OpenShift Virtualization Training: Modernizing Workloads

Goal: Prepare participants to deploy, manage, and operate virtual machines within OpenShift Virtualization.

Theory:

• OpenShift Virtualization architecture and key components (HCO, virt
  launcher, CDI)
• Operator Lifecycle Manager (OLM) and Operator deployment flow
• Creating VMs from disk images, installation media, and templates
• Overview of virtctl, CLI vs Console VM operations
• VM run strategies
• Creating and sealing golden images for reuse
• Basic system administration expectations inside VM

Practical:

• Deploy OpenShift Virtualization using OperatorHub (OLM)
• Deploy and launch VM from default template
• Access VM consoles via Console and virtctl
• Start, pause, and delete VMs using both interfaces
• Create and seal a golden image
• Deploy and launch VMs using install ISO and disk image-based
  templates
• Add cloud-init to inject credentials and packages during boot

Goal: Use Kubernetes-native features to provide networking and persistent storage for virtual machines.

Theory:

• Kubernetes networking concepts (ClusterIP, NodePort, LoadBalancer)
• NetworkPolicy: controlling east-west traffic
• Differences in behavior between container pods and virtual machines regarding NetworkPolicy
• Creating Services and Routes to expose VMs (SSH, app traffic)
• Deployment of NMState operator for advanced network configuration
• Storage classes, PVCs, and attaching volumes to VMs
• Resource limits: CPU/mem constraints, InstanceTypes

Practical:

• Expose VM via ClusterIP and NodePort for SSH access
• Use NetworkAttachmentDefinition (NAD) to add a second NIC to a VM
• Configure external bridge network to connect to legacy VLAN
• Provision a PVC (Disk) and attach/detach it to/from a VM
• Deploy a VM from a custom InstanceType with CPU and memory quotas
• Test read/write to attached disk and live migration compatibility

Goal: Clone, migrate, and protect VMs across lifecycles.

Theory:

• VM snapshots and DataVolume cloning
• Using OpenShift API for Data Protection (OADP) for backup/restore
• Affinity/anti-affinity, node selectors, taints, tolerations
• Configuring probes and watchdogs for HA and self-healing
• Node maintenance process: drain, live migration, runStrategy
• GitOps approach to VM management
• Importing OVAs and migrating from vSphere via MT

Practical:

• Create and restore VM snapshots
• Clone a running VM using DataVolume
• Backup and restore a VM using OADP
• Configure affinity rules and simulate node failure with failover
• GitOps for VM management
• Import an OVA manually and configure it for external access *
• Deploy Migration Toolkit for Virtualization and test VM import *

Goal: Equipping consultants with tools and methods to assess customer readiness.

Theory:

• Architect the target virtualization environment
• Introduction to Virtualization Migration Assessment (VMA)
• Stakeholder personas and interview planning
• Inventory collection tools: vCenter, RVTools, manual templates
• Discovery areas: subscriptions, hardware, networking, storage, application dependencies
• Performing gap analysis and mapping to OpenShift Virtualization
• Identifying and designing small PoCs to validate architecture segments before full production rollout
• Design a migration factory plan and journey timeline

Practical:

• Producing deliverables: readiness scorecard and phased migration plan
• Simulate customer discovery using mock VMware datasets
• Use assessment templates to identify technical gaps
• Develop a VMA-style report including resource mapping and risks – Present a mock discovery summary and recommendation

Goal: Building phased migration plans and delivery pipelines using the VMF model.

Theory:

• Introduction to Virtualization Migration Factory (VMF)
• Common pitfalls during large-scale virtualization migration
• Importance of PoC phase for uncovering hardware limitations
• Factory model components: OpenShift, MTV
• Designing phased migrations: waves, move groups, validation gates
• Operationalizing the VMF:team roles, automation, customer touchpoints
• Cost modeling, risk mitigation, and outcome reporting

Practical:

• Configure and execute a phased migration plan in MTV
• Align VM waves to lifecycle, dependencies, and readiness
• Create a partner-facing delivery tracker and factory dashboard
• Present a final proposal integrating VMA and VMF strategy