Parallels Virtual Automation
6.1
Getting Started Guide
April 08, 2014
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Contents
Introduction ............................................................................................................... 5
Getting Help .................................................................................................................... 5
Feedback ........................................................................................................................ 6
Installing Parallels Virtual Automation ...................................................................... 7
Parallels Virtual Automation Infrastructure ......................................................................... 7
System Requirements ................................................................................................... 12
Hardware Requirements ........................................................................................................ 12
Software Requirements ......................................................................................................... 13
Installing on Parallels Server Bare Metal ......................................................................... 14
Installing on Windows .................................................................................................... 15
Installing on Linux .......................................................................................................... 16
Parallels Virtual Automation Basics ........................................................................ 18
Getting Started.............................................................................................................. 18
Interface Overview ......................................................................................................... 19
Managing Physical Servers ..................................................................................... 22
Registering Physical Servers .......................................................................................... 23
Logging in to Physical Servers ....................................................................................... 24
Backing Up and Restoring the Master Server ................................................................. 25
Monitoring Physical Server Resources ........................................................................... 25
Rebooting Physical Server ............................................................................................. 26
Managing Parallels Licenses .......................................................................................... 27
Managing Virtual Environments .............................................................................. 29
Creating Virtual Environments ........................................................................................ 29
Creating Virtual Machines ...................................................................................................... 30
Creating Containers ............................................................................................................... 32
Starting and Stopping Virtual Environments.................................................................... 35
Logging into Virtual Environments .................................................................................. 35
Logging in to Virtual Machines ............................................................................................... 35
Logging in to Containers ....................................................................................................... 36
Deleting Virtual Environments ........................................................................................ 37
Contents
Glossary ................................................................................................................... 38
Index ........................................................................................................................ 40
Feedback ............................................................................................................... 6
C
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1
Introduction
Parallels Virtual Automation is a flexible and easy-to-use administration tool designed for managing
physical servers with Parallels Virtuozzo Containers or Parallels Server Bare Metal software. With
Parallels Virtual Automation, you can create groups of physical servers and perform both collective
and individual administration operations on these groups. Moreover, you can manage the virtual
environments residing on the registered physical servers: their productivity and resources, system
tasks and processes, configuration, and much more. To work with the registered physical servers
and their virtual environments, you will need a standard Web browser running on any platform.
This guide is aimed at a wide range of users who are new to Parallels Virtual Automation or just
want to make sure they are doing everything right.
You can read more about Parallels Virtual Automation and its functionality in Parallels Virtual
Automation Administrator's Guide.
In This Chapter
Getting Help ........................................................................................................... 5
Getting Help
Parallels Virtual Automation offers several options for accessing necessary information:
Parallels Virtual Automation Documentation
• Parallels Virtual Automation Administrator's Guide. Contains extensive information about
Parallels Virtual Automation, its usage, and troubleshooting. To access the PDF version of
the document, go to the Support link in the left pane and then click the Downloads pane.
You can download any document of the Parallels Virtual Automation documentation bundle
from the Parallels website.
• Parallels Virtual Automation Installation Guides for Linux/Bare Metal and Windows. Contain
extensive information on system requirements for physical computers as well as instructions
on how to install Parallels Virtual Automation on such computers.
• Getting Started With Parallels Virtual Automation. Contains the basic information how to
install, launch, and manage Parallels Virtual Automation.
Introduction
• Parallels Power Panel User's Guide. Contains extensive information about Parallels Power
Panel.
• Parallels Virtual Automation Agent XML API Reference. A complete reference on all Parallels
Virtual Automation configuration files and physical server command-line utilities.
The documentation is available for download at
http://www.parallels.com/products/pva/documents/.
Parallels Knowledgebase
Visit http://kb.parallels.com/ for helpful articles on Parallels Virtual Automation, Parallels Virtuozzo
Containers, Parallels Server Bare Metal, and Parallels Cloud Server.
Feedback
If you want to report typos, share comments, suggestions or ideas on improving this guide, please
use the Parallels documentation feedback page at http://www.parallels.com/en/support/usersdoc/.
6
Installing on Linux ................................................................................................... 16
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2
Installing Parallels Virtual Automation
Installing Parallels Virtual Automation components is a quick and easy procedure that comprises
basic steps: starting Parallels Virtual Automation installer, configuring installation options, selecting
the Parallels Virtual Automation components to be installed.
Parallels Virtual Automation components can be installed either via the Parallels Virtual Automation
autoinstaller or from the Parallels Virtual Automation installation archives that you should download
on your physical servers. This guide contains instructions on how to install Parallels Virtual
Automation via the autoinstaller. If you choose to install from the archives, please, turn to the
Parallels Virtual Automation Installation Guide for Windows and Parallels Virtual Automation
Installation Guides for Linux and Bare Metal.
You can download Parallels Virtual Automation 6.1 distribution from its download page
(http://www.parallels.com/products/pva/download/).
In This Chapter
Parallels Virtual Automation Infrastructure ................................................................ 7
System Requirements ............................................................................................ 12
Installing on Parallels Server Bare Metal .................................................................. 14
Installing on Windows ............................................................................................. 15
Parallels Virtual Automation Infrastructure
With Parallels Virtual Automation, you can easily deploy an effectively functioning virtual
infrastructure that can help you to significantly reduce your costs in terms of time and resources.
While Parallels software virtualization products enable you to create complex formations of virtual
environments, you may find it hard to manage these formations using different management tools.
However, with Parallels Virtual Automation you can handle this challenging task with ease. Since
Parallels Virtual Automation supports the whole set of the Parallels products, you can use it with
any of its virtualization solutions, be it Parallels Virtuozzo Containers or Parallels Server virtual
machines.
Before you start installing Parallels Virtual Automation, you should learn about its components and
their role in the management process. Parallels Virtual Automation consists of several components
and an auxiliary tool. The main Parallels Virtual Automation components are:
Installing Parallels Virtual Automation
Component Where to Install Description
physical servers and have means to observe your
Panel installation, you will not be able to manage
PVA Management Server
PVA Agent for Parallels Server
PVA Agent for Virtuozzo
On any clean physical server
without any software virtualization
technology, or on a Container.*
The physical server with PVA
Management Server component
installed is called Master Server.
On a dedicated physical server that
has Parallels Server Bare Metal
installed.
Such server is also called a Slave
Server.
On a dedicated physical server that
has either of the following software
installed:
Parallels Virtuozzo Containers
for Linux, or
This component ensures the communication
between the slave physical servers and their
virtual environments.
PVA Control Center
It is a part of the PVA Management Server
component and is always installed together with
it. Thus, you are able to interact with the remote
virtual infrastructure.
It is the PVA front-end that you see in the
browser window after logging in to Parallels
Virtual Automation. When talking about the
Parallels Virtual Automation interface, we are
actually talking about the Control Center
interface.
The component ensures the interaction between
this physical server, the Master Server and your
client computer. Without this component, a
physical server cannot be registered in Master
Server.
This component ensures the interaction between
this physical server, the Master Server and your
client physical computer. Without this
component, a physical server cannot be
registered in Master Server.
