Managing virtual machines#
This section details the functionality available in the MyRackspace Portal for your VMware Server Virtualization components. This includes virtual machine self-service and order tracking.
Important
Before you begin, ensure that you are on the Dedicated Hosting
tab on
the top right-hand corner of your browser.
Dedicated Hosting
is highlighted in red if you are in the
correct tab.
Powering a virtual machine on and off#
Use the following steps to power a virtual machine on and off:
Click the
Products
dropdown menu.Select
VMware Server Virtualization
from the list. The Virtual Machines management section displays.Select the virtual machine that you want to clone from the virtual machine list. This action opens up your individual virtual machine's details.
Click the
Actions
dropdown menu on the right-hand side.In the
Automate Action
section, selectPower VM...
.If you select power off, the action powers down the selected virtual machine and suspends billing.
If you select power on, the action powers up a previously off virtual machine and initiates billing.
Note
If you are powering on a virtual machine again, this might require review from a Rackspace VMware Support technician. For best practice and security reasons, OS updates might need to be applied before the virtual machine is returned to service, depending upon the length of time the virtual machine has been powered off. A ticket generates with this request and the Rackspace VMware Support team updates the ticket accordingly.
Rebooting a virtual machine#
Use the following steps to reboot a virtual machine:
- Click the
Products
dropdown menu. - Select
VMware Server Virtualization
from the list. The Virtual Machines management section displays. - Select the virtual machine you want to clone from the virtual machine list. This action opens up your individual virtual machine's details.
- Click the
Actions
drop-down on the right hand side. - In the
Automate Action
section, selectReboot VM...
. - This automated action allows the selected Virtual Machine to be rebooted
using one of the following methods:
- Soft Reboot: Graceful shutdown and restart of your server's operating system.
- Hard Reboot: Power cycle your server (immediate shutdown and restart).
You need to select a reason for a
Hard Reboot
from the dropdown list.
Filtering virtual machines#
Use the following steps to filter the view of your virtual machines:
- Click the
Products
dropdown menu. - Select
VMware Server Virtualization
from the list. The Virtual Machines management section displays. - Click to filter the virtual machines by:
- All Virtual Machines
- Status: Online or Powered Off
- Type: Virtual Machine, Clone, or Template
- Region (Datacenter)
- Hypervisor
Snapshotting a virtual machine#
Warning
As snapshot files grow, it can affect all virtual machines on the hypervisor. For this reason, Rackspace recommends keeping no longer than a two-day snapshot. After this time, you can delete the snapshot, or we can revert to the to the snapshot and original disks.
A VMware snapshot is a copy of the virtual machine's disk file (VMDK) at a given point in time. Snapshots provide a change log for the virtual disk and are used to restore a VM to a particular point in time when a failure or system error occurs.
Use the following steps to snapshot a virtual machine:
- Click the
Products
dropdown menu. - Select
VMware Server Virtualization
from the list. The virtual machines management section displays. - Select the virtual machine you wish to snapshot.
- Scroll to the
Snapshots
section. - Click
Create Snapshot
. - Enter a description for your new snapshot.
Reverting snapshots#
Use the following steps to revert a snapshot of a virtual machine:
Warning
You will lose all changes made to this virtual machine after the snapshot was created. You cannot undo this action.
Click the gear icon next to the selected
Snapshot name
.Click
Revert to Snapshot
.Click
Revert
.Warning
You lose all changes made to this VM since the snapshot was created. You cannot undo this action.
The virtual machine automatically powers down and powers back on after.
Deleting snapshots#
Use the following steps to delete a snapshot of a virtual machine:
Warning
Deleting a snapshot means that all changes that have occurred to the virtual machine will get committed to the parent disk or snapshot.
You lose the ability to restore to your pre-snapshot virtual machine.
- Click the gear icon next to the selected
Snapshot name
. - Click
Delete Snapshot
.
This applies all the changes to the virtual machine since the snapshot was created. The snapshot file applies to the source disk and the virtual machine stays online during this process. The snapshot no longer exists.
Warning
As snapshot files grow, it can affect all virtual machines on the hypervisor. For this reason, Rackspace recommends keeping no longer than a two-day snapshot. After this time, you can delete the snapshot, or we can revert to the to the snapshot and original disks.
Resizing and adjusting virtual machines#
Warning
It is important to size VMs as close to what is required as possible as resources like CPU, memory, and disk can be easily added but removal requires a restart and results in downtime.
Rackspace recommends the following resource allocation ratios:
- 1:5 physical CPU to virtual CPU
- 1:1.5 physical RAM to virtual RAM
Before resizing a virtual machine, note that overallocation of resources has the potential to negatively impact the performance of the virtual machine and other virtual machines within your environment.
Use the following steps to resize and adjust a virtual machine:
Click the
Products
dropdown menu.Select
VMware Server Virtualization
from the list. The virtual machines management section appears.Select the virtual machine that you want to resize from the virtual machine list. This action opens up your individual virtual machine's details.
Click the
Actions
dropdown menu on the right-hand side.In the
Automate Action
section, selectResize VM...
. This automatically shuts down your VM, applies your change, and powers the VM back on.Choose the new number of
vCPUs
and amount ofvRAM
.Click
Resize Virtual Machine
.Warning
Clicking
Resize Virtual Machine
causes your virtual machine to power off immediately. This process takes approximately 5 minutes plus the required boot time.
Re-imaging virtual machines#
Use the following steps to request a re-image a virtual machine:
Click the
Products
dropdown menu.Select
VMware Server Virtualization
from the list. The virtual machines management section displays.Select the virtual machine that you want to clone from the virtual machine list. This action opens up your individual virtual machine's details.
Click the
Actions
drop-down on the right hand side.In the
Automate Action
section, selectRe-image VM...
.This action request reprovisions this VM with a new Guest OS version or a new Guest OS. Provide details of any needing to be retained in current VM prior to reprovisioning.
Click
Request Re-Image
.This action creates a ticket to track your re-imaging.
Warning
You lose all data on your VM once re-imaged. Save any data you might need elsewhere. The VM will be unavailable for several hours during the re-imaging process.
Removing and deleting virtual machines#
Use the following steps to delete a virtual machine:
- Click the
Products
dropdown menu. - Select
VMware Server Virtualization
from the list. The virtual machines management section appears. - Select the virtual machine you wish to remove from the virtual machine list. This action opens up your individual virtual machine's details.
- Click the
Actions
dropdown menu on the right-hand side. - In the
Request Action
section, selectDelete VM...
. - Enter any
Special Instructions
to include in support ticket. - Select
Request Deletion
This action triggers a ticket for your Rackspace VMware Support team specialist to action. To track the progress of this, see the Tracking Orders section below.
Tracking orders#
If you have requested the creation of a new VM, re-imaging, or the deletion of a VM you can track your order through the MyRack portal.
- Click the
Products
dropdown menu. - Select
VMware Server Virtualization
from the list. The virtual machines management section displays. - Select
Track Orders
.
If you have any concerns or questions about an action you have requested, contact your Rackspace VMware Support team specialist.