VMware Cloud Community
sbeaver
Leadership
Leadership
Jump to solution

Anyone tested this?.....

OK I have a client that wants to test HA but does not want to pull the power plug. They would like me to move some VM's off a host and leave a couple for the test. They then want me to issue a shutdown command from the ESX host and they think HA will kick in once the ESX servers is down.

I do not think this will work. My gut tells me that once the host goes down clean all the VM's will have been stopped and HA will not think it needs to do anything .

Anyone done this test? Have an docs to point to?

Steve Beaver

VMware Communities User Moderator

Orlando Area VMware User Group Leader

====

Co-Author of "VMware ESX Essentials in the Virtual Data Center"

(ISBN:1420070274) from Auerbach

*Virtualization is a journey, not a project.*

Steve Beaver
VMware Communities User Moderator
VMware vExpert 2009 - 2020
VMware NSX vExpert - 2019 - 2020
====
Co-Author of "VMware ESX Essentials in the Virtual Data Center"
(ISBN:1420070274) from Auerbach
Come check out my blog: [www.virtualizationpractice.com/blog|http://www.virtualizationpractice.com/blog/]
Come follow me on twitter http://www.twitter.com/sbeaver

**The Cloud is a journey, not a project.**
Tags (2)
Reply
0 Kudos
1 Solution

Accepted Solutions
pdrace
Hot Shot
Hot Shot
Jump to solution

Make sure your Host isolation reponse is set to "power off" to test this way.

View solution in original post

Reply
0 Kudos
15 Replies
khughes
Virtuoso
Virtuoso
Jump to solution

Steve

I've gone back and forth in my head, I guess you can do a force shutdown but would that truely be a clean shutdown? I doubt the ESX server would allow you to do a clean shutdown if it is still running VM's on it. I think if you do a force shutdown, HA will kick in and you can run your test. The true test is the pull the plugs, even though it is hard on the server hardware... isn't that what you have service contracts for? I can try and get my R&D configured here today and run a trial on your theory though if you want.

  • Kyle

-- Kyle "RParker wrote: I guess I was wrong, everything CAN be virtualized "
Reply
0 Kudos
sbeaver
Leadership
Leadership
Jump to solution

If you have the lab to do it that would be great. I am just more curious now to see what happens but I do not think they will get the desired results

Steve Beaver

VMware Communities User Moderator

Orlando Area VMware User Group Leader

====

Co-Author of "VMware ESX Essentials in the Virtual Data Center"

(ISBN:1420070274) from Auerbach

*Virtualization is a journey, not a project.*

Steve Beaver
VMware Communities User Moderator
VMware vExpert 2009 - 2020
VMware NSX vExpert - 2019 - 2020
====
Co-Author of "VMware ESX Essentials in the Virtual Data Center"
(ISBN:1420070274) from Auerbach
Come check out my blog: [www.virtualizationpractice.com/blog|http://www.virtualizationpractice.com/blog/]
Come follow me on twitter http://www.twitter.com/sbeaver

**The Cloud is a journey, not a project.**
Reply
0 Kudos
TomHowarth
Leadership
Leadership
Jump to solution

I think that your scenario would invoke a DRS migration rather than a HA. I would try downing the Service Console network (make sure you have physical or ILO access) this should then kick a HA event.

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

Tom Howarth

VMware Communities User Moderator

Tom Howarth VCP / VCAP / vExpert
VMware Communities User Moderator
Blog: http://www.planetvm.net
Contributing author on VMware vSphere and Virtual Infrastructure Security: Securing ESX and the Virtual Environment
Contributing author on VCP VMware Certified Professional on VSphere 4 Study Guide: Exam VCP-410
Reply
0 Kudos
jketron
Enthusiast
Enthusiast
Jump to solution

Pull the NIC cable

Reply
0 Kudos
RParker
Immortal
Immortal
Jump to solution

I do not think this will work. My gut tells me that once the host goes down clean all the VM's will have been stopped and HA will not think it needs to do anything .

That's correct, HA will not kick in. But they don't have to pull the plug, won't simply pulling out the management Network do the same thing? What happens if an ESX server loses connectivity how would VC know if it's TRULY down or not?

Also this is a controlled method, the ONLY way to truly test this is to ACTUALLY pull the plug, otherwise when disaster happens, you won't get a TRUE method of what happens.. so even if this conjecture works like we THINK, it won't matter, because they don't to test like it SHOULD be tested. Pull the plug! That's the only way. It should be random, not on one particular server.

Steve you are the man! You know it's working.. prove it!

Reply
0 Kudos
pdrace
Hot Shot
Hot Shot
Jump to solution

I had a machine in a HA /DRS cluster in maintenance mode that I was going to down anyway so I was able to test it.

