To install GitHub Enterprise on XenServer, you must deploy the GitHub Enterprise disk image to a XenServer host.

Requirements

Before installing GitHub Enterprise on XenServer, ensure you meet these software and hardware requirements.

Software

  • GitHub Enterprise XenServer disk image (VHD) and license files - The appliance and license required to run GitHub Enterprise are available from the GitHub Enterprise download page.
  • XenServer Hypervisor - This must be installed on the machine that runs your GitHub Enterprise VM. We support versions 6.0 through 6.2.
  • XenCenter Windows Management Console - This simplifies the management of multiple XenServer hosts.

Hardware

  • For your storage device, we recommend a high-performance SSD, either directly attached or from a storage area network (SAN).

Based on your seat count, we recommend this hardware configuration:

Seats vCPUs Memory Attached Storage Root Storage
10-500 2 16 GB 100 GB 200 GB
500-3000 4 32 GB 250 GB 200 GB
3000-5000 8 64 GB 500 GB 200 GB
5000-8000 12 72 GB 750 GB 200 GB
8000-10000+ 16 128 GB 1000 GB 200 GB

These are minimum recommendations. More resources may be required depending on your usage, such as user activity and selected integrations.

Note: The root disk cannot be resized without building a new appliance. For more information, see "Increasing the root partition size."

Warning: We recommend you use webhooks to fetch repository changes for continuous integration (CI) or similar systems. Regular automatic checks, or polling, will significantly reduce the scalability of your instance.

Download the GitHub Enterprise VM

  1. Navigate to the GitHub Enterprise download page.

  2. To download your license file, click Download license.

  3. Click Get the latest release.

  4. Select GitHub On-premises, then click XenServer (VHD).

  5. To download your license file, click Download license.

Import the GitHub Enterprise VM

Depending on your network configuration, the import process should take about five to ten minutes to complete.

  1. Start the XenCenter Client.
  2. Click File > Import. Import menu option
  3. Next to the Filename field, click Browse. On your computer, locate the XenServer VHD. Import GHE VHD
  4. Configure the VM's CPU and memory storage based on your seat count. For more information, see the hardware requirements. VM Hardware specifications
  5. If you only have one XenServer host, click Next. If you have multiple XenServer hosts, see XenServer's documentation for more information about configuring the virtual machine when using XenServer Resource Pools. Select XenServer host
  6. To assign a storage system for the VM, click Place all imported virtual disks on this target SR. We recommend using a high-performance data storage method, such as a SAN or a local SSD. Import storage repository
  7. In the Target Network field, specify an available network on your XenServer host to map to the virtual network interface in the VM. Import Network
  8. Select Don't use Operating System Fixup. Disable Operating System Fixup
  9. To transfer the GitHub Enterprise VM to XenServer, select the appropriate network configuration available to your environment. Transfer VM options
  10. To start the import, click Finish. Leave the VM powered off. Finish configuration

Configure additional block storage

  1. In the left pane, select your GitHub Enterprise VM. GitHub Enterprise VM in XenCenter
  2. To configure a block storage device, click the Storage tab. Data storage tab
  3. Click Add.... Data storage add button
  4. Create a new virtual disk and configure the size based on your seat count. For more information, see the hardware requirements. Data disk specification
  5. Click Add. Adding a new disk

Start the VM

  1. To start the VM, click Start. VM start button
  2. When your VM is running, click the Networking tab. Network tab
  3. Copy the VM's IP address and paste it into a web browser. Network tab IP address
  4. Configure the GitHub Enterprise appliance.