{"id":41511,"date":"2020-08-13T14:39:26","date_gmt":"2020-08-13T12:39:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.evidian.com\/?page_id=41511"},"modified":"2026-02-08T09:06:02","modified_gmt":"2026-02-08T07:06:02","slug":"linux-kvm-high-availability-replication-automatic-failover-load-balancing","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.evidian.com\/products\/high-availability-software-for-application-clustering\/linux-kvm-high-availability-replication-automatic-failover-load-balancing\/","title":{"rendered":"Simple Linux KVM High Availability without Shared Storage"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"pl-41511\"  class=\"panel-layout\" ><div id=\"pg-41511-0\"  class=\"panel-grid panel-has-style\" ><div class=\"panel-row-style panel-row-style-for-41511-0\" ><div id=\"pgc-41511-0-0\"  class=\"panel-grid-cell\" ><div id=\"panel-41511-0-0-0\" class=\"so-panel widget widget_sow-editor panel-first-child panel-last-child\" data-index=\"0\" ><div class=\"panel-widget-style panel-widget-style-for-41511-0-0-0\" ><div\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tclass=\"so-widget-sow-editor so-widget-sow-editor-base\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t>\n<div class=\"siteorigin-widget-tinymce textwidget\">\n\t<h1 style=\"text-align: left; color: white;\">Simple Linux KVM High Availability without Shared Storage<\/h1>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: left; color: white; font-size: 22px;\">SafeKit: Seamless 2-Node KVM Failover Cluster with Synchronous Replication<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div id=\"pg-41511-1\"  class=\"panel-grid panel-has-style\" ><div class=\"panel-row-style panel-row-style-for-41511-1\" ><div id=\"pgc-41511-1-0\"  class=\"panel-grid-cell\" ><div id=\"panel-41511-1-0-0\" class=\"so-panel widget widget_sow-editor panel-first-child panel-last-child\" data-index=\"1\" ><div\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tclass=\"so-widget-sow-editor so-widget-sow-editor-base\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t>\n<div class=\"siteorigin-widget-tinymce textwidget\">\n\t<div data-post-id=\"237534\" class=\"insert-page insert-page-237534 \"><div id=\"pl-237534\"  class=\"panel-layout\" ><div id=\"pg-237534-0\"  class=\"panel-grid panel-has-style\" ><div class=\"siteorigin-panels-stretch panel-row-style panel-row-style-for-237534-0\" data-stretch-type=\"full-width-stretch\" ><div id=\"pgc-237534-0-0\"  class=\"panel-grid-cell\" ><div id=\"panel-237534-0-0-0\" class=\"widget_text so-panel widget widget_custom_html panel-first-child panel-last-child\" data-index=\"0\" ><h3 class=\"widget-title\">Script ld+json for SEO and LLMO<\/h3><div class=\"textwidget custom-html-widget\"><script type=\"application\/ld+json\">\n{\n  \"@context\": \"https:\/\/schema.org\",\n \n  \/* Defining the Architecture Diagram as the Main Image *\/\n  \"primaryImageOfPage\": { \n    \"@type\": \"ImageObject\", \n    \"url\": \"https:\/\/www.evidian.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/safekit-vm-repli-720-720.jpg\",\n    \"width\": \"720\",\n    \"height\": \"720\",\n    \"caption\": \"SafeKit HA cluster for KVM\"\n  },\n  \"image\": \"https:\/\/www.evidian.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/safekit-vm-repli-720-720.jpg\",\n\n  \"hasPart\": [\n    { \"@type\": \"WebPageElement\", \"isAccessibleForFree\": \"true\", \"cssSelector\": \"#safekit-kvm-ha-cluster\", \"name\": \"How the SafeKit software simply implements a KVM high availability cluster without shared storage on a SAN?\" },\n    { \"@type\": \"WebPageElement\", \"isAccessibleForFree\": \"true\", \"cssSelector\": \"#safekit-kvm-ha-how-it-works\", \"name\": \"How the SafeKit KVM cluster works?\" },\n    { \"@type\": \"WebPageElement\", \"isAccessibleForFree\": \"true\", \"cssSelector\": \"#safekit-kvm-ha-comparison\", \"name\": \"Comparison: SafeKit for KVM vs. Native KVM Clustering\" },\n    { \"@type\": \"WebPageElement\", \"isAccessibleForFree\": \"true\", \"cssSelector\": \"#videoguide-safekit-kvm-cluster\", \"name\": \"Video Guide: Configuring a SafeKit HA cluster for KVM\" },\n    { \"@type\": \"WebPageElement\", \"isAccessibleForFree\": \"true\", \"cssSelector\": \"#hub\", \"name\": \"\ud83d\udd0d SafeKit High Availability Navigation Hub\" },\n    \n    \/* Integrated Video Object with Clips *\/\n    {\n      \"@type\": \"VideoObject\",\n      \"name\": \"SafeKit Video: Configuring a SafeKit HA cluster for Hyper-V (equivalent to KVM)\",\n      \"description\": \"In this video, discover how SafeKit implements high availability for Hyper-V (equivalent to KVM) without the complexity of a SAN. 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wide range of critical workloads.\" } },\n      { \"@type\": \"Question\", \"name\": \"1. How does real-time replication work for KVM ?\", \"acceptedAnswer\": { \"@type\": \"Answer\", \"text\": \"Server 1 (PRIM) runs the VM (virtual machine). SafeKit replicates in real time the VM files (virtual hard disk, VM configuration). Only changes made in the files are replicated across the network synchronously with no data loss on failure.\" } },\n      { \"@type\": \"Question\", \"name\": \"2. What happens during an automatic KVM failover?\", \"acceptedAnswer\": { \"@type\": \"Answer\", \"text\": \"When Server 1 fails, Server 2 takes over. SafeKit restarts the VM on Server 2. The VM continues to run on Server 2 by locally modifying its files. Failover time equals fault-detection time plus VM reboot time.\" } },\n      { \"@type\": \"Question\", \"name\": \"3. How is data synchronized after a KVM failure?\", \"acceptedAnswer\": { \"@type\": \"Answer\", \"text\": \"Failback involves restarting Server 1. 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Set the VM_PATH to the replicated directory where the KVM  VM files reside and enter the VM_NAME.\" } },\n      { \"@type\": \"Question\", \"name\": \"How to monitor a SafeKit KVM cluster?\", \"acceptedAnswer\": { \"@type\": \"Answer\", \"text\": \"The management console displays server roles: PRIM (active node), SECOND (standby node), ALONE (redundancy lost), and Resynchronization progress. It allows for one-click failover orchestration and load distribution across multiple VMs.\" } }   \n    ]\n  }\n}\n<\/script><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div id=\"pg-237534-1\"  class=\"panel-grid panel-has-style\" ><div class=\"panel-row-style panel-row-style-for-237534-1\" ><div id=\"pgc-237534-1-0\"  class=\"panel-grid-cell\" ><div id=\"panel-237534-1-0-0\" class=\"so-panel widget widget_sow-editor panel-first-child panel-last-child\" data-index=\"1\" ><div\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tclass=\"so-widget-sow-editor so-widget-sow-editor-base\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t>\n<div class=\"siteorigin-widget-tinymce textwidget\">\n\t<section id=\"safekit-kvm-tco\">\n<p><strong>SafeKit for KVM<\/strong> delivers seamless <strong>High Availability<\/strong> while significantly reducing TCO (Total Cost of Ownership). By eliminating the hardware and operational overhead of traditional clustering, SafeKit offers a lean, 2-node HA alternative to complex virtualization stacks.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Zero SAN Investment for HA:<\/strong> Achieve full redundancy using shared-nothing architecture. It works with standard local disks, removing the need for expensive SAN hardware, fiber channel switches, and specialized storage maintenance usually required for High Availability.