Installing Virtualisation Software and Virtual Servers

 We have already seen OHS issues in terms of router installation.  The same issues arise with installing physical servers: ◦ Electrical safety: wires, cabling, connectors ◦ Server weight: lift correctly, get two people to lift if the server is very heavy ◦ Ensure that servers are mounted correctly in racks ◦ Potential for fire: maintain servers, especially the fans that collect dust

 Good communication with the client is very important  Know who is the correct person to liaise with  Small businesses: typically the owner  Mid-sized businesses: manager, IT person  Large-sized: most likely the head of IT, the CTO, other stakeholders in the organisation  If you are a consultant, ensure you have access to the site as required  Remember: avoid disruptions to the client

 How much space in square metres is needed?  How much power in watts or kilowatts will the complete solution require? ◦ Each server ◦ The SAN device and the disk drives ◦ The switches in the server room ◦ The air conditioning  What type of air conditioning?  Is all of this an improvement over the old solution?

 Installing a server, like a router, is a complex operation  You need a list (in sequence) of the steps to take, so that you don’t forget to do something  Includes components, tools, consumables, locations, people, actions  Also includes contingency plans: ◦ What to do when something goes wrong

 Many issues to consider: ◦ Hardware, software, configuration, physical handling, power and data cabling ◦ Liaising with the customer ◦ OHS, legal, contractual aspects ◦ Business requirements ◦ Technical documentation ◦ Risks and how to avoid them ◦ Producing new documentation of the final server configuration  Needs to be extremely detailed

 Purchase server from vendor  Take delivery of server from vendor  Unpack server, check for damage  Read installation documentation  Install internal components (RAM, NICs)  If possible, install software and test it  Collect equipment & consumables required to perform the installation  Obtain site access

 Take server, tools, consumables to site  Locate server room  Physically move server to server room  Fit rack-mount slide rails to server and to rack  Lift server (with help) and mount in the rack according to OHS requirements  Connect power according to OHS & building requirements  Connect data and peripheral cabling to server

 Power up server, test basic operation  If necessary, install software: ◦ Base OS ◦ Virtualisation software ◦ Management software  Configure networking on the server  Migrate existing physical servers to VMs on the new server ◦ Keep existing servers running ◦ Plan for a cutover time to switch to VMs without losing data from existing servers

 Test that VMs created work  Test networking, SAN, other components  Cutover to the VMs, disabling access to the old physical servers ◦ Do not lose the old servers: rollback plan!  Test the VMs work in production environment  Tidy up the installation: packaging, tools, consumables  Document the changed system  Report back to the customer with the documents

 We saw the two main server virtualisation products: vSphere and Hyper-V  You must determine if the hardware you purchase can run the virtualisation product you choose  Ditto: can it virtualise the existing OS and applications running on the old physical servers?  Only solution: read the documentation for the virtualisation product  vSphere has minimum hardware requirementshardware requirements

 This depends on which one you choose  Hyper-V requires Windows Server 2012 to be installed first  vSphere comes with its own kernel, so it doesn’t need an OS like Windows Server  Documentation: ◦ vSphere 5.0 Installation and Setup vSphere 5.0 Installation and Setup ◦ Hyper-V Getting Started Guide Hyper-V Getting Started Guide

 Servers are typically locked away in a server room  Often run in “headless” mode: no screen, keyboard or mouse connected  You need the ability to manage the virtualisation server and the VMs running on it  You need to be able to do this remotely

 There is usually a client application to access and manage the virtualisation software remotely: web interface, or local application

 Server OS are designed to be managed remotely: both physical and VMs  Typically a client on the admin’s desktop which gives an interface on the server  Remote GUI tools: RDP (remote desktop), VNC, web-based remote desktop tools

 System security is as important on virtual machines as it is on physical machines  Viruses don’t care if they are runnin on a virtual machine or on a physical machine  You need to turn on automatic updates on all your virtual machines so that they stay patched and thus protected against malware