openshift virtualization one pager: Getting Started with OpenShift Virtualization

Getting Started with OpenShift Virtualization is a breeze. OpenShift Virtualization is a Kubernetes-native platform for managing virtual machines (VMs) and containers.

First, you'll need to create a virtual machine pool, which is a collection of VMs that can be used to deploy workloads. This pool can be created on either vSphere or RHV.

To get started, you'll need to have a Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) or CentOS system with a compatible version of OpenShift installed. You can then use the OpenShift web console or CLI to create a virtual machine pool.

Take a look at this: Create Vm Azure

OpenShift Virtualization offers a range of capabilities and features that make it an attractive option for managing virtual machine workloads. You can create and manage Linux and Windows virtual machines (VMs) alongside container workloads in a cluster.

With OpenShift Virtualization, you can run pod and VM workloads alongside each other in a cluster. This allows for greater flexibility and efficiency in managing your workloads.

Consider reading: Openshift Virtualization Storage

Here are some key features of OpenShift Virtualization:

OpenShift Virtualization also provides enhanced web console for managing virtualized resources alongside the OpenShift Container Platform cluster containers and infrastructure.

OpenShift Virtualization offers a range of features and capabilities that make it a powerful tool for managing virtual machine workloads.

You can create and manage Linux and Windows virtual machines, as well as run pod and VM workloads alongside each other in a cluster. OpenShift Virtualization also allows you to connect to virtual machines through various consoles and CLI tools.

Here are some of the key features of OpenShift Virtualization:

With OpenShift Virtualization, you can also integrate with the observability capabilities of OpenShift, allowing you to monitor, troubleshoot, and gain insights into the performance and health of your virtual machines.

OpenShift Virtualization leverages the monitoring stack provided by OpenShift, which includes components like Prometheus, Alertmanager, and Grafana. This allows you to collect metrics related to VM resource utilization, disk I/O, and other performance indicators.

You can also integrate with external monitoring solutions, such as Prometheus or Datadog, to send metrics to external monitoring systems.

OpenShift Virtualization provides a comprehensive solution for monitoring, logging, tracing, and gaining insights into the performance and health of your virtual machines and their workloads.

A different take: Openshift Monitoring

Enabling OpenShift Virtualization is a straightforward process. To start, you need to subscribe to the OpenShift Virtualization catalog from the OpenShift Container Platform web console. This gives the openshift-cnv namespace access to the OpenShift Virtualization Operators.

Subscribing to the catalog is the first step in setting up OpenShift Virtualization. After subscribing, you can easily create and manage traditional virtual machines inside of OpenShift alongside standard container workloads. OpenShift Virtualization's deep integration into the OpenShift UI makes the first steps very easy and intuitive.

By following these simple steps, you can unlock the full potential of OpenShift Virtualization and start working with traditional virtual machines and container workloads together.

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To install OpenShift Virtualization, you can use the OpenShift Container Platform 4.6 web console to subscribe to and deploy the OpenShift Virtualization Operators.

You'll need to access the OpenShift Container Platform 4.6 web console, which can be opened in a new window.

OpenShift Virtualization 2.4 is supported for use on OpenShift Container Platform 4.6 clusters, so make sure you meet these requirements before proceeding.

Installing OpenShift Virtualization adds virtualization functionality to your OpenShift Container Platform cluster, allowing you to create and manage virtual machines.

For more insights, see: Red Hat Openshift Container Platform

In OpenShift, virtual machines can be created and deployed using the Virtual Machine (VM) service, which provides a flexible and scalable way to run containerized applications.

You can create a VM from a template or an existing VM, and customize its configuration as needed. OpenShift also supports live migration of VMs between hosts, which can be useful for maintenance or upgrades.

To deploy a VM, you'll need to create a VM object that specifies the VM's configuration, including the image to use, the number of CPUs, and the amount of memory.

Check this out: Openshift Vm

Deploying OpenShift Virtualization is a straightforward process that requires a few clicks. First, you need to subscribe to the OpenShift Virtualization catalog in the openshift-cnv namespace.

To start, navigate to the Operators → Installed Operators page and click on OpenShift Virtualization. From there, click on the OpenShift Virtualization Operator Deployment tab and click Create HyperConverged Cluster. This will launch OpenShift Virtualization.

Next, you'll need to monitor the OpenShift Virtualization Pods until they are all Running. You can find this information on the Workloads → Pods page. Once all the Pods display the Running state, you can access OpenShift Virtualization.

