Module 8 – Lesson 2: Resource Controls Video Transcript
Module 8 – Lesson 2: Resource Controls Video Transcript
Slide 1
Welcome back! Let’s get started with Lesson 2: Resource Controls!
Slide 2
After completing this lesson, you should be able to meet the following objectives:
• Assign share values for CPU and memory resources
• Describe how virtual machines compete for resources
• And Define CPU and memory reservations and limits.
Slide 3
Beyond the CPU and memory configured for a VM, you can apply resource allocation settings
to a VM to control the amount of resources granted:
• A reservation specifies the guaranteed minimum allocation for a VM.
• A limit specifies an upper bound for CPU or memory that can be allocated to a VM.
• A share is a value that specifies the relative priority or importance of a VM's access to a
given resource.
Because VMs simultaneously use the resources of an ESXi host, resource contention can occur.
To manage resources efficiently, vSphere provides mechanisms to allow less, more, or an equal
amount of access to a defined resource. vSphere also prevents a VM from consuming large
amounts of a resource. vSphere grants a guaranteed amount of a resource to a VM whose
performance is not adequate or that requires a certain amount of a resource to run properly.
When host memory or CPU is overcommitted, a VM’s allocation target is somewhere between
its specified reservation and specified limit, depending on the VM’s shares and the system load.
vSphere uses a share-based allocation algorithm to achieve efficient resource use for all VMs
and to guarantee a given resource to the VMs that need it most.
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Module 8 – Lesson 2: Resource Controls Video Transcript
Slide 4
RAM reservations:
• Memory reserved to a VM is guaranteed never to swap or balloon.
• If an ESXi host does not have enough unreserved RAM to support a VM with a
reservation, the VM does not power on.
• Reservations are measured in MB, GB, or TB.
• The default is 0 MB.
• Adding a vSphere DirectPath I/O device to a VM sets memory reservation to the
memory size of the VM.
When configuring a memory reservation for a VM, you can specify the VM's configured
amount of memory to reserve all of the VM's memory. For example, if a VM is configured with
4 GB of memory, you can set a memory reservation of 4 GB for the VM. You might configure
such a memory reservation for a critical VM that must maintain a high level of performance.
Alternatively, you can select the Reserve All Guest Memory (All locked) check box. Selecting
this check box ensures that all of the VM's memory gets reserved even if you change the total
amount of memory for the VM. The memory reservation is immediately readjusted when the
VM's memory configuration changes.
Slide 5
CPU reservations:
• CPU that is reserved for a VM is guaranteed to be immediately scheduled on physical
cores. The VM is never placed in a CPU ready state.
• If an ESXi host does not have enough unreserved CPU to support a VM with a
reservation, the VM does not power on.
• Reservations are measured in MHz or GHz.
• The default is 0 MHz.
Slide 6
RAM limits:
• VMs never consume more physical RAM than is specified by the memory allocation
limit.
• VMs might use the VM swap mechanism (.vswp) if the guest OS attempts to consume
more RAM than is specified by the limit.
CPU limits:
• VMs never consume more physical CPU than is specified by the CPU allocation limit.
• CPU threads are placed in a ready state if the guest OS attempts to schedule threads
faster than the limit allows. Usually, specifying a limit is not necessary, but specifying
limits has the following benefits and drawbacks:
o Benefits: Assigning a limit is useful if you start with a few VMs and want to
manage user expectations. The performance deteriorates as you add more VMs.
You can simulate having fewer resources available by specifying a limit.
o Drawbacks: You might waste idle resources if you specify a limit. The system
does not allow VMs to use more resources than the limit, even when the system
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Module 8 – Lesson 2: Resource Controls Video Transcript
is underused and idle resources are available. Specify the limit only if you have
good reasons for doing so.
Slide 7
Shares define the relative importance of a VM:
• If a VM has twice as many shares of a resource as another VM, the VM is entitled to
consume twice as much of that resource when these two VMs compete for resources.
• Share values apply only if an ESXi host experiences contention for a resource. High,
normal, and low settings represent share values with a 4:2:1 ratio, respectively. A
custom value of shares assigns a specific number of shares (which expresses a
proportional weight) to each VM.
Slide 8
VMs are resource consumers. The default resource settings that you assign during VM creation
work well for most VMs.
The proportional share mechanism applies to CPU, memory, storage I/O, and network I/O
allocation. The mechanism operates only when VMs contend for the same resource.
Slide 9
You can add shares to a VM while it is running, and the VM gets more access to that resource
(assuming competition for the resource). When you add a VM, it gets shares too. The VM’s
share amount factors into the total number of shares, but existing VMs are guaranteed not to be
starved for the resource.
Slide 10
Shares guarantee that a VM is given a certain amount of a resource (CPU, RAM, storage I/O, or
network I/O). For example, consider the third row of VMs on the slide:
• VM D is powered on with 1,000 shares.
• Before VM D was powered on, a total of 5,000 shares were available, but VM D’s
addition increases the total shares to 6,000.
• The result is that the other VMs' shares decline in value. But each VM’s share value still
represents a minimum guarantee. VM A is still guaranteed one-sixth of the resource
because it owns one-sixth of the shares.
Slide 11
When you delete or power off a VM, fewer total shares remain, so the surviving VMs get more
access.
Slide 12
You can edit a VM's settings to configure CPU and memory resource allocations.
Slide 13
You can view reservations, limits, and shares settings for all VMs in a cluster.
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Module 8 – Lesson 2: Resource Controls Video Transcript
Slide 14
You should now be able to meet the following objectives:
• Assign share values for CPU and memory resources
• Describe how virtual machines compete for resources
• And Define CPU and memory reservations and limits.
This is the end of the Lesson 2 Lecture. If you have any questions, please contact your
Instructor. We will see you in Lesson 3 and thanks for watching!
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