Inventory management is a core feature of kubectl-mtv that allows you to discover, explore, and query resources from various virtualization providers. This chapter covers comprehensive inventory operations for migration planning and resource discovery.

Overview of Resources Available for Querying

kubectl-mtv provides access to a comprehensive inventory of resources across different provider types:

General Resources (All Providers)

Resource Aliases Description
vm vms Virtual machines and instances
host hosts Physical hosts and hypervisors
network networks Network configurations and segments
storage storages Storage systems and configurations
datacenter datacenters Data center structures
cluster clusters Compute clusters
disk disks Individual disk resources
namespace namespaces Logical resource groupings

Profile Resources (oVirt/RHV)

Resource Aliases Description
diskprofile diskprofiles, disk-profiles Disk performance profiles
nicprofile nicprofiles, nic-profiles Network interface profiles

OpenStack-Specific Resources

Resource Aliases Description
instance instances OpenStack compute instances
image images VM images and templates
flavor flavors Instance sizing configurations
project projects OpenStack projects/tenants
volume volumes Block storage volumes
volumetype volumetypes, volume-types Volume type definitions
snapshot snapshots Volume and instance snapshots
subnet subnets Network subnets

vSphere-Specific Resources

Resource Aliases Description
datastore datastores vSphere storage datastores
resourcepool resourcepools, resource-pools vSphere resource pools
folder folders vSphere organizational folders

Kubernetes-Specific Resources

Resource Aliases Description
pvc pvcs, persistentvolumeclaims Persistent Volume Claims
datavolume datavolumes, data-volumes KubeVirt DataVolumes

EC2-Specific Resources

Resource Aliases Description
ec2-instance ec2-instances EC2 compute instances
ec2-volume ec2-volumes EBS volumes
ec2-network ec2-networks VPCs and subnets
ec2-volume-type ec2-volume-types EBS volume types

Note: Generic resources (vms, networks, storage) also work with EC2 providers and display EC2-specific information.

Provider Resources

Resource Aliases Description
provider providers Provider inventory and status

General Syntax

The general syntax for inventory commands follows this pattern:

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kubectl mtv get inventory <resource> <provider> [flags]

Basic Command Structure

  • Resource: The type of resource to query (vm, network, storage, etc.)
  • Provider: The name of the provider to query
  • Flags: Optional parameters for filtering, output format, etc.

Common Flags

  • -o, --output: Output format (table, json, yaml, planvms for VMs)
  • -q, --query: Query filter using Tree Search Language (TSL)
  • -w, --watch: Watch for real-time changes
  • --extended: Show extended information (where supported)
  • --inventory-url: Custom inventory service URL

Common Inventory Examples

Virtual Machines

VMs are the most commonly queried inventory resource for migration planning:

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# List all VMs from a vSphere provider
kubectl mtv get inventory vms vsphere-prod

# List VMs from different provider types
kubectl mtv get inventory vms ovirt-prod
kubectl mtv get inventory instances openstack-prod
kubectl mtv get inventory vms openshift-source

# List VMs with extended information
kubectl mtv get inventory vms vsphere-prod --extended

# Watch for VM changes in real-time
kubectl mtv get inventory vms vsphere-prod --watch

Networks

Network inventory helps plan network mappings:

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# List all networks from vSphere
kubectl mtv get inventory networks vsphere-prod

# List networks from oVirt
kubectl mtv get inventory networks ovirt-prod

# List subnets from OpenStack
kubectl mtv get inventory subnets openstack-prod

# View network details in YAML format
kubectl mtv get inventory networks vsphere-prod -o yaml

Storage

Storage inventory assists with storage mapping configuration:

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# List storage from vSphere (datastores)
kubectl mtv get inventory datastores vsphere-prod

# List storage from oVirt
kubectl mtv get inventory storages ovirt-prod

# List volume types from OpenStack
kubectl mtv get inventory volumetypes openstack-prod

# View storage details in JSON format
kubectl mtv get inventory datastores vsphere-prod -o json

Hosts and Infrastructure

Discover infrastructure layout for planning:

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# List ESXi hosts in vSphere
kubectl mtv get inventory hosts vsphere-prod

# List oVirt hosts
kubectl mtv get inventory hosts ovirt-prod

# List datacenters
kubectl mtv get inventory datacenters vsphere-prod

# List resource pools (vSphere)
kubectl mtv get inventory resourcepools vsphere-prod

# List clusters
kubectl mtv get inventory clusters vsphere-prod

Provider Status

Check provider health and connectivity:

