To run virtual machines, you must meet the system and software requirements for Xen VM Server and the type of virtual machine require.
A standard computer that meets the minimum system requirements for SUSE® Linux Enteprise Server 10 can run VM Server software and create VMs to run in paravirtual mode. A VT computer, employing such technology as Intel* VT or AMD* Virtualization to assist virtualization, can host VMs in both paravirtual and full virtualization modes.
Although SUSE Linux Enterprise Server can be installed on several types of computing platforms, Xen VM Server runs only on computers that support the x86-32 bit and x86-64 bit architectures. Currently, it does not run on computers using other architectures, such as Itanium* or IBM* POWER (formerly IBM iSeries and IBM pSeries systems).
VM Server and all VMs must be configured to run physical address extensions (PAE) if the computer running Xen VM Server is an x86-32 bit computer and Xen VM Server or any VM requires access to more than 3 GB of RAM.
The following tables list server system architectures, VM architectures, and the supported VM modes.
Table 2-1 Standard Server Hardware and Supported VMs
Table 2-2 VT Server Hardware and Supported VMs
VM Server requires no additional disk space or memory above the SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10 operating system requirements. In addition to the resources required for SLES 10, you should add additional memory and disk space for all planned VMs. You should also install at least one network card to use to connect to the network.
Table 2-3 Disk Space, Memory, and Network Requirements
In some cases, not all system memory is recognized by the VM Server or VM. The following table lists the theoretical maximums and the amount recognized.
VM Server requires the following software packages and their dependencies.
Virtual machines have few if any requirements above those required to run the operating system. If the operating system has not been optimized for the VM Server environment, the unmodified OS can run only on VT computer hardware, in full virtualization mode, and requires specific device drivers to be loaded.
This section includes general requirements for VMs. For more information about running specific operating systems on virtual machines, see Section 7.0, Specific Operating Systems.
VM Server creates VMs for the x86-32 bit and x86-64 bit architectures only. It does not create virtual computers of other system architectures such as Itanium, IBM POWER (formerly IBM iSeries and IBM pSeries systems), Commodore* 64, TRS-80*, and Amiga* series computers.
VM Server creates VMs for operating systems that are optimized to run in paravirtual mode. On VT computers, VM Server can create fully virtual VMs capable of hosting most popular operating systems not yet optimized for the VM environment. These not-optimized operating systems, such as Windows* and older versions of SUSE Linux, must run in full virtualization mode.
For requirements for a specific operating system, consult the operating system’s official documentation.
In full virtualization mode on VT computers, the VM emulates the following devices and requires the VM’s operating system to install, load, and run its native device drivers.
For each VM, you should obtain a unique IP address from a DHCP service, or manually enter it as a static, unchanging address.