VM with high amount memory --> VMotion whitout interrupt?

[VCPGuru]

We want to virtualize our big servers like an SQL servers with 16 and 32GB memory.

My dedicated VMotion VLAN has only a bandwith of 1GB, is there an break on my connection to my big servers, or could I VMotion them like small VMs?

Are there some documents from VMware available?

Thank you in advance

[benma]

I think there will be a small interrupt but the client connections won't break.

I've migrated a 16GB Termialserver with 1 ping timeout. No session terminates.

I would suggest to migrate the VM in a time where less users are working.

In the evening or in the night via a script or sheduled task.

VMotion works like that:

-A request has been made that VM-A should be migrated from ESX-A to ESX-B

-VM-A's memory is pre-copied from ESX-A to ESX-B while ongoing changes are written to a memory bitmap on ESX-A.

-VM-A is quiesced on ESX-A and VM-A's memory bitmap is copied to ESX-B.

-VM-A is started on ESX-B and all access to VM-A is now directed to the copy running on ESX-B.

-The rest of VM-A's memory is copied from ESX-A all the while memory is being read and written from VM-A on ESX-A when applications attempt to access that memory on VM-A on ESX-B.

-If the migration is successful VM-A is unregistered on ESX-A.

[weinstein5 · Accepted solution]

One correction to Dragon's sequence of vmotion events - now with the changes recorded in the bitmap are brought over during the period the VM is quiesced

If you find this or any other answer useful please consider awarding points by marking the answer correct or helpful