OmniVista Terra Setup - Hyper-V
The steps below document the the procedure for setting up an OmniVista Terra in a Microsoft Windows/Hyper-V environment.
Enable Hyper-V
On a Windows 10/11 or Windows Server machine, go into Control Panel → Programs and Features → Turn Windows Features on or off → Enable Hyper-V.
Additional information here: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/virtualization/hyper-v/get-started/install-hyper-v
Obtain Disk Images
Hyper-V-specific images can be downloaded fromhttps://repo.myovcloud.com/. You need to login with read/download access to ovpx-resources/com/ale/ovtx/OVAFILE-HyperV. Find the version you need and download a .tar.gz archive, which should contain both .vhdx files.
(optional) Step 2.5 - Obtain Release File
While still on the repository, download a .7z archive for a release file matching the system image version you downloaded. Those can be found under ovpx-resources/com/ale/ovtx/BuildReleaseFile. You’ll need it later in case you want to upload it directly to your machine.
This step may eventually become deprecated if images are changed to have an OV release embedded by default.
Upload Images to Host Machine
If the images were not downloaded directly from the host machine (the one running the hypervisor), you will need to send over both files using your preferred tool such as SCP or FTP client or even a physical drive. It’s fine to only extract the archive once there.
You might also want to move those files to a clean location. While any folder works, it is recommended to use Hyper-V’s dedicated directory for that. The path defaults to C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Virtual Hard Disks.
Create Virtual Switch
Inside Hyper-V, go into Action → Virtual Switch Manager…
There, create an External switch with default settings and access to the host’s network interface. While you can name it anything, OVTX Switch will be used in this example.
Create a VM
Click Action → New → Virtual Machine.
Configure a meaningful name such as “NodeX” with “X” being the number uniquely identifying your node within your cluster.
For the generation, select Generation 1.
Assign enough memory, the minimum is 32GB, though something higher like 32-48GB is recommended. The more, the better.
Choose your OVTX Switch from the drop-down menu in the networking section.
As for disks, it is recommended you skip this step by selecting Attach Virtual Hard Drive Later.
Attach Disks Manually
Selecting your newly-created VM in the middle panel, click Settings… on the right.
Add both drives by going into IDE Controller 0. Select Hard Drive then click Add.
Attach disk1 to Slot 0 and disk2 to Slot 1, by choosing the appropriate files from where you stored them in Step 2. The first of these disks is the one that contains the bootable OS!
Ensure VM Boots from Virtual Disks
While still in your VM’s settings, select BIOS or Firmware near the top of the hardware list.
You’ll want to make sure IDE is bumped to the very top of the list by using the buttons on the right.
Grant Enough CPU Cores
By default, your VM might only be set to use a single CPU core. In CPU section, make sure the number of virtual cores is high enough.
You want to aim for at least 8-14, though it’s recommended to configure 16 or more.
It is possible, in some setups, that this feature (i.e. changing the number of CPU cores) is disabled and thus shows up as grayed out. If this is the case and you have 1-9 cores, you will need to try and enable this. While the process might not exactly be straightforward, you can learn more here: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/virtualization/hyper-v/manage/manage-hyper-v-scheduler-types#virtual-machine-cpu-resource-controls-and-the-root-scheduler (Hyper-V itself links to the same page, but it is provided for convenience in case your host is isolated from the Internet)
Start the VM
Back in the main view, with your VM still selected, click Start in the right-hand side panel.
After a few seconds, you should be able to click Connect… in the same panel, which should bring up a console view.
Pro tip: If connected to your host machine (the one running Hyper-V) via a Remote Desktop connection, it is recommended you do NOT maximize/fullscreen the console window (if your RD window is maximized already), as it can be tricky to get out on single-screen setups! If this is the case, you might be able to exit this by quickly pressing Ctrl-Alt-Left then Ctrl-Alt-Up—sometime in between or immediately afterwards, you should briefly have the option to exit fullscreen mode.
Go Through First Boot Script
It is expected your VM successfully boots into the Debian OS and prompts you for configs.
Set your preferred keyboard layout, then choose an IP addressing mode (IPv4 or dual-stack) and specify your hostname—it is recommended you give it the same name you gave your VM back in Step 5.
Choose a static IP address for the VM, and remember it for setting up the Web Admin app later. You may also specify a netmask as well as a default gateway and DNS server depending on your particular network architecture.
Finally, choose a password for the ovtx user inside the VM.
Confirm everything is correct by entering Y, then the VM will reboot after a few minutes. You should now be able to log in with ovtx and your chosen password. If the rqlite command works, the setup is complete (it accesses the Web Admin database—use exit to get out).
(optional) 10.5 - Upload release file to VM
If you skipped Step 2.5, you can safely ignore this step, but you will need to upload the release file later from the Web Admin utility.
Using scp on the host machine (or any other machine on the network), send over your downloaded .7z archive to the following path: (assuming your VM’s IP address is 192.168.0.100)
scp BuildReleaseFile_10.X.X.XXX.XX.7z ovtx@192.168.0.100:/opt/ovtx/releases/Take a Checkpoint/Snapshot
Back in Hyper-V, click Checkpoint on the right to save the state of your machine before any further installs are performed. It can be useful to restore it later.
Selecting your newly-created checkpoint and hitting the F2 key will allow you to rename it. Give it a meaningful name.
Deploy Your Cluster in the Web Admin App
After creating more VMs, access your primary node’s IP address (as specified in Step 10) over HTTP from a computer that’s on the same network as your machine(s), specifying port 3000.
You should now see the Web Admin tool which will take you through the next steps, creating a Web Admin user and setting up your cluster.