Table of Contents page

Comprehensive Virtualization Support Overview. . . . . . . . . . . .2Upgrade Guidelines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Premium Support Offerings for SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11 SP3. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5Supported Virtualization Technologies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5Other Supported Platforms. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8

SUSE® Linux Enterprise Server: Supported Virtualization

Technologies

Technical White PaperEnterprise.Linux

2

Enterprise Linux Technical White PaperSUSE Linux Enterprise Server: Supported Virtualization Technologies

Over.the.past.decade,.SUSE.has.been.a.pioneer.in.helping.to.develop.and.commercialize.enterprise.virtualization.tech-nologies—especially.the.hypervisor ..A.hypervisor.(or.virtual.machine.monitor—VMM).is.the.primary.component.of.the.operating.system.that.enables.virtualization .

It.is.a.layer.of.software.that.runs.directly.on.server.hardware.and.controls.platform.resources,.sharing.them.among.mul-tiple.virtual.machines.(VMs).and.their.operating.systems.by.presenting.virtualized.hardware.interfaces.to.each.VM ..With.the.release.of.SUSE.Linux.Enterprise.Server.11,.SUSE.was.the.first.enterprise.Linux.provider.to.include.the.open.KVM.hypervisor.as.a.part.of.its.distribution ..In.2006,.SUSE.was.also.the.first.Linux.provider.to.deliver.an.enterprise-class,.open.Xen.hypervisor.implementation .

Today,.SUSE.pursues.a.heterogeneous,.multi-platform.hy-pervisor.approach.that.gives.our.customers.maximum.choice,.flexibility.and.value ..SUSE.Linux.Enterprise.Server.is.a.“perfect.guest”.on.all.major.hypervisors,.running.with.optimized.performance.in.virtual.environments ..As.a.host,.SUSE.Linux.Enterprise.Server.includes.both.leading.open.source.hypervisors,.KVM.and.Xen,.with.every.subscription ..In.this.way,.SUSE.Linux.Enterprise.gives.enterprises.a.flexible.and.powerful,.yet.affordable.way.to.virtualize.workloads ..

At.the.same.time,.we.have.worked.with.Microsoft.to.ensure.that.SUSE’s.implementation.of.the.KVM.and.Xen.hyper.visors..operates.as.a.perfect.host.for.workloads.running.on.Windows ...We.did.this.by.developing.a.bundle.of.paravirtualized..network,.bus.and.block.device.drivers,.for.both.KVM.and.Xen,.called.the.“SUSE.Linux.Enterprise.Virtual.Machine.Driver.Pack.(VMDP) .”.Enterprises.using.this.bundle.can.run.fully.virtualized.Windows.workloads.on.SUSE.Linux.Enterprise.Server.with.near-native.performance .

As.before,.SUSE.Linux.Enterprise.Server.11.Service.Pack.3.(SP3).includes.the.latest.open.source.virtualization.technolo-gies,.Xen.and.KVM ..Both.support.virtualization.on.64-bit.x86-based.hardware.architectures ..Specifically,.SUSE.Linux..Enterprise.Server.11.SP3.with.Xen.or.KVM.acts.as.a.virtuali-zation.host.server.(VHS).that.supports.VMs.with.their.own..guest.operating.systems ..The.SUSE.VM.architecture.con.sists.of.a.hypervisor.and.management.components.that.consti-tute.the.VHS,.which.runs.many.application-hosting.VMs ..In.Xen,.the.management.components.run.in.a.privileged.VM.often.referred.to.as.“dom0 .”.In.KVM,.where.the.Linux.kernel.acts.as.the.hypervisor,.the.management.components.run.directly.on.the.VHS .

Comprehensive Virtualization Support OverviewIncluded with SUSE® Linux Enterprise Server 11 Service Pack 3 (SP3) are the latest open source virtualization technologies, Xen and KVM. With these hypervisors, SUSE Linux Enterprise Server can be used to provision, de-provision, install, monitor and manage multiple virtual machines (VMs) on a single physical system.