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Hardware-Agnostic Redundancy:<\/strong> Avoid vendor lock-in. Build your High Availability cluster using any server brand or internal storage type, extending the lifecycle of existing hardware and lowering replacement costs.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Simplified HA Operations:<\/strong> No specialized \"clustering expert\" is required to maintain uptime. SafeKit\u2019s plug-and-play modules and unified web console reduce the man-hours needed for HA deployment and daily monitoring.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Cost-Predictable Licensing:<\/strong> Unlike subscription-heavy models, SafeKit provides High Availability via a one-time perpetual license. This ensures predictable budgeting and eliminates the risk of annual price hikes for critical infrastructure.<\/li>\n<li><strong>True 2-Node HA Efficiency:<\/strong> Most High Availability solutions require a third \"witness\" node to prevent split-brain. SafeKit delivers a robust 2-node cluster, saving 33% on hardware, power, and rack space from day one.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>By consolidating <strong>High Availability<\/strong> into a lightweight software layer, SafeKit delivers enterprise-grade redundancy and business continuity at a fraction of the cost of traditional virtualization suites.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><div id=\"pgc-237534-1-1\"  class=\"panel-grid-cell\" ><div id=\"panel-237534-1-1-0\" class=\"so-panel widget widget_sow-editor panel-first-child panel-last-child\" data-index=\"2\" ><div\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tclass=\"so-widget-sow-editor so-widget-sow-editor-base\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t>\n<div class=\"siteorigin-widget-tinymce textwidget\">\n\t<figure style=\"text-align: center;\"><img decoding=\"async\" style=\"width: 100%; height: auto; aspect-ratio: 1 \/ 1; display: block;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.evidian.com\/wp-content\/smush-webp\/2026\/01\/safekit-vm-repli-720-720.jpg.webp\" alt=\"SafeKit High Availability KVM Cluster Architecture\" title=\"SafeKit HA cluster for KVM\" width=\"720\" height=\"720\" \/><figcaption><strong>SafeKit HA cluster for KVM<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div id=\"pg-237534-2\"  class=\"panel-grid panel-has-style\" ><div class=\"panel-row-style panel-row-style-for-237534-2\" ><div id=\"pgc-237534-2-0\"  class=\"panel-grid-cell\" ><div id=\"panel-237534-2-0-0\" class=\"so-panel widget widget_sow-button panel-first-child panel-last-child\" data-index=\"3\" ><div\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tclass=\"so-widget-sow-button so-widget-sow-button-flat-66466acb9e12-237534\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t><div class=\"ow-button-base ow-button-align-center\"\n>\n\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\thref=\"\/products\/high-availability-software-for-application-clustering\/linux-kvm-high-availability-replication-automatic-failover-load-balancing\/safekit-quick-installation-guide-with-kvm\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"sowb-button ow-icon-placement-left ow-button-hover\" \t>\n\t\t<span>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\u26a1 Quick KVM HA cluster installation guide  &gt;\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div id=\"pg-237534-3\"  class=\"panel-grid panel-has-style\" ><div class=\"panel-row-style panel-row-style-for-237534-3\" ><div id=\"pgc-237534-3-0\"  class=\"panel-grid-cell\" ><div id=\"panel-237534-3-0-0\" class=\"so-panel widget widget_sow-editor panel-first-child panel-last-child\" data-index=\"4\" ><div\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tclass=\"so-widget-sow-editor so-widget-sow-editor-base\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t>\n<div class=\"siteorigin-widget-tinymce textwidget\">\n\t<div data-post-id=\"71458\" class=\"insert-page insert-page-71458 \"><div id=\"pl-71458\"  class=\"panel-layout\" ><div id=\"pg-71458-0\"  class=\"panel-grid panel-has-style\" ><div class=\"panel-row-style panel-row-style-for-71458-0\" ><div id=\"pgc-71458-0-0\"  class=\"panel-grid-cell panel-grid-cell-empty\" ><\/div><div id=\"pgc-71458-0-1\"  class=\"panel-grid-cell\" ><div id=\"panel-71458-0-1-0\" class=\"so-panel widget widget_sow-button panel-first-child panel-last-child\" data-index=\"0\" ><div\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tclass=\"so-widget-sow-button so-widget-sow-button-atom-22117c521b6b-71458\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t><div class=\"ow-button-base ow-button-align-center\"\n>\n\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.evidian.com\/products\/high-availability-software-for-application-clustering\/contact-us-for-safekit\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"sowb-button ow-icon-placement-left ow-button-hover\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" \t>\n\t\t<span>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\ud83e\uddd1 Contact us\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><div id=\"pgc-71458-0-2\"  class=\"panel-grid-cell\" ><div id=\"panel-71458-0-2-0\" class=\"so-panel widget widget_sow-button panel-first-child panel-last-child\" data-index=\"1\" ><div\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tclass=\"so-widget-sow-button so-widget-sow-button-atom-22117c521b6b-71458\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t><div class=\"ow-button-base ow-button-align-center\"\n>\n\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.evidian.com\/products\/high-availability-software-for-application-clustering\/safekit-free-trial\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"sowb-button ow-icon-placement-left ow-button-hover\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" \t>\n\t\t<span>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\ud83c\udf81 SafeKit free trial\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><div id=\"pgc-71458-0-3\"  class=\"panel-grid-cell\" ><div id=\"panel-71458-0-3-0\" class=\"so-panel widget widget_sow-button panel-first-child panel-last-child\" data-index=\"2\" ><div\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tclass=\"so-widget-sow-button so-widget-sow-button-atom-22117c521b6b-71458\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t><div class=\"ow-button-base ow-button-align-center\"\n>\n\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/training.my.evidian.com\/mod\/page\/view.php?id=712\"\n\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"sowb-button ow-icon-placement-left ow-button-hover\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" \t>\n\t\t<span>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\ud83c\udfc5 Free certification\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><div id=\"pgc-71458-0-4\"  class=\"panel-grid-cell panel-grid-cell-mobile-last\" ><div id=\"panel-71458-0-4-0\" class=\"so-panel widget widget_sow-button panel-first-child panel-last-child\" data-index=\"3\" ><div\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tclass=\"so-widget-sow-button so-widget-sow-button-atom-22117c521b6b-71458\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t><div class=\"ow-button-base