Back to guides list

7.8. Managing Virtual Machines

7.8.1. Virtual Machine Toolbar Overview

In Virtuozzo Automator, the virtual machine toolbar provides quick access to the main operations:

  • In the Configure drop-down menu:

    Option

    Description

    General Settings

    Change the virtual machine name, description, guest operatin system, etc.

    Hardware Settings

    Configure the virtual hardware of the virtual machine.

    Password

    Change the virtual machine administrative password.

    Install Guest Tools

    Install guest OS tools inside the virtual machine.

  • In the Maintenance drop-down menu:

    Option

    Description

    Resources Monitor

    View the details on the virtual machine resources consumption.

    Back Up

    Create the virtual machine backup.

    Reinstall

    Reinstall the virtual machine.

    Migrate

    Move the virtual machine to another physical server.

  • In the Operate drop-down menu:

    Option

    Description

    Start/Stop

    Start or stop the virtual machine. Depending on the virtual machine state, only that operation is accessible that complies with its current state.

    Restart

    Restart the virtual machine.

    Suspend

    Suspend the virtual machine: a suspended virtual machine stays put, and so its processes and services do, to be later resumed from the checkpoint. Suspending virtual machines is a good method to disengage the Hardware Node recourses for a certain period of time or saving the state of current operations which can be quickly launched again afterwards. Remember, that restarting or reinstalling a suspended virtual machine can change the saved state of the virtual machine, so this action are not recommended for suspended virtual machines.

    Pause

    Pause the virtual machine.

    Power Off

    If you wish to stop your virtual environment, bear in mind that there is a two-minute timeout for the virtual environment shutdown scripts to be executed. If the virtual environment is not stopped in two minutes, the system forcibly kills all the processes in the virtual environment. The virtual environment will be stopped in any case, even if it is seriously damaged. To avoid waiting for two minutes if you are operating a virtual environment that is known to be corrupt, you may use the Power Off link.

Note

The availability of the start/stop/restart/suspend/pause operations depends on the virtual machine current status.

  • In the Manage drop-down menu:

    Option

    Description

    Open Console

    Open the remote VNC console to the virtual machine.

    Clone

    Create a virtual machine clone.

    Convert to Template

    Convert a virtual machine to template.

    Clone to Template

    Clone a virtual machine to template.

    Backups

    Back up the virtual machine.

    Power Panel Policies

    Assign new policies and manage the existing policy rules for Power Panel usage.

    Note

    This feature is only supported for Virtuozzo 6 virtual machines.

    Unregister

    Unregister the virtual machine from Virtuozzo Automator.

    Delete

    Remove the virtual machine from the physical server.

  • In the Log in… drop-down menu:

    Option

    Description

    Open Power Panel

    Log in to the container via Virtuozzo Power Panel.

    Note

    This feature is only supported for Virtuozzo 6 virtual machines.

7.8.2. Virtual Machine Dashboard Overview

The virtual machine Summary page allows you to exercise the overall control on the virtual machine activity, state, and configuration.

For your convenience, the parameters on the Summary page are divided into five logical sections.

Status

The section displays:

  • The current status of the virtual machine.

  • The hostname of the physical server where the virtual machine is hosted.

  • The CPU consumption.

  • The time the computer has been left unattended without crashes and need to reboot it.

  • The guest tools being installed or not in the virtual machine.

General Settings

The section provides you with the virtual machine identification information: its name, UUID, location, IP addresses if available, type of the guest operating system and the original operating system template the virtual machine is based on.

Hardware Settings

The section provides you with the virtual machine configuration information. The section shows the number and type of CPUs and the memory amount used by the virtual machine. You can also see the emulated devices the virtual machine possess and their characteristics.

You can change any of these settings on the Virtual Machine Hardware Settings page (see Defining Virtual Machine Hardware Settings).

Screenshot

The section enables you to view inside the virtual machine by means of remote display. You can update the screenshot by clicking Refresh Screenshot.

Resource Alerts

The section provides information on the virtual machine resource consumption:

  • green circle: the virtual machine operates normally,

  • yellow circle: some virtual machine resource is approaching its soft limit,

  • red circle: some virtual machine resource has exceeded its soft limit.

For details on resource alerts, refer to Viewing Infrastructure Alert Logs.

Resources

The section provides you with the detailed information on the CPU, disk, and memory resources (total and currently in use).

7.8.3. Creating Virtual Machines

Having chosen to create a virtual machine as described in Starting to Create Virtual Environments, you can proceed to define general and hardware settings, and review the resulting configuration. This section describes these operations in detail.

7.8.3.1. Defining New Virtual Machine General Settings

The second step of the New Virtual Environment wizard allows you to define the virtual machine general settings. These settings can be divided into several groups for your convenience.

In the General Configuration group of settings, you can set the following parameters:

  • Specify an arbitrary name for the virtual machine in the Name field and provide its description in the Description field. The latter is not available if you are creating more than one virtual machine. If you wish, you can set descriptions of your virtual machines after they are created (see Adjusting Container Configuration and Advanced Settings).

  • Specify the destination folder for the virtual machine files in the Location field. Use the Select link to browse the host server system.

  • Select an operating system to be installed in the virtual machine and choose its version in the Guest Operating System box.

  • Decide on whether the virtual machine is to be started after its creation (the Start the Virtual Machine After Creation check box is selected) or left in the stopped state (the check box is cleared).