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# List inventory from all providers
kubectl mtv get inventory providers

# Get detailed inventory from specific provider
kubectl mtv get inventory provider vsphere-prod

# Monitor provider status
kubectl mtv get inventory provider vsphere-prod --watch

Output Formats

Table Format (Default)

The default table format provides a concise overview:

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# Default table output
kubectl mtv get inventory vms vsphere-prod

# Example output:
# NAME          POWER STATE    MEMORY(MB)    CPU    DISKS
# web-server-01 poweredOn      4096          2      2
# db-server-01  poweredOn      8192          4      3
# test-vm-01    poweredOff     2048          1      1

JSON Format

JSON output provides complete data for automation:

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# JSON output for scripting
kubectl mtv get inventory vms vsphere-prod -o json

# Extract specific fields using jq
kubectl mtv get inventory vms vsphere-prod -o json | jq '.items[].name'

# Complex data extraction
kubectl mtv get inventory vms vsphere-prod -o json | \
  jq '.items[] | select(.powerState == "poweredOn") | .name'

YAML Format

YAML format for human-readable structured data:

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# YAML output
kubectl mtv get inventory vms vsphere-prod -o yaml

# Save to file for analysis
kubectl mtv get inventory vms vsphere-prod -o yaml > vms-inventory.yaml

Extended Output

Extended output provides additional details where supported:

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# Extended information for VMs
kubectl mtv get inventory vms vsphere-prod --extended

# Extended output shows additional fields like:
# - Guest OS information
# - IP addresses
# - Detailed disk information
# - Network adapter details

How-To: Exporting VMs for Migration Planning

The special planvms output format is designed specifically for migration planning:

PlanVMs Output Format

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# Export VMs in planvms format
kubectl mtv get inventory vms vsphere-prod -o planvms

# Save to file for migration plan creation
kubectl mtv get inventory vms vsphere-prod -o planvms > migration-vms.yaml

Using PlanVMs with Migration Plans

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# Create migration plan using exported VMs
kubectl mtv create plan production-migration \
  --source vsphere-prod \
  --vms @migration-vms.yaml

# Or use the planvms format directly in plan creation
kubectl mtv get inventory vms vsphere-prod \
  -q "where name ~= 'prod-.*' and powerState = 'poweredOn'" \
  -o planvms > prod-vms.yaml

kubectl mtv create plan prod-migration \
  --source vsphere-prod \
  --vms @prod-vms.yaml

PlanVMs Format Structure

The planvms format provides a structured list suitable for plan creation:

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# Example planvms output
apiVersion: v1
kind: List
items:
- name: web-server-01
  targetName: ""  # Can be customized
  rootDisk: ""    # Can be specified
- name: db-server-01
  targetName: ""
  rootDisk: ""
# Additional VMs...

Advanced Inventory Querying

Query-Based VM Discovery

Use the Tree Search Language (TSL) for sophisticated filtering:

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# Find powered-on VMs with high memory
kubectl mtv get inventory vms vsphere-prod \
  -q "where powerState = 'poweredOn' and memoryMB > 8192"

# Find VMs matching name patterns
kubectl mtv get inventory vms vsphere-prod \
  -q "where name ~= 'web-.*' or name ~= 'app-.*'"

# Find VMs with multiple disks
kubectl mtv get inventory vms vsphere-prod \
  -q "where len disks > 1"

# Complex queries with multiple conditions
kubectl mtv get inventory vms vsphere-prod \
  -q "where powerState = 'poweredOn' and memoryMB >= 4096 and name ~= 'prod-.*'"

Provider-Specific Resource Queries

vSphere Resource Discovery

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# Find datastores with available space
kubectl mtv get inventory datastores vsphere-prod \
  -q "where freeSpaceGB > 100"

# List resource pools by availability
kubectl mtv get inventory resourcepools vsphere-prod

# Find hosts in specific clusters
kubectl mtv get inventory hosts vsphere-prod \
  -q "where cluster.name = 'Production-Cluster'"

oVirt Resource Discovery

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# Find VMs with specific OS types
kubectl mtv get inventory vms ovirt-prod \
  -q "where guestOS ~= 'rhel.*'"

# List disk profiles
kubectl mtv get inventory diskprofiles ovirt-prod

# Find storage domains
kubectl mtv get inventory storages ovirt-prod \
  -q "where type = 'data'"

OpenStack Resource Discovery

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# Find instances by flavor
kubectl mtv get inventory instances openstack-prod \
  -q "where flavor.name = 'm1.large'"

