Load balancing and replication between two ESX servers

[shannonadams]

This was covered in another post last month, but I want to make sure I am

clear before I order anything. We are running one VMware

server (ESX Server version 3.5 Enterprise). I have about 12 VM's

running on the server. The server is connected to via fiber channel to

a Clariion disk array. We backup each VM within the VM, not outside of

it.

I would like to purchase an additional VMware server that

will offer redundancy. The second VMware server will also point the

same disk array (shared storage). It will store some VM's as well.

What

I want to do is have the two servers load balance between each other.

Also, I want there to be replication both ways so that if one server

dies, the other one will handle all the VM's.

From what I have

read, we need to use a combination of VMware HA, DRS and VMotion to do

all this - correct? I plan to purchase another VI3 Enterprise license as well as a license for VirtualCenter Foundation. Lastly, if I have ESX Enterprise licenses for both servers and

VirtualCenter, does that give me VMware HA, DRS and VMotion

capability? I appreciate any guidance on this.

[Troy_Clavell]

yes, VI3 Enterprise will give you vMotion, HA and DRS.

You have the right idea! Just add your two hosts into a cluster and enable the features.

http://www.vmware.com/files/pdf/vi_pricing3.pdf

[TomHowarth]

That will mean that you are licensed for vMotio, HA and DRS, but not that you can, you need to make sure that you purchase the same or a compatible processor to that in your original server. or make sure that you are comfortable with doing CPU masking, and hope that it works.

some small rules of thumb are:

1 Get same server if not possible -

2 Same manufacturer ie if original AMD then new one AMD never Intel or visa-versa

3 Same Chip family - CPU speeds and Cores do not usually count,

If you found this or any other answer useful please consider the use of the Helpful or correct buttons to award points

Tom Howarth VCP / vExpert

VMware Communities User Moderator

Blog: www.planetvm.net

Contributing author for the upcoming book "VMware Virtual Infrastructure Security: Securing ESX and the Virtual Environment”.

[trojanjo]

Remember that vCenter Foundation will cap out at 3 ESX servers, keep that in mind as you grow your enviroment there will be an eventual upgrade needed for vCenter.

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Visit me. http://www.2vcps.com

[JohnADCO · Accepted solution]

I don't think you can automatically load balance between the two boxes. the shared storage assures the hosts / VM's have the current data available. No real replication needed there.

Just take your Hardest hitting VM's and divide them between the two hosts.

On VMotion? It is way easier to just run one host with a fail over to another identical host. I have not attemptied it any other way in quite a few installations. You think your host is running out of gas? I used to think this as well, but I am consitantly amazed at just how much any given host can be loaded up without experiencing performance issues. If they are windows? You can verify how well the VM's are performing easy enough with Windows performance tools. All this with low end Iscsi sans, I can only imagine how fiber rocks on performance.