Provisioning a Virtual Machine workload

To provision a Virtual Machine workload in the Management System, you must first prepare the virtual machine using external virtualization software such as VMware, VirtualBox, or similar on a separate workstation. The Nerve device does not provide a GUI-based method for creating or installing an OS on a virtual machine, so all preparation must be done in your virtualization environment before uploading the VM image and configuration files to the Management System.

Once your VM and its files are ready, you can proceed with uploading and provisioning the workload in the Management System.

Steps for creating a Virtual Machine using VMware or similar

Follow these general steps to create a virtual machine suitable for provisioning:

1. Create a new virtual machine (VM) using VMware, VirtualBox, or your chosen virtualization tool.
2. Configure CPU resources for the VM according to your workload requirements.
3. Configure memory allocation for the VM based on expected usage.
4. Configure disk size and storage type for the VM, ensuring sufficient space for the OS and applications.
5. Configure network interfaces for Management System compatibility:
   • For details on available network types, bridge names, interface purposes, and IP address ranges, refer to the Networks for Virtual Machine workloads. It provides guidance on choosing the right network source and configuring bridges and interfaces for proper connectivity with the Management System.
   • Determine the number and type of network interfaces required for your workload (e.g., mgmt, wan, extern1, etc.).
   • Perform the following in the virtualization tool (e.g., VMware, VirtualBox, or Virtual Machine Manager):
     1. Open the VM's hardware or settings panel.
     2. Add a new network adapter for each required interface.
     3. For each adapter, select the appropriate network type or bridge: - For Management System integration, use bridge mode and assign the correct bridge name (e.g., mgmt, wan, extern1). - If using NAT, select the corresponding virtual network (e.g., default, extern1-nat).
     4. Name or label each adapter according to its intended function to match the Management System's expected configuration.
     5. Save the VM settings and ensure the network cards are enabled.
   • After starting the VM, configure the guest OS to recognize and use the new network interfaces:
     • Assign static or dynamic IP addresses as required by your network design.
     • Verify connectivity for each interface (e.g., ping gateway, check DHCP assignment).
   • For supported network types and interface naming conventions, refer to Networks for Virtual Machine workloads in the developer guide.
6. Install the desired operating system on the VM.
7. Install all necessary drivers and software inside the guest OS.
8. Shut down the VM cleanly after installation and configuration.
9. Export the VM disk image in a supported format (IMG, QCOW2, or RAW). Refer to your virtualization tool's documentation for export instructions.
10. Generate or export the VM's XML configuration file if required by the Management System.
    • The Management System requires a new XML configuration file when provisioning a new Virtual Machine workload, or when updating an existing VM with significant changes (such as hardware configuration, network interfaces, or resource allocation).
    • Always generate a new XML file after making changes to the VM's configuration to ensure the Management System receives the correct and current settings.
    • For most virtualization tools:
      • VMware: Export the VM configuration as an OVF/OVA file, then convert or extract the XML as needed.
      • KVM/libvirt: Use virsh dumpxml <vm-name> > vm.xml to generate the XML file.
      • VirtualBox: Export the VM as an appliance (OVF), which includes an XML descriptor.
    • The Management System requires a libvirt-compatible XML domain definition, as used by KVM/QEMU and similar virtualization tools. For details and examples, refer to the official libvirt domain XML documentation.

After completing these steps, you have the necessary files to upload and provision the Virtual Machine workload in the Management System.

Provisioning a Virtual Machine workload

The following instructions only cover the required settings for provisioning a Virtual Machine workload. Optional settings will be left out. Extended options are addressed in the last section of this chapter. However, note that some of these settings are necessary to provision a functioning workload. Make sure to understand the workload and its purpose before provisioning a workload.

Other workload types that can be provisioned are:

• CODESYS workloads
• Docker workloads
• Docker Compose workloads

The process for each workload is highlighted in its respective chapter.

1. Log in to the Management System.
2. Select Workloads in the navigation on the left.

3. Select the virtual machine symbol (Add new VM workload) in the upper-right.

   

4. In the new window, enter a name for the workload.

5. Select the plus symbol next to Create versions to add a new version of the workload.

   

6. In the next window, enter the following information in the Basic tab:

   Category	Settings and descriptions
   VERSION SPECIFIC INFO	Version name Enter a name for the version of this workload. Release name Enter a Release name for the version of this workload.
   VIRTUAL MACHINE FILES TO UPLOAD	Virtual machine image Select the upward arrow symbol here to add the virtual machine image. The image has to be a QCOW2, IMG or RAW file. In case of a large file, the virtual machine image can also be compressed and uploaded as a GZIP or ZIP file. Note that the Virtual machine snapshots feature is only available when using a QCOW2 image. Convert IMG or RAW files to the QCOW2 format first before uploading. Virtual machine xml Select the upward arrow symbol here to add the virtual machine XML file.
   RESOURCES	Number of virtual CPUs Enter the number of virtual CPUs to use for this virtual machine. This setting can be changed again after the deployment of the workload. Limit memory to Assign how much system memory the workload is allowed to use. This setting can be changed again after the deployment of the workload.

   

7. Select the Networking tab.

8. Select the plus symbol to add a new interface.
9. Select Bridged or NAT from the drop-down menu.

10. Enter the interface name in the Interface field.

    

    Note

    Repeat this process to add the same number and type of interfaces in the same order as they were added as network cards in Defining network interfaces above.

