Introduction to Virtualization Features (Part 2)

Foreword
• Having attended previous courses about cloud computing, you may already have a
good understanding of virtual machines (VMs) and the resources they use. This
chapter focuses on when and where we would need to use VMs and what
virtualization features VMs provide.
Course Objectives
• Upon completion of this course, you will:
• Understand virtualization features.
• Understand where and when virtualization features may be used.
Course Contents
• Introduction to Cluster Features
• Introduction to Virtualization Features
• Introduction to the Features of Huawei’s Virtualization Product
Virtualization (VM) Features (1)
VM 2

VM 1 VM 3
VM1
VM
VMn2

VM 4
Virtualization (VM) Features (2)

VM VM 75%
25%
VM
• From the administrator's perspective, the CPU and memory parameters of a VM are part of the VM
configuration file. The hardware configuration of the VM can be modified through modification of these
parameters. when a user is using a VM, the CPU and memory usage reaches 75%, which may affect user
experience or even affect the normal use of the VM. In this case, the VM resource hot-add feature can be used
to add CPU and memory resources to the VM online. This feature allows the resource usage to be quickly
reduced to the normal level.

• In addition to CPU and memory resources, storage and network resources also support hot-add. For example,
the disk capacity of a VM can be expanded or a NIC can be added to a VM.

• The hot-add function needs to be supported by the VM and OS so that the added resources can take effect
immediately. Otherwise, the VM must be restarted and can be used only after the OS identifies the hardware
resources.

• In most cases, resources support hot-add but do not support hot-delete. For example, the administrator can
expand the capacity of a disk from 10 GB to 20 GB but cannot necessarily reduce the disk capacity from 20
GB to 10 GB. In terms of storage resource addition, you can expand the capacity of existing disks and add
disks to VMs.
Virtualization (VM) Features (3)

Original Snapshot 1 Snapshot 2

Write

Read

Write

Read

Write

Read
Create
Virtualization (VM) Features (3)

Snapshot
Original Snapshot 1 Snapshot 2 Original Snapshot 1
2

DELETE
Write Write

Read Read
Create Delete
Virtualization (VM) Features (3)
Snapshot 2
Original Snapshot 1 Snapshot 2 Original

Write Write

Read Read
Create Delete

Snapshot
Original Snapshot 1
2

Write

Read

Write

Read Restore
VM Snapshots
• In virtualization, VM snapshots are similar to pictures we take in our life. A snapshot records the VM status at
a certain moment and contains complete data of the VM. You can use a snapshot to restore a VM to the state at
a specific time point.

• Generally, VM snapshots are used to quickly restore a VM if the VM is faulty before an upgrade, patch
installation, or test is performed on the VM. The VM snapshot function is implemented by the storage system.
Storage Networking Industry Association (SNIA) defines a snapshot as a fully usable copy of a defined
collection of data that contains an image of the data as it appeared at the point in time at which the copy was
initiated. A snapshot can be either a copy or a replication of the specified data.
Common Snapshots Modes
• COW (Copy-On-Write)  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ViUwLytKzTY
• Data is recorded in data blocks. When COW is used, the system generates a new space each time a snapshot is
created. Once data in a data block changes, the system copies data in the original data block to a new space
and then writes new data to the original data block. The copy operation is performed before data is written. For
example, there is a parking lot, and cars are parked in parking spaces. A new car (car B) can be parked in only
after a car (car A) in a parking space has been moved to another parking space. If you were the owner of car A,
would you feel that there was a problem with the management of the parking lot when the parking lot
administrator told you to make room for other cars? Why not let the new car park into another parking space?
ROW is introduced to address this issue.
Common Snapshots Modes
• ROW (Redirect-On-Write)  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Bw9jgULnm8
• Similar to COW, data is recorded in data blocks and a new space is generated when a snapshot is created. The
difference from COW is as follows: if new data is written into the system, the original data remains unchanged
and new data is written to a new space. Let's go back to the previous example. If a new car is parked in, the
administrator can direct the car to a new parking space.
NUMA
NUMA-Node0
VM

VM

Interconnect
Remote Access

Local Access

VM

VM

NUMA-Node1
NUMA
• Non Uniform Memory Access (NUMA) is a technology that can improve the data read/write speed.

