Enterprise Infrastructure and Cloud Technologies

Unit IV: Linux Server Administration and Virtualization

1. RHEL / CentOS Overview

What is RHEL?

Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) is a commercial Linux distribution developed by Red Hat Inc., primarily
used in enterprise environments.

• Stable, secure, and certified for use in critical environments like banks, data centers, government
systems.

• Subscription-based support: Includes access to Red Hat customer support, certified software, and
updates.

• Lifecycle Support: Each major release gets long-term support (up to 10 years).

Example Use Cases:

Hosting web servers, databases, enterprise apps like SAP, Oracle.

What is CentOS?

CentOS (Community Enterprise Operating System) was a free, open-source version of RHEL, built from
RHEL source code.

• Binary-compatible with RHEL (up to CentOS 8).

• No official support, but community-driven.

• Suitable for non-commercial or development environments.

Example Use Cases:

Labs, development servers, internal applications.

Shift to CentOS Stream (2021)

• Red Hat shifted CentOS to CentOS Stream, which is now a rolling-release version of RHEL.

• CentOS Stream is ahead of RHEL (acts like a pre-release), not recommended for production use.

Feature RHEL CentOS (legacy) CentOS Stream

License Commercial Open Source Open Source
Support Paid Community Community
Release Type Stable Stable Rolling (pre-RHEL)
Use Case Production Testing/Dev Preview of RHEL
Command Examples (Same in RHEL & CentOS)

# Check OS version

cat /etc/redhat-release

# Check kernel version

uname -r

# Update packages

sudo yum update -y

# Install Apache

sudo yum install httpd -y

Key Points to Remember

• Both RHEL and CentOS use YUM/DNF, RPM, and systemd.

• Same architecture and tools, differing only in licensing and support.

• RHEL is for mission-critical production; CentOS is for cost-effective learning/testing.

2. Boot Process and GRUB2

What is the Linux Boot Process?

The boot process in Linux is the sequence of steps the system follows from powering on the hardware to
loading the operating system kernel and reaching a usable shell or GUI.

Step-by-Step Boot Sequence

Step Description
1. BIOS / UEFI Firmware runs POST (Power-On Self Test) and initializes hardware.
2. Bootloader (GRUB2) Loads the boot menu and OS kernel into memory.
3. Kernel The Linux kernel initializes core hardware and mounts the root filesystem.
4. init / systemd PID 1 process starts system services (targets/runlevels).
5. Login A login prompt (CLI or GUI) appears.

Detailed Focus: GRUB2 (GRand Unified Bootloader v2)

• GRUB2 is the default bootloader on RHEL and CentOS.

• Allows multi-OS booting, kernel selection, and kernel parameter customization.

• Can boot into recovery mode, useful for system troubleshooting.

Important GRUB2 Files & Locations

File/Folder Description
/boot/grub2/grub.cfg Main GRUB2 configuration file (auto-generated).
/etc/default/grub GRUB settings file (editable).
/etc/grub.d/ Scripts to build the GRUB config.
/boot/ Holds the kernel (vmlinuz), initramfs, and GRUB files.
Common GRUB2 Commands

# View current GRUB entries

cat /boot/grub2/grub.cfg

# Edit GRUB settings (e.g., timeout, default OS)

sudo vi /etc/default/grub

# Apply changes after editing default config

sudo grub2-mkconfig -o /boot/grub2/grub.cfg

# Set default boot entry (e.g., 0 = first entry)

sudo grub2-set-default 0

GRUB2 Recovery Tip

If GRUB fails (e.g., after kernel crash or misconfig):

1. Boot into a Live CD/USB.

2. Chroot into the installed system.

3. Reinstall GRUB using:

sudo grub2-install /dev/sda

sudo grub2-mkconfig -o /boot/grub2/grub.cfg

3. Filesystem Hierarchy

What is Filesystem Hierarchy?

The Linux Filesystem Hierarchy Standard (FHS) defines the directory structure and their contents in Unix-
like operating systems.

Everything in Linux is treated as a file, including hardware, directories, and sockets.

