Use Case: VM Importation and Migration¶

Business Context¶

Organizations often need to migrate existing virtual machines from various virtualization platforms (VMware vSphere, Red Hat Virtualization, Hyper-V, or KVM) to OpenShift Virtualization. This use case demonstrates how to import VMs while maintaining data integrity, minimizing downtime, and ensuring seamless operation in the new environment.

Technical Requirements¶

Infrastructure Requirements¶

OpenShift 4.12+ cluster with KubeVirt enabled
Container Data Importer (CDI) operator installed
Sufficient storage capacity for VM disk images
Network connectivity to source virtualization platform
Migration Toolkit for Virtualization (MTV) operator (optional)

Resource Requirements¶

CPU: 2+ cores per VM being imported
Memory: 4GB+ RAM per VM being imported
Storage: 2x the source VM disk size (for staging and final storage)
Network: High-bandwidth connection for large VM transfers

Implementation Architecture¶

graph TB
    subgraph "Source Environment"
        VS[VMware vSphere]
        RHV[Red Hat Virtualization]
        HV[Hyper-V]
        KVM[KVM/QEMU]
    end

    subgraph "OpenShift Cluster"
        MTV[Migration Toolkit for Virtualization]
        CDI[Container Data Importer]
        PVC[PersistentVolumeClaim]
        DV[DataVolume]
        VM[VirtualMachine]
    end

    subgraph "Storage"
        SC[StorageClass]
        PV[PersistentVolume]
        CSI[CSI Driver]
    end

    VS --> MTV
    RHV --> MTV
    HV --> MTV
    KVM --> CDI

    MTV --> DV
    CDI --> DV
    DV --> PVC
    PVC --> PV
    PV --> CSI

    DV --> VM

    style MTV fill:#99ccff
    style CDI fill:#99ffcc
    style VM fill:#ff99cc

Implementation Steps¶

Step 1: Prepare the Source Environment¶

For VMware vSphere¶

# Create a service account for MTV
# In vSphere Client:
# 1. Create a dedicated user account
# 2. Assign minimal required permissions:
#    - Datastore > Browse datastore
#    - Virtual machine > Snapshot management
#    - Virtual machine > Provisioning

For KVM/QEMU Direct Import¶

# Prepare VM disk images
qemu-img convert -f qcow2 -O qcow2 /path/to/source.qcow2 /path/to/optimized.qcow2

# Compress for faster transfer
gzip /path/to/optimized.qcow2

Step 2: Install Migration Tools¶

Install Migration Toolkit for Virtualization¶

apiVersion: operators.coreos.com/v1alpha1
kind: Subscription
metadata:
  name: mtv-operator
  namespace: openshift-mtv
spec:
  channel: release-v2.4
  installPlanApproval: Automatic
  name: mtv-operator
  source: redhat-operators
  sourceNamespace: openshift-marketplace
---
apiVersion: v1
kind: Namespace
metadata:
  name: openshift-mtv

Install Container Data Importer¶

apiVersion: operators.coreos.com/v1alpha1
kind: Subscription
metadata:
  name: containerized-data-importer
  namespace: openshift-cnv
spec:
  channel: stable
  installPlanApproval: Automatic
  name: containerized-data-importer
  source: redhat-operators
  sourceNamespace: openshift-marketplace

Step 3: Configure Source Provider (MTV)¶

apiVersion: forklift.konveyor.io/v1beta1
kind: Provider
metadata:
  name: vmware-source
  namespace: openshift-mtv
spec:
  type: vsphere
  url: https://vcenter.example.com/sdk
  secret:
    name: vmware-credentials
    namespace: openshift-mtv
---
apiVersion: v1
kind: Secret
metadata:
  name: vmware-credentials
  namespace: openshift-mtv
type: Opaque
stringData:
  user: migration-user@vsphere.local
  password: "your-secure-password"
  thumbprint: "AA:BB:CC:DD:EE:FF:00:11:22:33:44:55:66:77:88:99:AA:BB:CC:DD"

