The GWDG is hosting a VMware vSphere environment based on vSphere ESXi 5.5 which is available for all GWDG customers. A GWDG account is required to apply for a server and for accessing the console.

The VMware cluster at GWDG has a VMware designed HA functionality.
If a VMware host is down the failover will restart all runing VMs of that host on another host.

The cluster is build at two locations within Göttingen and it is for productiv VMs location redundant. Which means that some of the VMs can be run at the second location even if the first location is failing. For VMs with the need of extra high availability ressources can be held at both locations.

As mass storage a NFS mirrored at both locations is used. Furthermore the use of other mass storage types offered by the GWDG (e.g. StorNext and SAN) is possible.

Using the vSphere Web Client at the terminal server of the GWDG (vcenter.rds.gwdg.de) you are able to access you VM globally 24/7.

The GWDG is giving extensive privileges for the VM managemant:

• Reboot, power on, power off, …
• Creating and deleting snapshots
• Switch to specific snapshots
• Access to a console
• Mount ISO images from your own computer
• Activate and deactivate the network interfaces
• Create, modify and execute schedueled tasks
• Modify descriptions and attributes of the VM

Most other options of an enterprise VMWare environment can be requested in a ticket. Simply send your request to support@gwdg.de:

• Adjust hardware configurations - CPU Cores, RAM, mass storage, additional network interfaces and so on…
• Creating a clone for test cases
• Other special requierments can be can be fullfilled in coordination with the GWDG

Your requests are processed during the operating hours of GWDG
Monday - Friday ⇒ 7:00AM - 9:00PM
Saturday & Sunday ⇒ 10:00AM - 6:00PM
The GWDG will process your request as fast as possible.

1. Create a concept of needs for the VM. This concept should cover the points size (RAM, CPU cores, internal mass storage), security (vLAN, firewall rules), operating (operating system, administrators) and if necessary additional external storage.
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   Whats my institute's abbreviation?
   Your institute's abbreviation can be found at the GWDG Portal at www.gwdg.de.
   My Account → Account → Institute

2. Use the corresponding SharePoint form to apply for a VM. Therefore you should enter the points of the concept into the form.
   
   
3. Once your VM is deployed, you will receive details to it such as the IP address in an e-mail.
   
   
4. Access the terminal server of the GWDG (vcenter.rds.gwdg.de) via RDP and open the vSphere Web Client in any browser to manage your VM.
   
   
5. You can select your VM and start a console session within the vSphere Web Client. Here you can install the operating system.

To apply for a virtual server, please visit this SharePoint Document. Here you can open the application form by clicking Server Beantragen and Neues Element. (A login using your GWDG credentials may be necessary) Please fill out the form and click on “Speichern” to save.
You need to log in with a GWDG-Account or an account authenticable to the AD of the GWDG at the location Göttingen.

The form is only available in german. You can use the image above as translation.

To manage your virtual machine, you must log in via browser to ‘’https://remote-sec.gwdg.de‘’ (GWDG employees please use this link: ‘’https://remote.intern.gwdg.de/‘’) a proxy for a Windows-Terminalserver der GWDG and now select the vCenter Terminal Server, if you are not automatically connected there. Then log in with the user name (without domain pre/postfix). Please note that a connection is only possible from the GÖNET. If you are not in the GÖNET, please read the section.

Please find a list of all supported Operating Systems and how to install them under http://partnerweb.vmware.com/GOSIG/home.html

After you have installed and configured your server via console access and already got the IP, your network administrator will be able to add an appropriated record into the IPAM.

If you want or need to remove/delete your VM, please send an e-mail to support@gwdg.de containing the name of the VM and your contact data.

To install VMware-Tools on Linux there are three possible procedures.

• Installing the native Tools via VMware vSphere (Web)Client (For details please see http://kb.vmware.com/selfservice/microsites/search.do?language=en_US&cmd=displayKC&externalId=1014294).
• Installing VMware Tools using a packet manager and a VMware repository (Details: http://www.vmware.com/download/packages.html).
• Installing OpenVMware-Tools from other sources: Using a packet manager or download as zip- or git-file from https://github.com/vmware/open-vm-tools#general.

In Windows only the first option is available.

If you want to install the VMware Tools at your guest operating system using either the vSpehre Client or the vSphere Web Client, you have to assure the the VM is powered on. The steps within the vSphere descriped below will only mount an image of VMwware Tools to your guest operating system. Within your system you can install the VMware Tools as you would install software from a CD.

Select your VM by a right click on it. A context menu appears where “All vCenter Actions” should be selected. Within the sub menu of “All vCenter Actions” you can select “Guest OS” to get in another sub menu. Here you can select “Install VMware Tools…” to mount the Image.