SNMP
Parallels Power Panel
Parallels Virtuozzo Containers
for Windows.
Such server is also called a Slave
Server.
On a dedicated physical server that
has Parallels Virtuozzo Containers
for Windows/Linux installed. Such
server is also called a Slave Server.
On a dedicated physical server
together with the PVA Agent
component (PVA Agent for
Virtuozzo or for Parallels Server).
The PVA Agent for Virtuozzo on Windows
physical servers includes the SNMP protocol
distributive that is installed alongside with the
Agent. On Linux physical servers, SNMP should
be installed separately before the Agent
component installation.
An auxiliary tool designed for managing a single
virtual machine or a single Container. It can be
installed only together with the PVA Agent
component.
Note: During the Parallels Power Panel
installation, an auxiliary Service
Container 1 is created. It ensures proper
Parallels Power Panel functioning.
SOAP
The Soap Agent part is installed alongside with
the Power Panel component. Rejecting Power
8
Installing Parallels Virtual Automation
virtual environments via SOAP.
* The PVA Management Server component cannot be installed directly on a Parallels Server Bare
Metal physical server due to the virtualization software already installed on this server. The
workaround solution is to create a Container on the PSBM physical server and to launch the PVA
installation there. A Container is free from any virtualization technologies, so you can easily install
PVA Management Server on it. To ensure a successful installation, the Container should be created
on the basis of the ve-vswap.2048MB.conf-sample template.
The PVA Management Server component cannot be as well installed on a dedicated Mac, Linux, or
Windows-based physical server. However, creating a virtual environment on this physical server
allows you to launch the PVA Management Server component installation inside it. Create a
Container on Linux or Windows server, and a virtual machine with any OS on a Mac server.
For instructions on creating Containers, refer to the Parallels Virtuozzo Containers for Linux User
Guide or Parallels Virtuozzo Containers for Windows User Guide.
For instructions on creating virtual machines, refer to the Parallels Server Bare Metal
documentation.
Planning Your Parallels Virtual Automation Management System
Please pay attention to the following scheme. This is an example of a possible Parallels Virtual
Automation management system. Of course, your management system may vary from the scheme
below but nevertheless it will help you to understand the Parallels Virtual Automation basics more
clearly.
9
Installing Parallels Virtual Automation
So, let us analyze the Parallels Virtual Automation management system displayed on the scheme. It
consists of:
Master Server
Master Server is a physical server where all other subordinate physical servers are registered. On
this physical server, PVA Management Server component should be installed.
Note: The PVA Management Server component is always installed together with the PVA Control Center
component.
What physical server can be used as a Master Server?
10
Installing Parallels Virtual Automation
• A clean physical server with Linux, Windows or Mac operating system. This server should have
no Parallels virtualization software installed. The PVA Management Server component is
installed directly on the physical server.
• A Linux or Windows-based physical server running Parallels Virtuozzo Containers or a
Windows-based physical server running Parallels Containers for Windows. As such physical
server already has a software virtualization technology installed, you cannot install PVA
Management Server component directly on it. First, you should create a Container by means of
Parallels Virtuozzo Containers software and then install the PVA component inside the
Container. In this case, the physical server can act as a Master Server and a Slave Server at the
same time.
• A bare-metal physical server running Parallels Server Bare Metal or Parallels Cloud Server. This
case is much alike the previous one. First, you should create a Container and then install the
PVA Management Server component into it. The physical server also can act as a Master
Server and a Slave Server at the same time.
Slave Server
A Slave Server is a dedicated physical server that has one of the Parallels software virtual
technologies installed. On this physical server, PVA Agent for Parallels Server and/or PVA Agent for
Virtuozzo should be installed depending on the software virtualization technology the server already
has. For example, a bare metal computer with Parallels Server Bare Metal software allows you to
install both PVA Agents, thus to have Containers and virtual machines on one and the same
physical server.
A Slave Server should also have the Power Panel component installed. This ensures that a
customer can manage the private virtual environment residing on the hosting physical server.
Note: PVA Agent component is installed by default together with the PVA Power Panel component.
What physical server can be used as a Slave Server?
• a Linux-based physical server running Parallels Virtuozzo Containers for Linux 4.7;
• a Windows-based physical server running Parallels Virtuozzo Containers for Windows 4.6 or
Parallels Containers for Windows 6.0.
• a bare metal physical server running Parallels Server Bare Metal 5.0 or Parallels Cloud Server
6.0.
Note: After you install all the necessary components on the physical servers, you should register
your slave servers on Master Server. Registering a slave server is a management operation. You
can learn about management operations from the Parallels Virtual Automation Administration
Guide.
Client Computer
Any computer can serve as a client provided that it has a stable network connection and a Web
browser supported by Parallels Virtual Automation. A customer's computer does not need any PVA
11
Installing Parallels Virtual Automation
components to be installed. The connection between the customer's computer and the PVA Slave
Server's virtual environments is provided by the Parallels Power Panel installed on the Slave server.
Note: Parallels Power Panel allows working with a single private computer and does not provide access
to the whole Slave Server or PVA management system.
System Requirements
In most cases, there are no special requirements for the physical servers on which you want to
install Parallels Virtual Automation components. However, we strongly recommend you to read the
following information carefully, so that you can ensure a successful installation of the product.
Hardware Requirements
If a Windows-based, Linux-based, or Parallels Server bare metal computer serves as a Master
Server, there are no special requirements for it. However, you can use the following list of the basic
hardware requirements as a checklist:
• Intel Celeron, Pentium III, Pentium 4, Xeon, or AMD Athlon CPU;
• at least 1 GB of RAM;
• hard drive with at least 15 GB of free disk space;
• network card.
If a Windows-based, Linux-based,or Parallels Server Bare Metal computer serves as a Slave Server
where virtual environments will be stored and managed, then Parallels Virtual Automation will call for
more complex hardware. The general considerations regarding the configuration of your physical
servers could be as follows:
• CPUs. The more virtual environments you plan to run simultaneously, the more CPUs you need.
• Memory. The more memory you have, the more virtual environments you can run. The exact
figure depends on the number and nature of applications you are planning to run in your virtual
environments.
• Disk space. Each virtual environment occupies 40–150 MB of hard disk space for system files
in addition to the user data inside the virtual environment (for example, website content). You
should consider it when planning disk partitioning and the number of virtual environments to
run.
• Intel VT-x or AMD-V hardware virtualization technology support (for Parallels Server Bare Metal
virtual machines management).
For the detailed and more concrete information on the requirements for the physical computer, see
Parallels Server Bare Metal Administration Guide, Parallels Virtuozzo Containers for Linux and
Parallels Virtuozzo Containers for Windows User Guides.
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Installing Parallels Virtual Automation
Software Requirements
Software Requirements for PVA Client Computers
A client computer should have one of the supported Web-browser clients:
• Internet Explorer 9.x, 10.x, 11.x,
• Firefox 26.x or newer,
• Safari 5.x or newer,
• Chrome 31.x and newer.