3www.suse.com

With.these.hypervisors,.SUSE.Linux.Enterprise.Server.can.be.used.to.provision,.de-provision,.install,.monitor.and.manage.multiple.VMs.on.a.single.physical.system ..Out-of-the-box,.SUSE.Linux.Enterprise.Server.can.create.VMs.running.both.modified,.highly.tuned,.paravirtualized.operating.systems.

and.fully.virtualized.unmodified.operating.systems ..Full.vir-tualization1.allows.the.guest.OS.to.run.unmodified.and.re-quires.the.presence.of.either.Intel.Virtualization.Technology.(Intel.VT).or.AMD.Virtualization.(AMD-V) .

Figure 1. SUSE Xen virtualization host server architecture: Hardware, hypervisor and management domain provide the foundation to host virtual machines

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1 SUSE strongly recommends using paravirtualized device drivers for fully virtualized machines. These drivers enhance network and storage I/O performance. For SUSE Linux Enterprise Server, they are included directly in the operating system. For Windows, they are available in the SUSE Linux Enterprise Server Virtual Machine Driver Pack. For additional information on paravirtualized device drivers for Windows please visit: www.suse.com/products/vmdriverpack

4

Enterprise Linux Technical White PaperSUSE Linux Enterprise Server: Supported Virtualization Technologies

SUSE.supports.various.combinations.of.virtualization.hosts.and.guest.operating.systems ..Certified.systems.and.their.combinations.are.listed.in.certification.bulletins.at.https://www.suse.com/yessearch/Search.jsp.(under Product, select “SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11 for x86 with Xen” or “SUSE LINUX Enterprise Server 11 for AMD64 & Intel EM64T with Xen” or “SUSE LINUX Enterprise Server 11 for AMD64 & Intel EM64T with KVM”).

SUSE.Technical.Support.Services.require.certified.system.configurations.and.are.offered.in.several.different.service-level..agreements.(SLAs) .

Upgrade GuidelinesTo.upgrade.from.a.previous.version.of.SUSE.Linux.Enterprise.Server.to.the.latest.Service.Pack,.different.options.are.avail.able:

Upgrade Path: SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11 SP2 to SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11 SP31. Upgrade.all.virtualization.host.servers.(VHSs).running.

SUSE.Linux.Enterprise.Server.11.SP2.to.run.SUSE.Linux.Enterprise.Server.11.SP3 .

2. Upgrade.all.VMs.to.run.SUSE.Linux.Enterprise.Server.11..SP3.after.upgrading.the.host.server ..The.upgrade.is.backward.compatible:.SUSE.Linux.Enterprise.Server.11.SP2.VMs.can.run.on.a.SUSE.Linux.Enterprise.Server.11.SP3.host .

Upgrade Path: SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10 SP4 to SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11 SP31. With.Microsoft.Windows.Server.2008.or.newer.VMs,.

VMDP.must.be.upgraded.to.at.least.to.version.2 .0.in.all.Microsoft.Windows.Server.2008.and.newer.VMs.before.upgrading.to.SLES.11.SP3.XEN ..Without.the.upgrade.Windows.VMs.will.not.use.the.paravirtual.drivers .

2. Upgrade.all.virtualization.host.servers.(VHSs).running.SUSE.Linux.Enterprise.Server.10.SP4.to.run.SUSE.Linux.Enterprise.Server.11.SP3 .

3. Since.the.use.of.Xen.network.scripts.is.deprecated.in.SUSE.Linux.Enterprise.Server.11.SP3,.use.YaST.(or.other.tools).to.set.up.any.custom.networking.configuration..using.standard.sysconfig.networking.scripts ..See.the.SUSE.online.virtualization.documentation.for.more.de-tails:.https://www.suse.com/documentation/sles11/

4. Upgrade.all.VMs.to.run.SUSE.Linux.Enterprise.Server.11..SP3.after.upgrading.the.host.server ..The.upgrade.is.backward.compatible:.SUSE.Linux.Enterprise.Server.10.SP4.VMs.can.run.on.a.SUSE.Linux.Enterprise.Server.11.SP3.host .