The Multiple Virtual Machine Configuration section is displayed only if you are creating more than one virtual machine at a time. This group of settings allows you to choose the way of assigning names to your virtual machines:

  • Assign names based on a specified template. If you choose this option, you will need to specify a pattern for assigning names to your virtual machines in the Virtual Machine Name Template field. This pattern must contain the @index@ placeholder that will be replaced with the corresponding index number. For example, if you are creating two virtual machines and specify virtual environment @index@ in this field, your virtual machines will be named virtual environment 1 and virtual environment 2.

  • Set names manually for every virtual machine. If you choose this option, you will need to manually type the names for each virtual machine you are planning to create in the fields below this option.

For more information on the Host System Integration, Remote Display, and Offline Management settings, see Defining Virtual Machine General Settings.

The Permissions group of settings lets you create one or more permissions for the virtual machine. A permission is a combination of a user or a group of users and a role in respect of a certain Virtuozzo Automator object, you can indicate the corresponding user/group and role in the provided fields, thus creating a permission with respect to the virtual machine being created. To add more permissions, click the Add button.

Click Next to move on to the next step of the New Virtual Environment wizard.

Or click Create, to start the virtual machine creation process. The virtual machine will be created with the default system configuration. After it’s created, you can view and change its configuration (see Changing Virtual Machine Configuration).

7.8.3.2. Defining New Virtual Machine Hardware Settings

The New Virtual Machine: Hardware Settings page allows you to configure the main hardware settings of the virtual machine being created. For more information, see Defining Virtual Machine Hardware Settings.

7.8.3.3. Reviewing Virtual Machine Configuration

The final step of the New Virtual Environment wizard lets you review the major settings of the virtual machine configuration you provided on the previous steps. If you are satisfied with the information entered, click Create to start creating the virtual machine. Otherwise, you can return to the previous steps by clicking the Back button and change the corresponding parameters.

7.8.4. Registering Virtual Machines

The Register Virtual Machine page allows you to add a virtual machine to the virtual machine list of the physical server.

If you have a virtual machine on the physical server, you cannot use it or otherwise manage it until it is registered. Only after that, the virtual machine becomes available for all sorts of manipulations provided by the Virtuozzo Automator functionality. For example, if you decide to move a virtual machine from one physical server to another, you will need to unregister it on the initial physical server, manually move it and register it on the target physical server. Otherwise, the final physical server will serve as a data storage for the virtual machine files.

To register a virtual machine, you should specify the path to it on the physical server. The Path to Server field allows you to type the path or to locate the virtual machine using the Select link.

To confirm your choice, click Register. When the operation is complete, the virtual machine will appear in the list of registered virtual machine.

7.8.5. Unregistering Virtual Machines

The Unregister Virtual Machine page allows you to delete the virtual machine from the physical server list of virtual machine without deleting its files from the physical server. You may need to unregister a virtual machine if you want to use it as a data storage on the physical server and do not need it in the list. If you want to move the virtual machine from one physical server to another, you should also unregister it first and register it on the target physical server.

Before you click the Unregister button, confirm your wish to unregister the virtual machine and enable the Yes, I want to unregister the Virtual Machine(s) check box.

7.8.6. Installing Virtuozzo Guest Tools in Virtual Machines

Virtuozzo Guest Tools are a suite of special utilities that help you use your virtual machines in the most comfortable and efficient way.

To install Virtuozzo guest tools in a Linux or Windows virtual machine, do the following:

  1. Click Configure > Install Guest Tools on the virtual machine toolbar. The guest tools image shipped with Virtuozzo will be mounted to the virtual machine’s optical drive.

  2. Log in to the virtual machine on the Console tab (see Connecting to Virtual Environments via VNC):

    • Inside a Linux VM, create a mount point for the optical drive with the guest tools image and run the installer:

      # mount /dev/cdrom /mnt/cdrom
# bash /mnt/cdrom/install

    • Inside a Windows VM, if autorun is enabled, the installer will run automatically. Otherwise, navigate to the optical drive and launch the installer manually.

    Note

    Virtuozzo guest tools rely on QEMU guest agent which is installed alongside the tools. The agent daemon/service (qemu-ga) must be running for the tools to work.

7.8.7. Monitoring Virtual Machine Resources Consumption

The VM Monitor subtab shows the graphical statistics on CPU, Memory and Disk resource consumption, i.e. how much of the physical server resources this virtual machine consumes. The data are shown in percentage.

Each of the three resources has its own colour on the chart. If you need to monitor the changes only for one resource, whatever it is, you can disable the others. Use the Select Graph subsection.

The chart shows the changes for the defined period. In the Graph Period subsection, you can select whether to show the data for a particular date, month, year or for any other period of time. To implement the changes, click Apply. The chart will change its appearance.

Some of the information on resource consumption is available on the virtual machine’s Summary page (see Virtual Machine Dashboard Overview).

The Export Data link allows you save the graphical data in the format of a plain text (.csv file) on your computer.

7.8.8. Monitoring Virtual Machine Traffic Usage

The Traffics Usage subtab of the virtual machine Network pane shows the traffic statistics for the selected period or class.

To display traffic statistics, you should perform the following operations:

  1. In the Show traffic for field, specify the time span for which you wish to see your traffic by selecting the corresponding duration unit on the drop-down menu. Depending on the selected unit, the field to the right of the drop-down menu changes and offers you a list of appropriate values to choose from. The duration units are listed below:

    • Day: Click the calendar and specify the exact date (i.e. day, month, and year) for which you wish to view your network traffic statistics.

    • Month: Specify the month and year to display your traffic statistics for.

    • Year: Specify the year to display your traffic statistics for.

    • Period: Specify the period for which you wish to view your traffic statistics by selecting the start and end dates on the calendar.

