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Virtualization of the Orion Server???

Frostmj

Hello!

Two Questions:

1. Is anybody running the Orion Server as a Windows virtual server? (Database is on a separate SQL Server)

2. Is this configuration supported or recommended by Solarwinds?

Thanks,

Mike

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Accepted answers

RogerWong

Mike, in the Requirements section of the admin guide, there are a number of charts and recommendations from SolarWinds concerning virtualizing your SolarWinds Orion deployments. We do support it, and you can find our suggestions here:

http://www.solarwinds.com/NetPerfMon/SolarWinds/OrionAGRequirements.htm

(The virtual server requirements table is at the end of the topic. You may need to scroll down to read it.)

All comments

RogerWong

http://www.solarwinds.com/NetPerfMon/SolarWinds/OrionAGRequirements.htm

(The virtual server requirements table is at the end of the topic. You may need to scroll down to read it.)

lchance

I'm curious how you might handle issues in this case. Let's say you have one group supporting Solarwinds and another supporting Virtualization.

When server 'lock ups' .etc happen, who do you call? Or if Orion web site is not responding because of some virtualization issue?

Thanks

JaroslawLadyga

Hi Mike,

I'm using Orion on virtual server with SQL database on another virtual server without special problems for around 2 years.

Jaroslaw

r0berth1

To answer question 1, yes. I have orion running on VMs now. I have the Orion Poller, website and Netflow on 1 VM with 2 Intel Xeon E5345 CPUs at 2.33GHz and 2 gig RAM, but i am having to add 2 more CPU for it to keep up. Both Orion and Netflow are SL2000. And i have SQL on a second VM with the same specs. SQL runs fine for orion but Orion itself requires a ton of CPU on a VM.

To answer question 2. As I understand it, they support it, but DO NOT recommend it. I would not recommend that you try it on VMs unless you have at leat 4 processors and 3 to 4 gig RAM on the VM that runs orion. SQL seems to work fine so far with 2 processors and 2 gig RAM.

tammyandlee

We have NPM and NCM on a 3.5 ESX virtual. The database is on a physical.

lhorstma

My 3 pollers and my database are all Xen guests and are running great (about 15,000 elements right now). I was worried when we first switched over from physical boxes but it's been very smooth.

Frostmj

Thanks to all for all of the good information! This helps a ton for working with the hardware/hosting group.

Nicki

Would it be possible to separate the SLX replies from SL2000. There is some confusion when admins say they have had successful implementations, then find out that they are using SL2000.

I would like to know how virtualization implementation is going to be supported, just simply saying it is supported is vague.

I would also like to see some technical documentation regarding virtualization implementation specific for SLX (NPM, IPAM, SQL-DB setup, etc.).

I looked at your link, and it is only a brief statement regarding that you should not install Orion and SQL DB on same server (which we don't), and that multiples of NPM/same DB are not supported. This seems to suggest that Orion NPM should only be on one server, and the only virtualization that should be implemented is polling engines, web servers, hotstandby (but wait, hotstandby needs Orion NPM).

http://www.solarwinds.com/NetPerfMon/SolarWinds/OrionAGRequirements.htm

"Orion NPM Requirements:

SolarWinds recommends installing Orion NPM on its own server, with the Orion database hosted separately, on its own SQL Server.

Installations of multiple Orion NPM servers using the same database are not supported."

Is there a testbed for this? Can we get some technical documentation for how it works, and how it will not work? Senior Management continues to require answers to these questions, so

any help here would be appreciated. Thank you.

wouter_vl

This can be a start:http://www.solarwinds.com/NetPerfMon/SolarWinds/wwhelp/wwhimpl/js/html/wwhelp.htm#href=OrionQSGOrionVMsServersRequirements.htm

Nicki

Yes, I started with your link a long time ago. And also with this link:

http://www.solarwinds.com/NetPerfMon/SolarWinds/wwhelp/wwhimpl/js/html/wwhelp.htm#href=OrionQSGServerSizing.htm

I'm looking at the reply from r0berth1 replied on 08-14-2009 5:44 AM regarding his experience with orion running on VMs.

He has the Orion Poller, website and Netflow on 1 VM with 2 Intel Xeon E5345 CPUs at 2.33GHz and 2 gig RAM, but has to add 2 more CPU for it to keep up (both Orion and Netflow are SL2000); and he has SQL on a second VM with the same specs. He states that SQL runs fine for Orion, but Orion itself requires a ton of CPU on a VM.

Solarwinds supports this, but he would not recommend that you try it on VMs unless you have at leat 4 processors and 3 to 4 gig RAM on the VM that runs orion. SQL seems to work fine so far with 2 processors and 2 gig RAM.

My concern is that he is only running SL2000, yet he is using 4 processors, and 3-4 GB RAM. Would you have to double, or triple, or quadruple this setup for SLX? Or, should you even bother using VM if you're already up to 4 processors and Orion is CPU intensive?

I would really like to see some kind of test bed and the documentation that goes with it, which includes the number of elements being polled, at how many intervals, what was the CPU level during this time, what was the response time with the DB, etc., etc., etc.