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Manage your Virtual Machine

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Managing your VM includes provisioning VMs, deleting VMs, and making changes to your VMs.

While you can use the Rackspace Technology Customer Portal to complete many VM management tasks, there are some tasks that we must perform for you. We’ve included step-by-step instructions for all tasks that you can perform. For tasks that you cannot complete, we provide a list of the information you should include in your ticket so that we can expedite your request.

This chapter contains the following sections:

Order a VM

Order a VM when you want to deploy a new service or application. As a best practice, install a new service or application on its own VM. If you need to restart the VM, you impact all applications on that VM.

In a single VM order, you can order multiple VMs. You can order either an exact copy of a VM, or you can make modifications to additional VMs you order.

You can track the VM order fulfillment process. You receive a ticket after the VM is available.

Before you begin, ensure that you are familiar with the following items:

  • The compute destination of the VM (such as a vSphere cluster or standalone ESXi server)
  • The OS version you want (Windows and various Linux distributions)
  • The network on which to connect the VM
  • Port group names
  • The domain in which to put a Windows VM
  • Where to place the VM and the datastore names
  • The sizes of the drives
  • If you require managed backup on the VM
  • The amount of vCPU and vRAM to allocate to the VM

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If you are unsure which VM parameters to choose, open a ticket and request a consultation with us.

Complete the following steps to order a VM:

  1. Log in to the Rackspace Customer Portal

  2. In the Products drop-down menu, select VMware Server Virtualization.

  3. On the center panel, click Order Virtual Machine. The New Virtual Machine order form appears.

  4. In the Deployment Destination field, select the vSphere Cluster or ESXi host to which you want to add the VM.

  5. In the Image section, select an operating system (OS) image you want to use. Only the supported OSs on the destination are visible.

  6. In the Configuration section, complete the following steps:

    1. Select a vCPU value. For more information about vCPU, see Understanding vCPU. You can change this value after the VM has been provisioned.

    2. Select a vRAM value. For more information about vRAM, see Understanding vRAM.

    3. Select a network. The list contains networks that you have requested we create for you. We custom make these networks for your environment.

      For Windows OSs, select an Active Directory Domain.

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If you are unsure of which network to select, consult your internal team or contact your Rackspace Technology account team. After you place the order, you cannot change your selection until we fulfill the order. If you are unsure of which domain to select, open a ticket and request a consultation.

  1. In the Storage section, complete the following steps:

    1. Select the Root Storage Device This is the VMFS datastore on which the first vDisk resides. For more information about root storage device options, see Understanding storage.
    2. In the Root Storage Size field, enter the amount of storage to add to the first vDisk of your VM.
    3. In the Root Mountpoint field, enter the root mount point value. The Root Mountpoint can auto-allocate, depending on your selection.
    4. To add more vDisks, click Add Storage, and repeat these steps.

  2. In the Security section, under Security Options, select the desired option. We recommend that you select Armor Anywhere to protect yourself from ransomware.

  3. In the Identification section, in the Virtual Machine Name field, enter the virtual machine name.

The virtual machine name must be 6 to 70 characters long. If you are creating a Windows-based VM, the hostname cannot be longer than 8 characters.

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The system automatically adds a 6- or 7-digit Rackspace device number prefix to the VM name.

  1. In the Addon Services section, in the Managed Backup field, select your desired option for backups.

  2. If you agree with and accept our terms and conditions, click Confirm.

  3. To order multiple VMs with the same configuration, complete the following steps:

    1. Select Order multiple Virtual Machines with a similar configuration and click Next Step.
    2. Click Add Virtual Machine Copies.
    3. Choose between Exact Copies or Modified Copies. If you select Modified copies, you can now make changes to these additional VMs.
    4. Enter the desired number of copies in the Quantity field, then click Copy Virtual Machine.

  4. Accept the terms and then click Order Virtual Machine or Order Virtual Machines. If the button is greyed out, there is a problem with the current selection. For example, you might have insufficient resources or a compatibility issue. Review your options and try selecting another option or speak to the Virtualization team for assistance.

    Placing an order sends a ticket to your Rackspace VMware Support team specialist. To track the progress of your order, see Track a VM order.

