Stable Release Version v2.0.0
We're excited to announce Live Migration support in the Hypervisor Control Panel! This game-changing feature allows you to move running virtual machines between hypervisors with less than 1 second of downtime, eliminating service interruptions during maintenance, load balancing, or
infrastructure optimization.
What is Live Migration?
Live migration is an advanced virtualization technique that transfers a running virtual machine from one physical host to another while keeping it online and operational. Unlike traditional "cold" migrations that require shutting down the VM, live migration maintains active connections, running
processes, and user sessions throughout the entire migration process.
Key Features
Minimal Downtime
Experience downtime of typically 100-500 milliseconds during migrations - so brief that most applications and users won't even notice. Active SSH sessions stay connected, web services remain available, and databases continue processing queries.
Two Migration Modes
Shared Storage Migration (Fast)
- Migrates only RAM and CPU state when using shared datastores
- Ideal for infrastructure with SAN, NFS, or CephFS storage
- Completes in seconds to minutes depending on memory size
- Perfect for quick load balancing and emergency evacuations
Block Migration (Comprehensive)
- Migrates RAM, CPU state, AND disk contents
- Works with local storage on both hypervisors
- Takes longer but provides complete independence
- Great for consolidating hypervisors or permanent relocations
Real-Time Progress Tracking
Monitor every aspect of your migration through the intuitive web interface:
- Memory transfer progress with detailed statistics (processed/remaining/percentage)
- Disk transfer details for each virtual disk during block migrations
- Transfer speed monitoring in MB/s for capacity planning
- Elapsed time tracking to predict completion
- WebSocket updates for instant status changes without page refreshes
Advanced Performance Options
Fine-tune migrations for your specific needs:
Auto-Converge
- Automatically throttles busy VMs when memory changes faster than transfer
- Ensures successful migration even for high-activity workloads
- Recommended for production database servers and busy web applications
Bandwidth Limiting
- Set maximum migration bandwidth in MB/s
- Prevents network saturation during business hours
- Schedule migrations during low-traffic periods
Post-Copy Mode (Experimental)
- Starts VM on destination before memory transfer completes
- Achieves absolute minimal downtime
- Use with caution on stable networks only
Architecture Overview
Migration Process
- Validation Phase - System checks resources, storage access, network connectivity, and compatibility
- Preparation Phase - SSH keys generated, network filters created on destination, storage paths prepared
- Pre-Copy Phase - VM memory transferred while VM continues running on source
- Iterative Sync Phase - Changed memory pages re-transferred (repeats until convergence)
- Stop-and-Copy Phase - VM paused on source (~100-500ms), final sync performed
- Resume Phase - VM started on destination with identical state
- Completion Phase - Network filters activated, IP addresses assigned, SSH keys cleaned up
- Cleanup Phase - Source VM destroyed (optional), migration marked complete
Getting Started
Prerequisites
Before performing live migrations, ensure:
- Network connectivity between hypervisors via SSH (port 22 or custom)
- Compatible CPU architecture on source and destination (or CPU compatibility mode enabled)
- Sufficient resources on destination (RAM, CPU, storage)
- Shared storage access (for shared storage migrations) OR adequate local storage space (for block migrations)
- Same network subnets Ensure the same IP can be reused on destination server
Initiating a Live Migration
- Navigate to Admin Panel → Instances → Select Instance
- Click Migrate Instance button
- Select Live Migration as migration type
- Choose Destination Hypervisor from dropdown
- Configure Migration Options:
- Select storage mapping for each disk
- Choose whether to keep existing IPs or assign new ones
- Enable auto-converge for busy VMs
- Set bandwidth limit if needed
- Enable compression (recommended)
- Click Start Migration
- Monitor real-time progress in the migration dashboard
Monitoring Progress
The migration dashboard provides comprehensive visibility:
For Shared Storage Migrations:
Memory: 6.4 GB / 8.0 GB (80%)
Time: 2m 15s
Overall Progress: 80%
For Block Migrations:
Memory: 6.4 GB / 8.0 GB (80%)
Disk vda: 25.0 GB / 50.0 GB (50%) - 150.2 MB/s
Disk vdb: 8.5 GB / 20.0 GB (42.5%) - 125.8 MB/s
Time: 5m 42s
Overall Progress: 61%
Migration Types Comparison
| Aspect | Cold Migration | Live Migration |
|---|---|---|
| Downtime | 5-30 minutes | < 1 second |
| VM State During | Stopped/Suspended | Running |
| User Impact | Service interruption | Transparent |
| Speed (Shared Storage) | Slow (full copy) | Fast (memory only) |
| Speed (Local Storage) | Slow (rsync transfer) | Moderate (live sync) |
| Complexity | Medium | High |
| Best For | Major changes, cost savings | Zero-downtime operations |
Performance Tuning Tips
For Database Servers
✓ Enable auto-converge
✓ Enable compression
✓ Set moderate bandwidth limit (500-1000 MB/s)
✓ Migrate during low-query periods
✗ Avoid post-copy mode
For Web Servers
✓ Enable compression
✓ Standard settings usually sufficient
✓ Can migrate during production hours
✓ Auto-converge if high traffic
For Storage-Heavy VMs
✓ Use shared storage if available
✓ Set higher bandwidth limit
✓ Enable compression for disk data
✓ Monitor disk transfer progress closely
For Memory-Heavy VMs (Large RAM)
✓ Enable auto-converge
✓ Enable compression (critical)
✓ Set bandwidth limit to control impact
✓ Expect longer migration times
✓ Schedule during off-peak hours
Security Considerations
Live migration maintains security throughout the process:
- SSH key-based authentication - Temporary keys generated per migration, automatically cleaned up
- Encrypted transport - All data transferred over SSH tunnel
- Firewall preservation - Network filters migrated to destination before VM starts
- IP security - IP assignments validated against subnet access rules
- Audit logging - Complete migration history with timestamps and user tracking
What's Next?
Future enhancements planned for live migration:
- Scheduled migrations - Queue migrations for off-peak hours automatically
- Migration templates - Save common configurations for one-click migrations
- Predictive analytics - Estimate migration duration based on historical data
- Automated load balancing - System-triggered migrations based on resource thresholds
- Multi-VM migrations - Migrate related VMs together maintaining dependencies
- Bandwidth optimization - Adaptive bandwidth based on network conditions
Getting Help
For assistance with live migrations:
- Documentation: Comprehensive guides available in the admin panel
- Migration Dashboard: Real-time status and detailed error messages
- Logs: Check
storage/logs/laravel.logfor detailed debugging information - Support: Contact our technical team for migration planning assistance
Upgrade Now
Live migration support is available in Version 2.0.0 and later. Upgrade today to experience zero-downtime infrastructure management.
Ready to eliminate downtime from your infrastructure operations? Update to v2.0.0 and start live migrating your virtual machines today!