  2. In the Traffic class field, specify the traffic accounting classes that will be displayed in the table.

    • All. This option includes all specifically created accounting classes and those traffics that were not included into any class.

    • Other. This option includes only those traffics that do not belong to any specific accounting class.

    • Specific accounting classes. Apart from the All and Other classes, the list shows the classes created by you for specific needs. You can choose one concrete class to be displayed in the table. You can create new and view the detailed on the already existing ones by going to the host server and clicking the Network tab > Traffic subtab (see Managing Network Accounting and Shaping).

  3. In the Traffic unit field, specify the unit of measurement your traffic statistics will be displayed in.

  4. Click on the Update button to display your traffic statistics for the specified period.

The results will be presented in the following table:

Column

Description

<Period>

Denotes the specified period. The name of this column depends on the duration unit selected in the Period field.

Incoming

The input traffic statistics (in the selected unit of measurement) during the specified period. This is the traffic that comes to the virtual environment from the Internet.

Outgoing

The amount of output traffic (in the selected unit of measurement) during the specified period. This is the traffic that goes out of the virtual environment to the Internet.

The Total row at the bottom of the table summarizes all the incoming and outgoing network traffic for the specified time span.

7.8.9. Changing Virtual Machine Configuration

7.8.9.1. Defining Virtual Machine General Settings

The Configure General Settings page allows you to adjust the main settings for your virtual machines. If the virtual machine was created singularly, you might have provided it with a name and a description. If the virtual machine was one of virtual machines created as a group, providing names and descriptions were not available.

In the Preferences group, you can change the name or description of a virtual machine created singularly, or assign a name and a description to a mass-produced virtual machine. You can also view where the virtual machine configuration file is stored. Additionally, the group includes the following settings:

  • Hostname. Assign and change the virtual machine hostname. A hostname is a unique name under which the virtual machine is visible on the global network, meanwhile the virtual machine name is used within the VA system only. The virtual machine hostname cannot be longer than 32 valid symbols.

  • Guest Tools Autoupdate. Ticking off the check-box ensures, that Virtuozzo Guest Tools are kept updated, and a new update is offered to install every time it is available.

The Host System Integration section allows you to configure the parameters responsible for integration between the virtual machine being created and the physical server. This group of settings includes the following subgroups:

  • Run VM Under Host User Account. This subgroup enables you to define the user account under which the created virtual machine will be started. You can choose one of the following options:

    • Administrative Account. Select this option if you wish to run the virtual machine with the VA Administrator’s rights.

    • Other User. Select this option if wish to run the virtual machine as a non-administrator VA user. In this case, you will need to specify the corresponding user credentials in the fields below this option.

    • Service Default Account. Select this option if you wish to run the virtual machine under the same VA user account under which you are launching Virtuozzo Management Console.

  • Host Startup and Shutdown. This subgroup allows you to define a number of parameters related to the procedures of starting and shutting down the physical server. The parameters that can be specified in this subgroup are described in the table below:

    On Host Startup

    Option

    Description

    Do nothing

    Select this option if you do not want your virtual machine to start automatically when you turn on the physical server hosting this virtual machine.

    Start Virtual Machine

    Select this option if you want the virtual machine to start automatically when you turn on the physical server hosting this virtual machine.

    Restore Previous State

    Select this option if you want the virtual machine to start in the same mode that was applied to it at the time the physical server was turned off.

    On Host Shutdown

    Option

    Description

    Stop Virtual Machine

    Select this option if you want the virtual machine to be stopped when you turn off the physical server hosting it.

    Shut down Virtual Machine

    Select this option if you want the virtual machine to shut down when you turn off the physical computer hosting it.

    Suspend Virtual Machine

    Select this option if you want the virtual machine to be suspended when you turn off the physical server hosting it.

  • Optimization Settings. This subgroup allows you to define the priority of distributing the bare metal physical server resources

    Optimize for. Define whether the virtual machine or the hosting server processes should have priority for host resource consumption.

    • Virtual machine. Select this option to allocate more resources to the virtual machine and its applications. Selecting this option may significantly increase the virtual machine performance; however, it may slow down the work of the bare metal computer.

    • Host Computer. Select this option to allocate more resources to the Server Bare Metal physical server and its applications. In this case, the resources usage will be optimized to provide better performance of bare metal physical server.

    Disk I/O Priority. Priority level of the virtual machine disk I/O operations in comparison to those of other virtual environments allocated on this physical server. The allowed range is 0-7. The greater the priority, the more time the virtual environment has for writing to and reading from the disk. The default priority is 4.

    Disk I/O Limit, Bps. Disk I/O bandwidth limit in bytes per second. The default value is 0 which stands for unlimited bandwidth.

    Disk I/O Limit, Nps. Disk IOPS limit in operations per second. The default value is 0 which stands for unlimited IOPS.

The Remote Display group allows you to configure the settings to be used to remotely control your virtual machine via the VNC protocol.

  • Enabled with default settings. Use the network settings of the host physical server to connect to the virtual machine via the VNC protocol. To learn the physical server settings, go to Network pane of the physical server itself. You can also set the password to secure your VNC connection.

  • Enabled with custom settings. This option, if selected, allows you to specify your own connection parameters when connecting to the virtual machine via the VNC protocol. In this case you should specify the following parameters:

    Option

    Description

    IP Address

    The IP address of the server where the virtual machine is hosted.

    Port

    A unique port number to be used by the virtual machine. It must be a numeric value in the 5700-6900 range.

    You can also set the password to secure your VNC connection.

  • Disabled. Forbid using the VNC protocol for connecting to the virtual machine.