# List available images
kubectl mtv get inventory images openstack-prod \
  -q "where status = 'active'"

# Find volumes by size
kubectl mtv get inventory volumes openstack-prod \
  -q "where size >= 100"

Inventory Automation and Scripting

Automated Resource Discovery

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#!/bin/bash
# Script to discover migration candidates

PROVIDER="vsphere-prod"
OUTPUT_DIR="inventory-$(date +%Y%m%d)"

mkdir -p "$OUTPUT_DIR"

# Export all VMs
kubectl mtv get inventory vms "$PROVIDER" -o json > "$OUTPUT_DIR/all-vms.json"

# Export powered-on VMs only
kubectl mtv get inventory vms "$PROVIDER" \
  -q "where powerState = 'poweredOn'" \
  -o planvms > "$OUTPUT_DIR/active-vms.yaml"

# Export large VMs (>50GB total disk)
kubectl mtv get inventory vms "$PROVIDER" \
  -q "where sum disks.capacityGB > 50" \
  -o json > "$OUTPUT_DIR/large-vms.json"

# Export network information
kubectl mtv get inventory networks "$PROVIDER" -o yaml > "$OUTPUT_DIR/networks.yaml"

# Export storage information
kubectl mtv get inventory datastores "$PROVIDER" -o yaml > "$OUTPUT_DIR/datastores.yaml"

echo "Inventory exported to $OUTPUT_DIR/"

Migration Planning Automation

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#!/bin/bash
# Automated migration plan generation

PROVIDER="vsphere-prod"
PLAN_NAME="auto-migration-$(date +%Y%m%d)"

# Discover migration candidates
kubectl mtv get inventory vms "$PROVIDER" \
  -q "where powerState = 'poweredOn' and memoryMB <= 8192 and len disks <= 2" \
  -o planvms > "small-vms.yaml"

# Create migration plan
kubectl mtv create plan "$PLAN_NAME" \
  --source "$PROVIDER" \
  --vms @small-vms.yaml \
  --migration-type cold

echo "Created migration plan: $PLAN_NAME"

Provider-Specific Inventory Features

vSphere Provider Inventory

vSphere provides the richest inventory with hierarchical structure:

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# Complete vSphere infrastructure discovery
kubectl mtv get inventory datacenters vsphere-prod
kubectl mtv get inventory clusters vsphere-prod
kubectl mtv get inventory hosts vsphere-prod
kubectl mtv get inventory resourcepools vsphere-prod
kubectl mtv get inventory folders vsphere-prod
kubectl mtv get inventory datastores vsphere-prod
kubectl mtv get inventory networks vsphere-prod
kubectl mtv get inventory vms vsphere-prod

oVirt Provider Inventory

oVirt provides enterprise virtualization resources:

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# oVirt-specific resources
kubectl mtv get inventory vms ovirt-prod
kubectl mtv get inventory hosts ovirt-prod
kubectl mtv get inventory storages ovirt-prod
kubectl mtv get inventory networks ovirt-prod
kubectl mtv get inventory diskprofiles ovirt-prod
kubectl mtv get inventory nicprofiles ovirt-prod

OpenStack Provider Inventory

OpenStack provides cloud-native resource discovery:

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# OpenStack-specific resources
kubectl mtv get inventory instances openstack-prod
kubectl mtv get inventory images openstack-prod
kubectl mtv get inventory flavors openstack-prod
kubectl mtv get inventory projects openstack-prod
kubectl mtv get inventory volumes openstack-prod
kubectl mtv get inventory volumetypes openstack-prod
kubectl mtv get inventory snapshots openstack-prod
kubectl mtv get inventory subnets openstack-prod

OpenShift/KubeVirt Provider Inventory

For KubeVirt-to-KubeVirt migrations:

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# KubeVirt-specific resources
kubectl mtv get inventory vms openshift-source
kubectl mtv get inventory pvcs openshift-source
kubectl mtv get inventory datavolumes openshift-source
kubectl mtv get inventory namespaces openshift-source

Real-Time Monitoring and Watching

Watch Mode

Monitor inventory changes in real-time:

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# Watch VM state changes
kubectl mtv get inventory vms vsphere-prod --watch

# Watch provider status
kubectl mtv get inventory provider vsphere-prod --watch

# Monitor network changes
kubectl mtv get inventory networks vsphere-prod --watch

Automated Monitoring

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#!/bin/bash
# Monitor for migration readiness

PROVIDER="vsphere-prod"

echo "Monitoring VMs for migration readiness..."