Container-native virtualization provides layer-2 networking capabilities that allow you to connect virtual machines to multiple networks. You can import virtual machines with existing workloads that depend on access to multiple interfaces.

The steps to deploy OpenShift Virtualization are as follows:

Pasting a pre-configured YAML file is a quick way to create a virtual machine. You can access a valid example virtual machine configuration by default when you open the YAML edit screen.

Explore further: Azure Virtual Machine Types

To create a virtual machine from a YAML file, follow these steps:

If your YAML configuration is invalid when you click Create, an error message will indicate the parameter in which the error occurs.

OpenShift Virtualization offers a streamlined process for migrating virtual machines at scale, crucial for organizations modernizing their infrastructure or consolidating VM workloads.

The Migration Toolkit for Virtualization (MTV) is specifically designed for large-scale VM migrations, providing batch migration capabilities, pre-migration checks, and validations.

Red Hat's OpenShift Virtualization can handle migrations of hundreds or thousands of VMs, with minimal downtime and flexibility to support various source platforms.

By using KubeVirt and OpenShift Virtualization, IT pros can learn Kubernetes without refactoring apps at the same time, allowing for a more gradual migration process.

OpenShift Virtualization provides several capabilities to support disaster recovery for virtual machines (VMs) running on the platform.

You can take snapshots of VMs, which capture the complete state of the VM at a specific point in time, and use them for backup and recovery purposes.

These snapshots can be used to restore a VM to a previous state in the event of data loss or corruption.

OpenShift Virtualization integrates with various backup solutions, such as Velero (formerly Ark) and other third-party backup providers, enabling backup and restore operations for VMs and their persistent volumes.

Cross-cluster migration allows you to move VMs from one OpenShift cluster to another, enabling disaster recovery scenarios where you can move VMs from a primary site to a secondary site in case of a major outage or disaster.

You can achieve cross-cluster migration using tools like Konveyor (formerly Crane), which is an open-source project for migrating virtual machines and persistent volumes between Kubernetes clusters.

OpenShift Virtualization can also integrate with third-party disaster recovery solutions designed for virtualized environments, providing advanced features like continuous data replication, failover orchestration, and automated recovery processes tailored for virtual machines.

Migration of VMs can be a complex and time-consuming process, but with the right tools and strategies, it can be done efficiently.

Red Hat OpenShift Virtualization offers a streamlined process for migrating virtual machines at scale, making it an attractive option for enterprises undergoing digital transformation or datacenter consolidation projects.

The Migration Toolkit for Virtualization (MTV) is specifically designed for large-scale VM migrations and provides key features such as batch migration capabilities, pre-migration checks and validations, and network and storage mapping tools.

Cold migration, which involves powering off VMs before migrating, and warm migration, which involves minimal downtime, are two types of migration supported by OpenShift Virtualization.

Real-time status updates and detailed logs for troubleshooting are provided to ensure a smooth migration process.

Automated validation of migrated VMs and tools for post-migration configuration adjustments are also available to minimize downtime and ensure a seamless transition.

With OpenShift Virtualization, you can migrate hundreds or thousands of VMs with minimal downtime, making it an ideal solution for large-scale migrations.

KubeVirt and OpenShift Virtualization also offer a more gradual migration approach, allowing you to start with a soft migration and eventually refactor monolithic VM-based apps as microservices.

This approach can help reduce VMware vSphere license costs and give IT pros a chance to learn how to use Kubernetes without having to refactor apps at the same time.

Morgan Stanley's private cloud refresh is a notable example of a company leveraging OpenShift Virtualization to modernize its infrastructure. This move involves a significant update to its global private cloud, spanning 51 availability zones worldwide.

The company plans to make OpenShift Virtualization a permanent part of its private cloud over the next year. This will allow for the creation of nested OpenShift clusters, which utilize KubeVirt to virtualize the OpenShift Kubernetes control plane.

A three-way infrastructure cluster of virtual machines will distribute traffic to this virtualized control plane using a network bridge. This architecture will host virtual tenant clusters for individual business units within the company.

If an entire infrastructure cluster goes down, the tenant clusters will continue to function. This provides a level of redundancy and ensures business continuity.

In development, this architecture allows for quick deployment and testing of new configurations and versions of OpenShift. Each infrastructure developer can have their own cluster to work with, without affecting others.

