BRRABill's Field Report With XenServer
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@BRRABill said:
OK, next question.
How do I get a file onto my XenServer? Say I wanted to copy something over to it?
Or something I would like to try is to take my existing VHD and see if it will use it.
I get the gist I can import the VHD, but can you simply "store" stuff on the XenServer?
The equivalent in Windows of opening File Explorer and just copying a file to a folder on a drive.
Also, can it access files on a USB drive I plug in?
You can't for a reason. You can't on Vmware either. This is not what this is for. This is your hypervisor. It has one singular role, to run your VMs. If you need storage, that goes in a VM!
If you do this with HyperV, you violate your licensing, by the way. Using it as a file server would not fall under the HV license.
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@FATeknollogee said:
Where is that "single pane of glass" to manage XenServer & Hyper-V
Hyper-V has the Hyper-V manager built into Windows. If you want more then that SCVMM is really decent but costs money.
XenCenter is decent single pane management, but so is Xen Orchestra which is just fantastic.
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@FATeknollogee said:
Where is that "single pane of glass" to manage XenServer & Hyper-V
I hit send before I was done, I meant to "tag" @olivier & add a
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@FATeknollogee said:
Not to side track this thread (apologies to @BRRABill ), what is the "hyperconverged" equivalent in the XenServer world?
To all you XS experts, what is the "hyperconverged" equivalent in the XenServer world?
Similar to Starwind in the Windows world
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Any hyperconverged hardware that is capable of running XenServer would be....
So any of them?
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@FATeknollogee said:
@FATeknollogee said:
Not to side track this thread (apologies to @BRRABill ), what is the "hyperconverged" equivalent in the XenServer world?
To all you XS experts, what is the "hyperconverged" equivalent in the XenServer world?
Is Scale an example of hyperconverged? I don't think there is a single vendor that does that with XenServer.
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Hyperconverged just seems like a marketing term to me.
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I would like to run a test of restoring my failing server to XenServer, but doing it without putting it on the network.
This possible with Hyper-V. You simply remove the network connection, and the can ... RDP I guess? ... on the local server into the VM.
Is this possible with XenServer?
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@scottalanmiller said:
@BRRABill said:
@JaredBusch said:
While I highly recommend Hyper-V for most SMB, it is because they are alreadyused to managing Windows stuff and it is a similar workflow.
Yeah once I got into XenCenter, my first thought was .... OK, NOW what? Wither HYper-V (granted, installed as a role) I knew exactly what to do.
Make a VM? What make XenServer different? What was the trigger for one that told you to start making your first VM and the other did not?
Because he probably installed Hyper-V inside a full Windows 2012 R2 install, and not the stand alone Hyper-V 2012 Server. So by installing Hyper-V, it's kinda obvious (as a windows admin) that you would need to find the tool that manages Hyper-V - well that's Hyper-V manager, which would be installed right along with Hyper-V being installed.
But Hyper-V when setup using this method is the only hypervisor that does this. EXSi and XS both require one to connect to the host via a web browser to download the Windows client, install it, then use it to mange the hypervisor.
I think the console on ESXi tells you to do this, go to a web browser, browse to the IP of the server - not sure if XS does this or not?
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@BRRABill said:
I would like to run a test of restoring my failing server to XenServer, but doing it without putting it on the network.
This possible with Hyper-V. You simply remove the network connection, and the can ... RDP I guess? ... on the local server into the VM.
Is this possible with XenServer?
Yes, it is basically the same thing just don't give the VM a network connection and then use the VM Console in XenServer or XO to access it.
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@BRRABill said:
I would like to run a test of restoring my failing server to XenServer, but doing it without putting it on the network.
This possible with Hyper-V. You simply remove the network connection, and the can ... RDP I guess? ... on the local server into the VM.
Is this possible with XenServer?
Yes you can import the VM into Xenserver and remove the NIC from it.
You'd then administer the VM from within XenCenter or Xen Orchestra, it's simply disconnected from the network.
Just like if the cord was unplugged.
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@DustinB3403 said:
Yes you can import the VM into Xenserver and remove the NIC from it.
You'd then administer the VM from within XenCenter or Xen Orchestra, it's simply disconnected from the network.
Just like if the cord was unplugged.
But can I actually SEE it? Like get the GUI of the server up on my screen?
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@BRRABill Yep.
You'd see it as if you were trying to figure out why it had no internet access.
The XC Console tab is like physically being at the VM (if it were physical)
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Remember I'm from the old RDP way of managing.
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AH, console.
That's what I was missing!
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@BRRABill said:
@DustinB3403 said:
Yes you can import the VM into Xenserver and remove the NIC from it.
You'd then administer the VM from within XenCenter or Xen Orchestra, it's simply disconnected from the network.
Just like if the cord was unplugged.
But can I actually SEE it? Like get the GUI of the server up on my screen?
Yes, from the XenCenter click on the VM and then the Console tab at the top of the screen. You may have to click inside of the black window that appears but it will be like you are standing in front of the keyboard.
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@BRRABill XS is really simple to "get" and understand.
Nothing is difficult about it at all.
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Can you run the "fixup" tool after importing a virtual disk?
I did not run it on import, and now of course, as it said it wouldn't, it won't boot.
I can just delete it and do it again. But was just wondering.
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will XenServer boot Windows based VHDs?
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I think so.
But I need to run their "fixup" program.
Which I am trying to figure out how to do after the fact.
More for knowledge sake. Like I said I can just redo the import,
But today is all about learning!
