Advanced VirtRigaud Examples¶

This directory contains advanced examples demonstrating complex scenarios and v0.2.3+ features.

Overview¶

These examples showcase production-ready patterns, advanced operations, and best practices for managing VMs at scale with VirtRigaud.

v0.2.3+ Features¶

vSphere Clone Operations¶

File: vsphere-clone-example.yaml

Comprehensive cloning examples demonstrating: - Full Clones: Independent VMs for production workloads - Linked Clones: Space-efficient copies for development/testing - Automatic Snapshot Handling: Seamless snapshot creation for linked clones - Clone from VMs or Templates: Flexible source options - Rapid Provisioning: Multiple parallel clones for test environments

Use Cases: - Production workload deployment - Development environment provisioning - Test environment creation - VM backup and disaster recovery - Rapid scaling for temporary workloads

Key Features: - Full clone: ~5-15 minutes, independent storage - Linked clone: ~1-3 minutes, shared storage with parent - Automatic snapshot management - Complete isolation or shared storage options

vSphere Task Tracking¶

File: vsphere-task-tracking.yaml

Real-time monitoring of long-running vSphere operations: - Task Progress Monitoring: Real-time progress percentages - State Reporting: Queued, running, success, error states - Error Information: Detailed error messages from vSphere - vCenter Integration: Direct correlation with vSphere task manager - Parallel Operations: Independent tracking for multiple VMs

Monitored Operations: - VM creation and cloning - Resource reconfiguration - Snapshot operations - VM deletion - Disk expansion

Benefits: - Visibility into operation progress - Debugging failed operations - Performance optimization insights - Capacity planning data - Integration with vCenter task console

Console Access¶

File: console-access-example.yaml

Remote VM console access for both vSphere and Libvirt:

vSphere Web Console: - Automatic URL generation - Browser-based access via vCenter - Full keyboard/mouse support - Copy/paste functionality - Multi-monitor support - Power controls integration

Libvirt VNC Console: - VNC URL generation - Multiple VNC client support (TigerVNC, RealVNC, noVNC) - SSH tunnel support for security - Web-based access via noVNC - Multiple simultaneous viewers

Use Cases: - Initial VM setup before SSH - Boot troubleshooting - OS installation - GUI application access - Rescue and recovery operations - Training and demonstrations

Existing Advanced Examples¶

VM Reconfiguration and Snapshots¶

File: vm-reconfigure-and-snapshot.yaml

Demonstrates VM lifecycle management: - Resource reconfiguration - Snapshot creation before changes - Rollback capabilities - Placement policies

Snapshot Lifecycle¶

File: snapshot-lifecycle.yaml

Complete snapshot management: - Snapshot creation with memory state - Retention policies - Scheduled snapshots - Snapshot deletion and cleanup

VM Reconfiguration Patch¶

File: vm-reconfigure-patch.yaml

Demonstrates dynamic reconfiguration: - Live resource updates - Kubectl patch operations - Zero-downtime changes (where supported)

Getting Started¶

Prerequisites¶

1. VirtRigaud Installed:

   helm install virtrigaud virtrigaud/virtrigaud -n virtrigaud-system
   

2. Provider Configured:

3. vSphere: vCenter credentials and access
4. Libvirt: Libvirt daemon connection

5. Proxmox: Proxmox VE API access

6. Base Resources:

7. VMClass definitions
8. VMImage configurations
9. Network attachments

Usage Pattern¶

1. Review Example:

   # Read the example file
   cat vsphere-clone-example.yaml
   

2. Customize for Your Environment:

3. Update provider endpoints
4. Adjust resource specifications
5. Modify network configurations

6. Update credentials references

7. Deploy:

   kubectl apply -f vsphere-clone-example.yaml
   

8. Monitor:

   # Watch VMs
   kubectl get vm -w
   
   # Check provider logs
   kubectl logs -f deployment/virtrigaud-provider-vsphere
   
   # View VM details
   kubectl describe vm <vm-name>
   

9. Access and Verify:

   # Get console URL
   kubectl get vm <vm-name> -o jsonpath='{.status.consoleURL}'
   
   # SSH to VM
   ssh user@<vm-ip>
   

Advanced Patterns¶

Batch Operations¶

Deploy multiple VMs simultaneously:

# Deploy all examples
kubectl apply -f advanced/

# Monitor all VMs
watch -n 2 'kubectl get vm'

Resource Management¶

Update VM resources dynamically:

# Trigger reconfiguration
kubectl patch vm <vm-name> --type='merge' \
  -p='{"spec":{"vmClassRef":"larger-class"}}'

Automation Scripts¶

Use provided scripts for common tasks:

# Console access automation
kubectl create configmap console-scripts \
  --from-file=console-access-example.yaml

# Execute script
kubectl exec <pod> -- bash /scripts/automation.sh <vm-name>

Best Practices¶

1. Resource Planning¶

• Use linked clones for dev/test environments
• Reserve full clones for production workloads
• Monitor task durations for capacity planning

2. Security¶

• Use SSH tunnels for VNC connections
• Implement network policies
• Rotate console access credentials
• Enable audit logging

3. Operations¶

• Monitor provider logs during complex operations
• Use task tracking for troubleshooting
• Implement proper cleanup procedures
• Document custom configurations

4. Performance¶

• Distribute VMs across datastores
• Use linked clones to reduce storage load
• Monitor vCenter task queue depth
• Implement rate limiting for bulk operations

Troubleshooting¶

Common Issues¶

Clone Operations Fail¶

# Check source template
kubectl describe vmimage <image-name>

# Verify storage capacity
kubectl logs deployment/virtrigaud-provider-vsphere | grep -i storage

# Check vCenter for detailed errors

Console URL Not Generated¶

# Verify VM is running
kubectl get vm <vm-name> -o jsonpath='{.status.phase}'

# Check provider logs
kubectl logs deployment/virtrigaud-provider-vsphere | grep -i console

# Restart provider if needed
kubectl rollout restart deployment/virtrigaud-provider-vsphere

Task Tracking Shows Errors¶

# Get task details from provider logs
kubectl logs deployment/virtrigaud-provider-vsphere | grep task-<id>

# Check vCenter task manager
# Navigate to vCenter > Tasks & Events

# Review VM events
kubectl get events --field-selector involvedObject.name=<vm-name>

Example Combinations¶

Complete Development Environment¶

# 1. Create base template VM
kubectl apply -f vsphere-clone-example.yaml  # Base template

# 2. Create multiple dev VMs via linked clones
kubectl apply -f - <<EOF
<linked-clone-definitions>
EOF

# 3. Access via console for initial setup
kubectl get vm dev-vm-01 -o jsonpath='{.status.consoleURL}'

# 4. Monitor all operations
kubectl get vm -w

Production Deployment Pipeline¶

# 1. Full clone from approved template
# 2. Task tracking for provisioning
# 3. Automated testing via console
# 4. Snapshot before production deployment
# 5. Deploy to production

Further Reading¶

• Main Examples README
• Provider Documentation
• vSphere Provider Guide
• Libvirt Provider Guide
• Provider Capabilities Matrix

Contributing¶

Have an advanced example to share? Contributions welcome!

1. Create your example YAML
2. Document use cases and features
3. Include troubleshooting guidance
4. Submit a pull request

Note: These examples use v0.2.3+ features. Ensure you're running the latest VirtRigaud version.