// Module included in the following assemblies:
//
// * virt/about_virt/virt-vm-recovery-from-node-failures.adoc
:_mod-docs-content-type: CONCEPT
[id="virt-about-recommended-node-practices_{context}"]
= How node health monitoring protects virtual machines

[role="_abstract"]
By default, virtual machines (VMs) are not automatically recovered to other available nodes when a node fails. To minimize VM downtime and ensure workload resilience, configure node health monitoring and automated remediation.

Without the Node Health Check Operator and a remediation Operator such as Self Node Remediation (SNR) or Fence Agents Remediation (FAR), VMs experience downtime until the node recovers. Apply the following configurations to ensure your workloads are resilient under node failure conditions:

* Configure VMs with `runStrategy: Always` to allow recovery to other available nodes.
* Deploy and configure the Node Health Check Operator to monitor node status changes and trigger automated remediation.
* Configure a remediation operator, such as SNR or FAR, to recover workloads from failed nodes.
* Plan node capacity to ensure that enough resources are available to host VMs that migrate from failed nodes.
