BRRABill's Field Report With XenServer
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@momurda said
The last 2 updates for XS dont require reboots, just a restart of the xapi iirc from a couple weeks ago.
If they were the updates for ssl fixes and the one for gpus, that is. Teh other updates that are rollups of 2 or more updates do require restarts usually.Both of them required restarts through XC Neither did through XO. That is what I am trying to get to the bottom of.
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Hi there!
Let me recap the thing and put it in perspective.
The couple XenServer/XenCenter is targeting mainly Windows admins (thus the Windows client, the SP1 and so forth patching etc). You know, things that seems a bit strange inside the Linux world. It was really something wanted from Citrix to not "scare" their Windows public (have you ever seen the word "Linux" somewhere on XenServer/XenCenter?).
In this fabulous Windows world, you have to reboot very often for a lot of reasons.
Now, let's get to the point: XenServer updates are a kind of ugly tarball containing RPM packages (+ scripts) which are extracted on the host. In the patch metadata, there is a "recommendation" field, which gives you what to do after applying a patch. Roughly:
- if it's a lib or updated scripts: no reboot needed at all
- if it's kernel or hypervisor related: it will be used only after a reboot
But in all cases, there is no problem to install all patches at once, and do a reboot at the end. The missing info in XO is to display the recommandation field, which is now the case in the 5.0 interface.
So why on earth XenCenter will reboot your host 15 times? Even sometimes without asking you? I think that's really a bad behavior. It's up to you to decide.
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@olivier said in BRRABill's Field Report With XenServer:
So why on earth XenCenter will reboot your host 15 times? Even sometimes without asking you? I think that's really a bad behavior. It's up to you to decide.
Simplified: Why would you run XenCenter?
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@scottalanmiller said
Simplified: Why would you run XenCenter?
I started out on XC, but now do everything on XO.
I was just wondering why there were always reboots on one, and never on the other.
So it sounds like when 5 comes out, it'll tell you you need a reboot.
It's definitely different than the Windows world. It's interesting to know you can install update on top of update, and THEN just reboot.
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@scottalanmiller said
Simplified: Why would you run XenCenter?
And aren't you a XC evangelist for the Windows folk? LOL.
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@BRRABill said in BRRABill's Field Report With XenServer:
it'll tell you you need a reboot.
It won't tell you anything, it will display the recommendation for each patch.
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@BRRABill said in BRRABill's Field Report With XenServer:
@scottalanmiller said
Simplified: Why would you run XenCenter?
And aren't you a XC evangelist for the Windows folk? LOL.
Scott has always recommended using XenServer or Hyper-V over ESXi due to the business model. I think his gripe with XenCenter was the limited functionality prior to it being wide open.
But with XO there is very little need for XC any more.
I find XC is easier to manage a VM at times, just because of how I use my system.
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@olivier said i
It won't tell you anything, it will display the recommendation for each patch.
Hey when XO displays, I listen.
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@BRRABill ahahah
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I guess Windows works the same way, but I've always been fearful not rebooting pretty quickly would lead to serious system problems.
Though I am guessing that rebooting pretty quickly after applying patches that require rebooting on XS is probably prudent. Still, I could install during the day and just reboot it at night.
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@BRRABill said in BRRABill's Field Report With XenServer:
I guess Windows works the same way, but I've always been fearful not rebooting pretty quickly would lead to serious system problems.
Though I am guessing that rebooting pretty quickly after applying patches that require rebooting on XS is probably prudent. Still, I could install during the day and just reboot it at night.
It's not really stability issues, it's that the updates don't take effect until you reboot.
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I happened to notice in XO the following...
(xo-web 4.16.1 - xo-server 4.17.0)
Should those be the same? I was pretty sure they were both the same the other day when I upgraded them.
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@BRRABill No, they can vary depending on the release schedule. My production server is currently
(xo-web 4.16.0 - xo-server 4.17.0) -
@Danp said in BRRABill's Field Report With XenServer:
@BRRABill No, they can vary depending on the release schedule. My production server is currently
(xo-web 4.16.0 - xo-server 4.17.0)OK, I am set, then!
Also upgraded one server (of two) to XS7 tonight.
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@BRRABill said in BRRABill's Field Report With XenServer:
Also upgraded one server (of two) to XS7 tonight.
Just remember that migration from XS6 to XS7 is a one way operation.
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@Danp said
Just remember that migration from XS6 to XS7 is a one way operation.
Why would one ever want to go back?
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@BRRABill You wouldn't downgrade from XS7 to XS6. However, with one XS6 server and one XS7 server, I could seem someone wanting to migrate a VM between servers and not be able to if the VM resides on XS7.
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Indeed, you can't live migrate a VM from a recent version of XS to an older one.
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@olivier said in BRRABill's Field Report With XenServer:
Indeed, you can't live migrate a VM from a recent version of XS to an older one.
But you can go the other way, thank goodness!
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@BRRABill said in BRRABill's Field Report With XenServer:
@olivier said in BRRABill's Field Report With XenServer:
Indeed, you can't live migrate a VM from a recent version of XS to an older one.
But you can go the other way, thank goodness!
Would really suck if you couldn't. Nice that updating isn't too bad.
