BRRABill's Field Report With XenServer
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Are metadata backups really required when you're performing backups using XO? You still have the option for guest level backups as well.
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@DustinB3403 said in BRRABill's Field Report With XenServer:
Are metadata backups really required when you're performing backups using XO? You still have the option for guest level backups as well.
Well, if your boot disk goes belly up, you can restore them pretty simply with the VM metadata backup.
That's what I just did. A fresh install.
If you didn't have that, you'd have to manually map them, or restore them all from backup.
Unless I am missing your point?
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@DustinB3403 I'm not sure to understand the question. First, which backup type are you talking?
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@olivier said in BRRABill's Field Report With XenServer:
@DustinB3403 I'm not sure to understand the question. First, which backup type are you talking?
I think he was asking if you are backing up your VMs through XO, do you really need the metadata.
And if that IS the question, I think I answered why.
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I guess I don't see the value in this, as I read the use cases of "When migrating a set of Virtual Machines (VMs) from one XenServer host or pool to another, it is necessary to back up and then restore the Virtual Machine Metadata."
Which I've been able to do this with XO, without issue. If the host goes belly up, wouldn't you be reinstalling from scratch and just importing?
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VM metadata means: VM name, description, number of virtual interfaces, disks etc. Everything except the disk content.
So when we are doing VM backup, we are actually export both disk content and VM metadata.
Otherwise, it would be just a bunch of disks with their UUID, which is a bit useless when you need to restore (unless you can memorize every VM configuration and disk placement with their respective UUID. In this case, please answer the question on the meaning on life and everything).
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@olivier said in BRRABill's Field Report With XenServer:
VM metadata means: VM name, description, number of virtual interfaces, disks etc. Everything except the disk content.
So when we are doing VM backup, we are actually export both disk content and VM metadata.
Otherwise, it would be just a bunch of disks with their UUID, which is a bit useless when you need to restore (unless you can memorize every VM configuration and disk placement with their respective UUID. In this case, please answer the question on the meaning on life and everything).
And that is exactly why XO is such an amazing tool. I don't have to backup this thing, that thing, and the kitchen sink. It's all there in one awesome package.
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@olivier said in BRRABill's Field Report With XenServer:
VM metadata means: VM name, description, number of virtual interfaces, disks etc. Everything except the disk content.
So when we are doing VM backup, we are actually export both disk content and VM metadata.
Otherwise, it would be just a bunch of disks with their UUID, which is a bit useless when you need to restore (unless you can memorize every VM configuration and disk placement with their respective UUID. In this case, please answer the question on the meaning on life and everything).
I just did this today on my test machine.
I did a metadata backup. Ripped out the boot disk, and reinstalled XS on a fresh boot disk. Reintroduced the SR, and restored the metadata. Worked like a charm.
It threw up one error about not being able to find one, but I think that might have been the metadata VDI itself. Stupid me didn't write down the error.
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@olivier said in BRRABill's Field Report With XenServer:
VM metadata means: VM name, description, number of virtual interfaces, disks etc. Everything except the disk content.
So when we are doing VM backup, we are actually export both disk content and VM metadata.
Otherwise, it would be just a bunch of disks with their UUID, which is a bit useless when you need to restore (unless you can memorize every VM configuration and disk placement with their respective UUID. In this case, please answer the question on the meaning on life and everything).
But you should take a metadata backup separately, too, no?
Let's say your boot device (cough USB cough) decides to die and you don't have a backup.
It's so much faster to reinstall XS and restore the metadata than restore all the VMs through XO, right?
Though of course the XO is also important to protect from loss of the VM itself.
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@BRRABill That's far from being the usual case. But it could happen, in this case yes it would be faster to only restore metadata.
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@olivier said in BRRABill's Field Report With XenServer:
@BRRABill That's far from being the usual case. But it could happen, in this case yes it would be faster to only restore metadata.
Have you been following ML? Seems to happen a lot around here!
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@BRRABill said in BRRABill's Field Report With XenServer:
@olivier said in BRRABill's Field Report With XenServer:
@BRRABill That's far from being the usual case. But it could happen, in this case yes it would be faster to only restore metadata.
Have you been following ML? Seems to happen a lot around here!
To be fair, you've done some weird things with your XS installations..
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@BRRABill well, not in my world (more corporate world than lab env). In average, there is more SR lost or problems which need to restore entirely a VM. And if you are in a pool, losing one host completely is just a non-event.
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@DustinB3403 said
To be fair, you've done some weird things with your XS installations..
Hasn't happened to me yet!
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@BRRABill said in BRRABill's Field Report With XenServer:
@DustinB3403 said
To be fair, you've done some weird things with your XS installations..
Hasn't happened to me yet!
We know you can still break it!
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@olivier said in BRRABill's Field Report With XenServer:
@BRRABill well, not in my world (more corporate world than lab env). In average, there is more SR lost or problems which need to restore entirely a VM. And if you are in a pool, losing one host completely is just a non-event.
I'm just mentioning it because in the past few months we've had it happen to at least two people here (@Dashrender and I forget who else), and since a lot of the time XS is recommended to people looking for a hypervisor that are just moving to virtualization, I just thought it might be appropriate for them.
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@travisdh1 said
We know you can still break it!
I'm planning to migrate my XS booting off of USB and onto a RAID array so there is still a chance.
Though since it was pretty pain free to do, I might just wait until the USB stick croaks.
Nah.....
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@BRRABill said in BRRABill's Field Report With XenServer:
@olivier said in BRRABill's Field Report With XenServer:
@BRRABill well, not in my world (more corporate world than lab env). In average, there is more SR lost or problems which need to restore entirely a VM. And if you are in a pool, losing one host completely is just a non-event.
I'm just mentioning it because in the past few months we've had it happen to at least two people here (@Dashrender and I forget who else), and since a lot of the time XS is recommended to people looking for a hypervisor that are just moving to virtualization, I just thought it might be appropriate for them.
The solution though is very simple.
Shutdown the host, and clone the USB drive.
Or if you don't want to install to USB, create two partitions on your hardware a small 32GB partition, and the rest for installation. Install and go. You then have a boot partition in RAID1, and the other in RAID10.
Problem solved. Albeit more expensively.
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@BRRABill said in BRRABill's Field Report With XenServer:
@DustinB3403 said
To be fair, you've done some weird things with your XS installations..
Hasn't happened to me yet!
Actually.... I literally broke a usb stick the other day. Forgot it was plugged in when I was rerouting cables and popped it off the front port... The R900 wasn't even scratched.
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You know, this might belong in its own thread, but...
I know it's a terrible idea to restore a DC. Always better to reinstall and promote.
But what about moving one from one XS to another?
