Re: [Xen-users] Xen opinions?

[Tim Post <tim.post@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Fri, 2007-02-09 at 14:15 -0800, Tony Angerame wrote:
> Hello Xen group. I'm new to the list but so far I have had excellent 
> response to my questions. Thank you! May I pose one general question to 
> the group? I am evaluating Xen Para Virtualization for use at our site. 
> How do you feel about it's: reliability, usability, utility? Is it a 
> quality piece of software? Would you recommend it? Is it mature enough 
> for a production environment? Does it perform well?

Xen has invaded pretty much everything I have to some degree, a few
hundred servers in all and growing.

All of my servers have at least 2 network cards so a private back end
network exists for storage, or even for the guests themselves to use. 

This is what I have running in production with great success :

* Load balanced Lighttpd, php5/fastcgi, memcache cluster facilitated
with a virtual appliance made from pound ( www.apsis.ch/pound/ ), 2
running Apache, but I use lighttpd whenever possible.

* Classic MySQL Clusters

.. Then the above tossing in cluster FS's and a nas to make a single
system image.

I also use Xen as just a management layer, devoting 99.9% of resources
to single guests (just to save some trips to the DC to do reboots,
fscks, etc).

I 'start' each client with a small network of 1 or 2 guests and just
grow them to entire virtual networks as the users need it.

The trick to success with Xen is proper planning. Come up with a good
naming convention for your guests. A dom-u named www-centos doesn't work
well to keep things in order.

A dom-u named 1-c-43 with vif's named 1-c-43.0 1-c-43.1 (for eth0 eth1
respectively), helps keep things in order. 

My recommendation :

Get a 3x3 dry erase board with 5 or 6 markers of various colors to go
with it, an eraser and a quiet place to sit down. Draw it all out, then
get to work :)

Good luck with Xen!

Best,
--Tim

> 
> TIA
> 
> Tony
> 


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