• A snapshot is not a backup and cannot replace one. If you require a system state that you wish to access again at a later date (e.g. following the initial installation of a system), please set up a backup via TSM, create an image using a suitable tool, or perform a system-internal backup.
• Snapshots of virtual machines are automatically deleted after 7 days. This happens without prior notice.
• Depending on the time elapsed and the number of changes to the file system, each snapshot may occupy an additional amount of space equal to the total size of the VM. This means that a VM with 512GB of storage may occupy an additional 512GB per snapshot.

• Use vSphere Webclient to create or delete Snapshots. All registered administrators have these permissions.
• Please include the date of creation within the name of the Snapshot. This will make it easier to overview the age of the snapshot.
• VMware best practices recommend keeping no more than two snapshots at any one time and not retaining any snapshot for longer than 72 hours. As this affects the performance of the VM and, in some cases, other VMs as well, we ask that you adhere to these guidelines wherever possible.

Snapshots should also be deleted by the user. Otherwise, they will be deleted after 7 days without prior notice. If backups are required for longer than 7 days, we would be happy to advise you on alternatives; please contact the GWDG support via support@gwdg.de.

If your VM's NIc isn't connected, please follow these steps:

Eine Anleitung zur Installation der VWWare Tools kann hier eingesehen werden.

To apply for a VM you need to fullfill this SharePoint document.

A manuel on how to apply for a VM and additional informations on handling a VM can be found here.

Please write an e-mail to Support@GWDG.de. Make sure you reffere to DNS-alias within the subject. The mail has to include the alias and the IP-address of your VM.

You can choose from different ways of changing it.

1. Version Upgrade
   If your OS supports an integradted upgrade version you can choose this to upgrade.
2. Using your own ISO file
   You can choose to use an image file you have stored yourself. Please see the manual for more informations on how to include an ISO file.
3. Using the GWDG ISO files
   You can send a request to Support@gwdg.de to ask for an ISO Image of the supported OS's.

Note: Please send a notification to Support@gwdg.de holding the OS used so that it can be modified within the vecenter. You may will encounter problems due to the roll out of a wrong VMWare-Tools version or may encounter trouble due to the architecture of the VM.

No, a VM has no limited lifetime.

If you are listed as VMAdmin you can send a request to delete your VM to Support@GWDG.de. You can use this email tamplate if you are using an e-mail client: Template: Delete a VM

Please replace the tag <VM_NAME> with the name of your VM.

You can use the template without ab e-mail client by copying this text:

Subject: VM <VM_NAME> Löschen

Dear VMWare team,

please delete following VM(s):

<VM_NAME>

Kind regards,

The bootscreen at a VM is usualy over before you can press “F2” to get into the BIOS. Therefore you can choose between two options form the vSphere Web Client:

1. A boot delay can be entered (duration in ms). This will delay the boot sequnce permanently.
2. The option “The next time the virtual machine boots, force entry into the BIOS setup screen.” can be enabled to force BIOS setup screen once at the next boot (recomanded).

To edit these settings start the vSphere Web Client and open the settings window of your VM. Choose the Tab “VM Options” and expand the point “Boot Options”.

You can find the abbreviation at Portal.GWDG.de. See “My Account”→“Account”. The institutes abbreviation is shown under the point “Institute”.

After extending tha RAM the VM doesn't have to be rebooted.

Following comands will show all online and offline memory blocks.

cat /sys/devices/system/memory/memory*/state | sort | uniq -c

The Result will look like:

32 offline 
32 online 
If you see offline blocks you can loop throug them and set them online via:for XMEMORY
in $(ls -1 /sys/devices/system/memory/memory*/state ); do if [ "$(cat $XMEMORY)" == "offline" ]; 
then echo "online" > $XMEMORY; echo $? ; fi ; done
The extedent memory should no be visible using the "free" or "top" command.

Find more informations regarding memory hotplug at https://www.kernel.org/doc/Documentation/memory-hotplug.txt

To transfer a VM to another account you need to send an e-mail to Support@gwdg.de. This mail should hold following informations:

• VM Name
• Old Administrator UserID
• New administrator UserID
• New Phone Number if changed

The request must be send by the current administrator or at least must be confimed.

Users which are supposed to work directly on the VM can be managed via the user managment system of the installed guest OS. Therefore local accounts can be created and/or the VM can be added to the active directory.

If a user does need administrativ permissions for the VM environment an e-mail needs to be send to Support@gwdg.de containing following informations:

• UserID of the GWDG account
• Full name of the user

The current administrator of the VM should send the e-mail or at least confirm the request. Therefore he/she should be set as CC within the request e-mail and reply to the automatic respond that he/she confirms the request.

If the current administrator does not respond or is not set as CC, we will try to contact him/her for an approval. This process will increase the time we need to process your request.

Some updates will requiere a reboot of your VM. VMWare-Tools might only start the service after the first login.

If you do experience any problems or errors with VMWare-Tools after an update has been installed a reboot and log-in might fix your problem.