Top-Level Directory Structure

Directory Purpose
/ Root directory – the top of the hierarchy.
/bin Essential user binaries (e.g., ls, cp, mv).
/sbin System binaries (e.g., reboot, ifconfig).
/etc Configuration files.
/dev Device files (e.g., /dev/sda, /dev/null).
/proc Virtual filesystem for process and kernel info.
/sys Contains system hardware info (also virtual).
/var Variable data like logs, mail, and spool files.
/tmp Temporary files (cleared on reboot).
/home User home directories (e.g., /home/john).
/root Home directory of root user.
/lib, /lib64 Shared libraries needed by binaries in /bin and /sbin.
 Directory Purpose
/usr Secondary hierarchy for user applications.
/opt Optional or third-party software.
/mnt, /media Mount points for external storage devices.
/boot Files needed for booting (kernel, GRUB, initrd).

Filesystem Hierarchy Examples

# List top-level directories

ls /

# View system logs

ls /var/log

# View hardware info from virtual filesystem

cat /proc/cpuinfo

cat /sys/class/net/eth0/address

# View user configuration

cat /etc/passwd

Useful Mounting Commands

# Mount external device

sudo mount /dev/sdb1 /mnt

# View mounted filesystems

df -h

mount

The Linux hierarchy is mountable, meaning new devices/filesystems can be mounted anywhere in the tree.

4. Shell Environment

What is a Shell?

• A Shell is a program that interprets user commands and sends them to the operating system kernel.

• Common shells:

o Bash (Bourne Again SHell) – default in most Linux distros.

o Others: sh, zsh, ksh, csh, fish

Types of Shells

Shell Description
Login Shell Starts when user logs in (e.g., via console, SSH).
 Shell Description
Non-login Shell Launched in an already logged-in session (e.g., terminal inside GUI).
Interactive Shell Takes input from user.
Non-interactive Shell Runs scripts automatically.

Environment Variables

• Environment variables store system-wide values used by the shell and applications.

Variable Meaning
HOME User's home directory.
USER Current logged-in user.
PATH Directories to search for executables.
PS1 Prompt style (e.g., \u@\h:\w\$).
SHELL Default shell for the user.

Example Commands

echo $HOME

echo $PATH

export MYNAME="Boopalan"

echo $MYNAME

Shell Configuration Files

File Scope Used for

~/.bashrc User-level, interactive shell Aliases, functions, variables
~/.bash_profile User login shell Runs once on login
/etc/profile System-wide login shell Sets default system environment
/etc/bashrc System-wide bash settings Aliases, functions
🔄 To apply changes:
source ~/.bashrc or . ~/.bashrc

Aliases, Functions, and Customizations

Aliases

Shortcuts for commands.

alias ll='ls -alF'

alias gs='git status'

Functions

myfunc() {

echo "Welcome $1!"

}

myfunc Boopalan

Real-Time Use Case

“Why isn’t my script working in a new terminal?”

Check if the environment variable or alias is set in ~/.bashrc.

5. Text Editors

What is a Text Editor?

A text editor is a program used to create and modify plain text files, such as:

• Shell scripts

• Configuration files

• Source code

• Log files

Linux administrators use terminal-based editors most of the time (especially on headless servers).

Common Linux Text Editors

Editor Type Description

nano CLI-based Simple, beginner-friendly
vim CLI-based Powerful, modal editor, steeper learning curve
vi CLI-based Classic version of Vim, available by default
gedit GUI-based GNOME default text editor
code GUI-based Visual Studio Code, needs GUI and setup
cat, echo, touch CLI tools Basic file creation/viewing

Examples and Usage

Using nano

nano filename.txt

• Edit file

• Ctrl + O: Save

• Ctrl + X: Exit

• Ctrl + W: Search

Using vim

vim filename.conf

• i: Enter insert mode

 • Esc: Exit insert mode

• :w: Save

• :q: Quit

• :wq: Save and quit

• :q!: Force quit without saving

File Creation and Viewing Commands

touch myfile.txt # Create a new empty file

cat myfile.txt # View file content

echo "Hello" > myfile.txt # Write to file

Real-Time Use Case: Editing Config File

sudo nano /etc/hostname # Change system hostname

sudo vim /etc/fstab # Modify mount configuration

Vim Modes

Mode Description
Normal Mode For navigation, commands (default mode)
Insert Mode For editing text (i to enter)
Visual Mode For selecting text
Command Mode For commands like :wq, :q!

