Using software such as VMware® and Microsoft Hyper-V®, you can deploy the Metasys system in a virtual environment. When you do so, consider the following important factors.
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Topic |
Consideration or Requirement |
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Supported Virtual Environment Platforms |
The Metasys system supports the following virtual environment platform minimum versions:
Allocate at least 16 Gb of memory to the virtual environment. |
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Virtual Environment Installation and Time Management |
Install Hyper-V Integration Services/VMware Tools on the guest virtual machine used to host the Metasys system. Ensure the VM does not receive its time setting from the host server—an option that is configurable on the VM host server under the VM properties. |
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Prerequisite Hardware and Software |
Use the same hardware specifications for the virtual machine as is stated in the Metasys server hardware requirements. Refer to the Metasys System Configuration Guide [LIT-12011832]). Virtual machines share hard drives, processors, network cards, and other resources. Keep this in mind when you choose and configure the server hardware for the Metasys virtual machine. If other virtual machines consume resources, the Metasys server may experience performance issues. Set the priority of the Metasys server hardware resources at the highest level. |
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SQL Server Software Performance |
SQL Server performance is greatly affected by hard drive read/write performance. Also, applications that compete with the Metasys system for SQL Server resources may affect performance. |
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Dedicated Network Card |
Use one dedicated network card that has a static IP address assigned for a Metasys server (physical or virtual). The network card should have a dedicated 100 Mbit/s or higher connection directly to the network. The Metasys server may experience a large amount of network traffic, depending on the size of the site. Sharing a network card with other VMs may cause the server to lose communications with its network engines. |
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Hard Disk Space and Configuration |
Configure the virtual hard drive as a fixed-sized, non-expanding drive. Make sure that the virtual environment has enough disk space allocated. Do not attempt to run a system with the minimum required space. Make sure that the disk space is fully allocated, and do not configure the virtual environment to allow for drive expansion. If you have C2 Audit Tracing enabled in SQL Server, be aware that over time, the log files created can fill the hard disk. For general hardware requirements, refer to the Application and Data Server (ADS/ADX) Product Bulletin (LIT-1201525), Open Application Server (OAS) Product Bulletin (LIT-12013309), and Open Data Server Product Bulletin (LIT-12011943) . |
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Fail-Over and Clustering |
Issues may occur if you configure the VM host server with failover or clustering. Failover occurs when a physical component of the VM server fails, causing the VM to move to another physical VM host server. A change in hardware, specifically a change in the network card or MAC Address, may cause communication issues. A reboot or reinstallation may be required. |
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Antivirus Software |
You can employ antivirus software in a virtual environment. For a list of supported programs, see Antivirus software considerations (Metasys server, NxE85, NIE89, and LCS85 only). To understand how to configure the antivirus software on a Metasys system, see Appendix: Installing antivirus software. |
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Other Applications |
Make sure that no other applications adversely affect the computer that is running the virtual environment. Metasys system performance degrades very quickly when other applications contend for host operating system resources. |