Clone a VM

Clone a VM when you wish you create a new instance of one of your existing VMs, complete with all its data, application, configuration and settings.

This is useful if you wish to scale your environment out, either on a permanent or temporary basis.

Clones count as new VM orders. They will be assigned a new Rackspace device ID, new IP address and a new hostname.

Cloned VM will be initially the same as the source VM, however you can then make adjustments to it (such as removal of any additional drives or adding more vRAM, for example). Clone and its source VMs are completely independent. Any change to one does not affect the other.

Complete the following steps to order a VM:

  1. Log in to the Rackspace Customer Portal

  2. In the Products drop-down menu, select VMware Server Virtualization.

  3. Find the virtual machine you wish to clone, and then perform one of the following:

    • Click the cog next to the VM, then select Clone VM…, enter the desired name and the number of requested instances.
    • Select the checkbox next to the VM, then click the Clone Selected button above the list. On the next page, enter the desired name and the number of requested instances.
    • Click the VM name, and on the page that opens, Clone VM from the Actions drop-down menu, enter the desired name and the number of requested instances.

  4. Accept the terms and then click Order Virtual Machine or Order Virtual Machines. If the button is greyed out, there is a problem with the current selection. For example, you might have insufficient resources or a compatibility issue. Review your options and try selecting another option or speak to the Virtualization team for assistance.

    Placing an order sends a ticket to your Rackspace VMware Support team specialist. To track the progress of your order, see Track a VM order.

Track a VM order

If you have ordered a VM or requested that we reimage or delete a VM, you can track your order through the Rackspace Technology Customer Portal.

  1. Log in to the Rackspace Technology Customer Portal and click Products > VMware Server Virtualization Products > VMware Server Virtualization.
  2. Click the Track Orders tab.

If you have any concerns or questions about an action you have requested, contact your Rackspace Technology account team.

Delete a VM

To free up space, you can delete a VM when you no longer need it. Deleting the VM deletes all data stored on it, all applications, the OS, and any configurations. Deleting a VM is permanent and irreversible.

  1. Log in to the Rackspace Technology Customer Portal and click Products > VMware Server Virtualization.
  2. On the list of virtual machines, select the virtual machine that you want to delete. This action opens the virtual machine’s details.
  3. Click Actions > Delete VM.
  4. Enter any Special Instructions to include in the support ticket.
  5. Click Request Deletion. This action creates a ticket for your Rackspace VMware Support team to take action.

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You can also click the cog icon next to the VM on the Virtual Machine list to access the Actions drop-down menu.

Power a VM On and Off

Power off a VM when you don’t need it and don’t want to delete it. Powering off a VM from within the Rackspace Technology Customer Portal suspends billing and alerting for that VM. You can power the VM back on at any time. After you power on a VM, billing and alerting resumes.

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Powering on a VM might require review from a Rackspace VMware Support technician. For best practice and security reasons, OS updates might need to be applied before the VM is returned to service, depending upon the length of time the VM has been powered off. This request generates a ticket, and the Rackspace VMware Support team updates the ticket accordingly.

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Do not power off your VM from within the OS. Billing and alerts are not suspended when you use the OS to power off the VM.

  1. Log in to the Rackspace Technology Customer Portal and click Products > VMware Server Virtualization.
  2. On the list of virtual machines, select the virtual machine that you want to power on or off. This action opens the VM’s details.
  3. Click Actions > Power VM.
  4. Click Power Off Virtual Machine or Power On Virtual Machine.

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You can also click the cog icon next to the VM on the Virtual Machine list to access the Actions drop-down menu.

Reboot a VM

Sometimes an application or the OS prompts you to reboot a VM. You can reboot a VM from within the OS, but if you have lost access to the OS or the OS is not responding, you can use the Rackspace Technology Customer Portal to reboot the VM.

Complete the following steps to reboot a VM:

  1. Log in to the Rackspace Technology Customer Portal and click Products > VMware Server Virtualization.

  2. On the list of virtual machines, select the virtual machine you want to reboot.

    This action opens the virtual machine’s details.

