KVM Host Requirements

Minimum system requirements for Oracle Linux KVM hosts:

Note:

Oracle Linux 9 KVM hosts require a cluster compatibility version of 4.7 and an engine host running ovirt-engine-4.5.5-1.65 or later release.

For more information on cluster compatibility versions, see Changing Cluster Compatibility Versions in the Oracle Linux Virtualization Manager Administrator's Guide.

  • Host must be on-premises.

  • Oracle Linux 8.8 or later (8.x), or 9.6 or later (9.x) with:

    • Minimal Install selected as the base environment for the installation
    • Unbreakable Enterprise Kernel Release 6, Unbreakable Enterprise Kernel Release 7, Unbreakable Enterprise Kernel Release 8, or Red Hat Compatible Kernel.

  • 64-bit dual-core CPU

    Recommended: Multiple CPUs

    The CPUs must support either the Intel VT-x or the AMD AMD-V hardware virtualization extensions and the extensions must be enabled in the host's BIOS. The CPUs must also support the No eXecute flag (NX).

  • 2 GB RAM

    Maximum Tested: 6 TB

    The amount of RAM required varies depending on guest OS requirements, guest application requirements, and guest memory activity and usage.

  • 1 network interface card (NIC) with bandwidth of at least 1 Gbps

    Recommended: 2 or more NICs with bandwidth of at least 1 Gbps

    Multiple NICs are recommended so that NICs can be dedicated for network intensive activities, such as virtual machine migration.

  • 60 GB of locally accessibly, writable disk space dedicated to Oracle Linux Virtualization Manager, allocated as follows:
    Allocation Size
    / (root) 30 GB
    /boot 1 GB
    /var 29 GB

For information about x86-based servers that are certified for Oracle Linux with UEK, see the Hardware Certification List for Oracle Linux and Virtualization.

WARNING:

Don't install any third-party watchdogs on the Oracle Linux KVM hosts, as they can interfere with the watchdog daemon provided by VDSM.

Don't install any other applications on the Oracle Linux KVM hosts as they might interfere with the operation of the KVM hypervisor.

For more details about installation, system requirements, and known issues, see: