6 Managing Oracle Linux KVM Guests

Starting with Oracle Exadata X8M-2, Oracle Linux KVM is the virtualization technology for systems that use RoCE Network Fabric.

• Oracle Linux KVM and Oracle Exadata
  When deploying Oracle Exadata X8M-2 or later, you can decide to implement Oracle Linux KVM on the database servers.
• Migrating a Bare Metal Oracle RAC Cluster to an Oracle RAC Cluster in Oracle Linux KVM
  You can move an existing Oracle Real Application Clusters (Oracle RAC) cluster into a virtual environment that is managed by KVM.
• Showing Running Domains
  Use the vm_maker utility to list the running domains.
• Starting a Guest
  You can start a guest manually, or configure the guest to start automatically when the KVM host is started.
• Starting a Guest using the Diagnostic ISO File
  Use this procedure to boot a guest using the diagnostic ISO file (diagnostics.iso).
• Monitoring a Guest Console During Startup
  To see Oracle Linux boot messages during guest startup, use the --console option with the vm_maker --start-domain command.
• Managing Automatic Startup of Oracle Linux KVM Guests
  By default, when you create a guest, it is configured to automatically start when the KVM host is started. You can enable and disable this feature as needed.
• Shutting Down a User Domain From Within the User Domain
  
• Shutting Down a Guest From Within the KVM host
  You can shut down a guest from within a KVM host.
• Backing up the KVM host and Guests
  In an Oracle Linux KVM deployment, you need to back up the KVM host and the guests.
• Backing Up and Restoring Oracle Databases on KVM Guests
  Backing up and restoring Oracle databases on KVM guests is the same as backing up and restoring Oracle databases on physical nodes.
• Modifying the Memory Allocated to a Guest
  You can modify the memory allocated to a guest using vm_maker.
• Modifying the Number of Virtual CPUs Allocated to a Guest
  You can dynamically modify the number of virtual CPUs allocated to a guest with the vm_maker --set --vcpu command.
• Increasing the Disk Space in a Guest
  You can increase local disk space on a KVM guest after initial deployment. The method you use depends on which area you want to extend and the type of storage hosting the guest image files.
• Expanding /EXAVMIMAGES on the KVM host
  Use this procedure to expand /EXAVMIMAGES using available space on the KVM host.
• Adding an Oracle Linux KVM Cluster
  You can use Oracle Exadata Deployment Assistant (OEDA) to create a new Oracle Linux KVM cluster on an existing Oracle Exadata.
• Expanding an Oracle RAC Cluster in Oracle Linux KVM Using OEDACLI
  You can expand an existing Oracle RAC cluster on Oracle Linux KVM by adding guests using the Oracle Exadata Deployment Assistant command-line interface (OEDACLI).
• Manually Moving a Guest to a Different KVM Host
  You can manually move an Oracle Linux KVM guest to a different KVM host.
• Recovering a KVM Deployment
  A KVM host can be recovered from backups and guests can be recovered from snapshot backups.
• Removing a Guest
  You can remove a guest in Oracle Linux KVM using either OEDACLI or the vm_maker utility.
• Using Client Network VLAN Tagging with Oracle Linux KVM
  This topic describes the implementation of tagged VLAN interfaces for the client network in conjunction with Oracle Linux KVM.
• Using Exadata Secure RDMA Fabric Isolation with Oracle Linux KVM
  This topic describes the implementation of Exadata Secure RDMA Fabric Isolation in conjunction with Oracle Linux KVM.
• Adding a Bonded Network Interface to an Oracle Linux KVM Guest
  Use this procedure to add a bonded network interface to an existing Oracle Linux KVM guest.
• Using Exachk in Oracle Linux KVM Environments
  Exachk version 12.1.0.2.2 and higher supports virtualization on Oracle Exadata.