  3. Click Actions > Reboot VM.

  4. Choose one of the following options:

    • Soft Reboot: Graceful shutdown and restart of your server’s operating system (recommended).
    • Hard Reboot: Forcefully power-cycle your VM. This might produce undesired consequences, and you should use it only as a last resort. You need to specify a reason for a Hard Reboot from the dropdown list.

  5. Click Reboot Virtual Machine

Reimage a VM

Reimage a VM when you want to reinstall and reconfigure the VM. For example, you might want to reimage your VM when you have completed application testing or you want to repurpose the VM.

Reimaging removes the VM, including all data you have stored on it, all applications, the OS, and any configurations. In its place, a fresh VM deploys.

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Reimaging a VM is permanent and irreversible. If you need data on your VM, ensure that you save it elsewhere. The VM is unavailable for several hours while it is reimaged.

  1. Log in to the Rackspace Technology Customer Portal and click Products > VMware Server Virtualization.
  2. On the list of virtual machines, select the virtual machine you want to reimage. This action opens the virtual machine’s details.
  3. Click Actions > Re-image VM.
  4. Enter any special instructions to include in the support ticket.
  5. Click Request Re-Image. This action creates a ticket that you can use to track your request.

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You can also click the cog icon next to the VM on the Virtual Machine list to access the Actions drop-down menu.

Resize a VM

It is important to size VMs as close as possible to what you need because you can easily add resources like CPU, memory, and disk, but removing those resources requires a restart of the VM that results in downtime.

Rackspace recommends that you do not exceed the following resource allocation ratios:

  • 1:5 physical CPU to virtual CPU
  • 1:1.25 physical RAM to virtual RAM

Before resizing a virtual machine, note that over-allocating resources can negatively impact the performance of the VM and other VMs within your environment.

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Increasing vRAM consumes the same amount of datastore space which in rare cases, can lead to downtime.

  1. Log in to the Rackspace Technology Customer Portal and click Products > VMware Server Virtualization.

  2. On the list of virtual machines, select the virtual machine you want to resize. This action opens the virtual machine’s details.

  3. Click Actions > Resize VM. This action automatically shuts down your VM, applies your change, and powers the VM back on.

  4. Choose the new number of vCPUs and amount of vRAM.

  5. Click Resize Virtual Machine.

    When you click Resize Virtual Machine, the VM immediately powers off. The reboot process takes approximately five minutes.

Manage Snapshots

A VMware snapshot is a copy of the VM’s disk file (VMDK) at a given point in time. Snapshots provide a changelog for the virtual disk, and you can use them to restore a VM to a particular point in time when a failure or system error occurs.

Snapshot files that grow can affect VMs on the hypervisor. For this reason, we recommend keeping a snapshot for no longer than two days. After this time, you can delete the snapshot or revert to the snapshot and original disks.

This section includes the following topics:

Create a Snapshot

Create a snapshot when you want the option to roll back to it later. Typically, you create snapshots before you upgrade an application or patch an OS.

Before you take a snapshot, ensure that you have space on the datastore(s) where this VM is stored. The size of the snapshot is equal to the configured size of vRAM plus any increase due to changes. Changes to the data in the VM contribute to the continuous growth of the snapshot.

  1. Log in to the Rackspace Technology Customer Portal and click Products > VMware Server Virtualization.
  2. Select the virtual machine you want to snapshot.
  3. Scroll to the Snapshots section.
  4. Click Create Snapshot.
  5. Enter a description for your snapshot and click Create Snapshot.

Delete a Snapshot

When you delete a snapshot, all changes you made to the VM since you created the snapshot are committed to the parent disk or snapshot. The VM stays online during this process, but performance can be impacted.

The delete snapshot process can take between several minutes to several days, depending on the snapshot’s age and size and the VM load. After you delete the snapshot, you cannot restore it or revert to the pre-snapshot VM.

Snapshot files that grow can affect VMs on the hypervisor. Do not keep a snapshot for more than two days. After two days, delete the snapshot or revert to the snapshot and original disks.

  1. Log in to the Rackspace Technology Customer Portal and click Products > VMware Server Virtualization.
  2. On the list of virtual machines, select the virtual machine for which you want to delete a snapshot. This action opens the virtual machine’s details.
  3. Scroll to the Snapshot section, click the gear icon next to the snapshot you want to delete, and click Delete Snapshot.
  4. To confirm that you want to delete the snapshot, click Delete Snapshot again.