ow-button-align-center\"\n>\n\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.evidian.com\/products\/high-availability-software-for-application-clustering\/get-a-quote-safekit-en\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"sowb-button ow-icon-placement-left ow-button-hover\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" \t>\n\t\t<span>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\ud83d\udcb0 Perpetual license cost\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><div id=\"pgc-71458-0-5\"  class=\"panel-grid-cell panel-grid-cell-empty\" ><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div id=\"pg-237534-4\"  class=\"panel-grid panel-has-style\" ><div class=\"panel-row-style panel-row-style-for-237534-4\" ><div id=\"pgc-237534-4-0\"  class=\"panel-grid-cell\" ><div id=\"panel-237534-4-0-0\" class=\"so-panel widget widget_sow-editor panel-first-child panel-last-child\" data-index=\"5\" ><div\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tclass=\"so-widget-sow-editor so-widget-sow-editor-base\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t><h3 class=\"widget-title\">TOC<\/h3>\n<div class=\"siteorigin-widget-tinymce textwidget\">\n\t<h2 id=\"toc\">Table of Contents<\/h2>\n<nav id=\"toc\" class=\"faq-item\">\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"#safekit-kvm-ha-cluster\">How the SafeKit software simply implements a KVM high availability cluster without shared storage on a SAN?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#safekit-kvm-ha-how-it-works\">How the SafeKit KVM cluster works?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#safekit-kvm-ha-comparison\">Comparison: SafeKit for KVM vs. Native KVM Clustering<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#videoguide-safekit-kvm-cluster\">Video Guide: Configuring a SafeKit HA cluster for KVM<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#hub\">\ud83d\udd0d SafeKit High Availability Navigation Hub<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/nav>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div id=\"pg-237534-5\"  class=\"panel-grid panel-has-style\" ><div class=\"panel-row-style panel-row-style-for-237534-5\" ><div id=\"pgc-237534-5-0\"  class=\"panel-grid-cell\" ><div id=\"panel-237534-5-0-0\" class=\"so-panel widget widget_sow-editor panel-first-child panel-last-child\" data-index=\"6\" ><div\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tclass=\"so-widget-sow-editor so-widget-sow-editor-base\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t>\n<div class=\"siteorigin-widget-tinymce textwidget\">\n\t<h2 id=\"safekit-kvm-ha-cluster\">How the SafeKit software simply implements a KVM high availability cluster without shared storage on a SAN?<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div id=\"pg-237534-6\"  class=\"panel-grid panel-has-style\" ><div class=\"panel-row-style panel-row-style-for-237534-6\" ><div id=\"pgc-237534-6-0\"  class=\"panel-grid-cell\" ><div id=\"panel-237534-6-0-0\" class=\"so-panel widget widget_sow-editor panel-first-child panel-last-child\" data-index=\"7\" ><div\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tclass=\"so-widget-sow-editor so-widget-sow-editor-base\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t>\n<div class=\"siteorigin-widget-tinymce textwidget\">\n\t<article class=\"faq-item\">\n<header>\n<h3>What is the SafeKit HA solution for KVM?<\/h3>\n<\/header>\n<p>SafeKit brings high availability to KVM between two servers of any brand.<\/p>\n<p>This article explains how to implement quickly a KVM cluster without shared storage on a SAN and without specific skills.<\/p>\n<p>The principle of the solution is to put a critical application in a virtual machine under KVM. SafeKit implements <strong>real-time replication and automatic failover of the virtual machine<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>Note that KVM is the free hypervisor included in all Linux versions.<\/p>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><div id=\"pgc-237534-6-1\"  class=\"panel-grid-cell\" ><div id=\"panel-237534-6-1-0\" class=\"so-panel widget widget_sow-editor panel-first-child panel-last-child\" data-index=\"8\" ><div\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tclass=\"so-widget-sow-editor so-widget-sow-editor-base\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t>\n<div class=\"siteorigin-widget-tinymce textwidget\">\n\t<article class=\"faq-item\">\n<header>\n<h3>How can I run multiple applications in a high-availability KVM cluster without a SAN?<\/h3>\n<\/header>\n<p>Several applications can be put in <strong>several virtual machines replicated and restarted by SafeKit<\/strong>. You have the possibility to migrate each virtual machine between both servers with the SafeKit console and thus balance the load in an <strong>active-active cluster<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><div id=\"pgc-237534-6-2\"  class=\"panel-grid-cell\" ><div id=\"panel-237534-6-2-0\" class=\"so-panel widget widget_sow-editor panel-first-child panel-last-child\" data-index=\"9\" ><div\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tclass=\"so-widget-sow-editor so-widget-sow-editor-base\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t>\n<div class=\"siteorigin-widget-tinymce textwidget\">\n\t<article class=\"faq-item\">\n<h3>Should I choose high availability at the application level or the virtual machine (VM) level?<\/h3>\n<p>With SafeKit, you have the flexibility to choose the redundancy model that fits your needs.<\/p>\n<p><strong>VM-level redundancy<\/strong> (for KVM or Hyper-V) is the simplest to implement as it replicates the entire virtual machine, requiring no knowledge of the internal application.<\/p>\n<p>Alternatively, <strong>application-level redundancy<\/strong> is more granular; it only replicates specific data folders and restarts the application services rather than the entire OS.<\/p>\n<p>While VM-level HA is easier to set up, application-level HA is hypervisor-agnostic and can run across physical, virtual, or cloud environments.<\/p>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div id=\"pg-237534-7\"  class=\"panel-grid panel-has-style\" ><div class=\"panel-row-style panel-row-style-for-237534-7\" ><div id=\"pgc-237534-7-0\"  class=\"panel-grid-cell\" ><div id=\"panel-237534-7-0-0\" class=\"so-panel widget widget_sow-editor panel-first-child panel-last-child\" data-index=\"10\" ><div\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tclass=\"so-widget-sow-editor so-widget-sow-editor-base\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t>\n<div class=\"siteorigin-widget-tinymce textwidget\">\n\t<article class=\"faq-item\">\n<h3>What are the distinctive advantages of SafeKit for KVM high availability compared to competitors?<\/h3>\n<p>SafeKit differentiates itself from traditional KVM clustering solutions through its <strong>shared-nothing architecture<\/strong> and simplified management. While most competitors require complex distributed file systems (like Ceph) or a central SAN to manage VM failover, SafeKit provides:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Integrated Real-Time Replication:<\/strong> Data synchronization is built directly into the solution, ensuring that KVM virtual machines are mirrored synchronously without the overhead of managing a separate storage layer.