Planning & Best Practice for Microsoft Virtualization

Lai Yoong SengMVP : Virtual Machineericlaiys@hotmail.com | www.ms4u.info

Objective and Takeaways

Virtualization PlanningBest Practice on

Hyper V Server Virtual Machine SQL Server Active Directory Exchange Server SharePoint

Argument

• Running server roles either as Virtual machine or a Physical machine ?

• Rules of Thumb:- It’s Depend !

Use MAPFollow Microsoft Best Practice on VirtualizationUnderstand Hyper V Feature and RequirementUnderstand Support Policy on Virtualization

or

Virtualize or Not Virtualize?• Suitable candidate

Low processorLow Memory

• Unsuitable candidate• High processor• High memory• High network use• External peripheral

Physical Server (16 GB RAM)

VM 1- 14 GB

Parent partition

(2 GB)

Physical Server (16 GB RAM)

VM 3- 4 GB

VM 1- 2 GB

VM 4- 4 GB

VM 2- 4 GB

Parent partition

(2 GB)

VS

Microsoft Assessment & Planning Toolkit (MAP) 5.5• Powerful inventory,

assessment and reporting tool to assess IT environment.

• Latest enhancement for virtualization:• Updated hardware library• Data collection and store every

5 minute• Significant usability

enhancements

Planning for Hyper V Host• Minimize risk to the parent partition

• Use server core• Just Hyper V Roles

• Two physical network adapter at a minimum

• 1 for management• 1 for VM• 1 for iSCSI• 1 for Live Migration

• Processor• Microsoft Support – 8 virtual processor per

physical processor core.8 : 1 ratio

• Memory• Allocate 2 GB RAM for parent partition.

Physical Server (16 GB RAM)

VM 3- 4 GB

VM 1- 2 GB

VM 4- 4 GB

VM 2- 4 GB

Parent partition

(2 GB)

Best Practice for Hyper V Host• Avoid Overloading the Server • No other roles install• Ensure High Speed Access to Storage • Avoid Mixing Virtual Machines that can and cannot use

Integration Services • Configure Anti-Virus to Bypass Hyper-V Processes and

Directories • Use Processor that has SLAT (Second Level Address

Translation)• AMD – RVI• Intel - EPT

Best Practice for Virtual Machine• Processor• Virtual CPU consideration ( 4 , 2 or 1 vCPU)• For example, given a dual

core physical server, you are limited to configuring two virtual processors for a VM. Performance will be degraded if assign more.

• Network• Install with Integration

Component “Enlightenments”

• Use Synthetic network card

Comparison of Virtual Hard Disk

Storage Fixed Disk or Pass Through Disk Virtual SCSI than IDE

Different Types of Disk

Best Practice for SQL Server• Supported

• SQL Server 2005, SQL Server 2008, and SQL Server 2008 R2

• Virtualization Snapshot not supported

• High Availability• Guest Failover Clustering is supported for SQL

Server 2005, SQL Server 2008, and SQL Server 2008 R2 if the install operating system is running Windows Server 2008 or higher.

• Storage• Database has high I/O on Storage• Recommended to use Fixed Disk or Pass Through Disk.• RAID level – Operating system – RAID 1,Log File – RAID 1,Database – RAID 5.• OS – Fixed Disk, Log and Database use pass through disk

• Processor• Use SLAT processor – reduce processor overhead for VM memory mapping to physical memory.

Best Practice for Active Directory• Backup system state regularly. By default tombstone is 60 or

180 days• Do not pause DC for a long period.• Avoid single point of failure. Deploy multiple DC on multiple

host.

Best Practice for Exchange ServerSupported

Exchange 2007 with SP 1 and Exchange 2010Guest VM must be Windows Server 2008 SP2 or R2Exchange 2003 (with SP 2 and later) supported in Virtual Server 2005 R2

and SP1.Exchange Mailbox (not in DAG) – can be placed on a clustered Hyper V

and moved using Live MigrationOther roles – Client Access Server, Hub Transport -> supported but with

consideration.

Not Supported Not supported to run in clustered cluster configuration – Exchange DAG and

Exchange 2007 SP1 using CCR. Unified Messaging running in Virtual machine.

Best Practice for Exchange Server• Processor• Ratio is 2:1. Two virtual processor for each core• Reserved 2 cores for parent partition.

• For Example: 2 X 6 cores processor = 12 cores.• 12 cores – 2 cores (for parent partition ) = 10 cores• 10 cores X 2 = 20 virtual processor available for allocation.• If every vm is allocated 4 vcpu, then you can create 5 Virtual

machine.