Revert to a snapshot

When you revert a snapshot, the snapshot returns the VM to a previous state. As a result, you lose any changes that you made after you created the snapshot. This includes all data written to the VM during this time.

The VM reverts to the state it was when you took the snapshot. This means that if you took the snapshot in a powered-off state, the VM reverts to a powered-off state. The VM also reverts to a powered-off state if the snapshot does not include the memory. Otherwise, the VM continues to run.

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You cannot reverse a revert snapshot action.

  1. Log in to the Rackspace Technology Customer Portal and click Products > VMware Server Virtualization.
  2. On the list of virtual machines, select the virtual machine for which you want to revert a snapshot. This action opens the virtual machine’s details.
  3. Scroll to the Snapshot section, click the gear icon next to the snapshot you want to revert, and click Revert to Snapshot.
  4. To confirm that you want to revert the snapshot, click Revert.

Manage vDisk

A vDisk is a virtual disk that the Guest OS uses for storage as it would use a physical disk. A vDisk is represented as a .vmdk file on a VMFS datastore.

While you cannot manage a vDisk yourself, we provide a list of information for the following tasks, which you should include in your ticket so that we can expedite your request.

This section includes the following topics:

Add vDisk

If you need an additional disk to store your files, you can request that we add a vDisk to a VM. When we add a vDisk for you, we must specify the location. For example, specify the datastore on which the vDisk is stored. A single vDisk must reside on one datastore. However, multiple vDisks belonging to the same VM might not necessarily reside on the same datastore. With that in mind, consider that different datastores might differ both in performance and free capacity.

If you request that we add a vDisk shared between two VMs (as is the case with Microsoft clusters), we add the vDisk in the form of an RDM LUN instead.

Before you request Rackspace to add a vDisk, ensure that you have sufficient free space (excluding reservation) on the datastore where you want to place the vDisk.

To add a vDisk to your VM, create a Rackspace Technology ticket that includes the following information:

  • The name of the VM.
  • The vDisk size.
  • The name of the datastore.
  • If Rackspace manages the OS, include the drive letter or partition.

Delete vDisk

Deleting a vDisk results in permanent data loss and is irreversible. Because you cannot delete a vDisk, you must create a ticket and request that we delete the vDisk for you.

Before you request that we delete a vDisk, ensure that the OS volume on the vDisk is offline.

To delete a vDisk from your VM, create a Rackspace Technology ticket that includes the following information:

  • The name of the VM
  • The vDisk number
  • The vDisk size.
  • The name of the datastore.
  • If Rackspace Technology manages the OS, include the drive letter or partition.

Detach vDisk

Detaching a vDisk removes the vDisk from the VM but keeps the vDisk file on the datastore. You can reattach the vDisk to the same VM or another VM.

Detaching a vDisk should be temporary. Long-term detachment creates orphaned vDisks that we might delete when you decommission a VM that we suspect is related to the orphaned vDisks.

Before you request that we detach a vDisk, ensure that the OS volume on the vDisk is offline.

To detach a vDisk from your VM, create a Rackspace Technology ticket that includes the following information:

  • The name of the VM
  • The vDisk number
  • The vDisk size
  • The name of the datastore
  • If Rackspace Technology manages the OS, include the drive letter or partition.

Expand vDisk

If your environment runs low on free space or you anticipate growth, you can request that we expand a vDisk.

Before you request that we expand a vDisk, view your hypervisor configurations [link] to ensure that the datastore on which the vDisk resides has sufficient free space for expansion, excluding reservation. If required, we can migrate the vDisk to a datastore that provides more space. For more information about migrating to a datastore, refer to Move a VM to a datastore [link] by using storage vMotion.

To expand a vDisk, create a Rackspace Technology ticket that includes the following information:

  • The name of the VM
  • The vDisk number
  • The current vDisk size and the amount of space you want to add
  • If Rackspace Technology manages the OS, include the drive letter or partition.

Shrink vDisk

We cannot shrink a vDisk. If you require a smaller vDisk, complete any of the following procedures.

