In the ever-evolving world of IT infrastructure, data storage and virtualization play an increasingly important role. Two technologies that stand out in this field are CEPH and Proxmox. In this blog post, we'll delve into these two systems and show you how they can work together to create a robust and scalable IT environment.

What is CEPH?

CEPH is a cutting-edge, open-source storage system known for its scalability, flexibility, and fault tolerance. It was designed to run on commodity hardware and provides a unified solution for object, block, and file storage.

Basic Functionality of CEPH

CEPH works with a distributed object store that stores data as objects on storage nodes. The system uses several daemon types to fulfill its functions. The Ceph Monitor (MON) maintains a master copy of the cluster map, while the Ceph Object Storage Device (OSD) stores the actual data as objects. The Ceph Manager (MGR) monitors the state and performance of the cluster. A CEPH storage cluster consists of at least one Ceph Monitor and two Ceph OSD daemons for data replication.

Advantages of CEPH

CEPH offers numerous advantages that make it an attractive choice for modern data storage requirements. Its scalability allows it to grow easily to exabyte levels. The system has self-healing and self-management capabilities that reduce administrative overhead. Its distributed architecture means there are no single points of failure, which increases reliability. CEPH is also cost-effective as it runs on standard hardware and doesn't require expensive RAID controllers. Its versatility is evident in its support for block, file, and object storage in a single system.

What is Proxmox?

Proxmox Virtual Environment (VE) is an open-source platform for server virtualization. It combines two virtualization technologies: KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) for virtual machines and LXC (Linux Containers) for containers.

Main Features of Proxmox

Proxmox VE is characterized by several notable features. It offers a user-friendly web interface that simplifies the management of virtual machines and containers. The platform has high availability features that ensure service continuity even in the face of technical problems. Integrated backup and recovery tools protect against data loss. Proxmox supports flexible storage solutions and various storage types. It also simplifies network management, which is particularly advantageous for complex connection configurations.

Advantages of Proxmox

As an open-source solution, Proxmox VE offers several benefits. It's cost-effective as there are no license fees, which reduces IT costs. The customizability through open source code allows modifications to meet specific needs. An active community provides continuous support and ensures regular updates. Proxmox's flexibility allows for infrastructure development without dependence on a particular vendor.

CEPH and Proxmox: A Powerful Combination

The integration of CEPH into Proxmox VE creates a powerful platform for hyperconverged infrastructures. This combination allows you to unite compute and storage resources in a single system, leading to more efficient use of hardware and simplified management.

Benefits of Integration

The integration of CEPH and Proxmox offers several crucial advantages. First and foremost, management is significantly simplified. Proxmox provides native integration for installing and managing CEPH services, either through the integrated web interface or the pveceph command-line tool. This means you can manage CEPH directly from the Proxmox environment without using separate tools or interfaces.Another important advantage is scalability. You can easily expand your storage system by adding new nodes to the Proxmox cluster. CEPH automatically adapts to the new configuration and redistributes data accordingly. This allows for seamless growth of your infrastructure without requiring major changes or downtime.The combination of CEPH and Proxmox also offers a high degree of high availability. CEPH's replication in conjunction with Proxmox's high availability features ensures a robust and fault-tolerant environment. Even if individual nodes or disks fail, your data and virtual machines remain available.Flexibility is another key advantage of this integration. You can set up different storage pools with varying performance and redundancy characteristics to meet the specific requirements of your workloads. For example, you can set up a high-performance SSD pool for I/O-intensive applications and a more cost-effective HDD pool for archive data.

Setting up CEPH in Proxmox

Setting up CEPH in Proxmox is relatively easy thanks to the integrated installation wizard. The process begins with installation. To do this, click on one of your cluster nodes and navigate to the CEPH section in the menu tree. If CEPH is not yet installed, you will be prompted to do so. The installation itself is largely automated and requires minimal intervention on your part.After installation, you need to create a configuration. This is only required once per cluster, as this configuration is automatically distributed to all remaining cluster members. In this step, you define basic parameters such as the cluster name and network configuration.Network configuration is an important aspect of CEPH setup in Proxmox. You need to define a public network for CEPH communication. It is recommended to separate CEPH traffic from Proxmox VE cluster communication and possibly the public networks of your virtual guests. This improves both the performance and security of your system.The next step is setting up Object Storage Devices (OSDs). OSDs are the components that provide the actual storage space for your data. In Proxmox, you can easily add OSDs through the web interface by selecting available disks and assigning them to the CEPH cluster.Once the OSDs are set up, it's time to create storage pools. Pools are logical partitions within CEPH storage that can be used for various purposes, such as virtual machine images, container data, or general object storage. You can create multiple pools with different replication and performance properties to meet various workload requirements.

Using CEPH in Proxmox

Once CEPH is set up in your Proxmox cluster, you can use it for various storage tasks. One of the most common applications is storing VM disks. Instead of using local disks or traditional NAS solutions, you can use CEPH-RBD (RADOS Block Device) as a storage backend for your virtual machines. This offers several advantages, including improved performance, easy live migration of VMs between nodes, and increased fault tolerance.CEPH can also be used as storage for containers. LXC containers in Proxmox can use CEPH volumes as data storage, offering the same benefits as with VMs. Additionally, you can use CEPH for backup purposes. Proxmox VE offers integrated backup functions that can use CEPH as a target for backups. This allows you to store your backups on a highly available, scalable storage system.Another interesting use case is using CEPH as object storage. With the CEPH Object Gateway, you can set up an S3-compatible object store that's directly integrated into your Proxmox environment. This is particularly useful for applications that require an object storage interface, or if you want to operate a private S3-compatible storage in your data center.

Performance Optimization

While CEPH in Proxmox works well out of the box, there are some possibilities for performance optimization. An important consideration is choosing the right hardware. SSDs for OSD journals can significantly improve write performance, especially in environments with high write loads. Network configuration also plays an important role. Using 10Gbit/s or faster networks for CEPH cluster traffic can significantly boost performance.The configuration of the CRUSH map, which determines how CEPH distributes data across the cluster, can also be optimized. By adjusting the CRUSH map, you can better adapt data distribution to your specific hardware and workload requirements. Setting parameters such as the number of placement groups per pool can also affect performance.It's important to note that the optimal configuration of CEPH in Proxmox depends on your specific requirements and hardware configuration. It may be worthwhile to test different configurations and monitor performance to find the best setting for your environment.

Conclusion

The combination of CEPH and Proxmox offers a powerful, flexible, and scalable solution for modern IT infrastructures. It allows you to leverage the benefits of a hyperconverged infrastructure without tying yourself to proprietary solutions. The native integration of CEPH into Proxmox simplifies management and allows even smaller organizations to benefit from the advantages of a distributed storage system.While setting up and optimizing CEPH in Proxmox requires some technical knowledge, the flexibility and scalability of this solution offer long-term benefits. With proper planning and configuration, you can create an infrastructure that grows with your requirements and adapts to changing needs.Whether you're a small business with growing storage requirements or operating a larger data center, the combination of CEPH and Proxmox provides you with the tools to build a robust, scalable, and cost-effective IT infrastructure. With continuous improvements and an active community behind both projects, this solution is well-positioned to meet future challenges in data storage and virtualization.