Workloads

Workloads in Mesh Hypervisor are the tasks executed on remote nodes. They include KVM virtual machines and bare-metal applications, managed via configurations from the central orchestration node. This section explains their role and operation.

Role

Workloads enable Mesh Hypervisor’s flexibility:

  • KVM Virtual Machines: Virtualized instances (e.g., Alpine VMs) running on remote nodes.
  • Bare-Metal Tasks: Direct execution of scripts or applications (e.g., MPI for HPC) on node OS.

Both types leverage the same boot and config system, tailored to node needs.

Operation

  1. Configuration: Defined in files under /host0/machines/ on the central node, distributed as APKOVLs.
  2. Deployment: Launched via mesh workload commands (VMs) or preinstalled groups (bare-metal).
  3. Execution: Runs on remote nodes, accessing node resources (RAM, CPU, optional disks).
  4. Access: VMs offer VNC/serial consoles; bare-metal tasks use node-level tools (e.g., SSH).

Diagram

graph TD
    C[Central Node<br>/host0/machines/]
    R[Remote Node]
    C -->|APKOVL| R
    R -->|KVM| V[VM Workload<br>e.g., Alpine VM]
    R -->|Bare-Metal| B[Task<br>e.g., MPI Process]
    V -->|VNC/Serial| A[Access]

Key Features

  • KVM Support: VMs use QEMU/KVM with configurable RAM, CPU, and disk images (e.g., QCOW2, ISO).
  • Bare-Metal Groups: Prebuilt scripts or apps (e.g., MPI, Slurm) run directly on Alpine, no virtualization.
  • Config Files: Specify VM settings (e.g., platform.memory.size) or bare-metal files/permissions.
  • Determinism: UUID-based APKOVLs ensure consistent deployment across reboots.

Notes

Workloads require remote nodes to be booted (see Remote Nodes). KVM VMs are the default focus, with bare-metal as an alternative for specialized use cases. Local storage is optional for VM disks or task data—see Prerequisites. Full setup details are in Configuring Workloads.

This concludes the Core Concepts. Next, explore Usage.