For vDisks that serve as a non-system partition, complete the following steps:

  1. Request that we add a smaller vDisk to a datastore. Add vDisk.
  2. Request that we migrate your data from the larger vDisk to the smaller vDisk.
  3. Request that we delete the larger vDisk Delete vDisk.

For vDisks that serve as a system partition in the OS, you can request that we reimage your VM, or you can complete the following steps:

  1. Order a VM Order a VM.
  2. Request that we migrate your data to the new VM.
  3. Request that we decommission the old VM.

Manage vNICs

VMs typically include the following two virtual network interface cards understanding-vnics.

  • Public interface: The public interface vNIC is the primary connection.
  • Dedicated backup network interface: If you subscribe to the Rackspace Technology managed backup service, the dedicated backup network vNIC is used for file backup traffic.

While you cannot manage a vNIC yourself, we provide a list of information for the following tasks that you should include in your ticket so that we can expedite your request.

This section includes the following topics:

Add a vNIC

If required by your software application, you can add a vNIC to a VM.

You cannot add a vNIC yourself. You must create a ticket and request that we add the vNIC for you.

To add a vNIC, create a Rackspace Technology ticket that includes the following information:

  • The name of the VM.
  • The port group name to which the vNIC should connect.

Unless you specify otherwise, we configure the vNIC as a VMXNET3 interface. For more information about vNIC types, refer to Understanding vNICs.

Remove a vNIC

When you no longer need a vNIC that you have added (for example, if you have uninstalled the application that requires the vNIC), you can request that we remove it.

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Do not request that we remove either of the default vNICs. If either of the default vNICs is removed, you lose access to your VM, and any backups might stop working.

To remove a vNIC, create a Rackspace Technology ticket that includes the following information:

  • The VM to which the vNIC connects.
  • The name of the vNIC you want removed.

Change the Association Between a vNIC a Port Group

To connect a virtual network card to a different network segment, you can request that we change the association between a vNIC and a port group. Refer to Understanding port groups for more information about port groups.

You cannot change the association between a vNIC and port group yourself. You must create a ticket and request that we change the association for you.

To change the association between a vNIC and a port group, create a Rackspace Technology ticket that includes the following information:

  • The name of the VM and the vNIC you want to change.
  • The name of the port group to which you want to associate the vNIC.

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When changing the association between a vNIC and a port group, we must change IPs, which can result in downtime.

Change vNIC Type

Your VM might be compatible with multiple types of vNICs. By default, your VM includes a VMXNET3 vNIC. If your software application requires, you can change the vNIC to an E1000, E1000E, or VMXNET2 vNIC.

You cannot change the vNIC type yourself. To change the vNIC type, create a Rackspace Technology ticket that includes the following information:

  • The name of the VM and the vNIC you want to change.
  • The type of vNIC you want to use.

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When you make this request, plan for downtime.

Connect or disconnect a vNIC

By default, a vNIC connects to the VM when the VM powers on. When connected, the vNIC is ready to transmit data, just as a network cable is ready to transmit data when plugged into a physical machine.

You can request that we modify the following two vNIC connection settings:

  • Current connection state: By default, a vNIC is connected. A disconnected vNIC is offline and does not transmit data.
  • Connect at power on: By default, a vNIC connects when the VM powers on. If the vNIC does not connect at power on, then you must manually start the vNIC.

Though we rarely need to modify these, we might have to change these settings to troubleshoot networking issues or if a VM is involved in a security incident.

To request a vNIC connection or disconnection, create a Rackspace Technology ticket that includes the following information:

  • The name of the VM.
  • The vNIC you want to change.
  • The new setting (connect or disconnect)

Manage vCPU

It is important that you size the VM’s vCPU correctly. If you assign too few vCPUs to a VM, the VM’s performance might suffer. If you assign too many vCPUs to a VM, you might create CPU congestion on the hypervisor. When you over-allocate vCPUs, the VM can unknowingly share vCPUs with other VMs, and the Guest OS might misreport CPU-related metrics.

If you need guidance on how much vCPU to allocate, create a Rackspace Technology support ticket that requests a vCPU consultation.