Mini Lab Task (Optional)

Task:
Create a file called greet.sh, add a simple echo script using vim, then save and run it:

echo 'echo "Hello, Linux!"' > greet.sh

chmod +x greet.sh

./greet.sh

6. User and Group Management

Why Manage Users & Groups?

• Linux is a multi-user system.

• Users are assigned permissions and access via user IDs (UIDs) and groups.

• Grouping users simplifies permission assignment (e.g., developers, admins).

Understanding Users

Each user has:

 • Username

• User ID (UID) – uniquely identifies the user

• Group ID (GID) – primary group

• Home directory

• Shell

Check current user:

whoami

id

User Management Commands

Task Command
Create user sudo useradd username
Set password sudo passwd username
Modify user sudo usermod -aG groupname username
Delete user sudo userdel -r username
View user info cat /etc/passwd
Change shell sudo chsh -s /bin/bash username

The -r flag with userdel removes home directory.

Understanding Groups

Groups help assign collective permissions.

• Primary Group – Assigned at user creation

• Secondary Groups – Additional group memberships

View groups:

groups

cat /etc/group

Group Management Commands

Task Command
Create group sudo groupadd developers
Add user to group sudo usermod -aG developers username
Delete group sudo groupdel developers
List all groups getent group
Changes apply on next login or after running newgrp.

Important System Files

 File Description
/etc/passwd Stores user account info
/etc/shadow Stores encrypted passwords
/etc/group Stores group info
/etc/gshadow Stores group passwords (rarely used)

Example: Create a User and Assign Group

sudo useradd -m -s /bin/bash john

sudo passwd john

sudo groupadd developers

sudo usermod -aG developers john

7. File Permissions & ACLs

Why Are File Permissions Important?

• Linux is a multi-user OS, so controlling who can access, modify, or execute files is essential for
security and privacy.

Standard File Permissions

Every file/directory has:

• Owner

• Group

• Others (everyone else)

Permissions are:

• r → Read

• w → Write

• x → Execute

Permission Format (ls -l)

Example:

-rwxr-xr-- 1 john devteam 3456 Aug 6 main.sh

Symbol Meaning
- Regular file (d = directory, l = symlink)
rwx Owner permissions
r-x Group permissions
r-- Others' permissions
Octal (Numeric) Permissions

Symbolic Numeric Description

r-- 4 Read
-w- 2 Write
--x 1 Execute
rwx 7 All permissions
Example:

chmod 755 file.sh

Means: Owner: all, Group: read+execute, Others: read+execute

Permission Management Commands

Task Command
Change permissions chmod 755 file.txt
Change ownership chown user:group file.txt
View permissions ls -l file.txt

Understanding ACLs (Access Control Lists)

ACLs provide fine-grained access control beyond the standard owner/group/other model.

Useful when:

• Multiple users need different access levels.

• You want to assign permissions to users not in the file’s group.

ACL Commands

Task Command
Enable ACL on filesystem Mounted with acl option (most distros default to it)
View ACL getfacl file.txt
Set ACL setfacl -m u:alice:rwx file.txt
Remove ACL setfacl -x u:alice file.txt
Default ACL (for dirs) setfacl -d -m u:bob:rwX project/

ACL Example

# Grant read/write to bob for notes.txt

setfacl -m u:bob:rw notes.txt

# Check current ACLs

getfacl notes.txt

File Permission Conflicts

• ACL overrides traditional group permissions.

 • chmod doesn’t clear ACLs; use setfacl -b to remove all ACLs.

Mini Lab Task (Optional)

Create a file project.txt, set rw- permissions for the owner, and give read-only access to another user using
ACL.

8. RPM, YUM, Dependency Management, Patching

Overview

Linux software is managed in packages. RHEL and CentOS use the RPM Package Manager (RPM) system
along with YUM (or DNF) for handling dependencies and updates.

1. RPM (Red Hat Package Manager)

• Low-level package tool.

• Installs .rpm files manually.

• Doesn’t automatically resolve dependencies.

Common RPM Commands

Task Command
Install package sudo rpm -ivh package.rpm
Upgrade package sudo rpm -Uvh package.rpm
Remove package sudo rpm -e package-name
Query installed packages rpm -qa
Check file ownership rpm -qf /path/to/file

Use RPM only when YUM is not available or for manual installs.

2. YUM (Yellowdog Updater, Modified)

• High-level package manager.

• Resolves dependencies automatically.