• Storage• Supported disk – Fixed Disk & Pass through disk. • Virtual SCSI (pass through/fixed disk)

Guidelines – Edge and Hub Transport

Virtual ProcessorShould configured up to 4 virtual processor

Virtual Memory1GB allocated for each virtual processor.That’s mean 4vcpu = 4 GB of RAM

Ratio1 Hub Transport for every 5 Mailbox server. 1 Hub VM: 5 MBX VM

Guidelines – Client Access Server (CAS)Virtual Processor

Should be allocated to 4 virtual processor

Virtual MemoryFor each processor, should be allocated 2GB of RAMThat’s mean 4 vCPU = 8 GB of RAM

RatioRecommended ratio 3 CAS VM for every 4 Mailbox server VM3 CAS VM: 4 Mailbox VM

Guidelines – Client Access Server /HubVirtual Processor

Maximum 4vCPU

Virtual Memory2GB per processor CoreExample:- 4vcpu, then (2 X 4)= 8 GB of RAM

Ratio1 CAS/Hub VM : 1 MBX VM

Virtual ProcessorRecommended 4 vCPU

Virtual Memory4GB + 3-30MB per mailbox.Example:- 500 Mailbox with 30MB per mailbox = 14.6

GB 14.6 + 4GB 18.6 GB

Guidelines – Mailbox Roles

Best Practice for SharePoint• Processor• Ratio of 1:1 of virtual to logical

processor• Reserved : 2 cores for the

parent partition• For Example: 2 Processor with 6

cores each.• 2 X 6 cores = 12 cores• 12 cores – 2 cores (parent

partition) = 10 cores• 10 cores = 10 virtual processor.

• Storage• Fixed disk or pass through disk• SCSI disk more efficient than

IDE. Recommended SAS.

Best Practice for SharePoint

• Network• Install Integration Services• Don’t use Emulation Device . • Use IPv4 on guest VM. Disable IPv6.

• Memory• Provide Adequate Memory• Don’t use a lot of paging. Memory is faster than Disk• Understand NUMA.• Resource utilization can vary

• Disable Time synchronization integration services

Understand NUMA• Stand for Non-Uniform Memory Access Boundaries.• Exist at the hardware level

• Problem in today environment:• Virtual guest that are allocated more memory within a single NUMA

memory boundary.• NUMA boundary vary by processor and motherboard vendor• NUMA Boundary = Total amount of memory / Total number of cores

• Example:-• Two Quad Core processor with 48GB of RAM• 2 X 4core = 8 cores• NUMA Boundary = 48 GB of RAM / 8 cores• NUMA Boundary = 6 GB• Allocating more than 6GB for a single guest VM would result in performance

drop.

Guidelines- Web Server Role in SharePointMemory

Generally Memory IntensiveEspecially on Dynamic Compression and Optimization

StorageLess I/O IntensiveMake no difference if running on pass through disk but

good for STSADM backup, IIS Logging, Usage Processing and Diagnostic.

RedundancyDistribute two or more hosts

Guidelines-Query & Index Server in SharePointProcessor

High processing Use SLAT processor

Memory and Storage Are I/O intensive and memory intensive. Use pass through disk Should separate Index & Query Server to avoid I/O Contention. Or

put Query and Index Content on separate diskNetwork

Network IntensiveRedundancy

Deploy on two or more hosts

Guidelines- Application Server in SharePointMemory and StorageNot memory and I/O intensiveUse Fixed Disk

Guidelines- Database Server in SharePointMemory, Processor, Storage, Network

High Intensive Prefer Pass-through Disk Provide as much RAM and CPU as possible

Redundancy Distribute across two or more physical host

Recommendation Avoid Virtualization. Run in Physical Server

What We Covered?

• After watching this webcast, you should be able toPlanning on VirtualizationUse the recommended best practice for • Hyper V• Virtual Machine• SQL Server• Active Directory• Exchange Server• Sharepoint

Resources• Lai’s Blog• www.ms4u.info

• Support Policy on Microsoft Application• SharePoint-

• http://technet.microsoft.com/en-my/library/ff621103(en-us).aspx • Exchange

• http://technet.microsoft.com/en-my/library/cc794548(en-us,EXCHG.80).aspx • Active Directory

• http://support.microsoft.com/kb/888794 • SQL Server

• http://support.microsoft.com/kb/956893

• Guest operating system support• http://

www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2008/en/us/hyperv-supported-guest-os.aspx