Note: Although other browsers will most likely work, only those listed above have been extensively tested
for compatibility with Parallels Virtual Automation.
Software Requirements for PVA Slave Servers
If a Windows or Linux-based computer serves as a Slave Server where virtual environments
will be stored and managed, then Parallels Virtual Automation will call for more complex
requirements, as the creation and management of Containers demand more complex software
resources. So, in choosing an appropriate Windows or Linux-based computer, you should be
guided by the system requirements for Parallels Virtuozzo Containers, Parallels Containers for
Windows, Parallels Server Bare Metal or Parallels Cloud Server. For detailed information on the
requirements, see installation guides for these products.
Any physical server that will be managed via PVA should have a virtualization technology installed:
Parallels Virtuozzo Containers software for Linux or Windows, Parallels Containers for Windows, or
Parallels Serve Bare Metal or Parallels Cloud Server for a bare metal computer.
Software Requirements for PVA Master Servers
If a Windows-based computer serves as a Master Server, it should be free from any software
virtualization technology and can have one of the following operating systems:
• Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1,
• Windows Server 2012.
If a Linux-based computer serves as a Master Server, it should be a physical server without any
software virtualization technology running x64 or x86 versions of
• CentOS 5.x or 6.x,
• RHEL 5.x or 6.x.
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Installing Parallels Virtual Automation
If a Parallels Server Bare Metal computer serves as a Master Server, it should have a Container
created by means of the Parallels Virtuozzo Containers product. This Container will be used as the
hosting computer for the PVA Management Server component.
A Linux or Windows-based computer may also serve as a Master Server even they it have a
software virtualization product installed (Parallels Virtuozzo Containers). In this case, you should
create a Container and start the PVA Management Server component installation there. The Linux
Container should be created on the basis of the ve-vswap.2048MB.conf-sample template,
whereas a Windows Container needs no special sample to be created.
Notes:
1. At the moment, Parallels Virtual Automation doesn't support Security Enhanced (SE) Linux, so make
sure its working mode is set to Permissive before trying to install the product. To set the SE Linux mode
to Permissive, enter the following command: /usr/bin/setenforce Permissive.
2. The software requirements above serve as additional requirements and are true for the proper
functioning of Parallels Virtual Automation only. Correct work of virtual environments is guaranteed by
adhering to the system requirements of the products listed above.
Installing on Parallels Server Bare Metal
You can install Parallels Virtual Automation on your Parallels Server Bare Metal physical server using
the autoinstaller. The autoinstaller scans the physical server and offers to download and to install
only those Parallels Virtual Automation components that can be installed on this server. Thus, the
autoinstaller saves the downloading time and the disk space.
The installation procedure consists of the following steps:
1 Download the necessary autoinstaller from its download page
(http://www.parallels.com/products/pva/download/) to the physical server where you are going
to install Parallels Virtual Automation.
2 Go down to the directory, where the autoinstaller is stored.
3 Start the autoinstaller by executing the following command:
# ./autoinstaller_file_name
In the above command, autoinstaller_file_name stands for the name of the
autoinstaller file.
4 In the Welcome to pva-setup window, click Configure to specify the Internet repository
information and the local download directory to which you want to upload the files. After you
have specified the necessary information, click OK and then Next to proceed with the
installation.
5 In the Choose installation type window, choose the installation type. By default, you are
offered to install
• PVA Agent for Virtuozzo and PVA Agent for Parallels Server components;
14
Installing Parallels Virtual Automation
• PVA Power Panel component.
Note: Installing Power Panel component is optional, whereas installing both PVA Agents is obligatory.
• SNMP component. This component can be installed on the physical server only if the net-
snmp package version 5.1.1-3 or newer is present on the server.
Click Next to start the installation. Keep in mind that, by default, the wizard will install both the
PVA Agents and PVA Power Panel components. If you want to deselect PVA Power Panel or
select the SNMP component, select Custom installation and click Next. Pass on to the next
step.
6 After you have selected Custom installation and clicked Next, you will see the Choose
components to install window displayed. Choose the component for the installation.
7 Click Next to start the installation.
For the instructions on how to install Parallels Virtual Automation from the installation archive, refer
to the Parallels Virtual Automation Installation Guide for Linux and Bare Metal.
Installing on Windows
You can install Parallels Virtual Automation components on your Windows-based physical server
using the autoinstaller. The autoinstaller scans the physical server and offers to download and to
install only those Parallels Virtual Automation components that can be installed on this server. Thus,
the autoinstaller saves the downloading time and the disk space.
The installation procedure consists of the following steps:
1 Download the necessary autoinstaller from the its download page
(http://www.parallels.com/products/pva/download/) to the physical server where you are going
to install Parallels Virtual Automation components.
2 Start the autoinstaller by double-clicking it.
3 In the Welcome window, click Configure Settings to specify the Internet repository information
and the local download directory to which you want to upload the Parallels Virtual Automation
installation files.
When the necessary information is specified, click Next to proceed with the installation.
4 In the Choose Setup Type window, choose the installation type. The components for the
default installation may differ. This depends whether the physical server is clean or already has
any software virtualization technology installed on it.
• If the physical server is clean (i.e. has no software virtualization technology installed), you will
be offered to install the PVA Management Server component by default. Click Next to start
the installation. If you want to change the destination folder for the Management Server
component, choose Custom installation and click Next.
• If the physical server has Parallels Virtuozzo Containers for Windows installed, you will be
offered to install the PVA Agent for Virtuozzo component. Keep in mind that, by default, the
15
Installing Parallels Virtual Automation
wizard installs both the PVA Agent for Virtuozzo and PVA Power Panel components.
Additionally, you can select the SNMP component for installation.
If you want to install only PVA Agent and Power Panel components, click Next to start the
installation. If you want to deselect PVA Power Panel or select the SNMP component, select
Custom installation and click Next to specify the components which will be installed. Pass
on to the next step.
5 After you have selected Custom installation, you will see the Choose components to install
window displayed. You can manually select where the program files will be placed by typing the
path in the Choose destination folder field.
6 Click Next to start the installation.
For the instructions on how to install Parallels Virtual Automation from the installation archive, refer
to the Parallels Virtual Automation Installation Guide.
Installing on Linux
You can install Parallels Virtual Automation on your Linux-based physical server using the
autoinstaller. The autoinstaller scans the physical server and offers to download and to install only
those Parallels Virtual Automation components that can be installed on this server. Thus, the
autoinstaller saves the downloading time and the disk space.
The installation procedure consists of the following steps:
1 Download the necessary autoinstaller from its download page
(http://www.parallels.com/products/pva/download/) to the physical server where you are going
to install Parallels Virtual Automation.
2 Go down to the directory, where the autoinstaller is stored.
3 Start the autoinstaller by executing the following command:
# ./autoinstaller_file_name
In the above command, autoinstaller_file_name stands for the name of the
autoinstaller file.
4 In the Welcome to pva-setup window, click Configure to specify the Internet repository
information and the local download directory to which you want to upload the files. After you
have specified the necessary information, click OK and then Next to proceed with the
installation.
