Hardware Compatibility List

CPU Pools 

Overview of CPU Pooling in XenServer

There are four types of heterogeneous CPU pools:

1. Adding more capable host hardware to a less capable pool
2. Adding less capable host hardware to a more capable pool
3. Combining different and mutually exclusive host hardware into a pool
4. Combining different CPU models that have identical features

Type 1 requires applying a CPU mask on the joining server to make it compatible with the existing pool, which remains unmasked, and is supported automatically via XenCenter. Type 2 requires applying a CPU mask on existing pool hosts to make them compatible with the joining host. Type 3 requires applying a common CPU mask on both the joining host and existing pool hosts. Types 2 and 3 are supported via XenAPI and the xe CLI. Type 4 represents CPUs with different marketing model names but identical model number, family, and feature flag attributes. Because they have identical attributes these combinations have always been supported and do not require a mask, but it has not been obvious when comparing the marketing model names.

The heterogeneous CPU pool types that require applying a CPU mask to hosts in an existing pool also imply that any existing VMs in the pool must be shut down until all hosts in the pool have the new CPU configuration in effect. Use of a "rolling" approach where VMs are consolidated via migration while hosts are rebooted in turn cannot be used because VM migration is not supported across hosts with disparate CPU configurations.

For more information, please refer to the Citrix Knowledge Base article Understanding Heterogeneous CPU Pooling in XenServer 5.6, here: . http://support.citrix.com/article/CTX127059.

To certify and submit additional heterogeneous CPU pool combinations, please utilize the Heterogeneous CPU Pool self-test kit here: http://citrix.com/ready/hcl

Note:

1. Generally, CPUs of the same type but differing only by their power and clock speeds (e.g. Intel Xeon E5502 and Xeon X5570) do not require CPU masks to work with each other in heterogeneous CPU pools.
2. Users of XenServer 5.6: Heterogeneous resource pools are only available with XenServer Enterprise and Platinum editions.
3. Users of XenServer 5.6 – Feature Pack 1: Heterogeneous resource pools are only available with XenServer Advanced, Enterprise and Platinum editions.

To learn more about XenServer editions and how to upgrade, visit the Citrix website here: http://www.citrix.com/English/ps2/products/subfeature.asp?contentID=2300456

XenServer CPU Compatibility List - Intel CPUs

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