(For Virtuozzo 6 servers) The Offline Services Management group of settings lets you enable the virtual machine management through Virtuozzo Power Panel and/or Virtuozzo Plesk Control Panel irrespective of the virtual machine state, running or stopped. Offline services of the corresponding virtual machine ensure the virtual machine manageability by means of one or more offline services from any browser at its own IP address. After offline service is enabled for the virtual machine, one port of its IP addresses becomes permanently active irrespective of the virtual machine state.

Note

The virtual machine should have either the Bridged or the Host-Only network adapter to support the offline service management.

  • Disabled. The offline management is turned off. The virtual machine can be accessed through the offline services only if it is in the running state.

  • Enabled With Default Settings. The offline management is turned on with the physical server settings being used as default ones. Both control panels have ports and enabled.

  • Enabled With Custom Settings. The offline management is turned on. Choose those control panels that you will use to manage the virtual machine.

The Restart group is available if you configure a running virtual machine. It allows you to decide when to apply the changes.

  • The Restart the Virtual Machine to apply the changes immediately check box is selected. The changes will be applied immediately after you click the Submit button. The virtual machine will be stopped and then started again.

  • The Restart the Virtual Machine to apply the changes immediately check box is cleared. The changes will be saved when you click the Submit button but will not be applied to the virtual machine. The changes will be applied on the first time the virtual machine is stopped or restarted.

7.8.9.2. Defining Virtual Machine Hardware Settings

The Configure Hardware Settings page allows you to view and change the configuration of a virtual machine. Also, you can add new devices and remove no more used ones.

To be able to change the virtual machine configuration, you should have sufficient rights.

Note

If you change the configuration of a running virtual machine, you can choose when to apply the changes - immediately after saving the changes or later when you stop/restart the virtual machine. Use the Restart group settings.

CPU Settings

This group of settings allows you to set the following CPU parameters:

  • Define the number of CPUs to be available to the virtual machine in the Number of CPUs field. Keep in mind that the number of CPUs cannot exceed the number of physical CPUs installed on the physical server where the virtual machine resides.

  • Define the CPU units and in the CPU Units field. CPU unit is a positive integer number that determines the minimal guaranteed share of the hosting server CPU time your virtual environment will receive.

  • Define the CPU limit in the CPU Limits field. CPU limit can be set in percentage or in megahertz (MHz).

    • CPU limit set in percentage is a positive number indicating the hosting server CPU time in percent that cannot be exceeded by the corresponding virtual machine. To calculate the CPU limit for a virtual machine, you should first count the hosting server maximum CPU value in percent. To do this, multiply the number of server CPUs by 100%. For example, the maximum CPU value of a server with 4 CPUs will be 400%. Now, you can decide what portion of the whole CPU power of this server you want to allocate to this virtual machine.

      Since, the limitation is set in percent, it will be recounted automatically each time the CPU power of the hosting server changes.

    • CPU limit in megahertz is a positive number indicating the hosting server CPU value in MHz that cannot be exceeded by the corresponding virtual machine.

      The CPU limitation is strict and does not change in case of the virtual machine migration to a different physical server or if the hosting server CPU power changes.

  • View the processor virtualization type supported for this virtual machine in the Hardware Virtualization field.

  • Indicate one or more flags in the System Flags field. When specified, these flags define additional properties of the virtual machine and may change its system behavior. This field serves for the technical support needs. You will be instructed what flags to specify if such cases arise.

Operating Memory Settings

This pane allows you to specify the amount of operating memory (RAM) available for this virtual machine. You can specify any value from 4 to 8192 MB, but it is recommended to set the value indicated in the tip message that is displayed when you move the mouse cursor over the value set in the Operating Memory field. Note that this value can be different for different kinds of guest operating systems.

Video Memory Settings

This pane allows you to specify the amount of the memory allocated for the emulated video card inside the virtual machine. The more you allocate, the more powerful the video card will be. You can specify any value from 2 to 256 MB.

Boot settings

This group of settings allows you to configure the virtual machine boot sequence and EFI boot capability.

To enable EFI boot, check the Use EFI box.

The current boot sequence is displayed in the In Use table. To change the boot order, select a bootable device in the table and use the Up and Down buttons to move it up or down in the list. To remove a boot device from the boot sequence, select it and click the << button to move it to the Not Used table. To include the device in the boot sequence, select it in the Not Used table and click the >> button.

The currently supported devices are as follows:

Device

Description

Hard disk

The virtual machine will use its hard disk to boot.

Floppy Disk

The virtual Machine will boot from the floppy disk.

CD/DVD-ROM

The virtual machine will boot from the media connected to the CD/DVD-ROM.

Network Adapter

The virtual machine will be connected to the PXE Server and will boot from the ISO image stored on it.

Note

Make sure that the devices in the boot sequence are present in the virtual machine configuration

Hard Disk Settings

Using this group of parameters, you can configure the following emulated hard disk drive settings:

Enabled. Select this option to enable hard disk operations. If you want to temporary disable this device, but do not want to remove it completely, disable this option.

Image File. In this field, you can view and change the location of the hard disk image file. By default, the hard disk image file is located in the virtual machine home folder

Disk Size and Image Type. In this section, you can change the hard disk size and format.

Note

For minimizing the disk size, enable the Resize filesystem option. Enlarging the disk size can be performed without this option enabled.

When changing the image type, you can choose one of these disk formats:

  • Expanding. Such disks grow in size (i.e. more space is allocated for them) as more data is added.

  • Plain. Such disks have all the required space allocated for them at creation.

If you want the virtual disk to be split into 2GB pieces, select the Splitted option.

Enable the Recreate option, if you want to replace the existing hard disk with a new blank one.