5 In the Choose installation Type window, choose the installation type. The component for the
default installation may differ. This depends on whether the physical server is clean or already
has any software virtualization technology installed on it.
• If the physical server is clean (i.e. has no software virtualization technology installed), you will
be offered to install the PVA Management Server component by default. Click Next to start
the installation. If you want to change the destination folder for the Management Server
component, choose Custom installation and click Next.
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Installing Parallels Virtual Automation
• If the physical server has Parallels Virtuozzo Containers installed, you will be offered to install
the PVA Agent for Virtuozzo component. Keep in mind that, by default, the wizard will install
both the PVA Agent for Virtuozzo and PVA Power Panel component. Additionally, you can
install SNMP component. This component can be installed on the physical server only if the
net-snmp package version 5.1.1-3 or newer is present on the server. If you want to
deselect PVA Power Panel or select SNMP component, select Custom installation and
click Next. Pass on to the next step.
6 After you have selected Custom installation, you will see the Choose components to install
window displayed. Choose the component to be installed and, if necessary, change the default
destination folder for the components installed.
7 Click Next to start the installation.
For the instructions on how to install Parallels Virtual Automation from the installation archive, refer
to the Parallels Virtual Automation Installation Guide.
17
Interface Overview .................................................................................................. 19
C
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3
Parallels Virtual Automation Basics
The main thing about Parallels Virtual Automation you should know before starting to use it, is that
Parallels Virtual Automation is a Web service that enables you to manage physical servers and the
virtual environments residing on them over a network. This means that Parallels Virtual Automation
is not a conventional application you can launch by opening an EXE or RPM file, but rather a lowlevel software that enables you to remotely access physical servers and the virtual environments
they host via LAN or Internet.
Parallels Virtual Automation is an advanced, yet an easy-to-use tool, that couples intuitive interface
with extensive functionality. With Parallels Virtual Automation, you can manage separate physical
servers and each of their virtual environments, organize servers into server groups and administer
the resulting units; supervise user accounts and privileges, and much more. For more information
about the Parallels Virtual Automation features, see Parallels Virtual Automation Administrator's
Guide.
This chapter provides basic information about the Parallels Virtual Automation concept and usage.
In This Chapter
Getting Started ....................................................................................................... 18
Getting Started
To start managing your virtual infrastructure with Parallels Virtual Automation, do the following:
1 Install PVA Management Server component on the Master Server, which will provide you with
the access to all registered physical servers and <virtual-server>s.
We strongly recommend you to install PVA Management Server on a stationary physical server
that is maintained, powered on, and connected to the network for long periods. Thus you will
secure access to the PVA infrastructure at any time and for any administrator.
Note: Management Server component is always installed together with Control Center subcomponent,
which cannot be disabled.
2 Install the PVA Agent for Parallels Server or PVA Agent for Virtuozzo on the physical servers you
want to manage. The choice on the PVA component depends on the software virtualization
product which is already installed on the physical server. After you have installed these
components, you can register the physical server in the Master Server.
Parallels Virtual Automation Basics
Note: Power Panel is installed together with PVA Agents by default, but can be disabled on your wish.
3 On the Master Server or any other computer, open the available Web browser and log in to
Parallels Virtual Automation by typing the Management Server IP address( or hostname) and the
open TCP port (default port is 4648) in the address bar. The resulting line may look like as
follows: https://10.50.120.70:4648.
When logging in from the Management Server, replace the IP address with localhost.
Note: You can access the Management Server and, therefore, all Parallels Virtual Automation
functionality from any computer on the network, irrespective whether it has any Parallels Virtual
Automation components installed or not. The point is that as soon as you connect to the Management
Server, you automatically connect to its Control Center and thus can use it remotely.
4 When the browser displays the login window, type your user name and password and click the
Login button. To log in as an administrator, provide the administrative credentials for the
operating system installed on the Master Server.
5 Now that you have successfully logged in to Parallels Virtual Automation, you can deploy your
virtual infrastructure by registering the required physical servers and creating virtual
environments. The following section, Interface Overview (p. 19), will help you to get
accustomed to the Parallels Virtual Automation interface, while Managing Virtual
Environments (p. 29) and Managing Physical Servers (p. 22) will familiarize you with the basic
management operations.
Interface Overview
The Parallels Virtual Automation interface has been designed to let the physical server administrator
quickly perform all possible tasks through an intuitive navigation system.
The main components of the Parallels Virtual Automation interface are the following:
• The left menu frame listing and allowing access to all your physical servers and virtual
environments. The left menu also allows access to the main types of operations to be
performed on them with the help of Parallels Virtual Automation.
• The toolbar on top of the right frame enabling you to perform the basic actions on your physical
servers and virtual environments. The set of the toolbar buttons varies depending on the type of
the object you explore, for example, Infrastructure, Resource Library, or Setup menu items.
• The content part on the right frame displays a summary for the object you select, be it a
physical server, a virtual environment, or a template. The content part may consist of several
tabs, each containing more detailed object information and links to advanced actions.
• The Tasks pane at the bottom of the right frame allowing you to view all the operations recently
finished and running at the moment, their start times, the objects they are applied to, their
statuses, progress information and other details. The pane is minimized by default. To expand
it, click Tasks at the bottom of the screen.
The picture below illustrates the interface layout:
19
Parallels Virtual Automation Basics
Figure 1: Interface Overview - Viewing Interface Summary Tab
As you can see from the picture, the left menu frame contains several menus:
Infrastructure
Logical View
Resource Library
Management
Setup
Displays the physical structure of your registered physical servers (Parallels Virtual Automation
infrastructure) in the form of a hierarchical tree with physical servers as its upper levels and the
virtual environments hosted on them as lower levels. Using the Infrastructure context menu or
toolbar, you can arrange the physical servers into groups, thus making the servers management
more convenient.
Note: Although you can create and rearrange Server Groups in the Infrastructure
menu, each physical server can be located in only one group at a time. If the Server
Group arrangement requires adding the same server to two or more different groups,
use the Logical View for viewing and managing your servers.
Each of the physical servers and virtual environments that make up your Parallels Virtual
Automation infrastructure displays its name on the Infrastructure-oriented left menu which, if
clicked on, leads to its dashboard.
Displays the custom structure of the registered physical servers. The Logical View provides a
flexible solution for Server Groups arrangement, as it enables you to add one and the same
physical server to several groups or place virtual environments hosted on different servers in one
folder.
Provides quick access to the auxiliary information, such as IP Pools, available virtual environment
templates, etc.
Provides access to the Parallels Virtual Automation management tools, such as the Scheduler or
the Support error report tool.
Provides access to the general configuration information, such as Licensing or Security settings.
By default, the left menu frame displays all available menu items from Infrastructure to Setup.
However, you can change the menu layout by clicking any of the buttons placed on the bottom.
