Overview
KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) is a virtualization feature built into the Linux kernel that allows the system to run multiple virtual machines (VMs) using hardware-assisted virtualization. It’s commonly used to host VMs on Linux servers, enabling them to run unmodified Linux or Windows operating systems with high performance.
Nasuni added support for KVM hypervisors in the 10.1 release. We test specific KVM implementations (such as Nutanix, Scale Computing, OpenShift, and Proxmox) and offer implementation-specific instructions when possible. Given the diversity of KVM-based virtualization solutions, it is not possible to document every configuration. For those situations, you can use our generic KVM guidance.
Requirements and Configuration
This section includes requirements and configuration guidance for installing a Nasuni Edge Appliance (NEA) on a generic KVM hypervisor platform.
VM Template: If your hypervisor platform supports OS-based VM Templates, use the Red Hat 8.x template for Nasuni VMs. This automatically presets many of the machine-specific options specified below.
BIOS: Select UEFI boot (sometimes listed as OVMF). Nasuni VMs require UEFI boot and do not support legacy BIOS.
UEFI Secure boot: disabled. Nasuni appliances do not support secure boot.
Pre-enrolled keys: disabled. Pre-enrolled keys are an enabler for secure boot.
If secure boot or pre-enrolled keys are enabled, the appliance does not boot, and the console displays an error.
Caution: Many virtualization platforms enable secure boot by default for UEFI and might not offer a UI option to disable it. Check your platform’s documentation for instructions to turn off secure boot.
Machine Type: q35. The q35 machine type in KVM/QEMU is a chipset model that emulates Intel's Q35 Express Chipset, which is a newer alternative to the older i440fx chipset. It is designed to provide modern hardware features for virtual machines.
Type: Linux: 6.x - 2.6 Kernel compatible
RAM: 16 GiB minimum, 128 GiB maximum - RAM >128 GiB will not be utilized.
vCPUs: One (1) socket and eight (8) cores minimum, no enforced maximum.
CPU features: Use host-passthrough or an equivalent method to expose the full native CPU features. Avoid emulated or generic CPU models.
Storage
Drivers: VirtIO. The VirtIO storage driver is a paravirtualized device driver designed for use in virtual machines. It provides high-performance disk I/O by allowing the guest OS to communicate more efficiently with the hypervisor.
SSD storage for all VM files.
For optimal performance, use a dedicated logical volume for VM storage. Do not use the same logical volume as the virtualization base installation.
Nasuni recommends fully provisioned (thick) storage devices for best performance.
Three (3) disks, all of which should be thick-provisioned for optimal performance and capacity availability.
OS (boot): 32 GiB (the qcow2 Nasuni image).
Cache: 250 GiB minimum, 1 TiB recommended.
COW: 62.5 GiB minimum, 250 GiB recommended. The size should be at least 25 percent of the cache disk, but need not exceed 250 GiB.
Boot order: The OS (boot) disk must be listed first in the VM’s boot order for the appliance to start correctly.
Networking:
Drivers: VirtIO. The VirtIO network driver is a paravirtualized network interface for virtual machines. It is designed to provide high-performance networking by minimizing overhead compared to traditional emulated network interfaces (such as Intel e1000, Realtek 8139).
A dedicated network, not shared with VM management, is recommended.
Assign only one virtual network interface per VM unless traffic groups are used for Web Access segmentation. Adding multiple interfaces does not improve VM performance.
VM Agents (such as Qemu agent): Disabled. VM-based agents are not compatible with Nasuni appliances.
TPM: Disabled. Nasuni appliances do not require TPM.
Live Migration: Disabled. Nasuni does not test or support VM live migration.
Snapshots: Virtual machine snapshots are not supported. Do not attempt to restore from a virtual machine snapshot or backup. Trying to restore from a virtual machine snapshot or backup puts the Appliance in an unknown state with the Nasuni Orchestration (NOC) and requires a recovery process. This might result in data loss.