual Machine operating system support, 8 X XenCenter about, 13 installing, 13 removing, 14 XenMotion support requirements, 9 XenServer change management, 22 high availability, 7 52 Index improved reliability, 8 installing and configuring, 11 local console, 7
