My present Qnap works with Intel Xeon proc. When I see actual “newest” server, the best proc are AMD Ryzen 7 (in benchmark, Ryzen 7 are about 40% more efficient than Xeon 2336) and I can upgrade RAM to 192 Go (and not “only” 128 Go).
I use my present Qnap to network sharing files, backup files and virtualization : I use 2 Windows servers VMs and all is fine.
My question is : if I migrate to AMD Ryzen, with export process in virtualization station (ova file), will my VM work well again (migrate from intel proc to AMD proc) ?
I have two NAS units - TS-873A and a TVS-672XT. The TS-873A has a Ryzen Embedded V1500B and right now the TVS-672XT has an i3. The V1500B is slightly less powerful than the i3. So I decided I would use the 672 as my “virtualization” machine.
It was not a problem at all to load the VMs I created with the 873A onto the 672.
Now both CPUs are no comparison to Xeon and Ryzen 7 but I would expect the transition to be just as straightforward.
QNAP servers are pretty mediocre value if you want them for virtualization. Sure you can buy a super high end NAS with 12,16 or even more bays and virtualize on it. But you getting your compute via other means would be much more economical (you could leave the VM Storage on a QNAP and connect it via 10GbE)
i know the ryzen boxes were expensive when i looked into getting a second NAS unit. I might have purchased one if it wasn’t 1-2k more then my prior unit. I ended up getting a second TVS-h1688X unit off ebay as it fit my budget, so I run two of the same units now.
I run one unit for storage and backup data with dockers containers and the other unit is VM storage using SSD and running one VM i want isolated from my other servers. I have servers that run compute and their storage is on the 2nd NAS so i can move VMs around as i need to bring servers down for maintenance.
Again i think what matters is your budget and needs. Like @dolbyman mentioned you can get small mini PC to run VMS and have all the storage for the VM running off the NAS. Or maybe you like a single all in one solution and only need to run a few VMs where a powerful Ryzen NAS would make sense.
Also right now memory at an all time high, so 196GB ECC memory will set you back 1-2k alone.
Hi @M.P I have checked with the Virtualization Station team that both Intel Xeon and AMD Ryzen are x86_64 platforms, so export the VM as an ova file from the Intel NAS and import it on the AMD NAS should work without issues.
First, the choice to stay with Qnap is the All-in-One. A long time, I tried the 1st concurrent and I prefer Qnap. But your discuss about split storage and Virtualization is a way to explore. I don’t know if I can find something with a the same simplicity and powerful : I will continue to search.
Second, I have Qnap team and their return is most nuanced (sorry, I don’t know if it the right word). For them, it could be work fine only if I created VMs with CPU “passthrought” option. As these VMs are essentials, hard to try before deployment.
So, I will continue to “dig” this subject to have the best option.
Passthrough is nothing too complicated. In Virtualization Station, there are multiple settings for CPUs. Most of them are emulated. For example, you can set the VM up to behave like you are using an i7 when all you have is an i3. This can cause problems and actually slow things up as your i3 is doing extra work emulating the i7. Passthrough is the most reliable setting and basically passes your actual CPU to the VM. You aren’t doing any CPU emulation.
When shifting between processor types like you are asking about, it’s really important to make sure you have your VM set to passthrough first. Then after you have migrated, you can go back and choose an emulated CPU but generally you get better performance on passthrough.
Hi, you mentioned that you have already contacted the QNAP team. Could you please let us know through which channel you reached out?
If you opened a support ticket, would you mind providing the Ticket Number? We would like to check the details and follow up on the status for you. Thanks!
I contact Qnap directly by your website and that generate an inquiry (France inquiry) which number is L-202601-0038 and the answer is (in french) :
Après concertation avec mon équipe technique, les VMs peuvent être migrées d’un processeur d’un marque vers une autre uniquement si les VMs ont bien été paramétrer en CPU Passthrough lors de leur création