So I really need to test HALizard

DustinB3403

So I really need a way to test HALizard, and become comfortable with the setup of it for my Xenserver setup (in the future) as it appears we are likely going to be going forward with my proposal (which is awesome) but still has me nervous.

I'm thinking I'm going to tear down my current home lab and test with that. Which kind of sucks, but at least it gives me some experience with it.

If anyone has any pointers, like how to install DRBD on XenServer 6.5 that would be a cool way to help me get started on this.

Here's the list of requirements for HALizard

Requirements

XCP version 1.6 or XenServer version 6.1/6.2/6.5
DRBD Version 8.3 or 8.4
iSCSI target – TGT
Pool HA – Open Source HA-Lizard 1.6.41.4 or newer

I have a feeling I'll likely be the person who has to get everything configured (even though I'm pushing for support) so any guidance would be a godsend.

Thanks ML.it community.

scottalanmiller

Doesn't HA-Lizard do the DRBD installation for you?

DustinB3403

Here is the installation and reference guide from HALizard that I'll be following.

Here at post #350 appears to be an active and simple to follow guide to installing and configuring HALizard.

DustinB3403

@scottalanmiller Just doing some research on it now, figured I'd put the feelers out there for pointers.

DustinB3403

I've got a beater server at my house that I'll be testing this with today once I get out of the office so I'll hopefully have some pointers for people in a bit.

DustinB3403

Calling @halizard to see if you might have a more recent guide then what I was able to find here. which is almost a year old.

halizard

@DustinB3403
The HA-Lizard project is made up of three applications:

HA-Lizard - this is a complete high availability framework (replacement for XenServer HA feature). It does not require any other applications to work. Documentation for this component is available here:
http://halizard.com/images/pdf/HA-Lizard_1.8.7.pdf

iSCSI-HA - this is a storage management and storage high availability application. It is specifically written to work in a 2-node xenserver environment and allows you to utilize local storage in a high availability pool without any restrictions (meaning - live migration, etc.. will function as if you had an external SAN). It relies on DRBD for replication. Think of it as a high availability iSCSI SAN collapsed into dom0. This is the document you were referring to in your post:
http://halizard.com/images/pdf/iscsi-ha_1.5_final.pdf

noSAN Installer script - this is a script which automates the entire installation process of building a 2-node HA pool.
A video tutorial is available which describes the entire process here:
Youtube Video

With all of that said - you have a few options when it comes to installation:

1- if you only need HA - then only install HA-Lizard and follow the HA-Lizard installation and reference guide. HA will work with any number of hosts in a pool - even 1 (in a 1 node pool - HA-Lizard acts as a VM watchdog)

2- If you are looking to build a 2-node HA pool with local storage (most of our users are doing this), then you will need to install both HA-Lizard AND iSCSI-HA. You can do this in one of 2 ways:

the hard way - follow our reference design for a 2 node HA pool which provides step-by-step instructions. This option is preferred for users that want to understand how the entire solution works. The reference design can be downloaded here:
http://halizard.com/images/pdf/iscsi-ha 2-node cluster howto_1.5_final.pdf
the easy way - run the noSAN installer script on a fresh pair of xenserver hosts and everything will be installed for you automatically.
This installer performs ALL of the installation steps described in the reference design guide.

I hope this helps. Please post any questions or issues on the HA-Lizard forum which is monitored regularly.

DustinB3403

@halizard You don't happen to have a link to the easier HA-Lizard AND iSCSI-HA installation script handy do you?

halizard

@DustinB3403
here you go - there are some prerequisites. The installer will not run unless you first:

join 2 servers to a pool
create a dedicated replication link (ideally 2 bonded Ethernet ports)
pool must have internet connectivity for installer to work

http://halizard.org/release/noSAN-combined/halizard_nosan_installer_1.4.7

DustinB3403

@halizard Awesome, thank you and your group a crap ton for me.

Gives me stuff to work on!