This document provides information about getting started with using XenServer and OpenStack. It discusses: 1. Why Xen was built for cloud computing and its history and community support. 2. How to install Xen Cloud Platform or Citrix XenServer and then install OpenStack on top as a domU virtual machine to manage the Xen hypervisor. 3. Tips for configuring the XenAPI driver and networking when first getting started with OpenStack on XenServer.

1. Getting Starting
XenServer and OpenStack
@JohnGarbutt
OpenStack Team Lead, Citrix
OpenStack Summit, San Diego, October 2012

2. But Citrix does CloudStack?
… but still got full time people on OpenStack

3. Why use Xen?
… because it was built for the Cloud!

4. History of Xen

5. We propose a system that can execute code supplied
by an untrusted user, yet can charge this user for all
resources consumed by the computation. Such
servers could be deployed at strategic locations
throughout the Internet
Xenoservers: Accounted execution of untrusted code
IEEE Hot Topics in Operating Systems VII
March 1999

6. Why use Xen today?
• Open Source with a large community and ecosystem
• Mature and “Cloud Proven”
ᵒAmazon, Rackspace and many others
• Probably 10-12 Million OpenSource Users
ᵒe.g. 3 x people on Debian have used Xen in the last 30 days vs KVM
ᵒ12% of Ubuntu Servers hosted on Xen
• Type 1 hypervisor
ᵒReduced TCB
ᵒBest security, isolation, performance, scalability mix
• ParaVirtual OPerationS now in Linux

7. Hypervisor Types
(Hybrid) Type 1 Type 2

8. Even Better Isolation
Look at Citrix XenClient XT

9. What is XenAPI?

10. Xen Terminology
Xen = virtual machine monitor
XenAPI = API to manage Xen
XAPI = XenAPI deamon
Dom0 = trusted management VM
DomU = untrusted guest VM

11. 5
3
2
1
4

12. How can I install it?
Xen Cloud Platform (XCP) Citrix XenServer
• Includes Xen and XAPI • Includes Xen and XAPI
• Supported by Xen Community • Fully Supported by Citrix
• Fully OpenSource • Free edition
• xcp-xapi package ᵒWindows VMs
ᵒPool based Live Migration
ᵒDebian Wheezy & Ubuntu Precise
ᵒHopefully in Fedora soon
• http://xen.org/products/cloudxen.html http://citrix.com/xenserver/download

13. What does it look like?

14. 2 3 4
1

16. 1
6
5
2
7
3 4

17. Demo
Live migration without shared storage

18. How can I get started?
… XenServer Specifics

19. Getting Started – Developer
https://github.com/openstack-dev/devstack/blob/master/tools/xen
Install XenServer Run DevStack

20. Getting Started - Deployer
Install Install Install
XenServer PV VM OpenStack

21. 1 –XenServer
Setup Install Create
Networking XenAPI Plugins Directories

22. 2 – OpenStack DomU
Install Install Configure
PV VM nova-compute nova-compute

23. 3 – Create Images
Install Agent Upload VHD
Create VM
or Cloud-Init to Glance

24. Configuration Tips
… what to change after package install

25. Configure XenAPI Driver
• compute_driver=xenapi.XenAPIDriver
• xenapi_connection_url=http://10.219.10.26
• xenapi_connection_username=root
• xenapi_connection_password=xenroot

26. flat_network_bridge=xenbr1
flat_interface=eth1 public_network=eth3

27. Configure FlatDHCP Networking
• Dom0 interface: eth0, eth1, …
• Dom0 network “bridges”: xenbr0, xenbr1, xapi0, xapi1, …
• DomU interface: eth0, eth1, …
• public_network=eth3 (DomU)
• flat_network_bridge=xenbr1 (XenAPI network)
• flat_interface=eth1 (DomU)
• (vlan_interface=eth1 – Dom0 & DomU)
• name-label or id

28. Where can I find out more?

29. Get Involved
• Ask a question
• Ask on the mailing list
• Read the documentation
ᵒhttp://docs.openstack.org/trunk/openstack-compute/admin/content/introduction-to-
xen.html
ᵒ[TODO – getting started doc]
• Look on the wiki
ᵒhttp://wiki.openstack.org/XenServer
ᵒhttp://wiki.openstack.org/HypervisorSupportMatrix

