Chapter 4. Storage Systems

A storage system is a medium to store data for simultaneous access by multiple devices or nodes in a network. As server and desktop virtualizations become the norm, a proper, stable storage system today is much more critical for a virtual environment. In terms of Proxmox, a storage system is where virtual disk images are stored.

Although a Proxmox cluster can fully function with Direct Attached Storage (DAS) or a local storage system in the same Proxmox node, a shared storage system has many benefits in a production environment, such as increased manageability, seamless storage expansion, and redundancy, just to name a few. In this chapter, we will cover the following topics:

• Local versus shared storage

• Virtual disk image types

• Storage types supported by Proxmox

• Commercial and free shared storage options

• FreeNAS as a low-cost shared storage option

• Ceph as enterprise-grade shared storage

Local or shared, a storage system is a vital component of a Proxmox cluster. A storage...

Local storage versus shared storage

Shared storage is not absolutely necessary in a Proxmox cluster environment, but without a doubt, it makes storage management a simpler task. In a small business environment, it may be fine not to have 24/7 uptime and 100% reliability, so a local storage system will suffice. When data grows beyond several terabytes, it may or may not fully justify shared storage. The question is how important is budget, reliability, resiliency, and accessibility. In most enterprise virtual environments with critical data, shared storage is the only logical choice due to the benefits it brings to the whole cluster operation. The following are considered benefits of using shared storage:

• Live migration of a virtual machine

• Seamless expansion of multinode storage space

• Centralized backup

• Multilevel data tiering

• Central storage management

Live migration of a virtual machine

This is probably one of the important sought after reasons to go for a shared storage system. Live migration...

Local and shared storage comparison

The following table is a comparison of both the local and shared storage for a quick reference:

	Local storage	Shared storage
Virtual machine live migration	No	Yes
High Availability	No	Yes, when used in multinode shared storage
Cost	Lower	Significantly higher
I/O performance	Native disk drive speed	Slower than the native disk drive speed
Skill requirements	No special storage skills required	Must be skilled on the shared storage option used
Expandability	Limited to available drive bays of a node	Expandable over multiple nodes when a multinode or distributed shared storage is used
Maintenance complexity	Virtually maintenance free	Storage nodes or clusters require regular monitoring

A virtual disk image

A virtual disk image is a file or group of files where a virtual machine stores its data. In Proxmox, a VM configuration file can be recreated and used to attach a disk image. But if the image itself is lost, it can only be restored from a backup. There are different types of virtual disk image formats available to be used with a virtual machine. It is essential to know the different types of image formats in order to have an optimal performing VM. Knowing the disk images also helps to prevent premature shortage of space by over provisioning virtual disks.

Supported image formats

Proxmox supports the .raw, .qcow2, and .vmdk virtual disk formats. Each format has its own set of strengths and weaknesses. The image format is usually chosen based on the function of the virtual machine, storage system in use, performance requirement, and available budget. The following screenshot shows the menu where we can choose an image type during a virtual disk creation through the GUI...

Storage types in Proxmox

Proxmox has excellent plugins for the mainstream storage options. In this section, we are going to see which storage plugins are integrated in Proxmox and also see how to use them to connect to different storage types in Proxmox. The following are the storage types that are natively supported as of Proxmox VE 4.1:

• Directory

• LVM

• NFS

• ZFS

• Ceph RBD

• GlusterFS

Directory

Directory storage is a mounted folder on the Proxmox local node. It is mainly used as local storage. But we can also mount a remote folder in a different node and use that mount point to create a new Directory storage. By default, this location is mounted under /var/lib/vz.

Any VM stored in this Directory storage does not allow live migration. The VM must be stopped before migrating to another node. All virtual disk image file types can be stored in the Directory storage. To create a new storage with a mount point, go to Datacenter | Storage, and click on Add to select the Directory plugin. The following screenshot...

Noncommercial and commercial storage options

We have discussed which virtual machine image formats and storage types are supported by Proxmox. To better acquaint ourselves for test or practice labs, we are now going to take a look at what noncommercial and commercial options we have out there in order to set up a storage system for the Proxmox-clustered environment. By noncommercial, I mean they are free without any primary features missing and without any trial limits.

These noncommercial options will allow you to set up a fully functional shared storage system with some hard work. Commercial versions usually come with full support from the provider company, and in some cases, the ongoing Service Level Agreement (SLA) contract. The following list is by no means a complete one, but a guideline to guide you in the direction where you need to plan and implement a Proxmox cluster environment. Each of these products can provide everything you need to set up shared storage:

Summary

In this chapter, we took a look at the storage options that are supported by Proxmox and their advantages and disadvantages. We also saw the types of virtual image files that can be used with Proxmox and when to use them. We learned how to configure different storage options using NFS, ZFS, RBD, and Gluster as storage backends. Storage is an important component for Proxmox clustering because this is where virtual machines are created and they operate from. A properly implemented storage system is very critical to make any cluster a successful one. With proper planning of different storage requirements and choosing the right format and option, a lot of hassle and frustration can be minimized later on.

In the next chapter, we will see how to create and manage KVM-based virtual machines. We will also examine virtual machine configuration files and learn some advanced configuration options.

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Authors (1)

Wasim Ahmed

Wasim Ahmed, born in Bangladesh and now a citizen of Canada, is a veteran of the IT world. He first came into close contact with computers in 1992 and never looked back. Wasim has a deep understanding of networks, virtualization, big data storage, and network security. By profession, Wasim is the CEO of a global IT support and cloud service provider based in Calgary, Alberta. He serves many companies and organizations through his company on a daily basis. Wasim's strength comes from his experience, which comes from learning and serving continually. Wasim strives to find the most effective solution at the most competitive price. He has built over 20 enterprise production virtual infrastructures using Proxmox and the Ceph storage system. Wasim and his team are notorious for not simply accepting a technology based on its description alone, but putting it through rigorous testing to check its validity. Any new technology that his company provides goes through months of continuous testing before it is accepted. Proxmox made the cut superbly.

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Summary

In this chapter, we took a look at the storage options that are supported by Proxmox and their advantages and disadvantages. We also saw the types of virtual image files that can be used with Proxmox and when to use them. We learned how to configure different storage options using NFS, ZFS, RBD, and Gluster as storage backends. Storage is an important component for Proxmox clustering because this is where virtual machines are created and they operate from. A properly implemented storage system is very critical to make any cluster a successful one. With proper planning of different storage requirements and choosing the right format and option, a lot of hassle and frustration can be minimized later on.

In the next chapter, we will see how to create and manage KVM-based virtual machines. We will also examine virtual machine configuration files and learn some advanced configuration options.