Note

Recreating the hard disk removes all data stored on it.

Interface Type and Location. In this section, you can select the interface for connecting devices and set device position:

  • For Virtuozzo Hybrid Server 7:

    • SCSI Interface: Up to 15 virtual devices (hard disks or CD/DVD-ROM drives) per virtual machine.

    • IDE Interface. Up to 4 virtual devices (hard disks or CD/DVD-ROM drives) per virtual machine.

    • VirtIO Interface. Up to 15 virtual hard disks per virtual machine.

Note

Virtuozzo Hybrid Server 7 supports hotplugging of SCSI and VirtIO hard disks to virtual machines.

  • For Virtuozzo 6 servers:

    • SATA Interface. Up to 6 virtual devices (hard disks or CD/DVD-ROM drives) per virtual machine.

    • SCSI Interface. Up to 15 virtual devices (hard disks or CD/DVD-ROM drives) per virtual machine.

    • IDE Interface. Up to 4 virtual devices (hard disks or CD/DVD-ROM drives) per virtual machine.

Note

Virtuozzo 6 supports hotplugging of SATA hard disks to virtual machines.

Virtual Network Settings

This group of settings allows you to manage the virtual machine’s network settings:

  • Enabled. Select this option if you want to enable the given network adapter in the virtual machine. If you want to temporarily disable the network adapter without deleting it from the virtual machine configuration, clear the Enabled check box.

  • Connected. Select this option if you want the virtual machine to start up with this network adapter connected.

  • Configure network settings from guest OS. When selected, hides the Network Settings section of the screen and enables you to configure the network settings from inside the virtual machine. When deselected, reveals the Network Settings section of the screen and allows you to configure the network settings from Virtuozzo Automator.

  • Connect to Virtual Network. The virtual machine will connect to one of the virtual networks available on the Virtuozzo server. By default, you can choose from these networks:

    • Bridged. The virtual machine will access the local network and Internet through one of the network adapters installed on the physical computer. In this case, the virtual machine will be treated as a standalone computer on the network and you will need to configure it accordingly.

    • Host-Only. The virtual machine will only connect to the physical computer and virtual machines within the same host-only network.

    Additionally, you can populate the list with more virtual networks that you have already created in Virtuozzo Automator (on either the Resource Library > Networks screen or physical server’s Networks screen). To be added to this list, the virtual network needs to be configured for use on this server only (Host-Only mode) or bound to a physical server network adapter or VLAN (Bridged mode). If a virtual network adapter is indicated in brackets, for example, (eth0), the network works in the Bridged mode. Virtual networks marked with (n/a) work in the Host-Only mode.

  • Routed. The virtual machine will appear as a full member on the network, and its traffic will be routed via one of the virtual adapters on the Virtuozzo server.

  • Mac Address. During virtual machine creation, a MAC address for the virtual network adapter is generated automatically. You can view and edit it on virtual machine’s Hardware Configuration screen (see Defining Virtual Machine Hardware Settings). When you clone a virtual machine, leave the field empty so the system will automatically generate a new MAC address for it.

  • Get IP Address by. Select the DHCPv4 or DHCPv6 checkbox to automatically receive TCP/IP configuration properties from the local server (the DHCP server inside the virtual machine), and the information on the default gateway through the Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol for the IP address of version 4 or version 6, correspondingly. The virtual machine adapter can have up to two IP addresses either set manually or assigned by the DHCP server automatically.

    Note

    The IP addresses should be of different versions. This way, a network adapter will have one IPv4 and one IPv6 address no matter how they were assigned: manually by you or automatically by DHCP.

  • IP address/Subnet mask and Default Gateway. Fill out these fields to use a static IP address instead of a dynamic one automatically assigned by the DHCP server. If you leave the value at <auto>, Virtuozzo Automator will assign the IP address and subnet mask automatically.

  • DNS Server IP Address. DNS server IP address for Internet connection.

  • Search Domain. Search domain name. A search domain is a list for hostname lookup. The search list is normally determined by the local domain name and contains only that by default. You can add other hostnames for a particular Container. A search query is performed by attempting to use each item in the list until a match is found. Note that this process might be slow and generate a lot of network traffic if the servers for the listed domains are not local. Besides, the query might timeout if no server is available for one of the domains.

  • Filter by MAC Address. Determines if the specified network adapter is configured to filter network packages by MAC address. If set to “yes”, the adapter is allowed to send packages only from its own MAC address.

  • Filter by IP Address. Determines if the specified network adapter is configured to filter network packages by IP address. If set to “yes”, the adapter is allowed to send packages only from IPs in the network adapter IP addresses list.

  • Promiscuous Mode. Determines if the specified network adapter should reject packages not addressed to its virtual machine. If set to “yes”, the adapter will drop such packages.

CD/DVD-ROM Settings

This group of settings provides you with the possibility to configure the following virtual machine’s CD/DVD-ROM drive settings:

  • Leave the Enabled option selected if you want the virtual machine to use the given CD/DVD-ROM drive. To temporarily disable operations with this drive without removing it from the virtual machine configuration, clear the Enabled check box.

  • Select the Connected option if you want the virtual machine to start up with this CD/DVD-ROM drive connected.

  • In the Image Type section, specify whether you wish to use a real CD/DVD-ROM drive on your physical server or a CD/DVD-ROM image file to emulate the virtual machine CD/DVD-ROM drive. First of all, the CD/DVD-ROM is needed to install an operating system inside the virtual machine. If you have a real CD with an operating system, the Physical Drive option is to be selected.

    • The Physical Drive option is grayed out as connecting a real CD/DVD-ROM drive of the host server is not supported by hypervisor.

