I'm in the process of replacing two old hosts that currently run six VMs (three each). Their drives are using an old Synology box for storage. The VMs include two Domain Controllers, a File Server, a Backup Server, and a Server for third-party applications, totaling around 1.5 TB. I'm considering getting two new physical hosts with internal storage and replicating the VMs between them. This way, if one host fails, I can easily failover to the other. In the future, I might want to move the File Server to Azure using Azure File Sync.
I'm debating whether to stick with the Synology for VM storage or go for internal drives instead, since it could fail and leave me in a tough spot. I've already reduced the number of VMs from nine to six, which might explain the previous setup. Is there something I'm missing here?
3 Answers
I recommend keeping it straightforward with local storage for two nodes. Simplicity has its advantages. Make sure your backup strategy is robust and quick. Having one Domain Controller on each node should suffice. But keep in mind that your organization's risk tolerance matters; a SAN could provide some benefits. Every option has its risks, so choose what aligns with your comfort level.
The Synology could function as a SAN and might be useful for live VM migrations and quick failovers. It's also easier to upgrade storage with a SAN. However, if downtime isn’t a huge issue for you, having two hosts with internal storage might be the way to go, especially given your scale. Just remember, replication isn't instantaneous, so a failover might result in some data loss since you have to revert to a checkpoint. Plus, managing disk space on each physical host could be a hassle.
Clustering typically requires at least three nodes to avoid issues like split brain. Your storage needs seem quite small. If you're using something like Proxmox VE, then internal storage would be a solid choice with ZFS for replication. Make sure you have a dedicated and fast interconnect for storage replication. You could still use the Synology for backup purposes.
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