• In modern times, the computing speed of a single CPU has reached the bottleneck, so designers adopt multi-
core CPUs to improve the computing speed of computers. The CPU and memory are connected through the
northbridge. As the number of CPUs increases, the memory increases accordingly. As a result, the response
speed on the northbridge becomes slower and slower. Therefore, designers evenly bind the memory to each
CPU to avoid congestion caused by northbridge sharing.
• After the modification, memory is associated with CPUs. A CPU can access its own local memory faster than
non-local memory. As the local access speed is high, it is more efficient for a program to only use a CPU and
its associated local memory. This technology is called NUMA.

• NUMA nodes are CPU/memory couples. Each node has CPUs, bus, and memory. Cross-node access requires
NUMA interconnects between the CPUs.

• In virtualization scenarios, NUMA enables VMs to use hardware resources on the same NUMA node,
improving the VM response speed.
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCOEunP5kjs
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vmb8xGD-LV8
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-Q02b5uvfY
Course Contents
• Introduction to Cluster Features
• Introduction to Virtualization Features
• Introduction to the Features of Huawei’s Virtualization Product
Prerequisites for Enabling Advanced
Features - Tools
I need VM hardware information
I need VM status information

Kernel-mode hardware drivers User-mode vm-agent process

• Snapshot • Obtain VM MAC address

• Live migration • Obtain VM status
• Online VM flavor change • Soft shut down a VM
• NIC QoS • Restart a VM
... ...
Course Contents
• Introduction to Cluster Features
• Introduction to Virtualization Features
• Introduction to the Features of Huawei’s Virtualization Product
• Cluster Features
• VM Features
Cluster Features

HA Load Balancing
• CNA host failure • Cluster resource scheduling
• Data store failure • Power management
• Blue screen of death • DRS rules
(BSOD) on a Windows VM

Others
• Memory • IMC
overcommitment
• NUMA

Cluster
HA
Restore on
original host

VM HA

Do nothing

Do nothing
Restart VM

VM HA
VM HA
Power Management

VM VM VM VM

VM VM VM VM VM VM VM VM

07:00 23:00 07:00

Cluster
DRS (Distributed Resources Scheduling) Rules
VM 1 VM 2 VM 1 VM 2 VM 1 VM 2 VM 1 VM 2

Keep VMs Keep VMs apart

together

VMs to hosts
VM Group

VM 1 VM 2

Host Group
DRS (Distributed Resources Scheduling) Rules
• If different rules conflict, the scheduling priorities of the rules are as follows:
 Highest priority: The rule type is VMs to hosts, and the rules are Must run on hosts in group and Must not
run on hosts in group.
 Second priority: The rule types are Keep VMs together or Keep VMs mutually exclusive.
 Lowest priority: The rule type is VMs to hosts, and the rules are Should run on host group and Should not
run on hosts in group.
DRS (Distributed Resources Scheduling) Rules
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aynhCKaIkmo
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKFKGwfS_gw
IMC
• On FusionCompute, enabling incompatible migration cluster (IMC) mode for a cluster allows VMs to
migrate between hosts that are using CPUs with different performance baselines within this cluster.
• Currently, IMC mode only allows VM live migration between hosts using Intel CPUs.
• IMC mode allows the hosts in a cluster to present the same CPU function set to VMs running on
them, despite the fact that these hosts may be using CPUs with different performance baselines.
• For the IMC mode to work for a cluster that already contains hosts and VMs, ensure that the
following conditions are met:
• The CPU generations of the hosts in the cluster are the same as or later than the target IMC mode.
• The CPU generations of the running or hibernating VMs in the cluster are the same as or earlier than the
target IMC mode. If any VM in the cluster does not meet this requirement, stop this VM or migrate it to
another cluster.
Course Contents
• Introduction to Cluster Features
• Introduction to Virtualization Features
• Introduction to the Features of Huawei’s Virtualization Product
• Cluster Features
• VM Features
VM Features

Resource Management Console

• CPU QoS
• VNC login
• Memory QoS
• Disk scaling
• Adding or deleting NICs

Fast Deployment Others

• VM deployment • Snapshot
using a template • Bundling or attaching USB, PCI, or
• VM cloning GPU devices, or CD-ROM drive

Virtual
Machines
CPU dan Memory QoS

Quota Quota

Reserved CPU Memory Reserved

Limit Limit
Question & Answers