The.32-bit.Xen.hypervisor.as.a.virtualization.host.is.no.longer.supported ..32-bit.virtual.guests.are.not.affected.and.fully.supported.with.the.provided.64-bit.hypervisor .

Figure 2. SUSE KVM virtualization host server architecture: adds “Guest mode” to traditional Kernel and User modes

5www.suse.com

Premium Support Offerings for SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11 SP3SUSE.offers.subscriptions.at.different.levels—Basic,.Standard,.and.Priority—as.well.as.premium.support.services,.called.“Enterprise.Services,”.that.might.include.a.Service.Account.Manager.and.dedicated.Premium.Service.Engineers ..For.the.latest.information,.visit:

https://www.suse.com/products/server/how-to-buy/ https://www.suse.com/support/programs/

When.deploying.SUSE.Linux.Enterprise.Server,.customers.are.required.to.have.a.paid.subscription.to.be.entitled.to.re-ceive.maintenance.updates ..(For terms and conditions, please visit: https://www.suse.com/products/server/policy.html)

Supported Virtualization TechnologiesSUSE.Linux.Enterprise.11.SP3.includes.Xen.4 .2.and.KVM.1 .4.and.fully.supports.virtualization.on.64-bit.x86-based.architectures .

Please.consult.SUSE.certification.bulletins.for.certified.com-binations.and.configurations ..Please.check.your.hardware-specific.information.for.the.limits.of.supported.physical.memory.and.consult.SUSE.bulletins.for.certified.combina-tions.and.configurations .

Only.x86-64.(64bit).VHS.is.supported.for.Xen.and.KVM ..For.a.Xen.host,.SUSE.highly.recommends.that.dom0.has.a.minimum.of.two.CPUs.at.its.disposal ..We.also.recommend.disabling.ballooning.and.giving.dom0.an.explicit.amount.of.memory .

SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11 SP3 Host and VM Generic Technical Support LimitsThe.table.below.summarizes.generic.limits.for.the.Xen.support..offered.by.SUSE ..Xen.might.work.well.with.extended.para.meters,..but.SUSE.support. is. limited.to.the.values. listed.be.low ..Con.sider.that.the.the.virtualization.host.server.needs.at.least..

512.MB.of.memory ..If.you.are.adding.VMs,.you.must.add.addi-tional.memory.to.this.base.requirement ..The.limits.for.KVM.are..equal.to.the.limits.for.SUSE.Linux.Enterprise.Server.11.SP3 .

This.second.table.contains.the.generic.limits.for.VMs.running.with.Xen.or.KVM.supported.by.SUSE:

For.Windows.SVVP,.systems.are.certified.with.up.to.64.vcpus..and.128.GB.memory ..

For.vendor.system-specific.limits.please.consult.the.SUSE.YES.Certification.page.at:.https://www.suse.com/yessearch/ Search.jsp

VHS Limits Xen

Dom0 CPUs2 64

Logical CPUs 256

Physical Memory 500 GB (dom0), 2 TB (Xen)

Block Devices 12,000 SCSI logical units

iSCSI Devices 128

Network Cards 8

Virtual CPUs Per CPU Core 8

Virtual Devices Per Host 2,048

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2 Processors are hotpluggable into the available sockets of the system’s motherboard. Intel and AMD processors can feature one, two or more CPU cores. CPU cores can provide logical CPUs if supported by the CPU design. Logical CPUs are often referred to as logical hardware threads (LHT). In some circumstance SUSE recommends disabling hyperthreading (in old style dual core hyperthreaded processors) to improve the VM performance.

3 See online documentation for guest-specific guidelines. Also, with virtio-scsi, KVM virtual block devices for FV support 100 PV drivers.

