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OpenShift Virtualization for Azure Red Hat OpenShift

OpenShift Virtualization for Azure Red Hat OpenShift, a self-managed add-on to Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform (OCP), allows users to run and manage virtual machines (VM) alongside containers on the same OpenShift cluster. This integration provides a unified platform for diverse workloads, simplifying management and operations. This ability allows for easy migration and deployment of traditional virtual machines onto a trusted, consistent, and comprehensive cloud application platform. When deployed on Azure Red Hat OpenShift, OpenShift Virtualization uses Azure's robust infrastructure to deliver a scalable and resilient environment for your virtualized workloads.

Key Benefits

  • Unified platform: Consolidate your containerized and virtualized applications on a single platform, reducing operational complexity.
  • Scalability: Use Azure's elastic infrastructure to scale your virtual machines and containerized applications as needed.
  • Simplified management: Use OpenShift's familiar tools and workflows to manage both containers and virtual machines.
  • Cost efficiency: Optimize resource utilization by running VMs and containers on shared infrastructure.

OpenShift Container Platform version support

OpenShift Virtualization on Azure Red Hat OpenShift is supported only from version 4.18 onwards. Ensure your cluster meets this version requirement in order to utilize OpenShift Virtualization capabilities on Azure Red Hat OpenShift. Running on earlier versions isn't supported and might lead to unexpected behavior or functionality issues. If you need to update your cluster, see the Red Hat documentation for Updating clusters.

Important concepts

  • OpenShift Virtualization requires a persistent volume storage location. For more information, see Supported persistent storage options. Azure NetApp Files support for OpenShift Virtualization is in preview.
  • OpenShift Virtualization on Azure Red Hat OpenShift is only supported on the Dsv5 and Dsv6 family of nodes with eight (8) cores or higher. These instance types make use of Azure Boost technologies to improve performance.
  • You need an Azure Red Hat OpenShift cluster with at least version 4.18.
  • Dsv6 family of nodes are currently supported in preview and are supported starting with Azure Red Hat OpenShift version 4.19.
  • For more information about available versions, see Azure Red Hat OpenShift release calendar.
  • Performance of an application workload varies depending on the setup of the Virtualization environment. Refer to the best practices article for information on right-sizing your workloads and fine-tuning methods.

Supported Azure instance types

OpenShift Virtualization on Azure supports a range of instance types, allowing you to choose the appropriate compute resources for your virtual machines. The following list details the currently supported Azure instance types:

  • Dsv5 Series (4.18+) - Use a SKU with minimum of eight (8) cores.
  • Dsv6 Series (preview in 4.19+) - Use a SKU with minimum of eight (8) cores.

Supported persistent storage options

OpenShift Virtualization requires a persistent volume storage location. While you could use any storage available to the cluster, like Azure Files or Azure Disk, or any other storage options supporting the container storage interface (CSI), a storage class that provides block storage and/or supports the ReadWriteMany (RWX) access mode is recommended for storage. The following storage options are validated for use with OpenShift Virtualization:

  • OpenShift Data Foundation (ODF): OpenShift Data Foundation (ODF) provides persistent storage for applications running on OpenShift, offering advanced features like data replication, encryption, and disaster recovery.
  • Azure NetApp Files (ANF): Azure NetApp Files (ANF) is a high-performance, enterprise-grade file storage service built on NetApp's ONTAP technology. ANF offers performance, scalability, and advanced data management features, which makes it ideal for demanding workloads like OpenShift Virtualization.
  • Azure Disk: Azure Disk provides persistent, high-performance block storage offering a scalable and durable solution for applications and data. Live migration isn't supported with Azure Disks as your persistent storage.

Prerequisites

  • Sufficient quota for an Azure Red Hat OpenShift cluster with at least one D8sv5 SKU in your subscription. For three worker nodes of eight (8) cores each, a minimum of 52 cores are needed to create a cluster.
  • At least one worker node of D8sv5 or higher. For more information about creating worker nodes, see Overview of machine management.
  • A running Azure Red Hat OpenShift cluster with at least version 4.18. For more information, see Create a cluster and Upgrade an Azure Red Hat OpenShift cluster.

Installation

  1. After you have an Azure Red Hat OpenShift cluster, ensure that you have at least one worker node from the list of supported Azure instance types.

    Note

    If you want to use the Dsv6 worker node, ensure that you provide the following values in the MachineSet YAML.

    • spec.template.spec.providerSpec.value.image.sku should be set to 419-v2.
    • spec.template.spec.providerSpec.value.image.version should be set to 419.6.20250523.

    You can find this information using the following command:

    az vm image list --architecture x64 -o table --all --offer aro4 --publisher azureopenshift

  2. Install the OpenShift Virtualization operator. For more information, see Installing OpenShift Virtualization.

  3. (Recommended) Proceed to set up a persistent storage provider such as Red Hat OpenShift Data Foundation or Azure NetApp Files.

    Note

    After installation, you might need to change the default storage class on the cluster to be one of the classes for your selected persistent storage. For more information, see Changing the default storage class.

Post installation steps and VM creation

There are typically a few procedures that are performed after installing OpenShift Virtualization. For more information, see Postinstallation configuration.

You're now ready to create a virtual machine. For more information, see Creating a virtual machine. If you're moving many workloads, see the Migration Toolkit for Virtualization to learn about large migrations of virtualization workloads to OpenShift Virtualization.

Licensing Windows VMs on OpenShift Virtualization

Windows Server VMs, licensed with Windows Server licenses with either active software assurance or subscription, are supported on OpenShift Virtualization on Azure Red Hat OpenShift through Azure Hybrid Benefit. If the license is for a Datacenter edition, it can only be used for one OpenShift Virtualization VM. This license does not allow you to run multiple VMs on OpenShift Virtualization host. If you're looking to procure new Windows server licenses, existing volume agreements with Microsoft or existing partner channels need to be utilized.

Licensing RHEL VMs on OpenShift Virtualization

Red Hat Subscriptions can be consumed on OpenShift Virtualization in Azure through the Red Hat Cloud Access Program. For Eligibility details, refer to this link: https://www.redhat.com/en/technologies/cloud-computing/cloud-access.

Related content

Learn more about OpenShift Container Platform OpenShift Virtualization.

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