• Uses repositories to download/install packages.

Replaced by DNF in newer RHEL versions (RHEL 8+), but YUM commands are still supported as symlinks.

Common YUM Commands

Task Command
Install a package sudo yum install httpd
Remove a package sudo yum remove httpd
Update all packages sudo yum update
List installed packages yum list installed
Search for a package yum search nginx
 Task Command
Get package info yum info git

Example: Install Apache Web Server

sudo yum install httpd -y

sudo systemctl enable --now httpd

3. Dependency Management

• Dependencies are libraries or other packages a program needs.

• RPM fails if dependencies are missing.

• YUM handles dependencies automatically via repositories.

❗ RPM: “Dependency Hell”

YUM: Resolves using .repo files under /etc/yum.repos.d/

4. Software Repositories

• A repository is a remote server storing .rpm packages.

• Contains metadata for YUM/DNF to use.

Sample .repo file:

[base]

name=Base OS

baseurl=http://mirror.centos.org/centos/$releasever/os/x86_64/

enabled=1

gpgcheck=1

5. Patching

What is Patching?

The process of updating software packages to fix:

• Security vulnerabilities

• Bugs

• Performance issues

Regular patching ensures system stability and security.

Patch Management Commands

Task Command
Update a specific package sudo yum update bash
View available updates yum check-update
List installed kernel versions rpm -q kernel
 Task Command
Apply security updates (RHEL) yum update --security

9. System Logging

What is System Logging?

System logging is the process of recording events and system activity (e.g., errors, warnings, service
messages) to help:

• Monitor performance

• Debug issues

• Track security events

• Audit user activity

Linux stores logs in text files (logfiles), mostly under /var/log.

Key Log File Locations: /var/log/

Log File Description

/var/log/messages General system messages (services, kernel, cron)
/var/log/secure Security-related messages (logins, SSH, sudo)
/var/log/boot.log Boot-time messages
/var/log/dmesg Kernel ring buffer (hardware detection during boot)
/var/log/yum.log Package installation history
/var/log/httpd/ Apache access and error logs
/var/log/cron Cron job logs
/var/log/audit/ Audit logs (if auditd is enabled)

Useful Log Viewing Commands

Task Command
View a log file cat /var/log/messages
Scrollable view less /var/log/secure
Follow live log tail -f /var/log/messages
Filter by keyword grep ssh /var/log/secure
Print kernel logs `dmesg

Systemd Logging with journalctl (RHEL 7+/CentOS 7+)

Modern systems use systemd-journald for logging.

Task Command
View all logs journalctl
View boot logs journalctl -b
 Task Command
Filter by service journalctl -u sshd
View logs for a time range journalctl --since "2025-08-01"
Follow live logs journalctl -f
journalctl reads binary logs from /run/log/journal/ or /var/log/journal/

Log Rotation – logrotate

• Automatically rotates, compresses, archives, and removes logs.

• Configured via:

o Global config: /etc/logrotate.conf

o Per-app config: /etc/logrotate.d/*

Prevents logs from filling the disk.

Real-Time Use Case

“A user complains about failed SSH login. Where do you check?”

Check /var/log/secure or use:

sudo grep 'Failed password' /var/log/secure

10. Snapshots, Backup, and Restore

Why Are These Important?

• To protect data from corruption, accidental deletion, or system failure.

• To recover quickly without full system rebuilds.

• Critical in enterprise environments for disaster recovery.

1. Snapshots

What is a Snapshot?

A point-in-time copy of a filesystem, logical volume, or VM.

• Fast, lightweight

• Used for rollback, testing, backups

In Linux: LVM Snapshots

lvcreate --size 1G --snapshot --name my_snap /dev/vg0/myvol

• lvcreate: Create logical volume snapshot

• Snapshot must be deleted after use:

lvremove /dev/vg0/my_snap

Snapshots are not backups — they depend on the original volume.

2. Backup

Common Backup Tools

Tool Type Example Usage

tar Archive tar -cvf backup.tar /home/user
rsync Sync rsync -av /home /backup
dd Disk image dd if=/dev/sda of=/backup/disk.img
cp Simple copy cp -r /etc /backup
Best practice: schedule backups via cron.