This section includes the following topics:

Add vCPU

If your VM consistently consumes all CPU resources and performance suffers, the VM might benefit from additional vCPUs.

Consider the following guidelines when deciding to add vCPUs:

  • Be careful when adding vCPUs to your VM. The CPU resources come from the physical hardware, and if the hypervisor is already under high demand for CPU, adding vCPU might not solve the problem.
  • Only allocate as much vCPU as the VM needs.
  • All vCPUs are scheduled on the physical CPU, even if the OS is not actively using those vCPUs. Over-allocating vCPUs can introduce CPU contention on the hypervisor layer, which can adversely affect the performance of the target VM and all other VMs on the hypervisor.

If you require assistance determining how many vCPUs to add, contact your Rackspace Technology account team.

To add vCPU, refer to Resize a VM.

Remove vCPU

If your VM consistently underutilizes allocated vCPU resources, the VM might be unnecessarily wasting physical CPU cycles on the hypervisor. By removing vCPUs, you free up physical CPU resources for all VMs. While removing vCPUs might sound counterintuitive, removing vCPUs could actually improve the performance of all VMs running on the hypervisor, including the VM in question.

If you require assistance determining how many vCPUs to remove, create a Rackspace Technology ticket so we can run a report against your environment and provide a recommendation.

To remove vCPU, refer to Resize a VM.

Adjust the Number of Virtual Sockets and the Number of Cores Per Socket

vCPU resource count is a product of two values:

  • Number of virtual sockets
  • Number of cores per socket

For example, if you have two virtual sockets and three cores per socket, then the total vCPU number is six.

By default, we build your VM with one core per socket, and the number of sockets matches your vCPU requirements.

To modify the number of cores for each socket, create a Rackspace Technology ticket and provide the following information:

  • The VM name.
  • The number of virtual sockets you want to allocate to the VM.
  • The number of cores per socket you want to allocate to the VM.

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This change requires system downtime.

Set vCPU Reservation

An application vendor might recommend that you reserve CPU resources if you are running the application in a virtualized environment.

Reserving vCPU guarantees that physical CPU resources are available for the VM, which means that the VM does not compete for resources with other VMs. You should only reserve vCPU when required because reserving CPU resources means that other VMs on the hypervisor cannot request those same resources. Failure to get resources they need might adversely impact those other VMs.

To reserve vCPU, open a Rackspace Technology ticket and provide the following information:

  • The VM Name.
  • Optionally, the reservation value in MHz / GHz.

To reserve 100% of the vCPU, you don’t need to specify the reservation value. We can calculate the MHz / GHz value for you.

Manage vRAM

You can allocate physical RAM on the hypervisor to the VMs as vRAM.

Refer to the following topics to manage vRAM on your VM:

Upgrade vRAM

If your VM consistently consumes all RAM resources and VM performance suffers, the VM might benefit from additional vRAM.

Consider the following guidelines when you decide to add vRAM:

  • Be careful when adding vRAM to your VM. The RAM resources ultimately come from the physical hardware, and if the hypervisor is already under pressure for RAM, adding RAM might not solve the problem.
  • Only allocate as much vRAM as the VM needs.
  • When the vRAM allocation approaches or exceeds the amount of physical RAM, the ESXi server invokes memory reclamation techniques, such as ballooning and swapping. Memory reclamation technologies enable slight over-allocation but can adversely affect the performance of the target VM and all other VMs on the hypervisor.

If you need help determining how much vRAM to add, contact your Rackspace Technology account team.

To upgrade vRAM, refer to Resize a VM.

Downgrade vRAM

If your VM consistently underutilizes vRAM resources, the VM might be unnecessarily wasting physical RAM on the hypervisor. By reducing vRAM, you free up physical RAM resources for all VMs. While reducing vRAM might seem counterintuitive, removing vRAM could actually improve the performance of all VMs running on the hypervisor, including the VM in question.

If you need help determining how much vRAM to remove, create a Rackspace Technology ticket, and we’ll run a report against your environment and provide a recommendation.

To downgrade vRAM, refer to Resize a VM.

Set vRAM Reservation

An application vendor might recommend that you reserve RAM resources if you are running the application in a virtualized environment.

