Understanding OpenShift Virtualization Service

Virtual Private Cloud 4.21 and later Bare metal worker nodes only RHCOS only

OpenShift Virtualization Service (also known as Red Hat OpenShift Virtualization Service or ROVS) is a pre-configured offering that delivers a ready-to-use virtualization platform on Red Hat OpenShift on IBM Cloud, enabling you to run virtual machines with minimal setup.

This service is currently available as a beta release. Access is controlled by an allowlist. During the beta period, only console-based cluster creation is supported.

What is OpenShift Virtualization Service?

OpenShift Virtualization Service (ROVS) provides a streamlined path to deploying virtualized infrastructure on IBM Cloud. Unlike manual OpenShift Virtualization deployments, Virtualization Service comes with essential components pre-configured and pre-installed, allowing you to start running virtual machines immediately after cluster creation.

Key features include:

  • Automated deployment: Cluster creation automatically installs and configures OpenShift Virtualization through the openshift-virtualization add-on
  • Pre-configured storage: OpenShift Data Foundation (ODF) is automatically deployed and configured with local NVME storage during cluster creation. VPC Block Storage is not used.
  • Optimized networking: Open Virtual Network (OVN) is pre-configured with MTU settings for optimal VM performance
  • Cost-effective licensing: Uses OpenShift Virtualization Engine (OVE) licensing instead of full OpenShift Container Platform (OCP) licensing
  • Simplified management: Managed add-ons ensure consistent configuration and updates
  • Operator management: The add-on automatically installs and manages OpenShift Virtualization, NMState, and Node Maintenance operators

Benefits

Faster time to value
Start running virtual machines within minutes of cluster creation, without manual configuration of storage, networking, or operators.
Reduced complexity
Eliminate multi-step setup processes and configuration decisions. The platform is optimized for virtualization workloads out of the box.
Cost optimization
OVE licensing provides a more cost-effective option for workloads focused primarily on virtualization rather than extensive container orchestration.
Consistent configuration
Pre-configured components ensure best practices are followed and reduce the risk of misconfiguration.
Managed updates
Core virtualization components are managed as add-ons, simplifying maintenance and updates.

Virtualization Service vs. Manual Deployment

Comparison of Virtualization Service and manual deployment
Feature Virtualization Service Manual Deployment
Setup time Minutes Hours
OpenShift Virtualization Pre-installed via add-on Manual installation required
Storage (ODF) Pre-configured Manual setup required
Networking optimization Automatic OVN (MTU 8900/9000) Manual configuration
Licensing OVE license (cost-effective) Full OCP license
Add-on management Patches applied by IBM, version updates applied by user Patches applied by IBM, version updates applied by user
Operator installation Managed by add-on Install from OperatorHub
Best for Virtualization-focused workloads Custom configurations
Minimum version OpenShift 4.21 OpenShift 4.17

Cluster characteristics

Virtualization Service clusters are deployed with the following characteristics:

  • Infrastructure: VPC with bare metal worker nodes
  • OpenShift version: 4.21 or later
  • Operating system: Red Hat CoreOS (RHCOS)
  • Network: OVN-Kubernetes CNI with MTU 8900 (OVN) and 9000 (worker nodes)
  • Storage: OpenShift Data Foundation (ODF) with local NVME storage (pre-configured, VPC Block Storage not used)
  • Licensing: OpenShift Virtualization Engine (OVE) license

These settings are automatically configured during cluster creation and cannot be changed after deployment.

Supported bare metal flavors

Virtualization Service supports specific VPC bare metal flavors optimized for virtualization workloads.

For a complete list of supported flavors, see Worker node flavors.

To check bare metal flavor availability in your zone:

ibmcloud ks flavors --zone <zone> --provider vpc-gen2 | grep metal

To verify that a specific flavor supports Virtualization Service, use ibmcloud ks flavor get --flavor <flavor> --zone <zone> --provider vpc-gen2 and check for the openshift-vs tag in the output.

Limitations

  • Virtualization Service is supported only on VPC bare metal worker nodes
  • Virtualization Service is licensed for virtualization workloads only. Installing container-based workloads is not supported. For container workloads, use standard Red Hat OpenShift on IBM Cloud.
  • Windows VMs require appropriate licensing

For complete limitations, see OpenShift Virtualization Service limitations.

Pricing

Virtualization Service uses OpenShift Virtualization Engine (OVE) licensing, which is more cost-effective than full OpenShift Container Platform (OCP) licensing for virtualization-focused workloads.

Pricing includes:

  • Infrastructure costs (bare metal worker nodes with local NVME storage)
  • OVE license charges (per instance-hour, for a worker node of up to 128 vCPUs; larger worker nodes require multiple license instances)
  • Storage costs (NVME storage cost is included in the bare metal infrastructure cost)

For detailed pricing information, see the IBM Cloud Pricing Calculator.

Next steps