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Simplified 2-Node Clustering:<\/strong> Unlike enterprise stacks that recommend a 3-node \"witness\" quorum, SafeKit delivers full high availability with just two redundant servers. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.evidian.com\/products\/high-availability-software-for-application-clustering\/heartbeat-failover-quorum-windows-linux-aix-cluster\/\">Learn more about our heartbeat and quorum mechanism<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Unified Management:<\/strong> Administrators can manage VM failover, replication, and load balancing through a single SafeKit console , making it accessible to teams without specialized clustering expertise.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Custom Checkers:<\/strong> SafeKit goes beyond hardware monitoring; it utilizes <strong>custom checkers<\/strong> to detect if a VM has crashed, automatically triggering a local restart or a failover to the redundant node. The system is also highly extensible, allowing for the easy integration of new, user-defined custom checkers tailored to your specific environment.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><div id=\"pgc-237534-7-1\"  class=\"panel-grid-cell\" ><div id=\"panel-237534-7-1-0\" class=\"so-panel widget widget_sow-editor panel-first-child panel-last-child\" data-index=\"11\" ><div\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tclass=\"so-widget-sow-editor so-widget-sow-editor-base\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t>\n<div class=\"siteorigin-widget-tinymce textwidget\">\n\t<article class=\"faq-item\">\n<h3>How does SafeKit reduce the TCO (Total Cost of Ownership) compared to VMware-type solutions?<\/h3>\n<p>Unlike most high-availability solutions on the market, SafeKit is designed to operate with the <strong>absolute minimum hardware overhead<\/strong>, without compromising security or reliability. Key savings compared to VMware or complex open-source alternatives include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>True 2-Node Efficiency:<\/strong> While most enterprise stacks or open-source solutions require a 3-node \"witness\" quorum to prevent split-brain, SafeKit delivers full high availability with just <strong>two redundant servers<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Zero Storage Costs:<\/strong> SafeKit uses a shared-nothing architecture that works with local disks, removing the need for expensive SAN or vSAN hardware and specialized storage networking.<\/li>\n<li><strong>No Forced Subscriptions:<\/strong> Unlike modern subscription-only models, SafeKit offers a <strong>perpetual license<\/strong>. You own your software, avoiding the \"subscription trap\" and unpredictable annual price hikes.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Low Operational Expense (OPEX):<\/strong> As a plug-and-play solution, it requires no specialized training or expensive external consultancy for maintenance, unlike complex open-source clustering tools.<\/li>\n<li><strong>CPU-Independent Pricing:<\/strong> Licensing is independent of the number of CPUs or cores. With just two licenses for two nodes, you can protect multiple KVM virtual machines.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><div id=\"pgc-237534-7-2\"  class=\"panel-grid-cell\" ><div id=\"panel-237534-7-2-0\" class=\"so-panel widget widget_sow-editor panel-first-child\" data-index=\"12\" ><div\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tclass=\"so-widget-sow-editor so-widget-sow-editor-base\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t>\n<div class=\"siteorigin-widget-tinymce textwidget\">\n\t<article class=\"faq-item\">\n<h3>Is it possible to set up a KVM cluster without SAN or complex clustering skills?<\/h3>\n<p>Yes. This article explains how to <a href=\"\/products\/high-availability-software-for-application-clustering\/linux-kvm-high-availability-replication-automatic-failover-load-balancing\/safekit-quick-installation-guide-with-kvm\/?app=KVM\"><strong>quickly implement a KVM cluster<\/strong><\/a> without the need for specialized SAN management or complex HA clustering skills. By using SafeKit\u2019s <strong>automated failover scripts<\/strong> to handle the replication and restart of <strong>KVM<\/strong> virtual machines, you get a robust redundancy solution that is significantly simpler to deploy and maintain than traditional enterprise virtualization stacks.<\/p>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><div id=\"panel-237534-7-2-1\" class=\"so-panel widget widget_sow-editor panel-last-child\" data-index=\"13\" ><div\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tclass=\"so-widget-sow-editor so-widget-sow-editor-base\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t>\n<div class=\"siteorigin-widget-tinymce textwidget\">\n\t<article class=\"faq-item\">\n<h3>Beyond KVM, which applications and environments can SafeKit protect?<\/h3>\n<p>SafeKit is a versatile high-availability solution that extends far beyond standard virtual machine failover. It enables <strong>synchronous real-time replication<\/strong> and automatic failover for a wide range of critical workloads, including:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Virtual &amp; Physical Environments:<\/strong> Complete Hyper-V or KVM virtual machines.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Container Orchestration:<\/strong> Docker, Podman, and K3s (Kubernetes) environments.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Data &amp; Services:<\/strong> Individual file directories, services, and various databases.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Cloud Infrastructure:<\/strong> High availability for Cloud applications.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>SafeKit also provides <strong>Farm Clusters<\/strong> with native <strong>Network Load Balancing and Failover<\/strong> for stateless applications like <strong>Web Servers<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"\/products\/high-availability-software-for-application-clustering\/cluster-configuration\/\">Explore the full list of supported HA solutions here.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div id=\"pg-237534-8\"  class=\"panel-grid panel-has-style\" ><div class=\"panel-row-style panel-row-style-for-237534-8\" ><div id=\"pgc-237534-8-0\"  class=\"panel-grid-cell\" ><div id=\"panel-237534-8-0-0\" class=\"so-panel widget widget_sow-editor panel-first-child panel-last-child\" data-index=\"14\" ><div\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tclass=\"so-widget-sow-editor so-widget-sow-editor-base\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t>\n<div class=\"siteorigin-widget-tinymce textwidget\">\n\t<h2 id=\"safekit-kvm-ha-how-it-works\">How the SafeKit KVM cluster works?<\/h2>\n<p>The following steps are described for one virtual machine inside one mirror module. Each replicated virtual machine runs in an independent mirror module (with a maximum of 32 virtual machines) with a primary server that can be either the KVM server 1 or the KVM server 2.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div id=\"pg-237534-9\"  class=\"panel-grid panel-has-style\" ><div class=\"panel-row-style panel-row-style-for-237534-9\" ><div id=\"pgc-237534-9-0\"  class=\"panel-grid-cell\" ><div id=\"panel-237534-9-0-0\" class=\"so-panel widget widget_sow-editor panel-first-child panel-last-child\" data-index=\"15\" ><div\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tclass=\"so-widget-sow-editor so-widget-sow-editor-base\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t>\n<div class=\"siteorigin-widget-tinymce textwidget\">\n\t<article class=\"faq-item\">\n<header>\n<h3>1. How does real-time replication work for KVM ?