VirtIO provides an efficient abstraction for hypervisors and a common set of IO virtualization drivers. It was chosen to be the main platform for IO virtualization in KVM. Currently, the following four drivers are available:
Balloon - The balloon driver affects the memory management of the guest OS.
VIOSERIAL - The serial driver affects single serial device limitation within KVM.
NetKVM - The network driver affects Ethernet network adapters.
VIOSTOR - The block driver affects SCSI-based controllers.
Windows-based systems require VirtIO drivers primarily to recognize the VirtIO (SCSI) controller and network adapter presented by the IONOS KVM-based hypervisor. This can be accomplished in a variety of ways depending on the state of the virtual machine.
IONOS provides pre-configured Windows Server images that already contain the required VirtIO drivers and the optimal network adapter configuration. Additionally, a VirtIO ISO to simplify the driver installation process for Windows 2008 R2, Windows 2012 & Windows 2012 R2 systems is also available. This ISO can be found in the CD-ROM drop-down menu under IONOS Images which can be used for new Windows installations (only required for customer-provided images), as well as Windows images that have been migrated from other environments. Example: via VMDK upload.
Note: We recommend using the latest Windows VirtIO driver from IONOS.
To install Windows VirtIO drivers, follow these steps:
Add a CD-ROM drive.
Log in to the DCD with your username and password, and follow these instructions: a. In the Workspace, select the required server. b. In the Inspector pane, select the Storage tab. c. Click CD-ROM to add a CD-ROM drive. d. In the dialog box, enter the following:
Choose an IONOS Image with drivers (windows-VirtIO-driver-<version>.iso).
Select the Boot from Device checkbox.
Confirm your action by clicking Create CD-ROM Drive.
e. Provision your changes. f. Connect to the server using the Remote Console. The installation menu opens. g. Follow the options provided by the installation menu. h. Remove the CD-ROM drive as soon as the menu asks you to do so, and shut down the VM. i. In the DCD, specify from which storage to boot. j. Restart the server using the DCD. k. Provision your changes. l. Connect to the server again using the Remote Console to make further changes.
Set optimal values: For an optimal configuration, apply the following settings:
MTU:
Internal network interface: 1500 MTU
External network interface: 1500 MTU
Offloading for Receive (RX) and Transmit (TX):
Offload Tx IP checksum: Enabled
Offload Tx LSO: Enabled
Offload Tx TCP checksum: Enabled
Fix IP checksum on LSO: Enabled
Hardware checksum: Enabled
Disable TCP Offloading/Chimney:
Default: netsh int tcp set global chimney=disabled
Everything:
Alternatively, modify the Windows registry:
Result: The installation will be active after a restart. You can use the netsh interface tcp show global command to verify the status of the configurations.
Set correct values for any network adapter automatically by executing the Get-NetAdapter command via PowerShell. The following output is displayed:
a. In the Name field, use the output value instead of Ethernet.
b. Create a new file from the File > New menu in the PowerShell ISE.
c. Copy and paste the following code and remember to update $name ="Ethernet" appropriately:
d. Click File > Execute. e. Verify the settings. f. Restart the VM.
Result: The correct settings are applied automatically.
6. Activate TCP/IP auto-tuning. It ensures optimal data transfer between the client and the server by monitoring network traffic and automatically adjusting the Receive Window Size. You must permanently activate the option for optimal performance.
Execute the netsh interface tcp set global autotuninglevel=normal command to activate TCP/IP auto-tuning.
Execute the netsh interface tcp show global command to check the current setting.
Data is stored in blocks of equal sizes in the IONOS cloud known as Block Storage. It provides endless possibilities to store large amounts of data. It ensures the safety of resource planning systems and offers prompt and instant access to the necessary quantity of data.
Make sure you have the appropriate privileges. Only contract owners, administrators, or users with the Create Data Center privilege can set up a Virtual Data Center (VDC). Other user types have read-only access and cannot provision changes.
Learn how to set up additional block storage for your virtual instances.
Learn how to install Windows VirtIO Drivers.
Storage space is added to your by using storage elements in your . Storage name, availability zone, size, OS image, and boot options are configurable for each element.
Drag a storage element ( or ) from the Palette onto a Server or a Cube in the Workspace to connect them together. The highlighted VM will expand with a storage section.
Click the Unnamed HDD Storage to highlight the storage section. You can now see new options in the Inspector on the right.
Note: You cannot change the storage type after provisioning.
Enter a name that is unique within your VDC.
Set the root or administrator password for your server according to the guidelines. This is recommended for both operating system types
Copy and paste the public part of your SSH key into this field.
Select the storage volume from which the server is to boot by clicking on BOOT or Make Boot Device.
When adding a storage element using the Inspector, select the appropriate check box in the Add Storage dialog box. If you wish to boot from the network, set this on the server: Server in the Workspace > Inspector > Storage.
(Optional) Add and configure further storage elements.
(Optional) Make further changes to your data center.
Provision your changes.
Result: The storage device is now provisioned and configured according to your settings.
To assign an image and specify a boot device, you need to add and configure a storage element.
Click on CD-ROM to add a CD-ROM drive so that you can use ISO images to install and configure an operating system from scratch.
Set up a network by connecting the server to other elements, such as an internet access element or other servers through their NICs.
Provision your changes.
Result: The server is available according to your settings.
When you no longer need snapshots or images, you should remove them from your cloud infrastructure to avoid unnecessary costs. For backup purposes, you can create a snapshot before deleting it.
Note:
If you delete a server and its storage devices, or the entire data center, their backups are not deleted automatically. The corresponding backups are deleted when you delete a backup unit.
In the Workspace, select the storage device you wish to delete.
Open the context menu of the element and select Delete.
(Optional) Select the element and press the DEL key.
Provision your changes.
Result: The storage device is deleted and will no longer be available.
Select a zone in which you want the storage device to be maintained. When you select A (Auto), the system assigns the optimal Zone. The cannot be changed after .
Specify the required storage capacity. The size can be increased after provisioning, even while the is running, as long as this is supported by its operating system. It is not possible to reduce the storage size after provisioning.
You can select one of the IONOS images or , or use your own. Only images and snapshots that you have access to are available for selection. Since provisioning does not require you to specify an image, you can also create empty storage volumes.
Select an stored in the SSH Key Manager.
It is recommended to always use to benefit from the full performance of InfiniBand. IDE is intended for troubleshooting if, for instance, the operating system has no VirtIO drivers installed. In this case, Windows usually displays a "blue screen" when booting.
After provisioning, the properties of the selected image are displayed. You can make changes to these properties later, which will require a reboot. You can set the properties of your uploaded images before you apply them to storage volumes in the Image Manager.
If you no longer need the backups of deleted , you should delete them manually from the to avoid unnecessary costs.