Can I virtualize my entire domain using SW Virtual SAN

Software-based VM-centric and flash-friendly VM storage + free version

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genlabs
Posts: 1
Joined: Wed Mar 07, 2018 4:50 am

Wed Mar 07, 2018 5:18 am

I am testing the waters to see if the SW Virtual SAN would be a good fit for my scenario.
I have two identical servers; both well built 16 core Xeon machines; RAID 6 array via 12Gbps SAS drives; 128 gb RAM each.

Here is what I would love to see.

I would like to see my two domain controllers virtualized; one DC running on physical host #1 and one DC running on the physical host #2. (in case one host is lost completely)
I would like both DC's to replicate to their opposite partner server.
I would like all additional application and data servers running virtualized on physical host #1 but replicated to host#2, ready to spin-up in case of a failure
I would like to do this with hardware RAID sets that are managed by a Adaptec RAID card.
I would like to have the HOSTS run Server 2016 core or free non-gui so I can maximize my 2016 licenses.

I have been probing the different ways I can do this (hyp-v replication or shared cluster storage etc). There always seems to be some caveat, restriction or impediment for a 2-node hyperconverged cluster, especially if I want to virtualize DC's.
I want the ability to spin up a virtual clones but don't necessarily need it to happen automatically. I can deal with manual intervention.
Am I asking for the impossible or is this something I can do using the SW Virtual SAN?

Should I drop the idea of virtualizing DC's?
Can I achieve something close to what I am wishing for using simpler methods such as Hyp-V replica?
Just need a push in the right direction.
I did like what I read about SW. I have a minimal IT budget remaining. Your Pro Versions are a hard sell for management but I can't see why anyone could argue with your free component!
Oleg(staff)
Staff
Posts: 568
Joined: Fri Nov 24, 2017 7:52 am

Wed Mar 07, 2018 5:29 pm

DC virtualizing is a good idea, but you should store this VMs locally (on underlying storage) on the StarWind hosts and replicate them on the AD level. It is Microsoft recommendation to store AD VMs outside the Failover Cluster.
The other VMs you plan to run should be stored on the failover cluster with StarWind VSAN as the shared storage provider.
You can find there guide how to configure StarWind on Hyper-V Server.
Also, RAID 6 is not the best idea in case of using HDD drives because of performance. RAID recommendations you can find there.
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