To finish this series of articles about Bare-Metal Deployment Hyper-V host with VMM 2012R2, I present you the provisioning of a new server with the previous configuration. First it is necessary to configure the BMC interface to enable IPMI and IP Address. Next the provisioning can start.

Enable IPMI on host server

On my old Dell 1950 I have to enter in iDRAC utility and enable IPMI as above. Note that this configuration could be performed automatically with SCCM and Dell integration pack. HP provides the same thing. These integration packs enable to set the BIOS, the Raid Controller (building of RAID configuration) and the BMC interface.

I set the IP address of the BMC controller to 192.168.1.31/24.

Hyper-V host provisioning

So it’s time to validate all the configuration performed previously. Open VMs and Services tab, and right click on a host group to select Add Hyper-V hosts and Clusters.

Select Physical computers to be provisioned as virtual machine hosts to start Bare-Metal deployment.

Select a Run As account that have right on your BMC. Note that accounts should not be validated in Active Directory on creation because this account does not belong AD. I select IPMI protocol.

Specify a discovery scope to find your BMC. As I said previously, I have configured my BMC to 192.168.1.31 IP Address.

When the skip deep discovery checkbox is released (I recommend this parameter), the server that will be provisioned start (or restart if it is already power on). The power management is done via IPMI. Deep Discovery is performed when the WinPE image is loaded in memory by the system. Once deep discovery is performed, the system waits that provisioning begins.

Select the host group and the Physical Computer profile. Mine is called Hyper-V.

On Deployment Customization you can specify a computer name. Once deep discovery is completed successfully, Network Adapters should be discover even if CDN is not supported (like me).

Network adapter configuration is performed related to the Physical Computer profile. On below screenshot you can see that my Physical NIC have been set automatically thanks to deep discovery.

When you click on finish, the provisioning of Hyper-V host begin.

After some time the Operating System is ready and Hyper-V host server is ready to use.

Conclusion

Bare-Metal Deployment is a good technology for scalability in a virtualized environment. Thanks to BMR new Hyper-V server can be provisioned quickly and automatically that reduce human error. However the implementation in VMM is complex because the networking configuration in the fabric is not easy and needs some skills. Moreover, a baseline VHDX should be manage regularly to add Microsoft updates of last month for example. So in my opinion, when you have a small Hyper-V environment (less than 10 servers), I’m not sure that it’s worth it. But over 10 servers, I think the Bare-Metal deployment should be envisaged. Moreover, backup solution for Hyper-V host is no longer needed if you deploy new Hyper-V faster than backup restore it. This would save some storage space and reduce backup team workload.

The post Bare-Metal Deployment Hyper-V host with VMM 2012R2 Part4 – Hyper-V host provisioning appeared first on Tech-Coffee.

Now that network configuration is done in VMM fabric, it’s time to prepare the OS deployment. As other OS deployment, a PXE server must be installed and a baseline image should be created. To finish, a Physical Computer Profile will be set to automate the network configuration and some other settings (product key, password etc.).

Add a PXE server to Virtual Machine Manager

To deploy WInPE and VHDX file through the network, a WDS (Windows Deployment Services) server is needed. WDS is a Windows Server role:

Once it is installed, make the first configuration and start the service. Once WDS is installed and prepared you can come back to VMM Fabric. Right click on PXE Servers as below and select Add PXE Server.

Specify the WDS server name and a user account with enough privilege on WDS. When you click on “Add”, you will see the deployment of some image as WinPE. This WinPE is a special version for VMM. When the setting is done successfully, the PXE server appears in VMM as below.

Create a VHDX Syspreped

A VHDX syspreped is necessary for Bare-Metal deployment. This file contains the operating system with some specific settings that you have configured. On my side, I have added the Failover Cluster feature, the OS has been updated with the last patches and I have created a c:\temp folder. To finish I have disabled the firewall for all profiles. This last will be reactivated after that host servers have joined the domain with GPO.

So to prepare an Operating System as I want, I create a Virtual Machine that I called _Baseline – Core – W2012R2 – DTC. I make all change that I want. And when I have finished I shut down the VM. I shutdown the VM because before launch a sysprep, I create a clone of that VM. In this way I have a pre-Sysprep VM in my store (to update my baseline VHDX or to recover quickly if I make a mistake).

Do not add MPIO feature or do not enable Hyper-V role (ok it can be hard on VM :p) in your image preparation. These features will be automatically added by VMM.

Once cloning is done I re-launch the VM to sysprep the Operating System. Below screenshot presents settings to sysprep the VM:

Once the VM is syspreped, I copy the VHDX in VMM library and I delete the Virtual Machine.

