Migrating from Non-EVC Cluster to EVC Cluster

[Roman_Romano]

Not sure if i'm missing something or maybe its just not possible....

I've got a 3.5u4 Non-EVC cluster that i want to enable EVC on. I understand the process of freeing up a node, doing the business in the BIOS, creating a new cluster with EVC enabled and adding this newly configured node into it. That works fine. But when i come to vmotion a VM from the non-EVC to the EVC enabled cluster it fails with a CPU incompatibility error. Surely i should be able to go from the Non-EVC to the EVC enabled????

From what i can find, people talk like its possible to do that. If so, what have i missed?

Many thanks

Roman

[ChOCi]

Hi,

Which trype of server and processor families are you working with? what BIOS options have you actually got? and modified already?

cheers

Paul.

[Roman_Romano]

Paul

the CPU details are: Intel Xeon E5420 2.5GHz (in HP DL380 G5)

The BIOS options: 'No-Execute Memory Protection' = ENABLED, 'Intel Virtualization Technology' = ENABLED

Its frustrating because the hardware of the nodes in the Non-EVC and EVC enabled clusters identical! I only want an EVC enabled cluster so i can later add some HP DL380 G6 servers in.

Any Ideas??

[ChOCi]

Roman,

can you power off a VM, do a cold vMotion, then power on the VM and try to move the VM back and forth using vMotion while powered on..?

You can't create an EVC cluster with running virtual machines Roman. You'll need to create a new cluster. then move the VM's over to the new cluster one by one, So shutdown and cold migrate to the new host , and then once they are started in new cluster. move the old hosts into new cluster.. hope that makes sense..

Paul Sheard

Leeds Uk

Message was edited by: ChOCi

[arturka]

I had this same problem. The solutoion was to shutdown all VM 's, enable EVC and start VM back

regards

Artur

[Roman_Romano]

Powering off VMs and moving them over is no problem and i understand that you can't enable EVC with powered on VMs, hence my creating a second EVC enabled cluster with correctly configured hardware. Once a VM is on the EVC enabled cluster i can move it about nicely, even accross disparate CPU architecture, just as you would expect.

Iterestingly, having created a second non-EVC enabled cluster using the EVC enabled hardware, i am able to migrate between the two non-EVC enabled clusters. It seems the EVC is causing the CPU compatability error, something its supposed to be curing

regards

Roman

[Roman_Romano]

For those experiencing similar issues, the only solution I've been able to come up with is to amend the VPXD.cfg file on our VirtualCenter server to reflect the needed CPU masking. Then, VMotion between non-EVC and EVC enabled clusters is possible. Seems pretty pointless to have to enable CPU masking to alow the feature that is supposed to get rid of the need for CPU masking?!?!?!?