Topic: HP N40L : moving to VMWARE possible ?

[Jáder]

Hi

I'd like to move my N40L running SME8.1 on 2x 1TB disk (RAID1 by linux)  to a ESXi running from a pendrive.

My initial approuch would be install ESXi on pendrive, boot from pendrive, configure ESXi, create a new vm for SME81 and use physical drives (RAW devices). This way nothing would change at SME level and I could test new SW on my not-so-busy HW.

Am I crazy ?

BTW: I know I could backup everything and reformat, or use it to test console backup option or even Affa solution. I'd like to know if I can use physical drives as raw devices.
Later I can buy more 2x 2TB (or even 3x 2TB) to increase local storage on N40L  and migrate data to VM datastore!

[mmccarn]

I have done something similar with physical drives on virtualbox, so it *should* work on vmware - and as long as you're careful you won't lose anything except time if it doesn't work.

FWIW - if/when you get around to converting your SME from physical disks to virtual disks, there are special steps required to convert linux boxes that use 'lvm' for the boot partition:

... Converter Standalone cannot complete the conversion if the root directory is located on an LVM disk. After the conversion job is 99% complete, the job status changes to Failed and the following entry is added to the log:
FAILED: An error occurred during the conversion: 'Failed to restore original lvm in initrd image: /usr/lib/vmware-converter/restoreLvmInInitrd.sh failed with return code: 1, and message: * Unpacking initrd image /mnt/p2v-src-root//boot/initrd cpio: unsupported cpio format, use newc or crc ERROR: Unable to unpack initrd image /mnt/p2v-src-root//boot/initrd '
Workaround: Convert the LVM disk to a basic disk.

    On the Options page of the Conversion wizard, click Data to copy in the options list.
    Click Advanced and select the Destination layout tab.
    Select the volume that contains the root directory and click To basic.

[stephdl]

all my distros are virtual on virtualbox (debian host)

When i want to install a guest,  I use a ssh export display of virtualbox. If i want a screen (once installed) i use rdp, when i want to set the virtual guest or host i use ssh since my guests have real ip on my network.

You are not crazy it is what you should do if you want to help the development project...

I have a friend of mine who do what you want with the same computer (it seems to me), except he uses the smeserver-phpvirtualbox contribs and therefore virtualbox.

[nicolatiana]

The idea might be good, your hardware not.

ESXi 5.5 gives support to native-integrated raid starting from B120i controller (Proliant ML 310 Gen8 and over and using a particular ESXI cd installer with integrated Hp drivers.
Adding a raid card in your Microserver is not an option considering that it will cost twice or more of you server.

You can have a chance with Proxmox with the (not supported but working) option to install Debian in Raid sw and then Proxmox on top of it:
https://pve.proxmox.com/wiki/Software_RAID
https://pve.proxmox.com/wiki/Install_Proxmox_VE_on_Debian_Wheezy

With ESXI your best choice to add disk space is add disk(s), grow ESXI data store and then via LVM add disk space to SME.
(http://kb.vmware.com/selfservice/microsites/search.do?language=en_US&cmd=displayKC&externalId=1017662).
With Debian you can follow the standard guidelines to play with mdadm and grow your sw raid and then via LVM (in SME Vm) add disk space to SME.
In both case you add a disk to your SME VM and this disk will be added to LVM (This is an example of a VM scenario: http://www.rootusers.com/how-to-increase-the-size-of-a-linux-lvm-by-adding-a-new-disk/)

Consider that both Proxmox and Esxi work on 64 bit HW; 4-6 Gb Ram is recommended;
For your existing SME --> backup on network device and restore on your newly created VM inside your hypervisor (with raid=none option).

Nicola

[Jáder]

I liked the proxmox idea, but I'd like to use vmware anyway. Some day in future I'll be a VCP (I'm studying for this!).

I admit I never thought about RAID support on vmware... so I'm stuck ... no RAID5/6 support. Just RAID10 by internal controller of N40L. Bad news.

For now I have 8GB RAM, so this wouldn't be a problem.
But I'm not sure about to hdd copy content to network format and restore. I use this server to affa backups... would be 600GB to copy... twice!

Really not sure where to go from here... the perfect solution would be to buy  a new N40L and start it with ESXi and 3x 2TB HDDs... later move data over network from internal RAID1 disk from old N40L  to datastore on vmware... but that's a lot of money to spend and this is just home lab = NO WAY!!

Any other sugestions ?

Regards,

Jáder

[nicolatiana]

Just RAID10 by internal controller of N40L

anyway not for ESXi

to buy  a new N40L and start it with ESXi and 3x 2TB HDDs

with a specific raid card compatible with Microserver form-factor.

This optimum small machine (I've at least 7 of them installed) has a fake raid controller without raid support for hypervisors like ESXi (or Xen or Proxmox).

You can investigate for your future needs the Gen8 Microservers that seems to have a B120i integrated controller (it seems that all Gen8 branded servers have at least raid 1 support for Esxi with B120i).
http://h20566.www2.hp.com/portal/site/hpsc/template.PAGE/public/kb/docDisplay/?javax.portlet.begCacheTok=com.vignette.cachetoken&javax.portlet.endCacheTok=com.vignette.cachetoken&javax.portlet.prp_ba847bafb2a2d782fcbb0710b053ce01=wsrp-navigationalState%3DdocId%253Demr_na-c03742583-1%257CdocLocale%253D%257CcalledBy%253D&javax.portlet.tpst=ba847bafb2a2d782fcbb0710b053ce01&ac.admitted=1402468827521.876444892.199480143

https://my.vmware.com/web/vmware/details?downloadGroup=HP-ESXI-5.5.0-GA-19SEP2013&productId=353

Nicola

[Stefano]

just my 2c

raid5 is not the best raid layout for virtualization.. IIRC raid10/50 and raid6 with many disks (and a GOOD raid controllar) are the best

[nicolatiana]

I can confirm that each Hp Proliant with B120i embedded is compatible with Hp-Customized Esxi 5.5 (installed a couple in Raid 1 + HS).

Nicola