Step 4: Create Migration Plan¶

apiVersion: forklift.konveyor.io/v1beta1
kind: Plan
metadata:
  name: webapp-migration-plan
  namespace: openshift-mtv
spec:
  provider:
    source:
      name: vmware-source
      namespace: openshift-mtv
    destination:
      name: host
      namespace: openshift-mtv
  targetNamespace: app-web-prod
  vms:
  - id: vm-12345
    name: web-server-01
  - id: vm-12346
    name: app-server-01
  map:
    network:
    - source:
        name: "VM Network"
      destination:
        name: default
        type: pod
    - source:
        name: "Storage Network"
      destination:
        name: storage-net
        type: multus
    storage:
    - source:
        name: "datastore1"
      destination:
        storageClass: ocs-storagecluster-ceph-rbd
    - source:
        name: "datastore2"
      destination:
        storageClass: ocs-storagecluster-cephfs

Step 5: Direct Import Using CDI (Alternative Method)¶

Import from HTTP/HTTPS Source¶

apiVersion: cdi.kubevirt.io/v1beta1
kind: DataVolume
metadata:
  name: imported-vm-disk
  namespace: app-web-prod
spec:
  source:
    http:
      url: "https://storage.example.com/vm-images/web-server.qcow2"
      secretRef: "image-pull-secret"
  storage:
    accessModes:
    - ReadWriteOnce
    resources:
      requests:
        storage: 50Gi
    storageClassName: ocs-storagecluster-ceph-rbd
---
apiVersion: v1
kind: Secret
metadata:
  name: image-pull-secret
  namespace: app-web-prod
type: kubernetes.io/basic-auth
stringData:
  username: "storage-user"
  password: "storage-password"

Import from Registry¶

apiVersion: cdi.kubevirt.io/v1beta1
kind: DataVolume
metadata:
  name: registry-imported-vm
  namespace: app-web-prod
spec:
  source:
    registry:
      url: "docker://quay.io/example/vm-images:web-server-v1.0"
      pullMethod: pod
      secretRef: "registry-credentials"
  storage:
    accessModes:
    - ReadWriteOnce
    resources:
      requests:
        storage: 30Gi
    storageClassName: ocs-storagecluster-ceph-rbd

Step 6: Create Virtual Machine Definition¶

apiVersion: kubevirt.io/v1
kind: VirtualMachine
metadata:
  name: imported-web-server
  namespace: app-web-prod
  labels:
    app: web-server
    tier: frontend
    environment: production
  annotations:
    description: "Imported web server from VMware vSphere"
spec:
  running: false
  template:
    metadata:
      labels:
        kubevirt.io/vm: imported-web-server
    spec:
      domain:
        cpu:
          cores: 4
          sockets: 1
          threads: 1
        memory:
          guest: 8Gi
        devices:
          disks:
          - name: rootdisk
            disk:
              bus: virtio
          - name: cloudinitdisk
            disk:
              bus: virtio
          interfaces:
          - name: default
            masquerade: {}
          - name: storage-network
            bridge: {}
        machine:
          type: pc-q35-rhel8.6.0
        resources:
          requests:
            memory: 8Gi
            cpu: 4
      networks:
      - name: default
        pod: {}
      - name: storage-network
        multus:
          networkName: storage-net
      volumes:
      - name: rootdisk
        dataVolume:
          name: imported-vm-disk
      - name: cloudinitdisk
        cloudInitNoCloud:
          userData: |
            #cloud-config
            user: admin
            password: changeme
            chpasswd: { expire: False }
            ssh_pwauth: True
            package_upgrade: true
            packages:
              - qemu-guest-agent
            runcmd:
              - systemctl enable qemu-guest-agent
              - systemctl start qemu-guest-agent