Virtual Machine Limits Per VM Xen KVM

Virtual CPUs, Paravirtualization (PV) 64 —

Virtual CPUs, Full Virtualization (FV) 64 160

Virtual Memory (Min.) Guest specific3 Guest specific3

Virtual Memory (Max.) 512 GB 2 TB

Virtual NIC 8 per VM 8 per VM

Virtual Block Devices PV 100 —

Virtual Block Devices FV 4 (100 with PV drivers) 4 (100 with PV drivers)

6

Enterprise Linux Technical White PaperSUSE Linux Enterprise Server: Supported Virtualization Technologies

Paravirtualization and Full Virtualization OS Support

PARAVIRTUALIZED OS SUPPORT (VMs FOR SUSE LINUX

ENTERPRISE SERVER 11 SP3 HOST)

PARAVIRTUALIZED OS SUPPORT (TECHNOLOGY PREVIEW)

Note: Technology.Preview.only—The operating system listed above has been tested to install and run successfully. Bugs can be reported to and will be tracked by SUSE Technical Services, but no support commitments or service-level agreements apply. Potential fixes and patches will be evalu-ated for future inclusion.

FULLY VIRTUALIZED OS SUPPORT (VMs FOR SUSE LINUX

ENTERPRISE SERVER 11 SP3 XEN HOST)

FULLY VIRTUALIZED OS SUPPORT (VMs FOR SUSE LINUX

ENTERPRISE SERVER 11 SP3 KVM HOST)

For.the.most.current.support.status,.please.visit.the.SUSE.certification.web.pages ..SUSE.strongly.recommends.the.use.of.SUSE.paravirtual.drivers.to.enhance.fully.virtualized.VM.performance ..As.mentioned.previously,.the.drivers.for.Windows.on.Xen.and.KVM.are.available.through.an.add-on.product.called.“SUSE.Linux.Enterprise.Virtual.Machine.Driver.Pack.(VMDP) .”.SUSE.Linux.Enterprise.VMDP.is.a.fee-based.bundle.of.paravirtualized.network,.bus.and.block.device.driv-ers ..They.let.you.run.fully.virtualized.Windows.workloads.on.SUSE.Linux.Enterprise.Server.with.near-native.performance,.opening.additional.channels.of.communication.between.the..Xen.and.KVM.hypervisors.in.SUSE.Linux.Enterprise.Server.and..the.unmodified.guest.operating.systems.running.in.a.virtual.environment ..This.accelerates.network.and.storage.input/output.and.improves.overall.efficiency .

Also,.any.guest.OS.support.is.valid.as.long.as.the.original.vendor.supports.that.OS.as.part.of.the.product.lifecycle .

SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 11 SP3

SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11 SP3 SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11 SP2 SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10 SP4 SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 SP4 Windows Server 2012 (Enlightened) Windows Server 2008 SP2 (Enlightened) Windows Server 2008 R2 (Enlightened) Windows Server 2003 SP2 Windows 8 (Enlightened4 Windows 7 SP1 (Enlightened)4 Windows Vista SP24 Windows XP SP3 (Uniprocessor only)4 Red Hat Enterprise Linux 54 Red Hat Enterprise Linux 64

SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11 SP3 SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11 SP2 SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10 SP4 SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 SP4 Windows Server 2012 Windows Server 2008 SP2 Windows Server 2008 R2 Windows Server 2003 SP2 Windows 84 Windows 7 SP14 Windows Vista SP24 Windows XP SP3 (Uniprocessor only)4 Red Hat Enterprise Linux 54 Red Hat Enterprise Linux 64

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4 Supported by SUSE with Best Effort

SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11 SP3 SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11 SP2 SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10 SP4 SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 SP4 Open Enterprise Server 2 SP3 Open Enterprise Server 11 SP1 Novell® NetWare® 6.5 SP8 Red Hat Enterprise Linux 54

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 64

7www.suse.com

Feature Support for VHS

SUSE LINUX ENTERPRISE SERVER 11 SP3 FEATURE SUPPORT—

HOST (dom0)

The.supported.features.for.KVM.are.the.same.as.the.sup-ported.features.for.SUSE.Linux.Enterprise.Server.11.SP3 .