    • If you wish to use a CD/DVD-ROM image file, select the Existing Image File radio button. In this case, you will need to specify the file location (use the Image File Location field), the name or path to the file, and the login/password information in case of the remote storage. An image file is very useful as it should not necessarily be stored on the same physical server where the virtual machine is located. It can be stored locally on the same host (choose the Local CD/DVD Image option), can be stored on any physical computer accessible via network (choose the Network CD/DVD Image option), or it can be stored on a file storage shared with Virtuozzo Automator (choose the Library CD/DVD image option).

      Note

      If you have a Microsoft Windows 2008 installation disk image, we advise you to store this image locally on the host server. Otherwise, check that the network connection is fast enough to successfully boot from a remote image.

  • Select the interface type for connecting the CD/DVD-ROM drive in the Interface Type field:

    • IDE. Up to 4 virtual devices (hard disks or CD/DVD-ROM drives) per virtual machine.

    • SCSI. Up to 15 virtual devices (hard disks or CD/DVD-ROM drives) per virtual machine.

  • Select the device location in the Location list.

  • Select the Passthrough checkbox to connect the physical server real CD/DVD-ROM drive to the virtual machine in the passthrough mode. In this mode, the CD/DVD-ROM drive is directly assigned to the virtual machine. If you connect a recordable optical drive to a virtual machine in the passthrough mode, you will be able to use it to burn CD or DVD discs in the virtual machine. To use this option, you should have a write access to the physical server CD/DVD-ROM.

    Note

    If you select the Passthrough option, the physical server will have no access to this CD/DVD-ROM drive.

Floppy Disk Settings

This group of settings allows you to configure the virtual machine’s floppy disk drive settings:

  • Leave the Enabled option selected if you want the virtual machine to use the given floppy disk drive. To temporarily disable operations with this drive without removing it from the virtual machine configuration, clear the Enabled check box.

  • Select the Connected option if you want the virtual machine to start up with this floppy disk drive connected.

  • In the Image Type section, you can choose the device that will be used to emulate the virtual machine’s floppy disk drive:

    • Physical Drive. Select this option to use a real floppy disk drive installed on your physical server.

    • Local Disk Image. Select this option to use an existing image file to emulate the virtual machine’s floppy disk drive. Not available when creating a virtual machine template.

Parallel Port Settings

This group of settings allows you to configure the virtual machine’s parallel port settings:

Enabled. Select this option to enable the parallel port operations. If you want to temporary disable this device, but do not want to remove it completely, disable this option.

Connected. The parallel port will be automatically connected on the virtual machine startup if you select this option.

In the Image Type section, you can choose the device that will be used to emulate the virtual machine’s parallel port:

  • Real Device. Select this option to connect one of the parallel ports of the physical server to the virtual machine’s parallel port. In this case you will need to choose the appropriate physical port in the Parallel Port list.

  • Printer. Select this option to connect a printer using the virtual machine’s parallel port. In this case, you will need to choose the appropriate printer in the Printer list.

  • Output File. Select this option to emulate the parallel port by using an output file. In this case, a new output file will be created in the virtual machine’s folder. The name that will be assigned to the file is displayed in the Output File field; you can change it, if necessary. The output file (in .txt format) records the information on the parallel port activity.

Serial Port Settings

This group of settings allows you to configure the virtual machine’s serial port settings:

Enabled. Select this option to enable the serial port operations. If you want to temporary disable this device, but do not want to remove it completely, disable this option.

Connected. The serial port disk will be automatically connected on the virtual machine startup if you select this option.

In the Image Type section, you can choose the device that will be used to emulate the virtual machine’s serial port:

  • Real Device. Select this option to connect the virtual machine’s serial port to one of the existing serial ports on the physical computer. In this case, you will need to choose the appropriate port on the physical server in the Serial Port list.

  • Socket. Select this option to connect two virtual machines through the sockets. When connecting the virtual machine to a socket, you can use the default path to the socket or type a new one in the Socket field. You can also configure the role the virtual machine will play in the connection by selecting the necessary role in the Mode list. Selecting Server enables you to use this virtual machine to direct the other one. Selecting Client enables you to direct this virtual machine from the other one.

  • Output File. Select this option to connect the virtual machine’s serial port to an output file. You can accept the default file name or type your own one in the Output File field. The output file (in .txt format) records the information on the serial port activity.

You can use the Add and Remove buttons to add new devices to the virtual machine or remove unnecessary ones from it.

The Restart group is available if you configure a running virtual machine. The check box Restart the Virtual Machine to immediately apply the changes allows you to decide when to apply the changes:

  • If the check box is selected, the changes will be applied immediately after you click the Submit button. The virtual machine will be restarted.

  • If the check box is cleared, the changes will be saved when you click the Submit button but will not be applied to the virtual machine. The changes will be applied on the next virtual machine stop or restart.

Note

Virtuozzo Hybrid Server 7 supports hotplugging of SCSI and VirtIO hard disks to virtual machines. Virtuozzo 6 supports hotplugging of SATA hard disks to virtual machines.

7.8.10. Reinstalling Virtual Machines

Virtual machine reinstallation means recovering the original state of a virtual machine in case you have unintentionally modified, replaced, or deleted any file that is part of an application or OS template, and the action has brought about the Container malfunction. The virtual machine reinstallation process restores these files as they were at the time when the virtual machine was created or when other applications were added to the virtual machine afterwards, if so.

Reinstallation is likely to bring about some irrevocable changes to your virtual machine, therefore, to be on the safe side, it is recommended to back up your virtual machine before reinstallation.