20
Parallels Virtual Automation Basics
While the actual appearance of the Parallels Virtual Automation interface content part on the right
frame is dictated by the tag opened at the moment, there are always two main operational levels:
the virtual environments level and the physical servers level that determine its overall appearance
and the available options. Both levels afford to perform operations on a single virtual environment or
physical server, as well as multiple operations. Each time you click on a Datacenter, Room, Cage,
or Rack on the left Parallels Virtual Automation menu, the right pane loads a screen with the
Summary, Physical Servers, Virtual Environments, Templates, Backups, and Security tabs;
the Summary tab is opened by default.
21
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4
Managing Physical Servers
As soon as you register a physical server in Parallels Virtual Automation, you can manage it. To be
registered, the physical server should have:
• Parallels virtualization software installed: Parallels Virtuozzo Containers for Linux/Windows or
Parallels Server Bare Metal software.
• PVA Agent for Virtuozzo or Parallels Server installed. The PVA Agent type depends on the
virtualization software type.
The Parallels Virtual Automation functionality enables you to register and manage a number of
physical Servers via PVA Control Center, group them under logical units and consolidate their IP
addresses into an IP addresses pool.
The servers collectively registered in Parallels Virtual Automation are easier to manage because all
of them are accessible from any computer when you log to the PVA Control Center. For information
on registering physical servers, refer to Registering Physical Servers (p. 23).
Note: PVA Control Center is always installed together with PVA Management server Component.
When you find out that the number of registered servers (and, consequently, of virtual environments
that run on them) has grown, you may consider dividing them into a number of logical units
representing certain classes, e.g., servers based on a certain architecture, hosted virtual
environments of a particular purpose, etc. The IP addresses of a group of physical servers united
into an IP address pool present a more convenient distribution because, when assigning IP
addresses to virtual environments, there will be no IP conflicts and you will not have to enter IP
addresses manually as they will be selected from the pool.
On the Physical Servers screen, you can review the list of physical servers currently registered in
Parallels Virtual Automation and see the servers details, such as the current operating system, its
CPU and memory usage, etc.
Note: If this screen is loaded in the Logical View, the servers displayed in this table are those which
have been added to the Logical View, otherwise the servers list is empty. To add a physical server to the
Logical View, click Add on the Parallels Virtual Automation toolbar, select Physical Server from the
menu and choose the server(s) on the screen it opens.
Below, there are several how-to's for basic management operations:
• To manage any of the servers registered in PVA, click its name in the leftmost column of the
table.
Managing Physical Servers
• To display a certain server from a long list of servers, click the Show Search link on top of the
Managing Parallels Licenses ................................................................................... 27
table, enter the name of the server and click the Search link; to have the list of the servers
back, click Reset Results.
• To stop managing a physical server via PVA, select its checkbox and click Unregister.
• To add a new server to the list of the physical servers registered in PVA, click the Add button
on the main toolbar.
In This Chapter
Registering Physical Servers ................................................................................... 23
Logging in to Physical Servers ................................................................................ 24
Backing Up and Restoring the Master Server .......................................................... 25
Monitoring Physical Server Resources .................................................................... 25
Rebooting Physical Server ...................................................................................... 26
Registering Physical Servers
You can register in Parallels Virtual Automation any Windows, Linux, or Parallels Server bare metal
computer providing there is the necessary virtualization technology installed. The newly registered
physical servers will be displayed in the servers list on the Physical Servers screen and accessible
for all the usual managing and monitoring operations Parallels Virtual Automation provides you with.
Besides this, the servers registered in Parallels Virtual Automation form a joint physical servers' pool
which provides for the following collective actions:
• creating a logical structure of physical servers and the virtual environments residing on them;
• migrating virtual environments between physical servers;
• migrating physical servers to virtual environments;
• copying OS and application templates from one physical server to another;
• making Container templates stored on the Master Server available to other registered physical
servers;
• consolidating server IP addresses into a network address range.
Registering a new physical server for management via Parallels Virtual Automation is simple, and all
it takes is entering the following information on the new server:
1 The server's valid IP address that will be used by Parallels Virtual Automation components to
connect to this server. Enter this IP address to the Server Address field in the Connection to
Physical Server section.
2 The administrative login and password to connect to the physical server as the
Administrator/root. Specify the credentials in the Administrative Login to Hardware Node
section.
23
Managing Physical Servers
3 Selecting the Force Registration even if Node is already registered in another Server
Group check box is the option to choose when the physical server you are registering has
already been and still is registered in another Server Group and you need it to be registered in
your Server Group. If you forcibly register the server, it will be removed from the Server Group it
currently belongs to.
Clicking the Register button initiates the registering procedure.
Logging in to Physical Servers
If you are managing a physical server with the Windows operating system installed, you can
use Remote Desktop Connection, a standard Windows application, to connect to the physical
server by means of the Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP).
Note. The option is available only for Internet Explorer 5.0 or above.
To connect to a physical server via RDP, do the following:
1 Open the Remote Desktop window by clicking the Remote Desktop button on the Server's
toolbar.
2 In the Remote Desktop window, click the Login button to open a Remote Desktop session.
If you are doing this for the first time, your browser may display a security warning asking you to
install additional components. Click Yes and wait for the Remote Desktop terminal window to
appear.
3 In this window, specify your user name and password you created for this Physical Server and
click Enter to get connected to the physical server and start sending commands to the server
via Remote Desktop.
If you are managing a physical server with the Linux operating system installed, you can use the
Secure Shell (ssh) application to remotely connect to the Server and work inside its directory tree
using standard Linux command line tools.
Note. The option is available only for Internet Explorer 5.0 or above.
To connect to a Physical Server by ssh, do the following:
1 Open the SSH Connection window by clicking the Terminal Login button on the Server's
toolbar.
2 In the SSH Connection window, specify your user name and password you created for this
Physical Server and click Login to get connected.
If you are doing this for the first time, your browser may display a security warning asking you to
install additional components. Click Yes and wait for the ssh terminal window to appear,
whereupon you get connected to the Server and may start sending commands to it via ssh.
24
Managing Physical Servers
Backing Up and Restoring the Master Server
In the Parallels Virtual Automation 6.1 infrastructure, Master Server is a uniting element that ensures
successful communication between all Slave physical servers in the system and their virtual
environments. It also serves as a storage for management, security and other sorts of data. Just as
you make a backup of any physical server or virtual environment in Parallels Virtual Automation, you
can back up the Master Server and store this backup for the case of emergency.
You can learn how to download the backup script from the Parallels Knowledgebase at
http://kb.parallels.com/en/6830.
Backing Up Physical Server
The PVA backup script pvabackup.vbs, after default download, is stored in the C:\Program
Files\Parallels\Parallels Virtual Automation\Management Server\bin\location. To back up a Master
Server with the help of the PVA script, start it with the following parameters:
cscript.exe pvabackup.vbs BACKUP c:\mn_backups
Where "c:\mn_backups" is an automatically generated location for the target backup. The
backup name consists of the year, month, day, hour, minute, and second when the backup was
made, for example 20091027222544. To give a backup a specific name, use the script with a
concrete backup name:
cscript.exe pvabackup.vbs BACKUP c:\mn_backups b1
Where "b1" stands for the concrete backup name, and the storage location will be
c:\mn_backups b1.