Reserving vRAM guarantees that physical RAM resources are available for the VM, which means that the VM does not compete for resources with other VMs. You should only reserve vRAM when required because reserving RAM resources means that other VMs on the hypervisor cannot request those same resources. Failure to get resources they need might adversely impact those other VMs.

To reserve vRAM, open a Rackspace Technology ticket and provide the following information:

  • The VM name
  • Optionally, the reservation value in GB/MB

To reserve 100% of the vRAM, you do not need to provide a reservation value.

Change vSwap File Location

So that the hypervisor can manage RAM contention, by default, the hypervisor stores the VM’s memory in a vSwap file located on the same datastore as the VM. In most cases, the size of this file is equal to the size of configured vRAM, unless vRAM is reserved.

If you think you want to change the vSwap file location, open a Rackspace Technology ticket and request a consultation.

Move a VM Between Two Hosts or Two Datastores

There are three methods of migrating a VM from one host or datastore to another host or datastore within the VMware Server Virtualization environment.

  • vMotion: vMotion migrates a VM from one ESXi host to another ESXi host. Depending on the circumstances, the migration can occur either offline or online.
  • Storage vMotion: Storage vMotion migrates a VM from one VMFS datastore to another VMFS datastore.
  • vMotion without Shared Storage: vMotion without Shared Storage combines vMotion and storage vMotion. vMotion without Shared Storage is most commonly used for migration between two standalone hypervisors.

This section includes the following topics:

Migrate a VM to a Different ESXi host by using vMotion

You might need to migrate a VM to a different ESXi host. This migration process is called vMotion.

Request a vMotion when you want to:

  • Migrate a VM to a new ESXi host.
  • Migrate a VM from one vSphere cluster to another vSphere cluster.

The following diagram illustrates a VM migration process between two ESXi hosts in a cluster.

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  • DRS might already be balancing VM placement within the cluster based on host workload and DRS rules. If DRS automatically balances VM placement, do not request a vMotion.

  • If you vMotion a VM to another ESXi host when you have DRS in place, you might reverse the vMotion migration or trigger a series of subsequent vMotions.
  • If you think that the DRS algorithm is not optimal, open a Rackspace Technology ticket and request a consultation.

Subject to a variety of conditions, you can complete vMotion either offline or online. At a minimum, both source and destination hosts must have access to the shared datastore(s) where the VM’s vDisks are located. Open a ticket and ask us for a consultation so that we can advise you about what is possible based on your requirements.

The time required to execute a vMotion depends on the amount of vRAM allocated to VM and the overall resource allocation. An online vMotion might impact your environment.

To request a vMotion, open a Rackspace Technology ticket and specify the following information:

  • The VMs you want to migrate.
  • The source and destination ESXi hosts or vSphere clusters
  • A timeframe for the migration

Move a VM to a Datastore by using Storage vMotion

You might need to vMotion a VM’s vDisk(s) to a different datastore. This migration process is called storage vMotion.

Request a storage vMotion when you want to balance the free space on the datastore.

Subject to a variety of conditions, you can complete vMotion either offline or online. At a minimum, both source and destination datastores must be accessible from the ESXi host where the VM is running. Open a ticket and ask us for a consultation so that we can advise you about what is possible based on your requirements.

The time required to execute a vMotion depends on the size of the vDisks connected to the VM and storage performance. An online vMotion might impact your environment.

The following diagram illustrates a vDisk migration from one LUN or datastore to another LUN or datastore.

To request a storage vMotion, open a Rackspace Technology ticket and specify the following information:

  • The VMs or the vDisks you want to migrate.
  • The source and destination datastores
  • A timeframe for the migration

Migrate by using vMotion without Shared Storage

For vMotion, the VM is located on a datastore that is accessible by both source and destination hosts. For storage vMotion, the hypervisor hosting the VM must have access to the source and destination datastore.

vMotion without Shared Storage overcomes these constraints by migrating a VM to a different ESXi host and a different datastore simultaneously. vMotion without Shared Storage does not require shared objects.

vMotion without Shared Storage is applicable when you want to:

  • Migrate a VM between two standalone hypervisors that only have local storage available.
  • Migrate between two vSphere clusters where each cluster has a separate
  • set of shared datastores.