Click Reinstall on the Reinstall: Introduction page to start reinstallation.

Note

In order to be reinstalled, each virtual machine has to be stopped first.

7.8.11. Cloning Virtual Machines

This section describes how to define general and hardware settings of cloned virtual machines and how to clone multiple virtual machines.

7.8.11.1. Defining General Settings of Cloned Virtual Machines

The Clone Virtual Machine: General Settings page allows you to preset the main settings for the clone of the virtual machine before you start the process of cloning. The settings on this page are almost the same ones as when you create a new virtual machine.

Preferences

In the section, you can change the name or description of a virtual machine created singularly, or assign a name and a description to a mass-produced virtual machine. You can also view where the virtual machine configuration file is stored. The Start the Virtual Machine after its creation option, being enabled, launches the virtual machine upon its creation on the basis of this template.

For more information on the Host System Integration, Remote Display, and Offline Management settings, see Defining Virtual Machine General Settings.

To configure the hardware settings of the virtual machine clone, click the Customize button.

7.8.11.2. Defining Hardware Settings of Cloned Virtual Machines

The Clone Virtual Machine: Hardware Settings page allows you to preset the hardware settings for the clone of the virtual machine before you start the process of cloning. If you want to reconfigure these settings, you can easily do it later on the Configure Hardware Settings page. To open this page, choose the clone and go to Configure > Hardware Settings.

You can:

  • View and edit the general settings in the General subsection.

  • View and edit the parameters of the virtual machine devices in the Devices subsection.

  • Add and remove various hardware devices.

For more information, see Defining Virtual Machine Hardware Settings.

Note

Not all hardware settings may be available for cloned virtual machines.

7.8.11.3. Cloning Multiple Virtual Machines

The Clone Virtual Machines page allows you to create exact copies of several virtual machines at once. The multiple creation of clones is possible only for the virtual machines that are located on the same physical server.

The page comprises as many subsections as many virtual machines you are going to clone. In each subsection, you can specify the future clone name. The default name of the clone is made by adding the Clone_ prefix to the virtual machine initial name.

Note

The running virtual machines will be stopped prior to the process of cloning and restarted again after the process is complete.

If you want to start the virtual machines after cloning, just enable the corresponding check box below the subsections.

The resulting clones of the virtual machines will be located on the same physical server and will be listed together with the initial virtual machines as soon as the process of cloning is complete.

7.8.12. Migrating Virtual Machines

The cases when you need to move your virtual machines from one physical server to another can be quite numerous. Use the migration to distribute the workload between physical servers, or in case of the physical server malfunction. On the Migrate Virtual Machine(s) screen, you need to select the physical server you are going to move the virtual machines to and select some additional options.

Note the following:

  1. The physical server must be registered in the infrastructure. If you need to migrate virtual machines to a physical server that has not been registered yet, this has to be done first.

  2. You can migrate only running Virtuozzo 6 virtual machines to Virtuozzo Hybrid Server 7.

  3. Migration of Virtuozzo Hybrid Server 7 virtual environments to Virtuozzo 6 servers is not supported.

  4. If remote display is configured in the VM to be migrated live, it is recommended to either disable this feature until live migration is finished or revert its configuration to the default by selecting Configure General Settings > Remote Display Service > Enabled with Default Settings.

The screen can be accessed by clicking Maintenance > Migrate on the virtual machine toolbar.

When selecting the destination physical server for you virtual machines, remember that you will only be able to migrate virtual machines between physical servers registered in Virtuozzo Automator. If you need to migrate the virtual machines to a physical server that has not been registered yet, this has to be done first.

To initiate the migration process, you should specify what physical server will host the virtual machine.

The Running VM Migration section is available only if you are attempting to migrate a running virtual machine. Before you start the migration, you should specify its type. In fact, you specify for what period a virtual machine will be paused/stopped.

Before Migration

  • Pause VM for a short time during migration (Hot Migration). The virtual machine is automatically paused for a short time during migration and resumed when migration is over. For such migration to be successful, both source and destination physical servers must have the same CPU architecture.

  • Pause VM (Warm Migration). The virtual machine is automatically paused for entire migration and resumed when migration is over. For such migration to be successful, both source and destination physical servers must have the same CPU architecture.

  • Stop VM (Cold Migration). The virtual machine is stopped before migration and not restarted automatically when migration is over.

After Migration

If you want the virtual machine to be started automatically after migration, enable the Resume VM option.

7.8.13. Migrating Physical Servers to Virtual Machines

Note

This feature is only supported for Virtuozzo 6 servers.

Migration of physical servers to virtual machines is performed with the help of Virtuozzo Transporter invoked by clicking Operate > Migrate Server to Virtual Machine on the physical server toolbar. Fill out the required fields as described in Migrating Physical Servers to Containers and click Submit to initiate migration and schedule the corresponding task.

Note

If a physical server has multiple partitions, all of them will be migrated to the virtual machine.

After the physical server is migrated to a virtual machine, you can adjust its configuration (see Changing Virtual Machine Configuration).

7.8.14. Managing Virtual Machine Templates

7.8.14.1. Creating Virtual Machine Templates

A template of a virtual machine is an exact copy of the virtual machine, with the same hardware and software configuration, but with the only difference that it cannot be started like an ordinary virtual machine though it may have an OS preinstalled and a set of various software programs.

At any time, a template can be easily converted to an ordinary virtual machine.

The created virtual machines will have the same hardware configuration, the operating system and the software that the template has.

You can convert an existing virtual machine into a template or make a clone of the virtual machine that will be used as a template and continue using the initial virtual machine.