Restoring Physical Server
To restore the Master Server, the script should look as follows:
cscript.exe pvabackup.vbs RESTORE c:\mn_backups 20091027222544
Where 20091027222544 is the name of the target backup you want to restore from.
Note: The Master Server will be restored with all the values overwritten from the backup. The changes in
the Master Server made after the date of this backup will be lost after the server has been restored.
Monitoring Physical Server Resources
Parallels Virtual Automation enables you to monitor and manage not only the virtual environments
operation, but also the physical servers resources. In Parallels Virtual Automation, you can view the
current resource usage statistics and adjust the values to improve the performance of the physical
server, as well as that of the virtual environments it hosts.
25
Managing Physical Servers
The overall CPU, disk and memory-related resources usage of the physical server registered in
Parallels Virtual Automation are displayed on the physical server Dashboard.
The Disk Partitions and Memory sections inform you about the respective resources consumption
on the physical server.
The information on the Disk Partitions size usage in all the host OS partitions or logical disks
existing on your physical server is presented in the following tables (corresponding to the number of
partitions/logical disks):
Column Name Description
Mount Point The name of the partition/logical disk using the resource.
Used Used amount of disk size in the partition/logical disk
Free Free amount of disk size in the partition/logical disk.
Total The total amount of disk size allocated for the partition/logical disk.
The information on the Memory usage is displayed in the following way:
Field Description
Physical memory The percentage of the current physical server utilization in terms of allocated memory.
Swap Space The percentage of the current physical server utilization in terms of allocated swap space.
The bar is not displayed if swapping is not configured on the physical server.
RAM+Swap The simple average of the resources above.
If you need to free some of the resources, click the Resources tab. You will see which of the virtual
environments hosted on the physical server consume the biggest piece of a corresponding
resource. Then, depending on how important the operations run on these virtual environments are,
you can suspend some of them. A suspended virtual environments stays put, and so its processes
and services do, to be later resumed from the checkpoint. Suspending virtual environments is a
good method to release the physical server recourses for a certain period of time or saving the
state of current operations which can be quickly launched again later.
Note: Remember, that repairing, restarting and reinstalling a suspended virtual environment can change
the saved state of the virtual environments, so these actions are not recommended.
Rebooting Physical Server
Sometimes you may need to reboot your physical server, for example, if you have installed a new
Linux kernel want to start using it.
Before rebooting the server, keep in mind that usually this process takes about 3-5 minutes. During
this time, the physical server and all virtual environments residing on it will be unavailable.
To reboot the physical server, you can do one of the following:
26
Managing Physical Servers
• Go to the Physical Servers page of the Infrastructure window, right-click the server name and
select Reboot from the context menu.
• Click the server name in the infrastructure tree to open the Physical Server page and select
Reboot from the Tasks list.
Managing Parallels Licenses
Physical servers running Parallels Virtuozzo Containers technology demand Parallels Containers
licenses to create and work with Containers. Physical servers running Parallels Server Bare Metal
technology demand Parallels Server Bare Metal license to create and work with virtual machines
and Containers.
You do not need to additionally install Parallels Virtuozzo Containers license on PSBM physical
servers to run Containers on them.
Any of the licenses can be installed either as a key string or as a text file with the help of the Install
License Key or Install License File links, correspondingly. Whereas a license key can be installed
directly on the target physical server, the license file first should be uploaded to Parallels Virtual
Automation and only then it can be installed on the physical server.
A license includes a set of parameters, the full list of which (such as, the number of CPUs, virtual
environments, or users your license allows you to have on the physical server) is available on the
screen which opens if you click the key number of the license or the license serial number. If any of
these parameters has been or will be changed (say, you upgraded your physical server with more
CPUs, or want to extend the limit of the virtual environments that the physical server may host), you
will need to update your physical server license as well.
You may also want to update the license if the data in the Status or Expiration columns suggest
that you do. For example, if the Status column tells you that the license is invalid, or expired, or the
expiration date displayed in the Expiration column is close, this is a good reason to update it.
Finally, you can update your trial license. To update your license, select its checkbox on the list and
click Refresh on the Parallels Virtual Automation toolbar.
The Licensing screen contains all necessary information on the Parallels Virtuozzo Containers and
Parallels Server Bare Metal product keys installed on physical servers registered in Parallels Virtual
Automation.
The Licenses table on shows the information on all your licenses:
Column Name Description
Serial Number
Key Number
Hardware Node
The string of symbols that serves for both activating the license and as an identifier of the license
on the physical server.
The key number of the license, which identifies the license on the Parallels Key Authentication
(KA) server.
The physical server on which the license is installed.
27
Managing Physical Servers
Status
The status of the license.
Expiration
The expiration date and time of the license.
28
Deleting Virtual Environments .................................................................................. 37
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5
Managing Virtual Environments
When you have created the PVA infrastructure with all the necessary physical servers, you can pass
on to creating and managing virtual environments. This section provides you with the information
on creating Containers and virtual machines, as well as on how to log into them via outside
applications and how to perform the main management operations.
In This Chapter
Creating Virtual Environments ................................................................................. 29
Starting and Stopping Virtual Environments ............................................................. 35
Logging into Virtual Environments ........................................................................... 35
Creating Virtual Environments
This section provides basic instructions for creating a virtual environment using Parallels Virtual
Automation.
You can create either a virtual machine or a Container. The two types belong to different software
virtualization technologies and have a number of differences in their configuration settings.
When deciding on the new virtual environment type, you may consider the following points:
• Containers are less resource consuming than virtual machines, as they do not emulate the
physical server hardware.
• Virtual machines require a guest OS to be installed after creation, while Containers are created
with a guest OS and can be started right away.
• The virtual machine OS, unlike a Container OS, does not depend on the physical serve OS. You
can choose any operating system you need from the list of supported OSs for the virtual
machine.
Each virtual environment configuration you make up during the creation process contains a number
of advanced settings that you may skip when learning the basics of Parallels Virtual Automation. In
case you would want to learn more about the advanced options, you can click the
in the upper right-hand corner of the window, or see Parallels Virtual Automation Administrator's
Guide.
Help button
Managing Virtual Environments
Creating Virtual Machines
Creation of a Parallels Server virtual machine is quite an easy process, during which you define
basic virtual machine settings and create initial configuration that you can edit later from the virtual
machine dashboard or with the help of Parallels Server.
To create a new virtual machine, perform the following actions:
1 Click the
2 In the New Virtual Environments: Begin screen, select the type of virtual environment you
want to create: in this case, it will be Parallels Server Virtual Machine.
As you make the selection, you are prompted to define on what physical server the virtual
machine will reside in the Hardware Node Selection section. You can either let Parallels Virtual
Automation select the server for you, or specify one on yourself.
In the Virtual Environment Configuration section, specify the number of virtual machines to be
created and the virtual environment template to be applied to them. The list of templates is built
up of the Library templates. If there are none, the list will be empty.
New button and select Virtual Environment from the drop-down list.
As you finish with the initial settings, click Next to proceed to the next screen.
