[ale] Getting rid of VMware
Tod Fassl
fassl.tod at gmail.com
Fri Mar 12 10:28:00 EST 2021
I created a Win10 VirtualBox virtual machine on my desktop yesterday. I
got the VMWare client thingy installed and working. I'll start poking
around in there today.
Thanks for the tip on link aggregation group. That's exactly the kind of
tip I needed just so I know what to google. Here's a really good
explanation of LAG:
https://cloud-duo.com/2019/05/lacp-configuration-with-vmware-esxi-part-1/
So I am thinking we may see a performance degradation unless I can find
the Linux equivalent of LAG.
On 3/12/21 8:15 AM, Derek Atkins wrote:
> Hi,
>
> My guess is that the multiple ethernet ports are being used as a Link
> Aggregation Group (which would allow you to have a single IP address but
> increase the aggregated network capabilities). But you'd have to check.
>
> I think you will need to at least look at the VMware host configuration to
> figure out how the host *is* configured. I don't think you need to be a
> vmware expert, but you will need to login as vmware admin to look at the
> configs.
>
> -derek
>
> On Fri, March 12, 2021 9:08 am, Tod Fassl via Ale wrote:
>> We had four machines in the cluster. We've already pulled 3 of them out.
>> Two, I've already installed Linux on and have been repurposed. One is
>> sitting there waiting for me to wipe out ESXI and install Linux on it.
>> Our virtual Linux file server is still running on that one remaining
>> ESXI host. So my task is to install Linux on that machine we just pulled
>> out of the cluster and reconnect the ISCSI array to it.
>>
>>
>> What I need to get a grip on is basically how it is working now. I don't
>> want to have to become an VMWare expert for a week of work. I suspect
>> that what I will be able to do is to follow the usual steps for
>> attaching an ISCSI array to a Linux file server. But I don't understand
>> why there are all these cables and how its working now.
>>
>>
>> The virtual machine that is acting as a file serveris running on a ESXI
>> host that has 6 ethernet cables connected to it. But it looks like most
>> of the ports aren't even active. I would *assume* I can safely remove
>> those cables. But why the heck are they there in the first place?
>>
>>
>> There's this famous anecdote in comp sci. There was a bare copper wire
>> running from an old room-sized computer to a filing cabinet. There was a
>> note on the filing cabinet that said, "Do not remove this cable." So a
>> new guy comes in, first thing he does is remove the cable, and of
>> course, the machine crashes.
>>
>>
>> I don't want to be that guy.
>>
>>
>> I guess I'll have to bite the bullet and learn more about VMWare. Kinda
>> sucks though. I'm a math major, not a brick layer.
>>
>>
>> On 3/11/21 5:13 PM, Jim Kinney wrote:
>>> That sounds like the hardware nodes supports the iscsi protocol or the
>>> base hypervisor layer from vmware is doing the iscsi connection.
>>> Probably the later.
>>>
>>> Either way, you're going have a challenge unless you can get details
>>> on the iscsi contents. You'll need to tie each virtual drive to it's
>>> correct device. Otherwise virtual machine A gets the drive space of
>>> virtual machine B.
>>>
>>> From ESX you can get the UUID string of the virtual drive used by that
>>> linux vm.
>>>
>>> I would use that vm now as just a source for a backup. Then restore to
>>> the new hardware machine running a base install with restore bits. The
>>> iscsi array will still need a partition to use for the hardware linux.
>>> I doubt vmware will make this easy.
>>>
>>> Un-virtualizing the drive on an iscsi array sounds like lots of pain.
>>> Retire first.
>>>
>>> On March 11, 2021 5:37:36 PM EST, Tod Fassl via Ale <ale at ale.org> wrote:
>>>
>>> Soonish, I am going to have to take an ISCSI array that is
>>> currently
>>> talking to a VMWare virtual machine running Linux and connect it to
>>> a
>>> real Linux machine. The problem is that I don't know how the Linux
>>> virtual machine talks to the array. It appears as /dev/sdb on the
>>> Linux
>>> virtual machine and is mounted via /etc/fstab like its just a
>>> regular HD
>>> on the machine.
>>>
>>>
>>> So I figure some explanation of how we got here is in order. My
>>> previous
>>> boss bought VMWare thinking we could take 4 24-core machines and
>>> make
>>> one big 96-core virtual machine out of them. He has since retired.
>>> Since
>>> I was rather skeptical of VMWare from the start, the job of dealing
>>> with
>>> the cluster was given to a co-worker. He has since moved on. I know
>>> just
>>> enough about VMWare ESXI to keep the thing working. My new boss
>>> wants to
>>> get rid of VMWare and re-install everything on the bare metal
>>> machines.
>>>
>>>
>>> The VMWare host has 4 ethernet cables running to the switch. But
>>> there
>>> is only 1 virtual network port on the Linux virtual machine.
>>> However,
>>> lspci shows 32 "lines with VMware PCI Express Root" (whatever that
>>> is):
>>>
>>>
>>> # lspci
>>> 00:07.7 System peripheral: VMware Virtual Machine Communication
>>> Interface (rev 10)
>>> 00:10.0 SCSI storage controller: LSI Logic / Symbios Logic 53c1030
>>> PCI-X
>>> Fusion-MPT Dual Ultra320 SCSI (rev 01)
>>> 00:11.0 PCI bridge: VMware PCI bridge (rev 02)
>>> 00:15.0 PCI bridge: VMware PCI Express Root Port (rev 01)
>>> [...]
>>> 00:18.7 PCI bridge: VMware PCI Express Root Port (rev 01)
>>> 02:00.0 Ethernet controller: Intel Corporation 82545EM Gigabit
>>> Ethernet
>>> Controller (Copper) (rev 01)
>>>
>>>
>>> The open-iscsi package is not installed on the Linux virtual
>>> machine.
>>> However, the ISCSI array shows up as /dev/sdb:
>>>
>>> # lsscsi
>>> [2:0:0:0] disk VMware Virtual disk 1.0 /dev/sda
>>> [2:0:1:0] disk EQLOGIC 100E-00 8.1 /dev/sdb
>>>
>>>
>>> I'd kinda like to get the ISCSI array connected to a new bare metal
>>> Linux server w/o losing everybody's files. Do you think I can just
>>> follow the various hotos out there on connecting an ISCSI array w/o
>>> too
>>> much trouble?
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>>>
>>> --
>>> Computers amplify human error
>>> Super computers are really cool
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