KVM-FT Hardware and Software Requirements

In addition to the requirements discussed in OpenStack Installation and Configuration, ensure that your OpenStack environment includes:

• At least two dedicated Nova compute nodes that will run the KVM-FT hypervisor

  You install Stratus Cloud Availability Services on these compute nodes, and then select two nodes to be in each fault-tolerant KVM-FT pair group in Stratus Cloud Workload Services. Plan your KVM-FT pair groups carefully, because you cannot change them later without redeploying your KVM-FT applications.

• At least two dedicated nodes that will run the Quorum server service (QSS)

  You install and configure the quorum service on these nodes. The quorum service provides data integrity assurances and automatic restart capabilities for KVM-FT instances. Plan your quorum servers carefully, because you cannot change them later or change their IP addresses without redeploying your KVM-FT applications.

  The quorum service must be installed on servers that are reachable (over UDP) from the KVM-FT hypervisor. Most often, the quorum servers are installed in a similar manner to the OpenStack control plane servers such that the quorum servers are reachable through the OpenStack management network. The quorum protocol generates a small (<1K) packet every second and should not impact regular management traffic.

  The quorum service can be installed on any general-purpose computer with the following attributes:

  • Preferably a bare-metal system
  • Linux-based operating system
  • Small footprint
  • No other services running
  • Memory 512 MB or higher

Be prepared to make the following physical connections for the compute nodes in each KVM-FT pair group:

• Two 10 gigibit (Gb) Ethernet links, known as A-links:

  • Either two 10Gb Ethernet adapters directly connected between the paired compute nodes (minimum configuration) or two 10Gb Ethernet adapters plugged into redundant 10Gb Ethernet switches that connect the paired compute nodes (recommended configuration)
  • Each Ethernet link located on a separate, single-port Ethernet adapter that can be easily replaced

Be prepared to configure storage for KVM-FT applications with:

• Local storage, for best performance and reliability

  KVM-FT instances cannot run on Network File System (NFS) shares because Availability Services requires higher I/O throughput and reliability than NFS can provide. There is also no need to create network shares that can be moved from instance to instance, because Availability Services automatically synchronizes local storage between paired KVM-FT instances in an FT pair group. If a KVM-FT instance fails, Availability Services automatically switches to the secondary instance and its identical local storage.

• Fault-resilient and high-bandwidth Cinder block storage, if needed

  You can use Cinder block storage for KVM-FT instances, but the cloud administrator is responsible for ensuring that the Cinder node is protected against any single points of failure.Also, you should connect the Cinder node to a 10Gb network for best performance and reliability, especially for high I/O applications.

Be prepared to install the following required software packages and repositories during the installation procedure:

• Kernel packages for CentOS 6.6:

  • kernel-2.6.32-504.8.1
  • kernel-headers-2.6.32-504.8.1
  • kernel-devel-2.6.32-504.8.1
  • kernel-firmware-2.6.32-504.8.1
• GNU Compiler Collection

  • gcc (not version specific)

• RPMforge Repository

  • rpmforge-release-0.5.3-1.el6.rf.x86_64