Create a Physical Computer profile

Now, it’s time to create a Physical Computer Profile. As other profile in VMM, the Physical Computer Profile is a sort of template for host servers. It can be used to deploy Hyper-V hosts or Scale-Out File servers. So open your Library and right click on Physical Computer Profile and select Create Physical Computer Profile:

In VHD file, select the previous VHDX syspreped created in the previous chapter. On hardware configuration you can configure the network settings that will be applied on the Hyper-V host during provisioning. On my old Dell 1950 I have only two physical NIC so I Add two physical NIC. Next I had 4 virtual NIC while Management NIC is mandatory.

My Management NIC is configured as a virtual network adapter connected to one of physical NIC. I configure the classification as Host Management and it is connected to my Fabrikam vSwitch. To finish with this vNIC, I set to obtain a static IP in IP Pool of VM Network (Yes I know called a VM Network “VM Network” is a bad idea, I realize too late).

Next, each Physical NIC is configured to be connected to Fabrikam vSwitch with the uplink port profile Host teaming. Because my Dell 1950 is a very old server, it does not support CDN so I not set CDN.

Now I present you a Virtual NIC configuration. I show you one vNIC because others is the same thing, just parameters that change. So on each vNIC I configure the connection with Fabrikam vSwitch and I set the related classification.

Then I set the IP configuration related to vNIC needs. In the below example, the vNIC belong VM Management Network and a static IP will be attributed from the related IP Pool.

Next, some settings are available to configure the disk where will be deployed VHDX (Operating System or not).

On Driver filter, you can specify a drivers tags to install this last. In fact when you add drivers in VMM library you can tag them.

To finish, some OS configuration can be set as below:

At this point, all configurations on VMM is finished. The next step is the provisioning of Hyper-V host.

The post Bare-Metal Deployment Hyper-V host with VMM 2012R2 Part3 – Prepare OS deployment appeared first on Tech-Coffee.

In this part I will present you the configuration of networking in Virtual Machine Manager 2012R2 fabric. This part is needed to automate the deployment of network configuration on the future Hyper-V host server that will be provisioned. Before network settings, it is recommended to create at least on Host Group. Host Group enables to set parameters (Hosts reserves, Placement rules etc.) for a group of host servers. Mine is called Fabrikam. 

Logical Networks creation

Virtual Machines Logical Network

First I create the logical network for my Virtual Machines network. Open your fabric and right click on Logical Networks tab like the above screenshot. I create a VLAN-Based independent networks because as I say in PART 1, I want to create networks isolated with VLAN (as my physical network).

Next I create a Network site called Virtual Machines site. I associate this site with the Fabrikam host group, the subnet 192.168.1.0/24 and the VLAN 0 (VLAN 0 means untagged VLAN). I click OK and my first logical network is created.

Management logical network

Sorry for the above capture but I have created the Management logical network before making screenshot and I don’t want to destroy my work. So I have edited the Management logical network previously created. To create this logical network I have used VLAN-Based independent networks as Virtual Machines logical network. In Management logical network I have three network sites as below:

Now that we have our logical networks created, Uplink Port profile has to be created.

Hyper-V Port Profile

Right click on Port Profiles tab in VMM fabric and select Create Hyper-V Port Profile (as above screenshot). For my needs, I create an Uplink Port with the above specification. For Windows Server 2012R2, the Dynamic Load Balancing algorithm is recommended for better performance. If you have Windows Server 2012 I recommend you the Hyper-V port.

Regarding teaming mode, that is related to your physical network infrastructure. I have chosen LACP because my switch supports this feature. If your does not support teaming and LACP, you can choose Independent. In this case it is the host which is in charge of teaming management. (For further information about teaming technology on Windows Server 2012 I recommend you this great documentation)

Next I select network sites supported by my Uplink port profile. Now it’s time to create the logical switch.

Logical Switch

To create a logical switch, first right click on logical switches tab in VMM Fabric and select Create Logical Switch. Next a name is asked: I called my logical switch Fabrikam vSwitch. Next choose your logical switch extension.

On uplink tab, specify your previously created Uplink port Profile. Because I want to make a NIC teaming, I choose Team in Uplink mode.

Next I specify the port classifications for my virtual ports. I have used the default port classification but it is possible to create a custom.

Now It’s time to create VM Networks and IP Pools. This is not the end of the ordeal J.

VM Networks and IP Pools

VM Networks

I will present you one VM Networks and IP Pools configuration because for others it is the same thing. But I’m sorry again because I have no capture about creating VM Network. But I swear it is pretty easy. As others components open VMM Fabric:

Right click on your Logical Network and select Create VM Network. In this wizard you have just to follow the “Next” “Next” “Next” button.

Below my Hosts Management VM Network when it is configured:

Repeat the procedure for each VM Network.

IP Pool

Ahhh I have screenshot about IP Pool. It is a revolutionJ. Right click on your logical network and select Create IP Pool. I present you below the creation of on an IP Pool. Repeat procedure for each IP Pool that you need.

Below this is the summary of your work. Pretty cool no ?

Now that you have created your several network brick, it’s time to see if there is no mistake and set the virtual switch on your Hyper-V host. Of course network interruption can occur. Be careful.

