KVM deployment

Overview

This topic covers everything needed to get the DCT appliance running on a KVM-based hypervisor: prerequisites to complete before you begin, creating and configuring the VM, and first boot. Confirm that your environment meets the requirements on the KVM requirements page before starting.

Prerequisites

  • Download the DCT qcow2 image from the Delphix download site under the DCT Appliance folder, and copy it to the KVM host or a network path accessible from it.

  • Verify storage space. The host storage where the qcow2 disks will be stored must have at least 178 GB of free space -- 128 GB for the system disk and 50 GB for the metadata volume.

  • Confirm the host is not overcommitted. Review CPU and memory allocation across all VMs on the host before adding DCT. See KVM requirements for reservation guidance.

  • Identify the virtual network the DCT VM will use for connectivity. DCT communicates with registered engines over HTTPS only and does not require a high-bandwidth adapter.

Create the DCT VM

  1. Using your KVM management tool of choice (for example, virt-manager or virsh), create a new VM:

    1. Assign at least 8 vCPUs and 16 GB of memory, per KVM requirements.

    2. Attach the downloaded qcow2 image as the boot/system disk.

    3. Add a second virtual disk of at least 50 GB for the DCT metadata volume.

    4. Attach the VM to the virtual network identified in Prerequisites.

  2. Review the VM configuration and finish creation. The VM appears in your KVM inventory in a stopped state.

Start the VM and complete network setup

  1. Start the VM and open its console to monitor boot progress.

  2. Wait for both the Delphix Management Service and the Delphix DCT Service to appear as online in the console output. This process can take up to 30 minutes on first boot.

  3. Once the services are online, confirm network connectivity to the VM's IP address from your browser.

Complete initial setup

Once the VM is network-accessible, complete the Setup UI wizard to configure credentials, TLS, storage, and engine registration.

  1. From a supported browser, navigate to https://<vm-ip>/dct. This opens the DCT login screen.

  2. Click the Setup link on the login screen to open the Setup UI.

  3. Log in with the default credentials: username sysadmin, password sysadmin. You will be prompted to set a new password immediately.

  4. Follow the steps in the Setup UI wizard to configure Time, Network, Network Security (KeyStore/TrustStore), Storage, and Registration.

After setup completes, the DCT application UI is available at https://<vm-ip>/dct. The Setup UI remains accessible via a link on the DCT login screen, and vice versa.