Backup Strategy Types

• Full – Entire data every time

• Incremental – Only changed files since last backup

• Differential – All changes since last full backup

3. Restore

Restoring from Backups

Tool Restore Command

tar tar -xvf backup.tar
rsync rsync -av /backup /home
dd dd if=/backup/disk.img of=/dev/sda
Always test your backup to ensure it restores correctly.

Example: Backup and Restore with tar

# Create backup

tar -cvzf etc-backup.tar.gz /etc

# Move to another system (optional)

scp etc-backup.tar.gz user@remote:/tmp

# Restore backup

tar -xvzf etc-backup.tar.gz -C /

Enterprise Backup Solutions

• Bacula, Amanda – Open-source

• Veeam, Acronis – Commercial

• Cloud-based options: AWS Backup, Azure Recovery Vault

Virtualization Section

11. Hypervisors

What is a Hypervisor?

A hypervisor (also called a Virtual Machine Monitor - VMM) is software or firmware that allows you to run
multiple virtual machines (VMs) on a single physical machine (host).

Each VM has its own OS, virtual CPU, memory, storage, and network interface, isolated from others.

Why Use Hypervisors?

• Efficient use of physical resources

• Isolated test environments

• Cost-effective server consolidation

• Easy disaster recovery and migration

• Scalable and portable infrastructure

Types of Hypervisors

Type Description Examples Use Case

Type 1 (Bare- Installed directly on the VMware ESXi, Microsoft Hyper-V Enterprise virtualization,
metal) hardware, no host OS (Core), KVM (on Linux) data centers
Type 2 Runs on top of an existing VirtualBox, VMware Workstation, Personal use,
(Hosted) OS like an app Parallels development/testing

Key Differences: Type 1 vs Type 2

Feature Type 1 Type 2

Performance High (direct hardware access) Lower (depends on host OS)
Stability Production-grade Not suitable for enterprise
Setup More complex Easy, GUI-based
Security Isolated from OS threats Shares risk with host OS

Popular Hypervisors

Type 1:

• VMware ESXi – Industry-standard hypervisor with advanced features like vMotion, HA, DRS.

• Microsoft Hyper-V – Windows-based bare-metal hypervisor (integrated with Windows Server).

• KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) – Linux-native hypervisor included in RHEL, CentOS.

Type 2:

• VirtualBox – Free, open-source, cross-platform.

• VMware Workstation Player/Pro – Feature-rich, used by professionals and students.

Real-Time Use Case

Scenario: You want to host 10 Ubuntu servers and 5 Windows servers for development.

Use a Type 1 hypervisor like VMware ESXi or KVM on a high-performance host.

Security Note

• Type 1 hypervisors are less exposed to attacks due to no host OS.

• VM isolation prevents lateral movement between machines.

12. Hyper-V & VMware vSphere/vCenter

Why Learn These?

• These are the two most widely used enterprise virtualization platforms.

• Both support virtual machine management, networking, storage, and high availability.

• Critical for roles in IT infrastructure, system admin, DevOps, cloud, and data center operations.

1. Microsoft Hyper-V

Overview:

• A Type 1 hypervisor developed by Microsoft.

• Built into Windows Server and Windows 10/11 Pro, Enterprise.

• GUI via Hyper-V Manager; CLI via PowerShell.

Key Features:

• Virtual Switches (for VM networking)

• Checkpoint/Snapshots

• Live Migration between hosts

• VM Replication (for disaster recovery)

• Dynamic Memory Allocation

Common Use Case:

Host Windows and Linux virtual servers for development or testing on a Windows Server machine.

Basic PowerShell Example:

New-VM -Name "UbuntuVM" -MemoryStartupBytes 2GB -Path "D:\VMs" -NewVHDPath "D:\VMs\ubuntu.vhdx" -

NewVHDSizeBytes 40GB -Generation 2

2. VMware vSphere / vCenter / ESXi

What is vSphere?

• vSphere is a VMware suite that includes:

o ESXi: Bare-metal Type 1 hypervisor.

o vCenter Server: Centralized management of multiple ESXi hosts.

Key Features:

• vMotion: Live migration of VMs across hosts.

• DRS: Distributed Resource Scheduler (load balancing).

• HA: High Availability for auto-restart of VMs after host failure.

• Templates & Cloning: For rapid VM provisioning.

• Snapshots, Resource Pools, dvSwitches

Access via:

• vSphere Client (Web/GUI) to manage VMs and ESXi hosts.