Hyper-V host configuration (HyperV01)

Open your Hyper-V host configuration and select Virtual Switches tab. It’s here that you configure your host network. First click on New Virtual Switch and select Logical Switch. I select Fabrikam vSwitch and I add my two physical adapters to create teaming. Host teaming refers to my Uplink Port profile.

Then I have created 4 virtual NIC (vNIC). For that click on New Virtual Network Adapter. When you select Static in IP address configuration and the IPv4 address field is empty, that means that an IP will be taken in the IP Pool for this vNIC.

In the below screenshot, I set myself which IP will be taken in IP Pool LAN.

When you click on the magic button called “OK”, Virtual Machine Manager agent installed on Hyper-V host sets the network configuration that you just specified.

Below my network configuration at this point.

The post Bare-Metal Deployment Hyper-V host with VMM 2012R2 Part2 – Prepare Networking appeared first on Tech-Coffee.

Thanks to virtualization, the provisioning of new virtual machines (VM) is pretty easy and convenient. Several technologies enable to deploy new VMs:

• Cloning to duplicate a server to quickly support scalability (Web Servers for example)
• Create new VMs from template to deploy following standard
• Service deployment (VMM feature) to deploy multiple VMs to support a service (all servers needed for Sharepoint for example)

Usually, when deployment industrialization is well configured, a new VM can be provisioned within a few tens of minute. However the more you add VMs more you need host servers to support machines provisioned. So indirectly time provisioning of VMs is related to host servers’ installation. This is why it is important to automate the provisioning of host servers. This is called Bare-Metal Deployment (BMR). In this series of articles I will present you how to make a BMR of Hyper-V host server with Virtual Machine Manager 2012R2.

How does Bare-Metal Deployment Hyper-V work?

Hyper-V BMR in VMM needs a Baseboard Management Controller (BMC) on a host server to provision. BMC is better known under the name iLO for HP vendor or iDRAC for Dell vendor. This controller supports the standard protocol named IPMI (Intelligent Platform management Interface). Thanks to IPMI, VMM can manage power or discover Network Interface Controller (NIC). If your server support CDN (technology enabling Operating System to read Bios information during deployment to map NIC in good order), VMM can use it to manage host networking.

Next, WDS is needed to deploy operating system over the network. WDS must be connected to VMM to make Hyper-V BMR. It is needed because when VMM connects to WDS, it deploys a VMM Winpe Image. To deploy Operating System, a VHDX is used. This VHDX must be syspreped with OOBE (Out-of the Box Experience) and must be generalized.

Once the operating system is deployed, VMM configure operating system following Physical Server profile configuration. It can be the administrator password, product key or joining a domain. At the end of the configuration, networking is configured on the host (teaming, vNIC etc.).

To resume following are needed to make a Hyper-V BMR in VMM:

• Baseboard Management Controller configured on host server
• Windows Deployment Services
• Networking configuration in VMM fabrics
• A VHDX syspreped (OOBE, Generalized)

Virtual Machine Manager and network

Logical network

A Logical Network is a definition of your network environment. For example, management networks (Cluster workload, iSCSI over Ethernet workload etc.) can be gathered in a logical network called management. The definition of a network is called a Network Site. A network site can be defined with a VLAN number and a subnet (CIDR format like 192.168.1.0/24). Network Sites are associated to Host Groups that you choose.

Hyper-V Port profile

A Hyper-V Port profile is the definition of the capability and the configuration of a network card (physical or virtual). In VMM, There are two sorts of Hyper-V Port profile: uplink port profile and virtual network adapter port profile.

The Uplink Port profile defines the physical NIC configuration (teaming, LACP or load balancing teaming). The Uplink port profile is associated to network sites to support them.

Virtual network adapter port profile enables to select offload configuration (such as SR-IOV), to set some security features (allow guest teaming, enable DHCP guard etc.) and specify bandwidth limit. This type of profile is used for virtual NIC (Virtual Machine or vNIC on host server).

Logical switch

Logical switch defines the capability of your network. Logical switch is dependent of uplink port profiles and virtual network adapter port profiles.

VM Network

A VM network is a network that is virtualized. VM networks can be the extension of physical networks in the virtual environment. The isolation of network is usually performed with VLAN. VM networks can also enable to create multiple virtual networks isolated on the same physical network using NVGRE.

N.B: The NVGRE will not be approached in this series of articles.

IP Pool

An IP Pool is equivalent of DHCP. IP Pool is configured on a VM network to deliver IP on his subnet. This is VMM that manages which IP are assigned.

Mock-up presentation

I have performed my mockup on my home network. So it is not a hyper-v standard design but my “home” design is sufficient to understand the BMR process. Below the list of materials used:

Network overview

The goal of this series of articles is to present how to deploy HyperV02 in the above schema. Below a summary of network component to deploy:

Below the summary of network component to create in VMM.

Logical networks definition

Uplink Port profile definition

Logical switch definition

VM Networks and IP Pool definition

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