Step 7: Execute Migration¶

Start Migration Plan¶

# Apply the migration plan
oc apply -f migration-plan.yaml

# Monitor migration progress
oc get migration -n openshift-mtv -w

# Check migration status
oc describe migration webapp-migration -n openshift-mtv

Monitor Import Progress (CDI)¶

# Check DataVolume status
oc get dv imported-vm-disk -n app-web-prod

# Monitor import progress
oc describe dv imported-vm-disk -n app-web-prod

# Check PVC status
oc get pvc imported-vm-disk -n app-web-prod

Step 8: Post-Migration Validation¶

Start and Validate VM¶

# Start the imported VM
oc patch vm imported-web-server -n app-web-prod --type merge -p '{"spec":{"running":true}}'

# Check VM status
oc get vm imported-web-server -n app-web-prod

# Check VMI status
oc get vmi imported-web-server -n app-web-prod

# Access VM console
virtctl console imported-web-server -n app-web-prod

Network Connectivity Test¶

# Test pod network connectivity
oc exec -it deployment/test-client -- ping $(oc get vmi imported-web-server -n app-web-prod -o jsonpath='{.status.interfaces[0].ipAddress}')

# Test multus network connectivity
oc exec -it deployment/storage-client -- ping $(oc get vmi imported-web-server -n app-web-prod -o jsonpath='{.status.interfaces[1].ipAddress}')

Troubleshooting Guide¶

Common Issues and Solutions¶

1. Import Fails with "Insufficient Storage"¶

# Check available storage
oc get pv | grep Available

# Check storage class
oc describe storageclass ocs-storagecluster-ceph-rbd

# Solution: Request smaller disk or add more storage capacity

2. Network Import Timeout¶

# Increase timeout in DataVolume
apiVersion: cdi.kubevirt.io/v1beta1
kind: DataVolume
metadata:
  name: imported-vm-disk
  annotations:
    cdi.kubevirt.io/storage.pod.restarts: "10"
    cdi.kubevirt.io/storage.pod.retries: "4"
spec:
  # ... rest of spec

3. VM Boot Issues After Import¶

# Check VM events
oc describe vm imported-web-server -n app-web-prod

# Common fixes:
# 1. Update machine type
# 2. Install virtio drivers
# 3. Adjust memory/CPU allocation

4. Performance Issues¶

# Optimize disk performance
spec:
  domain:
    devices:
      disks:
      - name: rootdisk
        disk:
          bus: virtio
        cache: writethrough  # Add cache policy
        io: native          # Add I/O policy

Best Practices¶

Pre-Migration¶

Inventory Assessment: Document all VMs, their dependencies, and resource requirements
Network Planning: Map source networks to destination networks
Storage Planning: Choose appropriate storage classes for different workload types
Security Review: Ensure imported VMs meet security standards

During Migration¶

Batch Processing: Migrate VMs in small batches to manage resources
Monitoring: Continuously monitor migration progress and resource utilization
Validation: Test each migrated VM before proceeding to the next batch
Documentation: Keep detailed logs of the migration process

Post-Migration¶

Performance Tuning: Optimize VM configurations for the new environment
Security Hardening: Apply security policies and configurations
Backup Configuration: Set up backup strategies for migrated VMs
Monitoring Setup: Configure monitoring and alerting for new VMs

Production Considerations¶

Resource Quotas: Implement appropriate resource quotas per namespace
Network Policies: Apply network segmentation policies
Storage Policies: Use appropriate storage classes for different tiers
Disaster Recovery: Plan for cross-cluster failover scenarios

Integration with RH OVE Ecosystem¶

GitOps Integration¶

# ArgoCD Application for VM management
apiVersion: argoproj.io/v1alpha1
kind: Application
metadata:
  name: imported-vms
  namespace: argocd
spec:
  project: production
  source:
    repoURL: https://git.company.com/rh-ove/vm-configs
    targetRevision: HEAD
    path: imported-vms
  destination:
    server: https://kubernetes.default.svc
    namespace: app-web-prod
  syncPolicy:
    automated:
      prune: false
      selfHeal: true

Monitoring Integration¶

# ServiceMonitor for VM metrics
apiVersion: monitoring.coreos.com/v1
kind: ServiceMonitor
metadata:
  name: vm-metrics
  namespace: app-web-prod
spec:
  selector:
    matchLabels:
      app: kubevirt-vm
  endpoints:
  - port: metrics
    interval: 30s
    path: /metrics

This comprehensive guide provides everything needed to successfully import and migrate VMs into the RH OVE multi-cluster ecosystem while maintaining enterprise-grade security, monitoring, and operational standards.