Solved Get Large Disk Images on XenServer 6.5 on Local Filesystem?
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@johnhooks said in Get Large Disk Images on XenServer 6.5 on Local Filesystem?:
@scottalanmiller said in Get Large Disk Images on XenServer 6.5 on Local Filesystem?:
XenServer also uses EXT4 which is silly. XFS would be a better choice.
I think it's still EXT3.
It is.
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@ntoxicator said in Get Large Disk Images on XenServer 6.5 on Local Filesystem?:
True.. I just like it working; where during upgrades, things done break or go 'bump' in the night. yah know?
otherwise, could attach more than one(1) 2TB Virtual Disk to the Windows VM... and then move files/ folders around and keep the file share name.
Yes, you can attach a lot of them and then you can use software RAID or you can use spanning to merge into a single device. Spanning normally.
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@DustinB3403 said in Get Large Disk Images on XenServer 6.5 on Local Filesystem?:
@scottalanmiller said:
There are work arounds, using LVM inside of the OS. Or... are you using Windows? Windows can still fix it too, just isn't as graceful as LVM for it.
Wait you knew the answer, but are looking for a way to do it at the hypervisor (for conversation purposes?)
Yes, the question is about XenServer, not about Linux.
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@scottalanmiller said
Yes, you can attach a lot of them and then you can use software RAID or you can use spanning to merge into a single device. Spanning normally.
how reliable would that be utilizing the XS localized storage repository. I guess as reliable as Microsofts Software raid implementation? As long as the Virtual Disks dont get dropped from the Guest VM?
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I know localized storage is majority times faster and less points of failure than having server + SAN for storage. However, with a SAN serving out NFS Shares as the Storage Repository for XenServer. You can easily navigate and access the actual disk file(s)
Where as, Localized storage. You're limited to straight CLI on CentOS. I'm assuming would have to use SCP command to take the disk file and copy to say an external NFS Share (migration reasons)
Otherwise, XS gives pretty good insight to what disk images are on the storage Repository, so can move them around if needed.
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@ntoxicator said in Get Large Disk Images on XenServer 6.5 on Local Filesystem?:
@scottalanmiller said
Yes, you can attach a lot of them and then you can use software RAID or you can use spanning to merge into a single device. Spanning normally.
how reliable would that be utilizing the XS localized storage repository. I guess as reliable as Microsofts Software raid implementation? As long as the Virtual Disks dont get dropped from the Guest VM?
Windows Software RAID is awful. Local SR is great. You'd use Windows spanning, not RAID, for this particular task.
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@ntoxicator said in Get Large Disk Images on XenServer 6.5 on Local Filesystem?:
Where as, Localized storage. You're limited to straight CLI on CentOS. I'm assuming would have to use SCP command to take the disk file and copy to say an external NFS Share (migration reasons)
Just use Filezilla or WinSCP. Boom, full GUI and super simple to use.
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@scottalanmiller said
Just use Filezilla or WinSCP. Boom, full GUI and super simple to use.
DUH. moment on my behalf. I went full stubborn for a moment. Thanks
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@DustinB3403 said in Get Large Disk Images on XenServer 6.5 on Local Filesystem?:
@ntoxicator The issue here (does present a single point of failure) but only for the storage device.
Sure if that device dies that storage is offline, but the VM is still usable. So it's a Storage SPOF, rather than a System SPOF.
Wait a min, what? isn't what you describe - a storage SPOF an inverted pyramid of doom?
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@Dashrender said in [
Wait a min, what? isn't what you describe - a storage SPOF an inverted pyramid of doom?
That is indeed inverted pyramid, per Scottalanmiller descriptions and article.
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@Dashrender sadly it could be an iPOD.
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Damn, that took me 20 mins to get through (my most recent post before this was made when I started reading the thread).
While the requirement to use spanning sucks, it's a decent solution to this problem that really shouldn't be any more problematic than having a single large partition once it's configured. Given the choice between using spanning or buying a third party NFS mounting software for Windows, then buying external storage that supports NFS, then mounting that storage to Windows via NFS to then be shared out to users through Windows via NFS (possibly creating an IPOD) - yeah I'll keep spanning.
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@Dashrender said in Get Large Disk Images on XenServer 6.5 on Local Filesystem?:
Damn, that took me 20 mins to get through (my most recent post before this was made when I started reading the thread).
While the requirement to use spanning sucks, it's a decent solution to this problem that really shouldn't be any more problematic than having a single large partition once it's configured. Given the choice between using spanning or buying a third party NFS mounting software for Windows, then buying external storage that supports NFS, then mounting that storage to Windows via NFS to then be shared out to users through Windows via NFS (possibly creating an IPOD) - yeah I'll keep spanning.
I'll agree with this. Otherwise <---- Gun to head, or we be $$$$$ throwing big money for full on NAS/SAN solution for HA setup.
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@Dashrender said in Get Large Disk Images on XenServer 6.5 on Local Filesystem?:
Damn, that took me 20 mins to get through (my most recent post before this was made when I started reading the thread).
While the requirement to use spanning sucks, it's a decent solution to this problem that really shouldn't be any more problematic than having a single large partition once it's configured. Given the choice between using spanning or buying a third party NFS mounting software for Windows, then buying external storage that supports NFS, then mounting that storage to Windows via NFS to then be shared out to users through Windows via NFS (possibly creating an IPOD) - yeah I'll keep spanning.
You're still limited to the 6 drives per VM though. So the max total you can have period is 12TB per VM.
Edit: Ah that was 6.2 Looks like 6.5 has a limit of 16 VDIs.
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@johnhooks Which that is 32TB of storage on a single VM.
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Is there a simple way to make a QCOW based file that XS will use?
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@ntoxicator said in [Get Large Disk Images on XenServer 6.5 on Local Filesystem?](/topic/8946/get-large-disk-images]
I'll agree with this. Otherwise <---- Gun to head, or we be $$$$$ throwing big money for full on NAS/SAN solution for HA setup.
Now that I don't really understand. You wouldn't need HA for the SAN/NAS situation if you aren't doing it with local storage.
For example, you have one XS server, and you direct attach a SAN/NAS storage solution to it. Have you made it more complex more points of failure, sure, but so much so that you need to make it HA? Probably not, at least not in this case. Why not? Because you're reason for going to SAN/NAS isn't HA, it's to solve a single storage presentation problem, which you would be solving through either iSCSI or NFS or SMB most likely.
But I still wouldn't do this over a spanning solution.
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XS's VHD limitation is akin to the old LBA limitation.
And in this case you'd be using external storage to solve it by doing to a different connection method/protocol, bypassing XS altogether. -
@ntoxicator said in Get Large Disk Images on XenServer 6.5 on Local Filesystem?:
@Dashrender said in [
Wait a min, what? isn't what you describe - a storage SPOF an inverted pyramid of doom?
That is indeed inverted pyramid, per Scottalanmiller descriptions and article.
When I mentioned IPOD earlier - I was thinking that their was an expectation that many servers would be accessing the storage... I see not that wasn't what this discussion was about - so I stand corrected.
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Wonder why XS hasn't moved to VHDX?
Any thoughts?