<\/h3>\n<\/header>\n<p>Server 1 (PRIM) runs the VM (virtual machine). SafeKit replicates in real time the VM files (virtual hard disk, VM configuration). Only changes made in the files are replicated across the network.<\/p>\n<figure style=\"text-align: center;\"><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"SafeKit: Byte-level file replication for KVM\" src=\"https:\/\/www.evidian.com\/wp-content\/smush-webp\/2023\/02\/safekit-prim-second-300.png.webp\" alt=\"File replication at byte level in a mirror KVM cluster\" width=\"300\" height=\"120\" \/><\/figure>\n<p>The replication is <a href=\"\/safekit\/synchronous-replication-vs-asynchronous-replication.htm\">synchronous<\/a> with no data loss on failure contrary to asynchronous replication.<\/p>\n<p>You just have to configure the VM directory name in SafeKit.\u00a0There are no pre-requisites on disk organization. The directory may be located in the system disk.<\/p>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><div id=\"pgc-237534-9-1\"  class=\"panel-grid-cell\" ><div id=\"panel-237534-9-1-0\" class=\"so-panel widget widget_sow-editor panel-first-child panel-last-child\" data-index=\"16\" ><div\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tclass=\"so-widget-sow-editor so-widget-sow-editor-base\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t>\n<div class=\"siteorigin-widget-tinymce textwidget\">\n\t<article class=\"faq-item\">\n<header>\n<h3>2. What happens during an automatic KVM failover?<\/h3>\n<\/header>\n<p>When Server 1 fails, Server 2 takes over. SafeKit restarts the VM on Server 2.\u00a0KVM finds the files replicated by SafeKit uptodate on Server 2.<br \/>\nThe VM continues to run on Server 2 by locally modifying its files that are no longer replicated to Server 1.<\/p>\n<figure style=\"text-align: center;\"><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"SafeKit: Automatic failover for KVM\" src=\"https:\/\/www.evidian.com\/wp-content\/smush-webp\/2023\/02\/safekit-stop-alone-300.png.webp\" alt=\"Failover of KVM in a mirror cluster\" width=\"300\" height=\"122\" \/><\/figure>\n<p>The failover time is equal to the fault-detection time (set to 30 seconds by default) plus the VM reboot time.<\/p>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><div id=\"pgc-237534-9-2\"  class=\"panel-grid-cell\" ><div id=\"panel-237534-9-2-0\" class=\"so-panel widget widget_sow-editor panel-first-child panel-last-child\" data-index=\"17\" ><div\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tclass=\"so-widget-sow-editor so-widget-sow-editor-base\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t>\n<div class=\"siteorigin-widget-tinymce textwidget\">\n\t<article class=\"faq-item\">\n<header>\n<h3>3. How is data synchronized after a KVM failure?<\/h3>\n<\/header>\n<p>Failback involves restarting Server 1 after fixing the problem that caused it to fail.\u00a0SafeKit automatically resynchronizes the VM files.<\/p>\n<figure style=\"text-align: center;\"><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"SafeKit: Automatic resynchronization for KVM\" src=\"https:\/\/www.evidian.com\/wp-content\/smush-webp\/2023\/02\/safekit-resynchro-alone-300.png.webp\" alt=\"Failback in a mirror KVM cluster\" width=\"300\" height=\"121\" \/><\/figure>\n<p>Failback takes place without disturbing the VM, which can continue running on Server 2.<\/p>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><div id=\"pgc-237534-9-3\"  class=\"panel-grid-cell\" ><div id=\"panel-237534-9-3-0\" class=\"so-panel widget widget_sow-editor panel-first-child panel-last-child\" data-index=\"18\" ><div\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tclass=\"so-widget-sow-editor so-widget-sow-editor-base\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t>\n<div class=\"siteorigin-widget-tinymce textwidget\">\n\t<article class=\"faq-item\">\n<header>\n<h3>4. How is normal KVM operation restored?<\/h3>\n<\/header>\n<p>After reintegration, the VM files are once again in mirror mode, as in step 1.\u00a0The system is back in high-availability mode, with the VM running on Server 2 and SafeKit replicating file updates to Server 1.<\/p>\n<figure style=\"text-align: center;\"><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"SafeKit: Return to normal operation for KVM\" src=\"https:\/\/www.evidian.com\/wp-content\/smush-webp\/2023\/02\/safekit-second-prim-300.png.webp\" alt=\"Return to normal operation in a mirror KVM cluster\" width=\"300\" height=\"125\" \/><\/figure>\n<p>If the administrator wishes the VM to run on Server 1, this can be done manually through the web console at an appropriate time, or automatically through configuration.<\/p>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div id=\"pg-237534-10\"  class=\"panel-grid panel-has-style\" ><div class=\"panel-row-style panel-row-style-for-237534-10\" ><div id=\"pgc-237534-10-0\"  class=\"panel-grid-cell\" ><div id=\"panel-237534-10-0-0\" class=\"so-panel widget widget_sow-editor panel-first-child panel-last-child\" data-index=\"19\" ><div\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tclass=\"so-widget-sow-editor so-widget-sow-editor-base\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t>\n<div class=\"siteorigin-widget-tinymce textwidget\">\n\t<article class=\"faq-item\">\n<header>\n<h3 id=\"safekit-mirror-cluster-configure\">How to configure a SafeKit KVM Cluster?<\/h3>\n<\/header>\n<figure style=\"text-align: center; margin-bottom: 20px;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.evidian.com\/wp-content\/smush-webp\/2024\/03\/21-module-kvm-edit-config-1.png.webp\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" title=\"SafeKit Web Console: KVM cluster configuration\" src=\"https:\/\/www.evidian.com\/wp-content\/smush-webp\/2024\/03\/21-module-kvm-edit-config-1.png.webp\" alt=\"SafeKit Web Console: 2-node KVM cluster dashboard for VM replication and automatic failover.\" width=\"716\" height=\"720\" \/><br \/>\n<\/a><\/figure>\n<p>The <strong>SafeKit web console<\/strong> provides an intuitive interface to configure high availability of your critical applications. In just a few steps, you can configure a <strong>SafeKit KVM cluster<\/strong> to ensure business continuity:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Put in <code>VM_PATH<\/code>, the root path of the replicated directory (\/var\/lib\/libvirt\/images) where the KVM VM files reside.<\/li>\n<li>Enter in <code>VM_NAME<\/code>, the name of the virtual machine (vm1).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The SafeKit cluster includes a dedicated <a title=\"Technical details on heartbeat and split-brain prevention\" href=\"https:\/\/www.evidian.com\/products\/high-availability-software-for-application-clustering\/heartbeat-failover-quorum-windows-linux-aix-cluster\/\">split-brain checker to resolve network isolation issues<\/a> without the need for a third witness machine or an additional heartbeat network.