kubectl mtv get inventory vms "$PROVIDER" \
  -q "where powerState = 'poweredOn'" \
  --watch | while read -r line; do
    echo "$(date): $line"
    # Add notification logic here
done

Inventory Performance and Optimization

Large Environment Optimization

For large virtualization environments:

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# Use specific queries to reduce data transfer
kubectl mtv get inventory vms vsphere-prod \
  -q "where datacenter.name = 'DC-East'" \
  -o json

# Focus on specific clusters
kubectl mtv get inventory vms vsphere-prod \
  -q "where cluster.name = 'Production-Cluster'"

# Limit results with targeted queries
kubectl mtv get inventory vms vsphere-prod \
  -q "where memoryMB >= 4096 and powerState = 'poweredOn'" \
  --extended

Inventory Caching

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# Cache frequently accessed inventory
kubectl mtv get inventory vms vsphere-prod -o json > vms-cache.json
kubectl mtv get inventory networks vsphere-prod -o yaml > networks-cache.yaml
kubectl mtv get inventory datastores vsphere-prod -o yaml > storage-cache.yaml

# Use cached data for planning
jq '.items[] | select(.powerState == "poweredOn")' vms-cache.json

Troubleshooting Inventory Issues

Common Inventory Problems

Provider Connectivity Issues

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# Check provider status
kubectl mtv describe provider vsphere-prod

# Test inventory service connectivity
kubectl mtv get inventory provider vsphere-prod

# Check inventory service URL
echo $MTV_INVENTORY_URL

Query Syntax Errors

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# Test queries with simple examples first
kubectl mtv get inventory vms vsphere-prod -q "where name = 'test-vm'"

# Use JSON output to understand available fields
kubectl mtv get inventory vms vsphere-prod -o json | jq '.items[0]' | head -20

# Check query syntax documentation
kubectl mtv get inventory vms vsphere-prod --help

Performance Issues

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# Use specific queries instead of listing all resources
kubectl mtv get inventory vms vsphere-prod \
  -q "where cluster.name = 'specific-cluster'"

# Enable debug logging
kubectl mtv get inventory vms vsphere-prod -v=2

# Check inventory service performance
kubectl get pods -n konveyor-forklift -l app=forklift-inventory

Debug and Logging

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# Enable verbose logging
kubectl mtv get inventory vms vsphere-prod -v=2

# Check inventory service logs
kubectl logs -n konveyor-forklift deployment/forklift-inventory -f

# Monitor network traffic
kubectl exec -it forklift-inventory-pod -- netstat -an

Integration with Migration Workflows

Inventory-Driven Migration Planning

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# 1. Discover migration candidates
kubectl mtv get inventory vms vsphere-prod \
  -q "where powerState = 'poweredOn' and memoryMB <= 16384" \
  -o planvms > candidates.yaml

# 2. Analyze resource requirements
kubectl mtv get inventory vms vsphere-prod \
  -q "where name in ('vm1', 'vm2', 'vm3')" \
  -o json | jq '.items[] | {name, memory: .memoryMB, disks: [.disks[].capacityGB]}'

# 3. Check network and storage availability
kubectl mtv get inventory networks vsphere-prod -o yaml
kubectl mtv get inventory datastores vsphere-prod \
  -q "where freeSpaceGB > 100" -o yaml

# 4. Create migration plan
kubectl mtv create plan inventory-driven-migration \
  --source vsphere-prod \
  --vms @candidates.yaml

Validation and Verification

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# Verify VMs exist before migration
VM_NAMES=$(kubectl get plan migration-plan -o json | jq -r '.spec.vms[].name')
for vm in $VM_NAMES; do
  kubectl mtv get inventory vms vsphere-prod -q "where name = '$vm'" -o json | \
    jq -r '.items[0].name // "NOT FOUND: '$vm'"'
done

# Check resource availability
kubectl mtv get inventory datastores vsphere-prod \
  -q "where freeSpaceGB > 500" -o table

Next Steps

After mastering inventory management:

  1. Learn Query Language: Master advanced filtering in Chapter 8: Query Language Reference and Advanced Filtering
  2. Create Mappings: Define resource mappings in Chapter 9: Mapping Management
  3. Plan Migrations: Use inventory data for planning in Chapter 10: Migration Plan Creation
  4. Optimize Performance: Apply inventory insights in Chapter 13: Migration Process Optimization

Previous: Chapter 6: VDDK Image Creation and Configuration
Next: Chapter 8: Query Language Reference and Advanced Filtering