SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 12 SP5 Virtualization Best Practices

This guide provides best practices for virtualization on SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 12 SP5. It outlines various virtualization scenarios and emphasizes the importance of proper configuration and resource allocation for VM Guests and VM Host Servers. The document stresses the necessity of backing up data before making modifications to avoid data loss or instability. It recommends using the libvirt framework for managing virtualization, as it simplifies operations across different technologies. The guide also discusses the performance implications of using qemu-system-x86_64 over qemu-system-i386 for VM Guests. Additionally, it details the significance of resource allocation, particularly memory management, and introduces concepts such as huge pages and Transparent Huge Pages (THP) to enhance performance. Specific configurations for memory allocation and management in both KVM and Xen environments are provided, along with recommendations for optimizing performance and ensuring stability in virtualized environments.