• vSphere CLI, PowerCLI for automation.

Hyper-V vs VMware vSphere (Comparison)

Feature Hyper-V VMware vSphere

Vendor Microsoft VMware
Hypervisor Hyper-V ESXi
Central Management SCVMM or Hyper-V Manager vCenter Server
Licensing Free with Windows Server Free ESXi + paid vCenter
Best For Windows-based environments Cross-platform data centers
Advanced Features Live Migration, Checkpoints vMotion, HA, DRS, dvSwitch

Real-Time Use Case

✅ VMware vSphere is preferred for large-scale enterprise setups with multiple physical hosts.
✅ Hyper-V is ideal for Windows shops and smaller/mid-size IT infrastructures.

Security Note

• Both support role-based access, VM encryption, network isolation, and snapshots for rollback.

• VMware integrates with NSX (network virtualization) for advanced security.

13. Configuring VMs, Networking, Storage

1. Configuring Virtual Machines (VMs)

Key VM Components:

Component Description
vCPU Virtual CPU allocated to the VM
vRAM Virtual memory for OS and applications
Virtual Disk A virtual hard drive (e.g., .vmdk, .vhdx)
NIC Network Interface Card
ISO Image Bootable OS installer (e.g., Ubuntu ISO)
VM Setup (Typical Steps)

• VM Name and location

• Select OS type/version

• Assign CPU, RAM, and Disk

• Attach ISO file for installation

• Choose network type (e.g., NAT, Bridged)

• Power on the VM and install OS

2. VM Networking Options

Virtual Machines can be connected to various types of virtual networks.

Common Network Types:

Network Type Description

Bridged VM appears on the same network as the host (gets IP from LAN DHCP).
NAT VM shares host’s IP for internet access (uses internal NAT).
Host-only VM communicates only with host machine (isolated).
Internal/Private Only between VMs on same host – no external connectivity.

VMware Networking Concepts

• Standard vSwitch – Local to a single ESXi host.

• Distributed vSwitch (dvSwitch) – Spans across multiple hosts, managed by vCenter.

• Port Groups – Define VLAN, security policies.

Hyper-V Networking

• External Switch – Connects VM to physical network.

• Internal Switch – VM ↔ Host only.

• Private Switch – VM ↔ VM only.

3. VM Storage Configuration

Types of Storage in Virtualization

Storage Type Description

VMDK / VHDX Virtual disks (files stored on host or SAN/NAS)
Thin Provisioned Uses only the space currently needed
Thick Provisioned Reserves full space up front
Shared Storage Accessible by multiple hosts for HA, vMotion, etc.
Raw Device Mapping (RDM) Direct access to physical disk from VM (VMware only)

Storage Options:
 • Local storage – Direct on ESXi/Hyper-V host.

• NFS (Network File System) – Shared storage via network.

• iSCSI – Block-level SAN storage over IP.

• VMFS (VMware File System) – Optimized for virtual disks on shared storage.

Example Scenario

You’re setting up a CentOS VM in VMware:

• Allocate 2 vCPU, 4GB RAM, 50GB disk.

• Attach CentOS-Stream.iso

• Use NAT for internet access.

• Enable Thin Provisioning to save disk space.

14. HA, DRS, vMotion

1. HA – High Availability

What is HA?

High Availability (HA) ensures automatic VM restart on another host if the original host fails.

How It Works:

• Multiple ESXi hosts are in a cluster.

• vCenter monitors host health.

• If a host fails:

o VMs are restarted on another host automatically using shared storage.

Key Points:

• Prevents downtime due to hardware failures.

• Requires shared storage and vCenter.

• Not a backup—only restarts VMs, doesn’t recover data.

2. DRS – Distributed Resource Scheduler

What is DRS?

DRS automatically balances VM workloads across hosts in a cluster based on CPU and memory utilization.

How It Works:

• Continuously monitors resource usage.

• Migrates VMs (using vMotion) to balance load.

• Can operate in:

 o Manual Mode (admin approves migration)

o Automatic Mode (DRS migrates VMs on its own)

Benefits:

• Avoids performance bottlenecks.

• Maximizes resource efficiency.

• Works best in clusters with many VMs/hosts.

3. vMotion – Live Migration

What is vMotion?

vMotion allows live migration of a running VM from one ESXi host to another without downtime.