11. Select Save in the lower-left corner to save the workload version.

The workload has now been provisioned and is ready to be deployed in the Deploy menu. For more information on how to control the workload after deployment and use workload specific features, refer to Workload control.

Note

While some settings are not required to provision a Virtual Machine workload in the Management System, additional settings will have to be filled in for the workload to perform as desired. Depending on the virtual machine that will be deployed, new interfaces might have to be defined. Keep this in mind and make sure to learn the details about the virtual machine.

Settings for Virtual Machine workloads

In the instructions above, all optional settings have been left out. Below is an overview of all the options with an explanation to each option.

Basic tab

Category	Settings and descriptions
VERSION SPECIFIC INFO	Name A name for the workload version. This could be a reminder for a certain configuration. Example: Unlimited as a name for a virtual machine that has unlimited access to CPU resources. SELECTOR If labels have been defined and assigned to nodes, add them as selectors to the workload. When deploying a workload, the list of nodes will be filtered automatically to the specified label. Select the Insert label field to see a list of available labels. Release name A release name for the workload version. This could be a version number. Example: 1.0.1 Mark as released Tick this checkbox to mark this workload as released. Once marked as released, the workload cannot be edited anymore.
VIRTUAL MACHINE FILES TO UPLOAD	Virtual machine image Upload the virtual machine image with the file extension QCOW2, RAW or IMG here. Do this by selecting the upward arrow symbol and selecting the file in the file browser. This is the first file generated in the process before. In case of a large file, the virtual machine image can also be compressed and uploaded as a GZIP or ZIP file. Note that the Virtual machine snapshots feature is only available when using a QCOW2 image. Convert IMG or RAW files to the QCOW2 format first before uploading. Virtual machine xml Upload the virtual machine XML file here. Do this by selecting the upward arrow symbol and selecting the file in the file browser. This is the second file generated in the process before. Note that the settings defined under Virtual machine specific info are going to overwrite parts of this XML file. Enable snapshot Tick the checkbox to enable the Virtual machine snapshots feature. Note that this is only available if a QCOW2 image is uploaded (uncompressed or zipped). In addition, the active user needs to have the appropriate permissions assigned for the snapshot command to appear in the workload control screen. However, note that Virtual Machine workloads using QCOW2 images cannot be deployed to nodes running on XEN hypervisor. Once the criteria are met and the checkbox is ticked, a field labeled Additional disk space appears. Define the disk space here that will be reserved for the VM snapshot. The additional disk space depends on the defined memory for the VM, the VM disk size and should also include about 3% of overhead. Also, keep in mind the duration of how long the snapshot will be kept. The longer a snapshot is kept, the larger it will grow, requiring a larger amount of additional disk space. It is not recommended to keep a snapshot for a long time. In that case, consider creating a backup instead.
RESOURCES	Number of virtual CPUs Define the number of virtual CPUs to assign to this virtual machine. The CPUs are then reserved exclusively for the Virtual Machine workload and cannot be used by other processes. This setting is mandatory and the workload cannot be provisioned if it is left blank. Note that this setting can be changed again after the deployment of the workload without having to undeploy and redeploy the workload. Refer to Changing resource allocation of a deployed Virtual Machine workload for more information. Limit memory to Assign how much system memory the workload is allowed to use. The memory assigned here will be reserved exclusively for this Virtual Machine workload and will not be available for any other processes. This setting is mandatory and the workload cannot be provisioned if it is left blank. Note that this setting can be changed again after the deployment of the workload without having to undeploy and redeploy the workload. Refer to Changing resource allocation of a deployed Virtual Machine workload for more information.

Networking tab

Category

Settings and descriptions

NETWORK INTERFACES

Select the plus symbol to add a new interface. Choose between a bridged interface and a NAT-interface. For NAT-interfaces port mappings for TCP and UDP can be defined. Also, remember to add the same number and type of interfaces in the same order as they were added as network cards in Defining network interfaces above. If the Virtual Machine workload is defined without any network interfaces, the networks from the network cards defined in Defining network interfaces above are taken by the system automatically. The names of the interfaces here have to match the names of the pre-defined network interfaces. Also, make sure to not use reserved ports for the workload. Refer to the networking chapter for more detailed information.

Data disk tab

Category	Settings and descriptions
DATA DISK	Select the plus symbol to add a new data disk for the virtual machine. This data disk functions like an extra hard drive for data outside of the virtual machine. Enter a Data disk name and define the Disk size.

PCI Passthrough tab

Category

Settings and descriptions

PCI PASSTHROUGH

This is a setting that should only be used by users with expert knowledge. Select the plus symbol to add a PCI passthrough to the virtual machine. However, note that only a certain types of device can be used: Video cards Network cards USB For USB devices, contact customer support through the TTTech Industrial support portal, as specialized software is required. Enter the PCI address of the interface to pass through to be directly used by the virtual machine. Note that the PCIe address is specific to a certain hardware. When using this option, the nodes running on this specific hardware should be limited by using selectors. Refer to the labels chapter for more information on selectors.

Remote connections tab

Category	Settings and descriptions
REMOTE CONNECTIONS	Select the Remote connections tab to configure a remote connection to the workload. Make sure to configure the workload first so that a remote connection can be established. Refer to Remote connections for more information and instructions for all remote connection types.