3 In the New Virtual Machines: General Settings screen, specify the new virtual machine name
and the guest operating system type and version. At this point, you can also create a list of
users who will be able to manage the new virtual machine and define their administration
privileges in the Permissions section.
30
Managing Virtual Environments
Besides the general settings, you can also adjust the virtual machine working mode and
appearance:
• Expand the Host System Integration section to set the virtual machine dependencies on
the physical server operation, such as the start method (automatic on the server load/reload
or manual) or the foreground and background processes relation.
To receive a full description on all sections on this page, refer to the Parallels Virtual Automation
Administrator's Guide.
When finished, click Next to define the hardware settings, or click Create to apply the default
hardware settings and create the virtual machine.
4 In the Hardware Settings screen, specify the characteristics of the new virtual machine
hardware, such as the number of virtual CPUs, the amount of the Physical Server RAM to be
used by the virtual machine, and various virtual devices settings. To view and edit the default
settings, click the device name in the device panel to the left.
By default, the virtual devices you can set up in this step are the virtual machine hard disk,
network adapter and CD/DVD-ROM. However, you can add more devices to the virtual
machine configuration by clicking the Add Device button at the bottom of the devices panel.
From the pop-up list that appears, select the required virtual hardware and click Add.
When you are done with the hardware settings, click Next to proceed.
5 In the Review screen, check the virtual machine configuration settings you have specified and
either click Back to go back to the previous steps and change them, or click Create to
schedule the new virtual machine creation task.
At this point, you will be redirected to the Virtual Environments tab of the Infrastructure
screen. The information bar at the top of the screen informs you about the scheduled task and
provides the Details link to the task progress information.
31
Managing Virtual Environments
After the virtual machine is created, you can find it in the list of available virtual environments. If it
doesn't appear, click the
Refresh button and check again.
Creating Containers
The procedure of Parallels Container creation is a little bit more complicated than that of a Parallels
virtual machine, since almost every window contains not only the basic configuration options, but
also a number of advanced settings. The good thing about it is that you can easily skip the
advanced options or simply use the default parameters that the Parallels Virtual Automation team
has developed for your convenience. Or you may learn more about these options by clicking the
Help button and reading the corresponding help page.
In any case, you can always edit the Container configuration later from the Container dashboard or
with the help of Parallel Virtuozzo Container software.
To create a new Container, perform the following actions:
1 Click the
2 In the New Virtual Environments: Begin screen, select the type of virtual environment you
want to create: in this case, it will be Parallels Virtuozzo Container.
As you make the selection, you are prompted for the destination physical server information in
the Hardware Node Selection section. You can either let Parallels Virtual Automation select
the server for you, or specify one yourself. When creating a new Container on an automatically
selected server, you should also specify the desired operating system for the target physical
server.
New button and select Virtual Environment from the drop-down list.
In the Virtual Environment Configuration section, specify the number of Containers to be
created and the virtual environment template to be applied to them.
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Managing Virtual Environments
As you finish with the initial settings, click Next to proceed to the following screen.
3 In the New Containers: Setup screen, specify the new Container name and the Virtuozzo OS
template to be applied to create a Container.
It is also recommended to specify the administrative password at this point, so that you won't
have to do this later. The default username for the administrator of the Containers with the
Windows and Linux operating system will be Administrator and root respectively. Besides
setting up the administrator credentials, you can make up a list of users who will be able to
manage the Container and define their administration privileges in the Permissions section.
In this window, you can also configure a number of advanced settings found in the following
sections:
• Advanced Configuration section lists several customization options and advanced
functions you can enable.
• Terminal Services section enables you to define in which Windows TS mode (Remote
Desktop for Administration and Terminal Server) the Container will operate and which
licenses it will use.
• Offline Management section enables you to define the services that will be available even
when the physical server hosting your Container is down.
33
Managing Virtual Environments
When finished, click Next to define the network settings, or click Create to apply the default
settings and create the Container.
4 In the New Containers: Network Configuration screen, provide the connection information
that will be used for connecting to the new Container, such as the Container hostname and its
IP address. Click Next.
5 In the New Containers: Resources Customization screen, adjust the advanced settings
concerning the Container CPU, memory and operating system parameters. Since setting up
these values is quite a challenging task, you can use the default settings.
Note: If you'd like to learn more about the advanced options, you can click the Help button in the
upper right-hand corner of the window, or see Parallels Virtual Automation Administrator's Guide.
6 In the New Containers: Application Selection screen, specify the applications you want to
automatically install in the Container upon its creation. To select an application, select it in the
Available Applications list and click
shown below:
7 In the Review screen, check the Container configuration settings you have specified and either
click Back to go back to the previous steps and change them, or click Create to schedule the
new Container creation task.
At this point, you will be redirected to the Virtual Environments tab of the Infrastructure
window. The information bar at the top of the window informs you about the scheduled task
and provides the Details link to the task progress information:
After the Container is created, you can find it in the list of available virtual environments. If it
doesn't appear, click the
34
to move it to the Scheduled for Installation list, as
Refresh button and check again.
Managing Virtual Environments
Starting and Stopping Virtual Environments
A virtual environment can be started up, restarted, paused, and shut down like an ordinary
computer. Depending on the virtual environment state, only those operations are accessible that
comply with its current state. For example, a running virtual environment cannot be started for
obvious reasons, and so on. The following states can be characterized as stable:
Status Description
Running The virtual environment is running; therefore, it may be restarted, suspended, pauses or stopped.
Down The virtual environment is stopped; therefore, it may only be started.
Repairing
The virtual environment is being repaired. You cannot perform any action on the virtual environment
until you click the Finish Repair button.
Besides these states, a virtual environment may be in one of the transitional states: mounting,
starting, stopping, etc. When a virtual environment is in a transitional state, you cannot perform any
action on it until the operation is finished.
To change the virtual environment state, go the Virtual Environments tab of the Infrastructure
page and click the Start, Stop, Pause or Restart button to perform the corresponding action. On
clicking one of these buttons, this action is logged.
The current status of the virtual environment is available in the Status table of the virtual
environment dashboard. The history of the status changes can be viewed from the Logs -> Tasks
page of the virtual environment.
Note: Some operations are available either for virtual machines or Containers. For example, you can
pause virtual machines only.
Logging into Virtual Environments
Sometimes you may find it necessary to log in to a virtual environment to monitor or manage it from
the inside. The topics in this section explain how you can do this using PVA Control Center.
Logging in to Virtual Machines
You can connect to the virtual machine via Virtual Network Computing (VNC), a graphical desktop
sharing system.
To connect to a virtual machine via VNC, do the following:
1 Make sure that the required virtual machine is running. If it is not, start it via PVA.
35
Managing Virtual Environments
2 Open the virtual machine Console tab by selecting the corresponding option from the virtual
machine context menu (right-click the virtual machine name and select Open Console), or by
clicking Open Console in the Tasks section of the virtual machine Summary tab.
On the Console tab, the virtual machine remote display will open automatically.
