For a functional environment, OpenStack doesn't require a significant amount of resources. We recommend that your environment meets or exceeds the following minimum requirements which can support several minimal CirrOS instances:
Controller Node: 1 processor, 2 GB memory, and 5 GB storage
Network Node: 1 processor, 512 MB memory, and 5 GB storage
Compute Node: 1 processor, 2 GB memory, and 10 GB storage
To minimize clutter and provide more resources for OpenStack, we recommend a minimal installation of your Linux distribution. Also, we strongly recommend that you install a 64-bit version of your distribution on at least the compute node. If you install a 32-bit version of your distribution on the compute node, attempting to start an instance using a 64-bit image will fail.
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A single disk partition on each node works for most basic installations. However, you should consider Logical Volume Manager (LVM) for installations with optional services such as Block Storage. |
Many users build their test environments on virtual machines (VMs). The primary benefits of VMs include the following:
One physical server can support multiple nodes, each with almost any number of network interfaces.
Ability to take periodic "snap shots" throughout the installation process and "roll back" to a working configuration in the event of a problem.
However, VMs will reduce performance of your instances, particularly if your hypervisor and/or processor lacks support for hardware acceleration of nested VMs.
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If you choose to install on VMs, make sure your hypervisor permits promiscuous mode on the external network. |
For more information about system requirements, see the OpenStack Operations Guide.