ZStack Cloud 5.2.0>Release Notes>ZStack Release Notes>ZStack Cloud 4.7.21>VM Instance

ZStack Cloud 4.7.21

On October 16, 2023, ZStack Cloud officially released its latest version, ZStack Cloud 4.7.21, covering a number of important features described in detail below.

Highlights

Optimizations of Storage Overcommit: Adds a storage usage prediction chart, supports specifying usage alert threshold, and enhances primary storage-related alarms.
A New Feature: SNMP Management: Allows a 3rd-party platform to monitor Cloud resources and receive alarms pushed from the Cloud.
Security Group Enhancement: Supports blocklist and priority mechanism; Optimizes the process of setting security rules and attaching security groups to NICs.

Overview

VM Instance

SSH key enhancement.
1. Supports local creation and management of SSH key.
2. Allows you to attach SSH keys to running VM instances.
VM memory allocation optimization.
1. Memory shared across multiple VM instances.
2. On-demand reclaim of free memory of VM instances
3. Specify VM memory reserve.
Supports manual allocation when change host and primary storage.

Cloud Network

Security group enhancement.
1. Supports blocklist and priority mechanism of security rules.
2. Optimizes security rule settings.
3. Supports security rule import and export.
4. Optimizes the process of attaching security groups to NICs.
Flow redirection from HTTP listener to HTTPS listener.
Smart NIC compatible with H79C OS.
Allows duplicated MAC addresses.

Cloud Storage

Supports releasing unused space when migrating between primary storage.
1. Migrates valid data when migrating between primary storage.
2. Auto-matches the provisioning type of target primary storage.
Optimizations of storage overcommit.
1. Supports predicting physical storage usage.
2. Supports specifying usage alert threshold to timely get risk alert.
3. Enhancements of primary storage-related alarms.

Platform O&M

Visualized time management.
Auto detects and pushes new version info.
Visualized certificate management.

Monitoring and Alarm

A new feature: SNMP Management.
1. Allows a visual configuration of SNMP parameters.
2. Allows a 3rd-party platform to monitor resources on the Cloud.
3. Allows the Cloud to push alarms to a 3rd-party platform.
Optimization of disk and NIC monitoring charts.
A stronger risk prompt when dual management node database needs synchronization.

Elastic Baremetal Management

Allows elastic baremetal instance to use block storage volume.
1. Adds block storage volume that provides distributed storage space for elastic baremetal instances.
2. Management of block storage volume lifecycle and snapshot.
Supports visual bond configuration for provision NIC of elastic baremetal instance.

Tenant Management

Feature module rename: from Enterprise Management to Tenant Management.
Optimizations of 3rd-party authentication.

User Experience Optimization

Experience improvement program.

VM Instance

SSH Key Enhancement

In previous versions, it has been allowed to inject an SSH key (generate outside the Cloud) into a VM instance for a password-free login. The injections rely on Cloud-Init to take effect. ZStack Cloud 4.7.21 further enhances this feature, allowing you to generate SSH key pairs on the Cloud directly, which can be attached to running VM instances and work properly without Cloud-Init.

Supports Local Creation and Management of SSH Key

Starting from ZStack Cloud 4.7.21, you can create and manage SSH keys on the Cloud. On the main menu of ZStack Cloud, choose Resource Center > Resource Pool > Security > SSH Key. Then, the SSH key management page is displayed.

On this page, you can click Create SSH Key to generate a new SSH key pair directly or import an SSH public key to the Cloud.

These SSH keys enjoy lifecycle management and O&M actions provided byZStack Cloud, including creation, edition, deletion, attachment/detachment to/from VM instances, and attachment/detachment to/from tags.

Note: ZStack Cloud stores and manages your SSH public keys only, and private key needs to be kept by yourself.

Allows You to Attach SSH key to Running VM Instance

Starting from ZStack Cloud 4.7.21, you can attach/detach SSH keys to/from running VM instances. The attached keys work directly without rebooting the VM. This mechanism rely on running QGA installed on VM instances. You can install the QGA by installing VM GuestTools or through other methods. If through other methods, make sure that the QGA you use is of 2.5 or a latter version.

Note: If you attach an SSH key to a VM instance during the VM creation, a Cloud-Init is still necessary for the key to work properly after the creation. In this scenario, make sure that the VM image you use has Cloud-Init installed.

VM Memory Allocation Optimization

Starting from ZStack Cloud 4.7.21, memory sharing, memory reclaim, and memory reserve mechanisms are provisioned for VM instances. These three mechanisms can work together to ensure business stability and efficient use of host and VM memory resources.

Memory Shared Across Multiple VM Instances

The memory sharing mechanism periodically scans VM memory. If identical memory pages are identified, these pages are merged. This way, multiple VM instances may share a same host memory page, thus avoiding memory resource wastes.

On-demand Reclaim of Free Memory of VM Instances

Memory reclaim mechanism: Monitors in real time the memory usage of VM instances and the host. Its dynamic reclaim and allocation mechanism makes sure the efficient use of host memory.

If the workloads running on a VM instance decrease, the host reclaims unused memory of the VM instance.
If the workloads running on a VM instance increase, the host allocates necessary memory space to the VM instance.

Memory reclaim is triggered only after the host memory usage exceeds 80%.

Specify VM Memory Reserve

If you enable VM reclaim for a VM instance, you can enable memory reserve for this instance and specify the reserve size based on your business needs. This ensures the stability of the VM system during memory reclaiming.

Before you enable VM reclaim for a VM instance, make sure:

If the VM instance is running an important application such as a database, we recommend that you do not enable memory reclaim.
Before you enable VM reclaim, you need to install GuestTools on the VM instance and disable vNUMA for the instance. You also need to disable Hugepages for the cluster where the instance resides.

Supports Manual Allocation When Change Host and Primary Storage

In earlier versions, when migrate a VM instance (Change Host and Primary Storage), the Cloud only supports system allocation for destination host. Starting from ZStack Cloud 4.7.21, when you hot migrate a VM instance by Change Host and Primary Storage, you can select Manual Allocation to specify a destination host. The Cloud will filter available hosts for you based on the selected destination primary storage.

Figure 1. Support Manual Allocation When Change Host and Primary Storage

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