Defining Template General Settings When Creating Virtual Machine Templates

The New Template: General Settings page, available on clicking New Template on the Templates screen from the left menu, allows you to preset the main settings for the virtual machine template. The settings on this page are almost the same ones as when you create a new virtual machine. For more information, see Defining Virtual Machine General Settings.

To configure the hardware settings of the virtual machine template, click the Next button.

To create a template, click Create.

Defining Template Hardware Settings When Creating Virtual Machine Templates

The New Template: Hardware Settings page allows you to configure the main hardware settings of the virtual machine template that is being created. For more information, see Defining Virtual Machine Hardware Settings.

Note

Not all hardware settings may be available for virtual machine templates.

Reviewing Template Parameters

The New Template: Review page enables you to make sure that the newly created template will fit all your needs. On this page, you can review all the configuration parameters.

  • General Configuration contains the information on the template name.

  • Hardware Settings contains the information on the CPU, operating memory and the devices configuration.

If after the review, you decided to change the type of the network adapter, the size of the hard disk, or any other parameter, just click the Back button. You will be able to come back the Hardware Settings and General Settings pages.

To complete the creation of the template, click the Create button and wait while the process finishes.

7.8.14.2. Cloning a Virtual Machine to Template

The Clone to Template page allows you to create a template of the chosen virtual machine.

With this option, you can have a functioning virtual machine and its clone with the template characteristics at the same time.

Before you create a template, you should decide where to store it:

  • Clone VM to Library Template. In this case, the template will be placed to the Resource library folder accessible to all users who have enough rights. In future, these users will be able to create a virtual machine using this template and to place it on any physical server.

  • Clone VM to Local Template. In this case, the template will be created locally on the same physical server the virtual machine belongs to. Such a template is visible from the host server only. To find the list of such templates, go to the Summary page of the physical server and click VM Templates. In the future, the virtual machine created from this template will be placed on this physical server.

When you click Clone, the process of cloning starts. Wait till the virtual machine is cloned to the template. If you have chosen to create a library template, you will find it in the Resource Library > Templates folder. If you have chosen to create a local template of the virtual machine, you will find it in the local library on the physical server the virtual machine initially belonged to.

7.8.14.3. Converting a Virtual Machine to Template

The Convert to Template page allows you to create a template of the chosen virtual machine.

With this option, your virtual machine no longer exists but is converted to a template.

Before you create a template, you should decide where to store it.

  • Convert VM to Library Template. In this case, the template will be placed to the Resource library folder accessible to all users who have enough rights. In future, these users will be able to create a virtual machine using this template and to place it on any registered physical server.

  • Convert VM to Local Template. In this case, the template will be created locally on the same physical server the virtual machine belongs to. Such a template is visible from the host server only. To find the list of such templates, go to the Summary page of the physical server and click VM Templates. In the future, the virtual machine created from this template will be placed on this physical server.

When you click Convert, the process of converting starts. Wait till the virtual machine is converted to the template. If you have chosen to create a library template, you will find it in the Resource Library > Templates folder. If you have chosen to create a local template of the virtual machine, you will find it in the local library on the physical server the virtual machine initially belonged to.

7.8.14.4. Operations on Local Virtual Machine Templates

Click Manage > Virtual Machine Templates on the physical server toolbar to monitor and manage the state of all virtual machine templates stored on this server. The templates are listed in the table that can have up to three columns: Name, OS, and Description. To add or remove any of the columns, use the Select Columns button above the table.

The Search section also comprises three fields: Name, OS, and Description. This allows you to search for templates according to any of these parameters. If you only need some of these fields, you can add or remove them according to your needs with the help of the Customize button. If you do no need the search section at all, hide it with the Hide Search button below the table. To restore the Search section, click the Show Search button that appears on the place of the Hide Search one.

On the VM Templates page, you can perform any of the following actions:

  • Create a clone of the template and store it in the Library (the Clone to Library button);

  • Convert the template into a virtual machine (the Convert to VM button);

  • Create a clone of the template and store it on the same physical server (the Clone button);

  • Delete a template (the Delete button).

To perform an action, select one or more templates and click the respective action button.

If you click a template name, the template properties page will open.

7.8.14.5. Editing Virtual Machine Template

Having created a virtual machine template, you may need to change its general or hardware settings before converting it into a new virtual machine. Virtuozzo Automator allows you to do it.

Defining Template General Settings When Editing Virtual Machine Templates

The Configure General Settings page allows you to edit the main settings for the virtual machine template. The settings on this page are almost the same ones as when you create a new virtual machine. For more information, see Defining Virtual Machine General Settings.

To configure the hardware settings of the virtual machine template, click the Next button.

To save the changes, click Create, otherwise click Cancel.

Defining Template Hardware Settings When Editing Virtual Machine Templates

The Configure Hardware Settings page allows you to configure the main hardware settings of the virtual machine template. For more information, see Defining Virtual Machine Hardware Settings.

Note

Not all hardware settings may be available for virtual machine templates.

7.8.15. Viewing Virtual Machine Logs

7.8.15.1. Viewing Virtual Machine Task Logs

The Tasks subtab lists recent operations on the selected virtual machine. For more details on information shown, see Viewing Infrastructure Task Logs.

7.8.15.2. Viewing Virtual Machine Alert Logs

The Alerts subtab lists resource consumption alerts for the selected virtual machine. For more details on information shown, see Viewing Infrastructure Alert Logs.

7.8.15.3. Viewing Virtual Machine Event Logs

The Events subtab lists status changes of the selected virtual machine. For more details on information shown, see Viewing Infrastructure Event Logs.

Version 7.2 — Jul 20, 2023
Edit Print