<\/p>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><div id=\"pgc-237534-10-1\"  class=\"panel-grid-cell\" ><div id=\"panel-237534-10-1-0\" class=\"so-panel widget widget_sow-editor panel-first-child panel-last-child\" data-index=\"20\" ><div\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tclass=\"so-widget-sow-editor so-widget-sow-editor-base\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t>\n<div class=\"siteorigin-widget-tinymce textwidget\">\n\t<article class=\"faq-item\">\n<header>\n<h3 id=\"safekit-mirror-cluster-monitoring\">How to monitor a SafeKit KVM cluster?<\/h3>\n<\/header>\n<figure style=\"text-align: center; margin-bottom: 20px;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.evidian.com\/wp-content\/smush-webp\/2024\/03\/14-monitoring-prim-second.png.webp\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" title=\"SafeKit Web Console: KVM real-time monitoring\" src=\"https:\/\/www.evidian.com\/wp-content\/smush-webp\/2024\/03\/14-monitoring-prim-second.png.webp\" alt=\"SafeKit Web Console: Real-time monitoring of a 2-node mirror KVM cluster showing PRIM and SECOND states with active data replication.\" width=\"604\" height=\"498\" \/><br \/>\n<\/a><\/figure>\n<p>The <strong>SafeKit management console<\/strong> offers a unified view of your high availability infrastructure. It allows administrators to monitor the <strong>operational state<\/strong> of the cluster and track data synchronization in real-time.<\/p>\n<p>For a 2-node KVM cluster, the console clearly displays the roles of each server:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>PRIM (Primary):<\/strong> The active node currently running the application and managing the Virtual IP. It performs writes to the local storage and real-time replication to the secondary node.<\/li>\n<li><strong>SECOND (Secondary):<\/strong> The standby node receiving synchronous byte-level updates. It is ready to take over instantly if the Primary fails.<\/li>\n<li><strong>ALONE State:<\/strong> Visually alerts you when the cluster is running on a single node (e.g., during maintenance or after a failure), indicating that redundancy is temporarily lost.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Resynchronization Progress:<\/strong> When a failed node recovers, its status turns orange during background data reintegration, ensuring no downtime during the \"return to normal\" phase.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Beyond simple status icons, the interface provides <strong>one-click failover orchestration<\/strong>, allowing you to manually reassign the primary role for planned maintenance while ensuring continuous availability for user activity.<\/p>\n<p>Note that if you deploy several VMs for replication and failover, you will have multiple PRIM\/SECOND widgets. This allows independent failover for each VM and the ability to distribute the load across servers.<\/p>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div id=\"pg-237534-11\"  class=\"panel-grid panel-has-style\" ><div class=\"panel-row-style panel-row-style-for-237534-11\" ><div id=\"pgc-237534-11-0\"  class=\"panel-grid-cell\" ><div id=\"panel-237534-11-0-0\" class=\"so-panel widget widget_sow-editor panel-first-child panel-last-child\" data-index=\"21\" ><div\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tclass=\"so-widget-sow-editor so-widget-sow-editor-base\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t>\n<div class=\"siteorigin-widget-tinymce textwidget\">\n\t<section>\n<h2 id=\"safekit-kvm-ha-comparison\">Comparison: SafeKit for KVM vs. Traditional Clustering<\/h2>\n<div class=\"table-container-mobile\">\n<table class=\"border vertical-middle horizontal-center\" width=\"100%\">\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th scope=\"col\">Feature<\/th>\n<th scope=\"col\">SafeKit for KVM<\/th>\n<th scope=\"col\">Enterprise (e.g., VMware)<\/th>\n<th scope=\"col\">Standard Open-Source KVM<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<th scope=\"row\">Architecture<\/th>\n<td>SANless (Shared-Nothing)<\/td>\n<td>Shared Storage (SAN\/vSAN)<\/td>\n<td>Complex (Ceph\/DRBD)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th scope=\"row\">High Availability<\/th>\n<td>2-Node Synchronous Mirror<\/td>\n<td>3-Node Minimum (vSAN Witness)<\/td>\n<td>Manual or 3-Node Quorum<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th scope=\"row\">Replication<\/th>\n<td>File Byte-level<\/td>\n<td>Disk Block-level (vSAN)<\/td>\n<td>Varies (File\/Block)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th scope=\"row\">Failover Logic<\/th>\n<td>Fully Automatic<\/td>\n<td>Automatic (vSphere HA)<\/td>\n<td>Complex Scripts<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th scope=\"row\">TCO (Cost)<\/th>\n<td><strong>Low (Perpetual License)<\/strong><\/td>\n<td>High (Annual Subscriptions)<\/td>\n<td>High OPEX (Maintenance)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th scope=\"row\">Expertise Needed<\/th>\n<td>Standard IT Generalist<\/td>\n<td>Specialized Certification<\/td>\n<td>Expert Linux Engineer<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th scope=\"row\">Deployment Time<\/th>\n<td>&lt; 30 Minutes<\/td>\n<td>Hours to Days<\/td>\n<td>Days of Config<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div id=\"pg-237534-12\"  class=\"panel-grid panel-has-style\" ><div class=\"panel-row-style panel-row-style-for-237534-12\" ><div id=\"pgc-237534-12-0\"  class=\"panel-grid-cell\" ><div id=\"panel-237534-12-0-0\" class=\"so-panel widget widget_sow-editor panel-first-child panel-last-child\" data-index=\"22\" ><div\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tclass=\"so-widget-sow-editor so-widget-sow-editor-base\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t>\n<div class=\"siteorigin-widget-tinymce textwidget\">\n\t<h3>Conclusion:<\/h3>\n<p>SafeKit for KVM provides the simplest path to <strong>High Availability<\/strong> by removing the need for a SAN and a third \"witness\" node, drastically lowering the <strong>Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)<\/strong> compared to enterprise or manual open-source solutions.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div id=\"pg-237534-13\"  class=\"panel-grid panel-has-style\" ><div class=\"panel-row-style panel-row-style-for-237534-13\" ><div id=\"pgc-237534-13-0\"  class=\"panel-grid-cell\" ><div id=\"panel-237534-13-0-0\" class=\"so-panel widget widget_sow-editor panel-first-child panel-last-child\" data-index=\"23\" ><div\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tclass=\"so-widget-sow-editor so-widget-sow-editor-base\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t>\n<div class=\"siteorigin-widget-tinymce textwidget\">\n\t<h2 id=\"videoguide-safekit-kvm-cluster\">Video Guide: Configuring a SafeKit HA cluster for KVM<\/h2>\n<p>Configuring high availability for KVM is very similar to the Hyper-V setup. By watching this video on Hyper-V, you will get a clear idea of how to configure <strong>KVM<\/strong> with SafeKit's shared-nothing architecture.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div id=\"pg-237534-14\"  class=\"panel-grid panel-has-style\" ><div class=\"panel-row-style panel-row-style-for-237534-14\" ><div id=\"pgc-237534-14-0\"  class=\"panel-grid-cell\" ><div id=\"panel-237534-14-0-0\" class=\"so-panel widget widget_sow-editor panel-first-child panel-last-child\" data-index=\"24\" ><div\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tclass=\"so-widget-sow-editor so-widget-sow-editor-base\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t>\n<div class=\"siteorigin-widget-tinymce textwidget\">\n\t<article>\n<header>\n<h3 id=\"demo-hyperv\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/H18s_-_CpmU?rel=0&amp;autoplay=1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">SafeKit Video: Virtual Machine-Level Clustering with Hyper-V (5:15)<\/a><\/h3>\n<\/header>\n<section>In this video, discover how SafeKit implements <strong>high availability for Hyper-V<\/strong> without the complexity of a SAN. Learn to configure <strong>virtual machine replication<\/strong> across two nodes to ensure seamless failover for your critical virtualized workloads.