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Morgan Stanley initially didn't plan to use nested OpenShift in production but is now considering supporting it for internal customers. This will enable them to host virtual clusters for their partners and clients.

The company's long-term goal is to host the control plane using Kubernetes pods rather than virtual machines. However, this is still at least 18 months to two years away due to the limitations of the current bridge network used in nested OpenShift.

Check this out: Nested Virtualization Azure

Rolling Out OpenShift Virtualization is a straightforward process. You can find the OpenShift Virtualization Operator in your Operator Hub by searching for it.

To install the operator, simply click on it and select an approval strategy, version, and namespace. If you keep it as is, it will create a namespace called "openshift-cnv" for you.

After successful installation, you can create a new virtualization cluster within the operator. This will give you everything you need to run Virtual Machines side by side with your container workload.

The new virtualization cluster extends the UI with a new Workload under the Workload Section for Virtualization. Now that you have a virtualization cluster up and running, you can see the actual VMs in the output of the Virtual Machine Instances (VMI) running.

Kubernetes and ROSA are a perfect match for OpenShift virtualization. ROSA is a lightweight, container-optimized distribution of RHEL that can be used as a base image for OpenShift clusters.

ROSA is specifically designed to work seamlessly with Kubernetes and OpenShift, providing a streamlined experience for developers and operators alike. ROSA's minimal footprint and optimized performance make it an ideal choice for cloud-native applications.

By using ROSA as a base image, OpenShift clusters can be deployed quickly and efficiently, with reduced overhead and improved scalability. ROSA's integration with Kubernetes and OpenShift enables a more agile and responsive development environment.

Recommended read: Red Hat Openshift vs Kubernetes

Kubernetes is a powerful tool that allows developers to run Containers and VMs side by side. It's a management Add-on for virtualization in Kubernetes, giving developers the possibility to run Containers and VMs together seamlessly.

Kubernetes extends the API to manage virtualization resources, making it easy to treat VMs like Containers. By rolling out an operator for OpenShift Virtualization, Kubernetes is extended with new resource types, agents, and controllers to manage those resources.

Kubernetes has a pluggable architecture that makes it easy to handle the needs of VMs, such as Networking and Storage. This allows VMs to be scheduled resources just like Containers.

Kubernetes' architecture makes it possible to run a KVM process in a container that's running the Virtual Machine. This means that VMs can be treated just like Containers, with all the benefits that come with it.

For another approach, see: Azure Virtual Desktop Architecture

ROSA offers a powerful solution for organizations looking to leverage OpenShift and virtualization capabilities in a managed AWS environment.

This flexibility makes ROSA a versatile solution for organizations at various stages of their cloud adoption and application modernization journeys, allowing them to leverage their existing investments while preparing for future needs.

ROSA enables organizations to run OpenShift Virtualization in a managed AWS environment, providing a seamless experience for deploying and managing virtualized workloads.

This managed environment allows organizations to focus on their core business, without worrying about the underlying infrastructure.

Check this out: Rosa Openshift

Ansible is a powerful automation tool that simplifies the process of deploying and managing applications on OpenShift.

It uses a simple, human-readable syntax to define automation tasks, making it easy to create and manage complex workflows.

OpenShift provides a built-in integration with Ansible, allowing users to automate tasks such as deployment, scaling, and configuration management.

This integration enables users to write Ansible playbooks that can be executed directly from the OpenShift web console.

Ansible's automation capabilities can be used to streamline various tasks, including application deployment, configuration management, and scaling.

By automating these tasks, users can reduce the risk of human error, improve consistency, and increase efficiency.

OpenShift's integration with Ansible also provides a centralized location for managing automation tasks, making it easier to track and monitor the execution of playbooks.

This centralized management allows users to easily identify and troubleshoot issues, reducing the time and effort required to resolve problems.

Explore further: Ansible and Openshift

To install OpenShift Virtualization, start by opening a browser window and logging in to the OpenShift Container Platform web console. Navigate to the Operators → OperatorHub page and search for OpenShift Virtualization.

Select OpenShift Virtualization from the search results and click Install. On the Install Operator page, note that attempting to install the OpenShift Virtualization Operator in a namespace other than openshift-cnv causes the installation to fail.

Click Install to make the Operator available to the openshift-cnv namespace. The Status will display Succeeded when OpenShift Virtualization finishes installation.

To ensure a successful installation, it's essential to follow these steps carefully. Here's a summary of the installation process: