Build a Three-Node KVM HA Lab

Episode 22 of the InventiveHQ KVM virtualization series.

Lab verified July 2026 · Ubuntu 26.04 · libvirt 12.0.0 · QEMU 10.2.1

What this episode proves

• Provision kvm-ha01, kvm-ha02, and kvm-ha03 with nested KVM
• Create consistent names, time, networks, and storage paths
• Form Corosync and Pacemaker membership
• Prove three votes, quorum, and clean libvirt readiness on every node

Validated workflow

1. Provision kvm-ha01, kvm-ha02, and kvm-ha03 with nested KVM

./provision-ha-lab.sh ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub

2. Create consistent names, time, networks, and storage paths

pcs cluster setup ihq-kvm-ha kvm-ha01 kvm-ha02 kvm-ha03 --start --enable

3. Form Corosync and Pacemaker membership

pcs status

4. Prove three votes, quorum, and clean libvirt readiness on every node

corosync-quorumtool -s

Finished state

All three HA nodes run with quorum and no managed VM resource yet. The public scripts contain no private keys, passwords, or tokens. Review names, addresses, paths, ownership, backups, quorum, and fencing for your own environment before running them.

• Versioned Episode 22 source
• Complete KVM series roadmap
• Free Virsh Command Builder