High Availability Cluster - Proxmox VE

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https://pve.proxmox.com/wiki/High_Availability_Cluster

High Availability Cluster

From Proxmox VE

Contents
1 Introduction
1.1 Update to the latest version
2 System requirements
3 HA Configuration
3.1 Fencing
3.2 Configure VM or Containers for HA
3.2.1 Enable a KVM VM or a Container for HA
3.3 HA Cluster maintenance (node reboots)
4 Video Tutorials
5 Certified Configurations and Examples
6 Testing
6.1 Useful command line tools

Introduction
Proxmox VE High Availability Cluster (Proxmox VE HA Cluster) enables the definition of high available virtual machines. In simple
words, if a virtual machine (VM) is configured as HA and the physical host fails, the VM is automatically restarted on one of the remaining
Proxmox VE Cluster nodes.
The Proxmox VE HA Cluster is based on proven Linux HA technologies, providing stable and reliable HA service.

Update to the latest version

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Before you start, make sure you have installed the latest packages, just run this on all nodes:
apt-get update && apt-get dist-upgrade

System requirements
If you run HA, only high end server hardware with no single point of failure should be used. This includes redundant disks (Hardware
Raid), redundant power supply, UPS systems, network bonding.
Fencing device(s) - reliable and TESTED! NOTE: this is NEEDED, there isn't software fencing.
Fully configured Proxmox_VE_2.0_Cluster (version 2.0 and later), with at least 3 nodes (maximum supported configuration:
currently 16 nodes per cluster). Note that, with certain limitations, 2-node configuration is also possible (Two-Node High Availability
Cluster).
Shared storage (SAN or NAS/NFS for Virtual Disk Image Store for HA KVM)
Reliable, redundant network, suitable configured
A extra network for Cluster communication, one network for VM traffic and one network for Storage traffic.
NFS for Containers
It is essential that you use redundant network connections for the cluster communication (bonding). Else a simple switch reboot (or power
loss on the switch) can lock all HA nodes (see bug #105 (http://bugzilla.proxmox.com/show_bug.cgi?id=105) )

HA Configuration
Adding and managing VMs and containers for HA should be done via GUI. The configuration of fence devices is CLI only.

Fencing
Fencing is an essential part for Proxmox VE HA (version 2.0 and later), without fencing, HA will not work. REMEMBER: you NEED at
least a fencing device for every node. Detailed steps to configure and test fencing can be found here.

Configure VM or Containers for HA

Review again if you have everything you need and if all systems are running reliable. It makes no sense to configure HA cluster setup on
unreliable hardware.
See High_Availability_Cluster#System_requirements
Enable a KVM VM or a Container for HA
See also the video tutorial on Proxmox VE Youtube channel (http://www.youtube.com/user/ProxmoxVE)
Note: Make sure that the VMs or CTs are not running when you add them to HA.

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HA Cluster maintenance (node reboots)

If you need to reboot a node, e.g. because of a kernel update you need to stop rgmanager. By doing this, all resources are stopped and
moved to other nodes. All KVM guests will get a ACPI shutdown request (if this does not work due to VM internal setting just a 'stop').
You can stop the rgmanager service via GUI or just run:

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/etc/init.d/rgmanager stop

The command will take a while, monitor the "tasks" and the VMs and CTs on the GUI. as soon as the rgmanager is stopped, you can
reboot your node. as soon as the node is up again, continue with the next node and so on.

Video Tutorials
Proxmox VE Youtube channel (http://www.youtube.com/user/ProxmoxVE)

Certified Configurations and Examples

Intel Modular Server HA
tbe

Testing
Before going in production do as many tests as possible.

Useful command line tools

Here is a list of useful CLI tools:
clustat - Cluster Status Utility
clusvcadm - Cluster User Service Administration Utility
ccs_config_validate - validate cluster.conf file
fence_tool - a utility for the fenced daemon
fence_node - a utility to run fence agents
fence_ack_manual - a utility to manually manage fencing using /bin/false
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Category: HOWTO
This page was last modified on 26 October 2015, at 20:49.
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