Note:.The addition or removal of physical CPUs at runtime is not supported; however, virtual CPUs can be added or removed for each VM. CPU pinning allows logical CPU to virtual CPU assignment for a specific VM.

SUSE LINUX ENTERPRISE SERVER 11 SP3 FEATURE SUPPORT—

PARAVIRTUALIZED GUEST

Note:.Virtual CPU capping allows you to set vCPU capacity to 1–100 percent of the physical CPU capacity.

Virtual.CPU.overcommitment.is.the.ability.to.assign.more.virtual.CPUs.to.VMs.than.the.actual.number.of.physical.CPUs.present.in.the.physical.system ..This.procedure.does.not.in-crease.the.overall.performance.of.the.system,.but.might.be.useful.for.testing.purposes .

For.live.migration,.both.source.and.target.system.architec-tures.need.to.match:.that.is,.the.processors.(AMD.or.Intel).must.be.the.same ..Unless.CPU.ID.masking.is.used—such.as.Intel’s.FlexMigration—the.target.should.feature.the.same.processor.revision.or.a.more.recent.processor.revision.than.the.source ..If.VMs.are.moved.among.different.systems,.the.same.rules.apply.for.each.move ..To.avoid.failing.optimized.code.at.runtime.or.application.startup,.source.and.target.CPUs.need.to.expose.the.same.processor.extensions ..Xen.exposes.the.physical.CPU.extensions.to.the.VMs.transpar-ently ..To.summarize,.guests.can.be.32-.or.64-bit,.but.the.virtual.host.servers.must.be.identical .

Xen

Network and Block Device Hotplugging Yes

Physical CPU Hotplugging No

Virtual CPU Hotplugging Yes

Virtual CPU Pinning Yes

Virtual CPU Capping Yes

Intel VT-x2: FlexPriority, FlexMigrate (Migration Constraints Apply to Dissimilar CPU Architectures)

Yes

Intel VT-d2 (DMA Remapping with Interrupt Filtering and Queued Invalidation)

Yes

AMD IOMMU (I/O Page Table with Guest-to-Host Physical Address Translation)

Yes

Xen

Virtual Network and Virtual Block Device Hotplugging Yes

Virtual CPU Hotplugging Yes

Virtual CPU Overcommitment Yes

Dynamic Virtual Memory Resize Yes

VM Save and Restore

Yes (excludes SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 SP4 in Multiprocessor mode)

VM Live Migration

Yes Between like virtual host systems with similar resources5

(Excludes SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 SP4 in Multiprocessor mode)

Advanced Debugging with GDBC Yes

Dom0 Metrics Visible to VM Yes

Memory Ballooning Yes

PCI Pass Through6 Yes

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5 For machines that have Intel FlexMigration, CPU-ID masking allows more flexibility in cross-CPU migration.

6 Specific guests excluded are NetWare and SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 SP4.

262-002133-003 | 07/13 | © 2013 SUSE LLC. All rights reserved. SUSE and the SUSE logo are registered trademarks of SUSE LLC in the

United States and other countries. Novell and NetWare are registered trademarks of Novell, Inc. in the United States and other countries.

All third-party trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Contact your local SUSE Solutions Provider, or call SUSE at:

1.800.796.3700.U .S ./Canada

1.801.861.4500.Worldwide

SUSE

Maxfeldstrasse.5

90409.Nuremberg

Germany

For.KVM,.a.detailed.description.of.sup-ported.limits,.features,.recommended.settings.and.scenarios.and.other.useful.information.is.maintained.in.the.kvm-supported .txt.document,.available.as.a.part.of.the.kvm.package,.located.at./usr/share/doc/packages/kvm.path.on.an.installed.SUSE.Linux.Enterprise.Server.11.SP3.system .