30. Using XenServer within
Rackspace Cloud Servers
Chris Behrens
chris.behrens@rackspace.com
OpenStack Summit, San Diego
October 2012
3
0

31. Intro to Cloud Servers
RACKSPACE® HOSTING | WWW.RACKSPACE.COM
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32. Intro to Cloud Servers
Overview
• Public Cloud product under Rackspace‟s Open Cloud portfolio
• First Gen
– Code originated from Slicehost acquisition
– Initially Xen 3.x, but migrated to XenServer
• Next Gen
– Public Launch 8/1/2012
– Powered by OpenStack
• XenServer 6
• Linux, Windows, and FreeBSD VMs
RACKSPACE® HOSTING | WWW.RACKSPACE.COM
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33. Intro to Cloud Servers
Statistics
• 180,000+ total Rackspace customers (not just Cloud Servers)
• Tens of thousands of hosts
• Hundreds of thousands of VMs
• Millions of snapshots
RACKSPACE® HOSTING | WWW.RACKSPACE.COM
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34. Why Xen?
RACKSPACE® HOSTING | WWW.RACKSPACE.COM
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35. Why Xen?
• Thin hypervisor layer
• Open source
• Excellent driver support due to Linux dom0
• Good API
• Good performance
• Along with Linux, Windows VMs are a must
– Same virtualization technology desired for Windows
– Microsoft will support
– Good PV driver support
RACKSPACE® HOSTING | WWW.RACKSPACE.COM
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36. OpenStack
nova-compute w/ XenAPI
• Runs in a utility domU on each host
• Images downloaded in dom0 Physical host running XenServer
– glance XenAPI plugin
• Images attached to nova-compute domU dom0 nova utility domU
– Partitioning changes glance plugin nova-compute
– file-system resizing
• Monitors VMs‟ power_state
agent plugin
• Snapshots/backups xenstore plugin nova instance
• VM resize/migration domUs
– rsync to new host
• Communicates w/ agent inside VMs
– Via xenstore
RACKSPACE® HOSTING | WWW.RACKSPACE.COM
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37. OpenStack
Rackspace Specifics
RACKSPACE® HOSTING | WWW.RACKSPACE.COM
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38. OpenStack Rackspace Specifics
Source Code
• Rackspace tracks trunk
– Deployed code generally less than 2 weeks behind trunk
• Some custom patches on top of trunk
– Features specific to Rackspace
– Custom scheduling to meet Rackspace needs
– Scaling with OpenStack Compute Cells
RACKSPACE® HOSTING | WWW.RACKSPACE.COM
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39. Deploying OpenStack
„Inception‟
• Private internal cloud
– Based on Openstack, called iNova
– OpenStack services for public cloud run virtualized under iNova
• Easy to spin up additional services for load balancing
– Enables quick reaction to load spikes
• Easier deployments of new compute cells
• Automated reaction to downed hosts
• Enables new strategies for deployments
– Replace vs Upgrade
RACKSPACE® HOSTING | WWW.RACKSPACE.COM
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40. Deploying OpenStack
iNova Diagram
iNova
OpenStack Control
Public Cloud
Infrastructure for
XenServer hosts
Public Cloud
XenServer hosts
domUs
XenServer host w/
OpenStack Control
Public Cloud
Infrastructure for iNova XenServer hosts
RACKSPACE® HOSTING | WWW.RACKSPACE.COM
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41. Deploying OpenStack
Continuous Deployment
• Trunk and custom branches merged multiple times daily
– Unit Tested and Packaged
• Configuration managed with puppet
– Follows same QE and Continuous Deployment rules as code
• QE Environment
– OpenStack control infrastructure deployed on iNova
– nova-compute upgraded on 200 hosts
– Smoke tests
• Staging Deploy
– Uses the same packages and puppet manifests
RACKSPACE® HOSTING | WWW.RACKSPACE.COM
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42. Q&A

43. Work better. Live better.