The following diagram illustrates a vMotion without Shared Storage between two vSphere clusters. In this case, a VM and associated vDisk migrate from one vSphere cluster with one set of shared datastores to another vSphere with a different set of shared datastores.

Upgrade a VM

This section describes how to upgrade the software that runs the VM.

This section includes the following topics:

To upgrade allocated virtual resources, refer to Manage vDisk, Manage vCPU, and Manage vRAM.

Upgrade VMware Tools

VMware Tools provides OS drivers for virtual hardware and enables features such as vRAM ballooning and the graceful shutdown of the OS in the Rackspace Technology Customer Portal. vRAM ballooning is a memory reclamation technique that can negatively affect performance.

Occasionally, you need to upgrade VMware Tools. Upgrading VMware Tools can provide additional functionality, update drivers, and address known issues. A new VMware Tools version usually coincides with an ESXi release. If you have configured your VM to automatically reboot during a VMware Tools upgrade, ensure that you have scheduled the update for hours outside your peak hours.

To upgrade VMware Tools, open a Rackspace Technology ticket and specify the VM that contains the VMware tools that you want to upgrade. The host determines the upgraded version.

Upgrade Virtual Hardware Compatibility Version

The virtual hardware compatibility version is the VM version that specifies the ESXi host versions with which the VM is compatible. VMs with newer virtual hardware compatibility versions have increased limits for the virtual hardware you can allocate.

New virtual hardware compatibility versions are available with new ESXi releases.

To request an upgrade to the virtual hardware compatibility version, open a Rackspace Technology ticket and specify the VM you want to upgrade. We work with you to schedule the upgrade.

Rename a VM

You can give your VM a meaningful name, which can be useful when you re-purpose your VM.

VM names must begin with the Rackspace Technology device number, a six- or seven-digit unique serial number. We require that naming convention because it helps us quickly locate your VM and facilitates the communication between you and us.

When you request a VM name change, we change it on all layers, including the Guest OS hostname, the VMware container, and the device name that appears in the Rackspace Technology Customer Portal.

To rename a VM, open a Rackspace Technology ticket and provide the following information:

  • Current VM name
  • New VM name

Plan VM Capacity

We provide performance metrics and usage statistics for VMs and ESXi hosts. The statistics provides insight into how your environment is performing, which can help you optimize your environment and plan for expansion.

This section includes the following topics:

What is capacity planning?

As your business grows, so do your VMs. Although the resources that VMs consume are finite, you can take some steps to anticipate need and plan for future growth. Capacity planning is the process of reviewing the resource usage of VMs and estimating their growth so that you can proactively expand your physical resources before you need them. Without capacity planning, you might not be able to build new VMs or expand your existing VMs, and your environment might slow over time.

You are responsible for estimating your future growth needs, for example, telling us how many new VMs you need and how many resources you expect each of them to consume.

We can provide the details about current usage. Many metrics are already available on the Rackspace Technology Customer Portal.

After you have existing data and future growth estimates, contact your Rackspace Technology account team.

Review Performance Metrics of VM

The Rackspace Technology Customer Portal provides a number of useful vCenter metrics that help you understand how your VMs are used. Available metrics include but are not limited to CPU, network, RAM, and storage.

Complete the following steps to view metrics in the Rackspace Technology Customer Portal.

  1. Log in to the Rackspace Technology Customer Portal

  2. In the Products drop-down menu, select VMware Server Virtualization.

  3. Navigate to a VM, an ESXi hypervisor, or a vSphere cluster for which you want to see the metrics.

  4. Scroll to the Performance section. In this section, you can perform the following actions:

    • Select the metric you want to see.
    • Change the time range you want to see.
    • Observe the graph shown based on your selections.
    • Export data to .csv format for further analysis.

View VM Configurations

The Rackspace Technology Customer Portal enables you to view the following VM configuration details:

To view the configuration of a VM, complete the following steps:

  1. Log in to the Rackspace Technology Customer Portal
  2. In the Products drop-down menu, select VMware Server Virtualization.
  3. Select the VM for which you want to see the configuration. A page displays the details of the VM.

Updated 12 months ago