How It Works:

• Copies VM memory and CPU state to another host.

• Uses shared storage or Storage vMotion.

• Network and applications remain unaffected.

Use Cases:

• Perform maintenance on ESXi hosts.

• Balance load across the cluster.

• Avoid unplanned downtime during migration.

Summary Table

Feature Purpose Key Benefit

HA Restarts VMs on another host if one fails High availability
DRS Balances workloads across hosts Performance optimization
vMotion Live migrate VMs between hosts Zero-downtime migration

Example Scenario

You have a 3-host ESXi cluster running 20 VMs. One host suddenly fails.
✅ HA restarts affected VMs on remaining hosts.
✅ DRS balances load by migrating some VMs to avoid overloading.
✅ vMotion ensures these migrations happen with no downtime.

15. Templates, Resource Pools, dvSwitches

1. Templates

What is a VM Template?

A template is a golden image of a virtual machine used to rapidly deploy new, identical VMs.
Key Features:

• Pre-configured OS, applications, and settings.

• Saves time and ensures consistency.

• Cannot be powered on like a regular VM (must be cloned or converted).

How to Use:

• Create a VM → Customize it → Convert to Template

• Clone from template:

Right-click → Clone to New VM

Use Case:

Deploy 50 identical Linux VMs for a training lab in minutes using a pre-built template.

2. Resource Pools

What is a Resource Pool?

A logical container that allocates and isolates CPU and memory resources for a group of VMs.

Key Features:

• Set limits, reservations, and shares for:

o CPU

o RAM

• Helps prioritize critical VMs over less important ones.

Example:

• Create a pool named WebServers with 4 vCPUs and 8GB RAM.

• Assign all web-related VMs to this pool.

Use Case:

Ensure production VMs always get guaranteed resources, even when load spikes.

3. Distributed Virtual Switch (dvSwitch)

What is a dvSwitch?

A Distributed Virtual Switch is a centralized network configuration that spans multiple ESXi hosts,
managed by vCenter.

Key Features:

• Ensures consistent network settings (VLAN, NIC teaming) across all hosts.

• Supports port mirroring, NetFlow, LACP, and QoS.

• Includes Distributed Port Groups.

dvSwitch vs Standard vSwitch

 Feature Standard vSwitch Distributed vSwitch
Scope Per-host Across multiple hosts
Management ESXi (individually) Central via vCenter
Best For Small setups Large-scale clusters

Use Case:

In a 10-host cluster, use dvSwitch for uniform networking, simplifying VM migration via vMotion.

Summary Table

Feature Purpose Benefit

Templates VM provisioning Fast, consistent VM deployment
Resource Pools Resource management Isolate/guarantee CPU & RAM
dvSwitch Network management Consistent, scalable networking

Wipro Linux & Virtualization Interview FAQs

1. What is the difference between RHEL and CentOS?

RHEL is a paid, enterprise-grade OS with support; CentOS was a free, binary-compatible clone (now replaced
by CentOS Stream).

2. Explain the Linux boot process.

The boot process follows: BIOS/UEFI → GRUB2 → Kernel → init/systemd → Runlevel/Target → Shell.

3. What is the use of ACLs in Linux?

ACLs (Access Control Lists) provide more precise permission control than traditional user/group/other
settings.

4. What is the difference between RPM and YUM?

RPM is a low-level package tool; YUM is high-level and handles dependencies automatically via repositories.

5. How do you check system logs in Linux?

Use journalctl (systemd) or view log files in /var/log/, e.g., tail -f /var/log/messages.

6. What is vMotion in VMware?

vMotion enables live migration of running VMs between ESXi hosts without any downtime.

7. Difference between Type 1 and Type 2 Hypervisors?

Type 1 runs on bare metal (e.g., ESXi); Type 2 runs on top of a host OS (e.g., VirtualBox).

8. How do you backup and restore in Linux?

Use tools like tar, rsync, or dd to back up; restore by extracting or re-imaging files.

9. What is the role of vCenter in VMware?

vCenter centrally manages ESXi hosts, VMs, storage, networking, HA, DRS, and templates.

10. What is a distributed virtual switch (dvSwitch)?

A dvSwitch is a virtual switch managed by vCenter, spanning multiple hosts for consistent networking.