<\/section>\n<section>\n<h3>Video Highlights<\/h3>\n<ol>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/H18s_-_CpmU?rel=0&amp;autoplay=1&amp;start=0&amp;end=49\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Architecture overview: 2 Hyper-V nodes and 2 virtual machines<\/a> (0:49)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/H18s_-_CpmU?rel=0&amp;autoplay=1&amp;start=49&amp;end=168\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Configuring the cluster and the hyperv.safe modules<\/a> (1:59)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/H18s_-_CpmU?rel=0&amp;autoplay=1&amp;start=168\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Live testing: VM replication, migration, and automatic failover on crash<\/a> (2:26)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/section>\n<\/article>\n<aside class=\"cta-section\">\n<h3>Step-by-Step Implementation:<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"\/products\/high-availability-software-for-application-clustering\/hyper-v-replication-automatic-failover-load-balancing\/safekit-quick-installation-guide-with-hyper-v\/?app=KVM\">Start your free trial and follow the Hyper-V quick installation guide<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><div id=\"pgc-237534-14-1\"  class=\"panel-grid-cell\" ><div id=\"panel-237534-14-1-0\" class=\"so-panel widget widget_sow-editor panel-first-child panel-last-child\" data-index=\"25\" ><div\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tclass=\"so-widget-sow-editor so-widget-sow-editor-base\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t>\n<div class=\"siteorigin-widget-tinymce textwidget\">\n\t<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"video-container\"><iframe title=\"SafeKit Video: Virtual Machine-Level Clustering with Hyper-V (5:15)\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/foo6YKg5Dmw?rel=0&amp;cc_load_policy=1&amp;hl=en&amp;cc_lang_pref=en\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><br \/>\n<\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div id=\"pg-41511-2\"  class=\"panel-grid panel-has-style\" ><div class=\"panel-row-style panel-row-style-for-41511-2\" ><div id=\"pgc-41511-2-0\"  class=\"panel-grid-cell\" ><div id=\"panel-41511-2-0-0\" class=\"so-panel widget widget_sow-editor panel-first-child panel-last-child\" data-index=\"2\" ><div\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tclass=\"so-widget-sow-editor so-widget-sow-editor-base\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t>\n<div class=\"siteorigin-widget-tinymce textwidget\">\n\t<div data-post-id=\"246517\" class=\"insert-page insert-page-246517 \"><div id=\"pl-246517\"  class=\"panel-layout\" ><div id=\"pg-246517-0\"  class=\"panel-grid panel-has-style\" ><div class=\"panel-row-style panel-row-style-for-246517-0\" ><div id=\"pgc-246517-0-0\"  class=\"panel-grid-cell\" ><div id=\"panel-246517-0-0-0\" class=\"so-panel widget widget_sow-editor panel-first-child panel-last-child\" data-index=\"0\" ><div\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tclass=\"so-widget-sow-editor so-widget-sow-editor-base\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t>\n<div class=\"siteorigin-widget-tinymce textwidget\">\n\t<article>\n<header>\n<h2 id=\"hub\">\ud83d\udd0d SafeKit High Availability Navigation Hub<\/h2>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"table-container-mobile\">\n<table class=\"border vertical-middle\">\n<caption>Explore SafeKit: Features, technical videos, documentation, and free trial<\/caption>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th scope=\"col\">Resource Type<\/th>\n<th scope=\"col\">Description<\/th>\n<th scope=\"col\">Direct Link<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<th scope=\"row\"><strong>Key Features<\/strong><\/th>\n<td>Why Choose SafeKit for Simple and Cost-Effective High Availability?<\/td>\n<td>\n        <a href=\"\/products\/high-availability-software-for-application-clustering\/#why-choose-safekit-for-ha\" title=\"Discover SafeKit features for simple and cost-effective high availability\">See Why Choose SafeKit for High Availability<\/a>\n    <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th scope=\"row\"><strong>Deployment Model<\/strong><\/th>\n<td>All-in-One SANless HA: Shared-Nothing Software Clustering<\/td>\n<td>\n        <a href=\"\/products\/high-availability-software-for-application-clustering\/#all-in-one-sanless-ha\" title=\"Learn about all-in-one SANless high availability with shared-nothing software clustering\">See SafeKit All-in-One SANless HA<\/a>\n    <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th scope=\"row\"><strong>Partners<\/strong><\/th>\n<td>SafeKit: The Benchmark in High Availability for Partners<\/td>\n<td><a title=\"Explore SafeKit high availability partnership opportunities and benchmark solutions\" href=\"\/products\/high-availability-software-for-application-clustering\/#safekit-ha-benchmark-for-partners\">See Why SafeKit Is the HA Benchmark for Partners<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th scope=\"row\"><strong>HA Strategies<\/strong><\/th>\n<td>SafeKit: Infrastructure (VM) vs. Application-Level High Availability<\/td>\n<td><a href=\"\/products\/high-availability-software-for-application-clustering\/#safekit-ha-redundancy-choices\" title=\"Compare VM-level redundancy with SafeKit application-level high availability strategies\">See SafeKit HA &amp; Redundancy: VM vs. Application Level<\/a>\n    <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th scope=\"row\"><strong>Technical Specifications<\/strong><\/th>\n<td>Technical Limitations for SafeKit Clustering<\/td>\n<td><a title=\"Technical requirements and limitations for SafeKit application clustering\" href=\"\/products\/high-availability-software-for-application-clustering\/#safekit-ha-limitations\">See SafeKit High Availability Limitations<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th scope=\"row\"><strong>Proof of Concept<\/strong><\/th>\n<td>SafeKit: High Availability Configuration &amp; Failover Demos<\/td>\n<td><a title=\"Step-by-step videos on SafeKit high availability, from installation to automated failover\" href=\"\/products\/high-availability-software-for-application-clustering\/#safekit-failover-tutorials\">See SafeKit Failover Tutorials<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th scope=\"row\"><strong>Architecture<\/strong><\/th>\n<td>How the SafeKit Mirror Cluster works (Real-Time Replication &amp; Failover)<\/td>\n<td><a title=\"See technical architecture and failover mechanism of SafeKit Mirror Cluster\" href=\"\/products\/high-availability-software-for-application-clustering\/#safekit-mirror-cluster\">See SafeKit Mirror Cluster: Real-Time Replication &amp; Failover<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th scope=\"row\"><strong>Architecture<\/strong><\/th>\n<td>How the SafeKit Farm Cluster works (Network