If you do this for the first time, your browser may display a security warning asking you to install
additional components. Click Yes and wait for the remote desktop window to appear. In this
window, specify your user name and password you created for this virtual machine and click Enter
to get connected to the virtual machine and start sending commands to it via VNC.
Logging in to Containers
You can use Remote Desktop Connection, a standard Windows application, to connect to a
Windows Container by means of the Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP).
Note: The feature is available only for Internet Explorer 6.x and above.
To connect to a Container via RDP, do the following:
1 Make sure that the required Container is running. If it is not, start it.
2 Open the Remote Desktop window by selecting the corresponding option either from the
Container's context menu (right-click the Container's name and select Log In -> Remote
Desktop), or from the Container's toolbar (click the Log In button and select Remote
Desktop).
3 In the Remote Desktop window, click the Login button to open a Remote Desktop session.
If you are doing this for the first time, your browser may display a security warning asking you to
install additional components. Click Yes and wait for the Remote Desktop terminal window to
appear.
4 In this window, specify your user name and password you created for this Container and click
Enter to get connected to the Container and start sending commands to it via Remote
Desktop.
You can use the Secure Shell (ssh) application to remotely connect to a Linux Container and
work with SSH-application via command line utility.
Note: The feature is available for all the browsers supported by Parallels Virtual Automation.
To connect to a Container by ssh, do the following:
1 Make sure that the required Container is running. If it is not, start it.
2 Open the SSH Connection window by selecting the corresponding option either from the
Container's context menu (right-click the Container's name and select Log In -> Terminal
Login), or from the Container's toolbar (click the Log In button and select Terminal Login).
36
Managing Virtual Environments
3 In the SSH Connection window, specify your user name and password you created for this
Container and click Login to get connected to the Container.
If you do this for the first time, your browser may display a security warning asking you to install
additional components. Click Yes and wait for the ssh terminal window to appear, whereupon
you get connected to the Container and may start sending commands to it via ssh.
Deleting Virtual Environments
The Delete screen allows you to remove those virtual environments from your physical servers that
you do not need anymore.
To delete a virtual environment, do the following:
1 Go to the Virtual Environments tab of the Infrastructure window, choose the virtual
environment and click the Delete icon.
All the virtual environments scheduled for removing are listed in the Delete Virtual Environment
section of the Delete screen.
2 To delete the listed virtual environments, select the Yes, I want to delete the Virtual
Environment(s) check box and click the Delete button; otherwise, click Cancel.
When removing virtual environment, please, keep in mind the following:
• Removing a virtual environment means that the private area of the virtual environment is
completely deleted from the Host OS and all the virtual environment private files are irrevocably
erased from the physical server.
• Deleting a considerable number of virtual environments may take a while.
37
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6
Glossary
Container is a virtual private server, which is functionally identical to an isolated standalone server,
with its own IP addresses, processes, files, its own users database, its own configuration files,
applications, system libraries, and so on. Containers on one and the same physical server (or
Hardware node) share one OS kernel. However, they are isolated from each other.
EZ template is built up from separate chunks of code that are uploaded from the web every time
you pick an EZ template to install in the Container. This means, that an EZ template is not an
independent package but rather a unit containing all the necessary information about repositories
from where the necessary packages will be uploaded to the physical server.
Hardware Node is a physical server where the Parallels software is installed for hosting virtual
environments. The Hardware Node term is used in the product interface, while in technical
documentation, you will find the term physical server.
Master Server is a physical server where the Parallels Virtual Automation Management Server
component is installed.
Parallels Virtual Automation is a tool designed for managing the physical server and all virtual
environments residing on them with the help of a standard Web browser on any platform.
Parallels Power Panel is an easy-to-use web-based tool designed for administering a single
personal virtual environment. With Power Panel, a user with administrative access to a virtual
environment can easily perform many critical management tasks, while not requiring access rights
to the physical server:
Parallels Virtuozzo Containers (or Parallels Containers) is a complete server automation and
software virtualization solution allowing you to create multiple isolated Containers on a single
physical server to share hardware, licenses, and management effort with maximum efficiency.
Software Virtualization, in Parallels Virtual Automation documentation, stands for the Parallels
software virtualization products, such as Parallels Virtuozzo Containers for Linux and Windows,
Parallels Server Bare Metal, Parallels Cloud Server, etc.
Parallels Containers and Parallels Server license is a special license that you should install on
the Hardware Node to be able to start using the virtual environments software. Every Hardware
Node shall have its own unique Server license.
Virtual Machine is an emulation of a physical computer by means of Parallels Server virtualization
technology. It is functionally identical to an isolated standalone server. A virtual machine has its own
virtual hardware and requires an operating system to control its hardware. The installed operating
Glossary
system and its applications are isolated inside the virtual machine and share physical hardware
resources of the physical server where the virtual machine resides.
Virtual Environment is a generic name for virtual machines and Containers.
39
Index
Index
B
Backing Up and Restoring the Master Server
- 25
C
Containers
creating - 32
deleting - 37
logging into - 36
starting - 35
stopping - 35
Creating
Container - 32
Virtual Environment - 29
Virtual Machine - 30
Creating Containers - 32
Creating Virtual Environments - 29
Creating Virtual Machines - 30
D
Deleting
Containers - 37
Virtual Environment - 37
Virtual Machines - 37
Deleting Virtual Environments - 37
F
Feedback - 6
G
Getting Help - 5
Getting Started - 18
Glossary - 38
H
Hardware Requirements - 12
I
Installing on Linux - 16
Installing on Parallels Server Bare Metal - 14
Installing on Windows - 15
Installing Parallels Virtual Automation - 7
on Linux - 16
on Windows - 15
Interface Overview - 19
Introduction - 5
L
Logging in to Containers - 36
Logging in to Physical Servers - 24
Logging in to Virtual Machines - 35
Logging Into
Containers - 36
Physical Servers - 24
Virtual Environment - 35
Virtual Machines - 35
Logging into Virtual Environments - 35
M
Managing
Containers - 29
Physical Servers - 22
Virtual Environment - 29
Virtual Machines - 29
Managing Parallels Licenses - 27
Managing Physical Servers - 22
Managing Virtual Environments - 29
Monitoring Physical Server Resources - 25
P
Parallels Virtual Automation
basics - 18
getting started with - 18
interface - 19
Parallels Virtual Automation Basics - 18
Parallels Virtual Automation Infrastructure - 7
Physical Servers
logging into - 24
managing - 22
rebooting - 26
registering - 23
Index
resources - 25
R
Rebooting Physical Server - 26
Registering Physical Servers - 23
S
Software Requirements - 13
Starting
Containers - 35
Virtual Environment - 35
Virtual Machines - 35
Starting and Stopping Virtual Environments -
35
Stopping
Containers - 35
Virtual Environment - 35
Virtual Machines - 35
System Requirements - 12
hardware requirements - 12
V
Virtual Environment
creating - 29
deleting - 37
logging into - 35
managing - 29
starting - 35
stopping - 35
Virtual Machines
creating - 30
deleting - 37
logging into - 35
starting - 35
stopping - 35
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