Chapter 6. Managing Virtual Resources

Chapter 6. Managing Virtual Resources

6.1. Working with Virtual Machine Pools
6.1.1. Viewing Virtual Machine Pools
6.1.2. Creating Virtual Machine Pools
6.1.3. Managing Virtual Machine Pool Quotas
6.1.4. Moving a Virtual Machine Pool to a Smart Pool
6.1.5. Deleting Virtual Machine Pools
6.2. Working with Virtual Machines
6.2.1. Viewing Virtual Machines
6.2.2. Adding Virtual Machines
6.2.3. Managing Virtual Machines
6.2.4. Moving a Virtual Machine to a Smart Pool
6.2.5. Deleting Virtual Machines

Managing virtual resources is a simple task using oVirt's Server Suite User Interface. Virtual resources include virtual pools and virtual machines. Virtual machines run inside the Virtual Machine Pools. This section describes how to view, set up and manage virtual resources. Typically, hardware administrators or team administrators set up the virtual resources, users start and manage the virtual machines required for their work.

6.1. Working with Virtual Machine Pools

Virtual Machines reside in virtual pools. While users can use and manage virtual machines according to their needs, team administrators would typically set up the virtual pools. Virtual pools are set up within a hardware resource pool, and once created cannot be moved to another hardware resource pool. It is therefore important to ensure that you have adequate hardware resources for the Virtual Machine Pool when you initially set it up.

6.1.1. Viewing Virtual Machine Pools

The oVirt Server Suite User Interface provides an overview of the resources, their availability, and current levels of load of the entire system. You can view virtual resources from the hardware resource pool, or from within a virtual machines resource pool.

To view a list of Virtual Machine Pools in a hardware resource:

  1. Use the Navigator panel to select the hardware resource node. The Summary page and the Hardware resource menu displays.

  2. Click Virtual Machine Pools from the hardware resource menu.

  3. A list of existing virtual machine pools and the load level of each pool displays in the content pane.

  4. For more information on a specific virtual machine pool, select the pool in the list. The following items display in the Details pane, including details on usage, availability and total quota amounts allowed.

    • CPU

    • Memory

    • NICs

    • (Number of)Virtual Machines

    • Disk(Storage)

To view the resources of a specific Virtual Machine Pool from the Navigator panel:

  1. Use the Navigator panel to select the Virtual Machine Pool node within a hardware resource pool.

  2. Click the pool name and the Summary Page displays on the Virtual Contents Pane.

  3. For more information on a specific virtual machine pool, select the pool in the list. The following items display in the Details pane, including details on usage, availability and total quota amounts allowed.

    • CPU

    • Memory

    • NICs

    • (Number of)Virtual Machines

    • Disk(Storage)

  4. To see details of the virtual machines, click Virtual Machines on the menu bar. The Virtual Machines page displays the Virtual Machine toolbar and the list of virtual machines, if any, in the resource pool.

  5. You can use the Virtual Machine toolbar to add, delete and manage the virtual machines within the pool. Virtual machines are described in more detail later in this section.

To change the name of the virtual machine pool:

  1. Navigate to the required virtual machine pool and ensure that the Contents and Details pane display.

  2. Click Edit to change the name of the virtual machine pool. The Edit Virtual Machine Pool dialog box displays.

  3. Enter the new Name for the virtual machine pool and click the Edit Virtual Machine Pool button.

  4. The Edit Virtual Machine Pool dialog box closes, a message appears confirming the change, and the changed name displays in the Content and Navigator panes.

6.1.2. Creating Virtual Machine Pools

Creating a Virtual Machine Pool in which the virtual machines can run in an optimal fashion is crucial for system performance. For example, the hardware administrator might need to create a VM Resource Pool out of 5 physical nodes and a set of iSCSI targets. Once the hardware resources are set up the next step is to create the Virtual Machine Pools.

To create a Virtual Machine Pool from the Navigator Panel:

  1. Use the Navigator panel to select the Hardware Resource Pool node within which to create the Virtual Machine Pool. The Summary page and the Hardware Resource menu displays.

  2. The Navigator toolbar appears at the bottom on the panel. Click Add Virtual Machine Pool. The Add New Virtual Machine Pool dialog box displays.

  3. Enter the name of the new resource pool and click the Create Virtual Machine Pool button. A message indicates that the virtual machine resource pool was successfully created. Click OK.

    Note:

    You must enter a name for the new Virtual Machine Resource Pool. oVirt validates the name field and prompts you to enter a name before the resource pool is created.

  4. The Virtual Machine pool appears in the Navigator panel. Select the Virtual Machine pool. The Virtual Resource menu displays in the content pane. The next step is to set up the quotas for the Virtual Machine Pool.

  5. You can now add virtual machines and users to the new Virtual Machine Pool. Adding virtual machines is described later in this section.

To create a Virtual Machine Pool from the Content Page:

  1. Use the Navigator panel to select the Hardware Resource Pool node within which to create the Virtual Machine Pool. The Summary page and the Hardware Resource menu displays.

  2. On the Hardware resource menu, click Add Virtual Machine Pools. The Virtual Machine Pools toolbar appears on the Content Pane. Existing virtual machine pools display on the page.

  3. Click New Virtual Machine Pool. The Add New Virtual Machine Pool dialog box displays.

  4. Enter the name of the new resource pool and click the Create Virtual Machine Pool button. A message indicates that the virtual machine resource pool was successfully created. Click OK.

    Note:

    You must enter a name for the new Virtual Machine Resource Pool. oVirt validates the name field and prompts you to enter a name before the resource pool is created.

  5. The Virtual Machine pool appears in the Navigator panel. Select the Virtual Machine pool. The Virtual Resource menu displays in the content pane. The next step is to set up the quotas for the Virtual Machine Pool.

