Configuring Insight Virtual Machines

Ensure that you have a Core license installed on the switch (for more information about licenses, see the ExtremeXOS 30.7 Feature License Requirements ), and that you have purchased a Solid State Storage Device (SSD) SSD-120.

To set up an Insight guest virtual machine (VM):

  1. Install the Solid State Storage Device (SSD) SSD-120:
    1. Power down the switch.
    2. On the rear panel of the switch, remove the cover from the SSD slot.
    3. Insert SSD-120 into the SSD slot.
    4. Power up the switch.
  2. Download a VM installation file (OVA, qcow2, or any QEMU-compatible file) to SSD-120 to /usr/local/vm/packages using the command scp2 {cipher cipher} {mac mac} {compression [on | off]} {port portnum} {vr vr_name} user [hostname | ipaddress]:remote_file local_file . Alternatively, you can use the Third-Party Virtual Machine (TPVM), which is included on SSD-120.
  3. Install the VM using one of the following commands:
    • Disk image: create vm vm_name image image_file {memory memory_size} {cpus num_cpus} {slot slot_ID}{vnc [none | vnc_display]}
    • OVA file: create vm vm_name ova ova_file {memory memory_size} {cpus num_cpus} {slot slot_ID} {vnc [none | vnc_display]}
      Note

      Note

      Compatibility issues might occur when using third-party OVA files. The image format qcow2 is generally more reliable.

    The default for number of CPUs allocated is 1. The default amount of RAM allocated to a VM is 4,096 MB. You can change this with the create vm command as needed.

    The VNC server only listens to the switch‘s loopback IP address (127.0.0.1). You need to forward TCP traffic from the server‘s port on the switch to a port that the client software is running on using an SSH tunnel. On the switch, VNC port numbers range from 5,900 to 5,915.

    To create this setup, use the following command:

    ssh admin@mgmt_ip -L port_on_client_system:127.0.0.1:port_on_switch

  4. Add Insight (sideband) ports to the VM.
    configure vm vm_name {add | delete} ports portlist
  5. Choose whether or not the VM should start up automatically when ExtremeXOS starts. Automatic start-up is disabled by default. To enable automatic start-up, use the following command:
    enable vm vm_name autostart
  6. To open a session to the VM's serial console, use the following command:
    open vm vm_name {console}
    Note

    Note

    TPVM is configured to use a serial console.
    Note

    Note

    You cannot access the serial console before starting a VM. You must start the VM, and then reboot it to gain serial console access.
  7. Optionally, add virtual interfaces to the VM using the following command (maximum 16 virtual interfaces):
    configure vm vm_name add virtual-interface port port {vlan vlan_id} {name vf_name}
  8. Optionally, change the vm's disk bus or controller, using the following command:
    configure vm vm_name disk bus-type bus_type

    The default bus type is VirtIO, but some operating systems are do not support this, and as a consequence, the VM will fail to boot. You can configure the bus type to IDE or SCSI.

  9. Start the VM.
    start vm vm_name
To check the status of the VM, use the following commands:
  • For operational status information: show vm {vm_name | detail}
  • For interfaces information: show vm vm_name guest interfaces

If needed to save disk space, after successful creation of the VM, you can delete the VM package file at /usr/local/vm/packages.

For additional Insight commands, see Insight Commands.

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