Set DRS to manual, exited maintenance mode and moved a vm to the host.

At the console issued shutdown now -h

HA kicked in and the vm was restarted on another host.

sbeaver
Leadership
Leadership
Jump to solution

OK I am not sure about you all, but for me, I do not set HA to act upon isolation. I configure things to let the VM keep running until I manually decide to act. Quick change should fix that so no problem

So during the shutdown does ESX use the vmware-cmd /path/ stop trysoft / hard on the VM's or just kill -9 anything left running?

Steve Beaver
VMware Communities User Moderator
VMware vExpert 2009 - 2020
VMware NSX vExpert - 2019 - 2020
====
Co-Author of "VMware ESX Essentials in the Virtual Data Center"
(ISBN:1420070274) from Auerbach
Come check out my blog: [www.virtualizationpractice.com/blog|http://www.virtualizationpractice.com/blog/]
Come follow me on twitter http://www.twitter.com/sbeaver

**The Cloud is a journey, not a project.**
Reply
0 Kudos
pdrace
Hot Shot
Hot Shot
Jump to solution

Make sure your Host isolation reponse is set to "power off" to test this way.

Reply
0 Kudos
sbeaver
Leadership
Leadership
Jump to solution

So tell me in the logs did the VM go down clean first or hard. Just curious what methos the shutdown scripts use to stop a VM

Steve Beaver

VMware Communities User Moderator

Orlando Area VMware User Group Leader

====

Co-Author of "VMware ESX Essentials in the Virtual Data Center"

(ISBN:1420070274) from Auerbach

*Virtualization is a journey, not a project.*

Steve Beaver
VMware Communities User Moderator
VMware vExpert 2009 - 2020
VMware NSX vExpert - 2019 - 2020
====
Co-Author of "VMware ESX Essentials in the Virtual Data Center"
(ISBN:1420070274) from Auerbach
Come check out my blog: [www.virtualizationpractice.com/blog|http://www.virtualizationpractice.com/blog/]
Come follow me on twitter http://www.twitter.com/sbeaver

**The Cloud is a journey, not a project.**
Reply
0 Kudos
RParker
Immortal
Immortal
Jump to solution

> At the console issued shutdown now -h

yes but shutdown is a linux command, done from the console, not the same thing. the VMkernel doesn't know what'a happening, it just thinks there is a problem. So issuing a shutdown from VIC is different, since it will notify the VM Ware services first, and it won't react the same way.. It will shutdown cleanly, and HA will not kick in.

There are other things going on behind the scenes with VIC than a simple shutdown command from the console. . . .

sbeaver
Leadership
Leadership
Jump to solution

hmmm now I wonder what command the VIC will use

Steve Beaver

VMware Communities User Moderator

Orlando Area VMware User Group Leader

====

Co-Author of "VMware ESX Essentials in the Virtual Data Center"

(ISBN:1420070274) from Auerbach

*Virtualization is a journey, not a project.*

Steve Beaver
VMware Communities User Moderator
VMware vExpert 2009 - 2020
VMware NSX vExpert - 2019 - 2020
====
Co-Author of "VMware ESX Essentials in the Virtual Data Center"
(ISBN:1420070274) from Auerbach
Come check out my blog: [www.virtualizationpractice.com/blog|http://www.virtualizationpractice.com/blog/]
Come follow me on twitter http://www.twitter.com/sbeaver

**The Cloud is a journey, not a project.**
Reply
0 Kudos
pdrace
Hot Shot
Hot Shot
Jump to solution

I understand that they're different, that's why I shut it down via the command line.

Reply
0 Kudos
pdrace
Hot Shot
Hot Shot
Jump to solution

I'm not finding anything in the logs, host or vm about it bieng shutdown.

I would assume that when you run shutdown from the command line it just kills all running processes.

Reply
0 Kudos
pomiwi
Enthusiast
Enthusiast
Jump to solution

You can also do it all remotely via ILO, just use the command esxcfg-vswif -s <vswif name> to disable the service console thus the HA heart beats... after testing use esxcfg-vswif -e <vswif name> to enable... esxcfg-vswif -l will display the vswif names...

I use this command all the time to test HA, also very good when you have more than one SC network so you can demonstrate that HA doesnt kick in until you loose ALL SC networking connectivity.

Have fun

Reply
0 Kudos
williamarrata
Expert
Expert
Jump to solution

I have tested this by using the esxcfg-vswif -D command. This disables all vsif interfaces, making like this was a trus host failure. Take in hand I have an iLO connection to the host. After testing, I do the esxcfg-vswif -E, which enables all vswif connections and do a services mgmt-vmware restart. all starts working after this.

Hope that helped. Smiley Happy

Hope that helped. 🙂
Reply
0 Kudos