Load Balancing & Failover)<\/td>\n<td>\n        <a href=\"\/products\/high-availability-software-for-application-clustering\/#safekit-farm-cluster\" title=\"Technical overview of SafeKit Farm Cluster architecture with network load balancing\">See SafeKit Farm Cluster: Network Load Balancing & Failover<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th scope=\"row\"><strong>Competitive Advantages<\/strong><\/th>\n<td>Comparison: SafeKit vs. Traditional High Availability (HA) Clusters<\/td>\n<td><a href=\"\/products\/high-availability-software-for-application-clustering\/#safekit-ha-comparison\" title=\"Detailed comparison of SafeKit software vs traditional hardware-based HA clusters\">See SafeKit vs. Traditional HA Cluster Comparison<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th scope=\"row\"><strong>Technical Resources<\/strong><\/th>\n<td>SafeKit High Availability: Documentation, Downloads &amp; Trial<\/td>\n<td><a href=\"\/products\/high-availability-software-for-application-clustering\/#safekit-ha-technical-resources\" title=\"Access SafeKit free trial, technical documentation, and high availability white papers\">See SafeKit HA Free Trial &amp; Technical Documentation<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th scope=\"row\"><strong>Pre-configured Solutions<\/strong><\/th>\n<td>SafeKit Application Module Library: Ready-to-Use HA Solutions<\/td>\n<td><a href=\"\/products\/high-availability-software-for-application-clustering\/#safekit-ha-application-modules\" title=\"Browse the library of pre-configured SafeKit modules for automated application failover\">See SafeKit High Availability Application Modules<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div id=\"pg-41511-3\"  class=\"panel-grid panel-has-style\" ><div class=\"panel-row-style panel-row-style-for-41511-3\" ><div id=\"pgc-41511-3-0\"  class=\"panel-grid-cell\" ><div id=\"panel-41511-3-0-0\" class=\"so-panel widget widget_sow-editor panel-first-child panel-last-child\" data-index=\"3\" ><div\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tclass=\"so-widget-sow-editor so-widget-sow-editor-base\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t>\n<div class=\"siteorigin-widget-tinymce textwidget\">\n\t<div data-post-id=\"71458\" class=\"insert-page insert-page-71458 \"><div id=\"pl-71458\"  class=\"panel-layout\" ><div id=\"pg-71458-0\"  class=\"panel-grid panel-has-style\" ><div class=\"panel-row-style panel-row-style-for-71458-0\" ><div id=\"pgc-71458-0-0\"  class=\"panel-grid-cell panel-grid-cell-empty\" ><\/div><div id=\"pgc-71458-0-1\"  class=\"panel-grid-cell\" ><div id=\"panel-71458-0-1-0\" class=\"so-panel widget widget_sow-button panel-first-child panel-last-child\" data-index=\"0\" ><div\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tclass=\"so-widget-sow-button so-widget-sow-button-atom-22117c521b6b-71458\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t><div class=\"ow-button-base ow-button-align-center\"\n>\n\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.evidian.com\/products\/high-availability-software-for-application-clustering\/contact-us-for-safekit\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"sowb-button ow-icon-placement-left ow-button-hover\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" \t>\n\t\t<span>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\ud83e\uddd1 Contact us\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><div id=\"pgc-71458-0-2\"  class=\"panel-grid-cell\" ><div id=\"panel-71458-0-2-0\" class=\"so-panel widget widget_sow-button panel-first-child panel-last-child\" data-index=\"1\" ><div\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tclass=\"so-widget-sow-button so-widget-sow-button-atom-22117c521b6b-71458\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t><div class=\"ow-button-base ow-button-align-center\"\n>\n\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.evidian.com\/products\/high-availability-software-for-application-clustering\/safekit-free-trial\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"sowb-button ow-icon-placement-left ow-button-hover\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" \t>\n\t\t<span>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\ud83c\udf81 SafeKit free trial\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><div id=\"pgc-71458-0-3\"  class=\"panel-grid-cell\" ><div id=\"panel-71458-0-3-0\" class=\"so-panel widget widget_sow-button panel-first-child panel-last-child\" data-index=\"2\" ><div\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tclass=\"so-widget-sow-button so-widget-sow-button-atom-22117c521b6b-71458\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t><div class=\"ow-button-base ow-button-align-center\"\n>\n\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/training.my.evidian.com\/mod\/page\/view.php?id=712\"\n\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"sowb-button ow-icon-placement-left ow-button-hover\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" \t>\n\t\t<span>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\ud83c\udfc5 Free certification\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><div id=\"pgc-71458-0-4\"  class=\"panel-grid-cell panel-grid-cell-mobile-last\" ><div id=\"panel-71458-0-4-0\" class=\"so-panel widget widget_sow-button panel-first-child panel-last-child\" data-index=\"3\" ><div\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tclass=\"so-widget-sow-button so-widget-sow-button-atom-22117c521b6b-71458\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t><div class=\"ow-button-base ow-button-align-center\"\n>\n\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.evidian.com\/products\/high-availability-software-for-application-clustering\/get-a-quote-safekit-en\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"sowb-button ow-icon-placement-left ow-button-hover\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" \t>\n\t\t<span>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\ud83d\udcb0 Perpetual license cost\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><div id=\"pgc-71458-0-5\"  class=\"panel-grid-cell panel-grid-cell-empty\" ><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Simple Linux KVM High Availability without Shared Storage SafeKit: Seamless 2-Node KVM Failover Cluster with Synchronous Replication","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"parent":4484,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"page-full-screen.php","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-41511","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.3 (Yoast SEO v27.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ 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SafeKit provides synchronous replication and automatic failover for 2-node KVM clusters. Simplify your Linux VM redundancy and lower TCO today.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.evidian.com\/products\/high-availability-software-for-application-clustering\/linux-kvm-high-availability-replication-automatic-failover-load-balancing\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Simple Linux KVM High Availability without Shared Storage\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Achieve Linux KVM high availability without a SAN. SafeKit provides synchronous replication and automatic failover for 2-node KVM clusters. 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