Harvester HCI is a revolutionary open-source hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI) solution that simplifies enterprise virtualization by combining compute, storage, and networking into a single, unified platform. Built on Kubernetes and designed for modern cloud-native workloads, Harvester delivers enterprise-grade performance with the flexibility of open-source technology.
What is Harvester HCI?
Harvester HCI is an open-source alternative to traditional hyperconverged infrastructure solutions like VMware vSAN or Nutanix. It provides a complete virtualization stack that integrates seamlessly with Kubernetes environments while offering familiar VM management capabilities. Developed by SUSE, Harvester combines the power of KubeVirt, Longhorn storage, and Kubernetes orchestration.
Key Features
Virtualization Platform
- KubeVirt-based virtual machine management
- Support for both Linux and Windows VMs
- Live migration capabilities
- VM template management and cloning
- Snapshot and backup functionality
Storage Management
- Longhorn distributed block storage
- Automated storage provisioning and management
- Built-in data replication and high availability
- Storage classes for different performance tiers
- Backup and disaster recovery integration
Networking
- Software-defined networking (SDN)
- VLAN support for network segmentation
- Load balancing and traffic management
- Network policies and security groups
- Multi-cluster networking capabilities
Management & Operations
- Web-based management interface
- REST API for automation and integration
- Monitoring and alerting with Prometheus
- Centralized logging and troubleshooting
- Role-based access control (RBAC)
Cloud-Native Integration
- Native Kubernetes integration
- Rancher management platform compatibility
- GitOps workflow support
- CI/CD pipeline integration
- Helm chart deployments
Architecture Overview
Harvester HCI operates on a three-tier architecture:
Management Layer: Web UI, API, and orchestration services Compute Layer: KubeVirt for VM workloads and Kubernetes for containers Storage Layer: Longhorn for distributed storage with automatic replication
This architecture ensures high availability, scalability, and simplified management across your entire infrastructure.
System Requirements
Minimum Requirements per Node:
- 8 CPU cores (16 recommended)
- 32GB RAM (64GB recommended)
- 200GB SSD for OS installation
- Additional storage for VM workloads
- 1Gbps network connectivity (10Gbps recommended)
Cluster Requirements:
- Minimum 3 nodes for production deployment
- Odd number of nodes recommended for quorum
- Dedicated management network recommended
- Shared storage network for optimal performance
Supported Hardware:
- x86-64 server hardware
- UEFI boot support
- Hardware virtualization extensions (Intel VT-x/AMD-V)
- IOMMU support for device passthrough
Download Harvester HCI
Harvester HCI — Current Stable Version
Download STABLENet Install ISO
Harvester HCI — Current Stable Version
Download STABLEARM64
Harvester HCI — Current Stable Version
Download STABLEFile Information:
- File Size: ~4GB (approximate)
- Format: ISO image
- Installation Method: Boot from USB or PXE
- License: Apache 2.0 License
- Architecture: x86-64
Version Information:
- Latest Stable Release
- Kubernetes Version: [Current K8s version]
- Longhorn Version: [Current Longhorn version]
- KubeVirt Version: [Current KubeVirt version]