  6. You can now add virtual machines and users to the new Virtual Machine Pool. Adding virtual machines is described later in this section.

Virtual Machine Pool Names
Names can be any combination of alphanumeric characters, spaces and special characters. Valid name lengths are 1-256 characters. It is recommended that you use meaningful names for the resource pools.

6.1.3. Managing Virtual Machine Pool Quotas

A Virtual Machine Pool requires a quota of hardware resources to be assigned to it. Set up the quota depending on the type and number of virtual machines that are to created within the Virtual Machine pool, and the actual availability of the physical resources. Quotas are managed from the Details pane, which can be accessed from the hardware resource pool or the virtual machine pool.

To allocate quotas from the hardware resource menu:

  1. Use the Navigator panel to select the required hardware pool node. On the Hardware Resource menu, click Virtual Machine Pools. The Virtual Machine Pools toolbar appears on the Content Pane. Existing virtual machine pools display on the page.

  2. Select the virtual machine pool and the Details pane for the resource pool displays. Use the Details Pane on the Contents page to set up, change or remove quotas for resources.

    The Details pane shows the default quota of the virtual machine pool.

    It also contains the Edit, Edit Quota and Revert to Default Quota buttons. The Revert to Default Quota does not appear if no quotas have been set up.

  3. Click Edit Quota to allocate resources. The Edit Quota dialog box displays. If this is the first time that the quota is being set, this dialog box displays as the Add New Quota dialog box.

  4. Enter the new Total Virtual CPUs permitted for the virtual machine pool.

  5. Enter the new Total Memory (MB) permitted for the virtual machine pool.

  6. Enter the new Total Virtual NICs permitted for the virtual machine pool.

  7. Enter the new Total VMs permitted to run in the virtual machine pool.

  8. Enter the new Total Storage (GB) permitted for the virtual machine pool. Ensure that this memory is actually available.

  9. Click the Edit Quota (or Add Quota) button.

  10. The Edit Quota dialog box closes, a message appears confirming the change, and the changed quota displays in the Details Pane.

To allocate quotas from the Navigator panel:

  1. Use the Navigator panel to select the required Virtual Machine Pool node. Information on the the Virtual Machine Pool displays on the Content and Details pane.

    The Details pane displays the default quota of the virtual machine pool.

    It also contains the Edit, Edit Quota and Revert to Default Quota buttons. The Revert to Default Quota does not appear if no quotas have been set up.

  2. Click Edit Quota to allocate resources. The Edit Quota dialog box displays. If this is the first time that the quota is being set, this dialog box displays as the Add New Quota dialog box.

  3. Enter the new Total Virtual CPUs permitted for the virtual machine pool.

  4. Enter the new Total Memory (MB) permitted for the virtual machine pool.

  5. Enter the new Total Virtual NICs permitted for the virtual machine pool.

  6. Enter the new Total VMs permitted to run in the virtual machine pool.

  7. Enter the new Total Storage (GB) permitted for the virtual machine pool. Ensure that this memory is actually available.

  8. Click the Edit Quota (or Add Quota) button.

  9. The Edit Quota dialog box closes, a message appears confirming the change, and the changed quota displays in the Details Pane.

6.1.4. Moving a Virtual Machine Pool to a Smart Pool

Users can choose to set up smart pools which are collections of the various resources. A smart pool is a collection of hardware and virtual resources that a user needs quick access to. You can move a Virtual Machine pool into a Smart Pool provided you have the requisite permissions.

To move a virtual machine pool into a smart pool:

  1. Navigate to the appropriate hardware resource pool and select Virtual Machines Pool from the Hardware Resource menu. The list of virtual machine pools displays on the Content pane.

  2. Select the Virtual Machine pool to be moved. Ensure the check box is selected.

  3. Click Add to Smart Pool on the toolbar. The list of existing smart pools that you have permissions to displays.

  4. Select the smart pool in the list.

    The selected virtual machine pool is moved to the smart pool and the dialog box closes.

    Note:

    The Virtual Machine pool will remain in the Hardware Resource pool. It is only visible and accessible from the Smart Pool.

  5. To view the storage pool in the smart pool, click the smart pool in the Navigator panel. The Summary page for the smart pool displays.

  6. Click Pools on the menu bar. The moved Virtual Machine pool displays in the list of pools.

6.1.5. Deleting Virtual Machine Pools

From time to time you will need to remove resource pools; for example, a project no longer requires a particular Virtual Machine Pool, or you need to optimise performance of the data center. Virtual Machine Pools can be removed from the Navigator panel, or from the Virtual Machine Pools tab of the Hardware Resource menu.

Note

You can only remove a Virtual Machine Pool if there are no virtual machines in the pool.

To delete a resource pool from the Navigator panel:

  1. Use the Navigator panel to select the required Virtual Machine Pool node. The Summary page and the Virtual Resource menu displays.

  2. The Navigator toolbar appears at the bottom on the panel. Click Delete Selected Pool. A message appears prompting you to confirm that you wish to delete the selected resource. Click OK.

  3. The Virtual Machine Pool is removed and no longer displays in the Navigator Panel.

To delete a resource pool from the Contents pane:

  1. Use the Navigator panel to select the required hardware pool node. On the Hardware Resource menu, click Virtual Machine Pools. The Virtual Machine Pools toolbar appears on the Content Pane. A list of existing virtual machine pools displays on the page.

  2. Select the virtual machine pool to be deleted, and ensure the check box is selected.

  3. Click Delete on the Virtual Machine Pools tab. A message appears prompting you to confirm that you wish to delete the selected resource. Click OK.

  4. The Virtual Machine Pool is removed and no longer displays in the Content Pane.