Other Supported PlatformsSupported Software Virtualization TechnologiesSUSE.Linux.Enterprise.Server.11.SP3.has.been.optimized.to.function.as.a.perfor-mance-tuned.guest.OS.on.other.third-party.hypervisors,.such.as.VMware.ESX,.Citrix.XenServer.and.Microsoft.Hyper-V ..The.paravirtualized.SUSE.Linux.Enter-prise.Server.kernel.extracts.better.re-sponse.times.in.interactions.with.Citrix..XenServer ..Also,.SUSE.has.partnered.with..Microsoft.to.develop.a.shim.(or.hyper.call..adapter).that.translates.Xen-specific.calls..from.the.paravirtualized.SUSE.Linux.En.terprise.Server.kernel.into.Hyper-V.com.patible.calls ..This.allows.SUSE.Linux..Enterprise.Server.11.SP3.to.run.as.a.paravirtualized.guest ..SUSE.Linux.En-terprise.Server.11.SP3,.in.various.forms,.is.a.supported.guest.OS.on.these.leading.host.platforms.with.YES.Certification.assurances .

Supported Hardware Virtualization TechnologiesSUSE.Linux.Enterprise.Server.11.SP3.is.supported.on.z9,.z10.and.IBM.zEnter-prise.class.systems,.in.both.logical.par-tition.(LPAR).and.z/VM.versions.5 .4,.6 .1.and.subsequent.releases ..SUSE.Linux.Enterprise.Server.11.SP3.(64-bit).fea-tures.a.32-bit.application.environment.to.deploy.legacy.31-bit.applications .

Non-supported Virtualization TechnologiesXen.and.KVM.are.not.available.nor.sup.ported.with.SUSE.Linux.Enterprise.Server.11.SP3.for.POWER.and.Itanium.Processor.Family.(IPF).hardware ..Re-source.virtualization.can.be.achieved.for.IPF.by.using.CPUSETs.or.using.LXC.(con-tainer.type.tech.nol.ogy) ..IBM.POWER.provides.a.different.technology,.called..“dynamic.logical.partitions”.(DLPARs),.to.operate.VMs .

KVM.is.now.included.on.the.s390x.plat-form.as.a.technology.preview .

Virtuozzo.and.OpenVZ.are.not.included..in.SUSE.Linux.Enterprise.Server.11.SP3 ...Special.offers.are.available.from.Paral-lels ..Please.contact.Parallels.for.in.for-mation.on.specific.product.and.sup.port.offerings .

www.suse.com

Xen KVM

Virtual Network and Virtual Block Device Hotplugging7

Yes Yes

Virtual CPU Hotplugging No No

Virtual CPU Overcommitment Yes Yes

Dynamic Virtual Memory Resize8 Yes Yes

VM Save and Restore Yes Yes

VM Live Migration

Yes Between like virtual host systems with similar resources (i.e., from 32-bit to 32-bit, 64-bit to 64-bit)9

Yes

VM Snapshot No Yes

Advanced Debugging with GDBC Yes Yes

Dom0 Metrics Visible to VM Yes Yes

PCI Pass Through10 Yes Yes

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. 7 Windows guest: Virtual network and virtual block device hotplug ging is supported in Xen and KVM only if PV drivers are being used (VMDP).

. 8. Windows guest: Dynamic virtual memory resize, shrinking and restoring is supported in Xen and KVM only if PV drivers are being used (VMDP).

. 9. For machines that have Intel FlexMigration, CPU-ID masking allows more flexibility in cross-CPU migration.

10. IOMMU is needed for PCI pass through, which requires underlying support from the hard-ware (e.g., Intel VT-d extensions or AMD IOMMU extensions).

SUSE LINUX ENTERPRISE SERVER 11 SP3 FEATURE SUPPORT—

FULL VIRTUALIZATION GUEST