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VDI Architecture

VDI Architecture. Chris House, VCP Senior Network Analyst DataCenter Team. Quick facts. 1,500 Windows XP SP2 “sessions” 1 or more statically assigned to users 2 datacenters, 750 sessions per datacenter 2 VirtualCenter servers (1 per datacenter) 38 ESX servers (19 per datacenter/VC)

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VDI Architecture

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  1. VDI Architecture Chris House, VCP Senior Network Analyst DataCenter Team

  2. Quick facts • 1,500 Windows XP SP2 “sessions” • 1 or more statically assigned to users • 2 datacenters, 750 sessions per datacenter • 2 VirtualCenter servers (1 per datacenter) • 38 ESX servers (19 per datacenter/VC) • 4 ESX clusters (2 per datacenter/VC) • 15 datastores per cluster/server • 25 sessions per datastore • 2 HP StorageWorks XP1024 Fibre-Channel SAN Arrays (1 per datacenter)

  3. Concept • Concurrent VDI and blade PC deployment • Complete desktop replacement for office and clinical staff • Reduce PC maintenance costs/time • Provide fastest possible access for roaming users to desktop and apps • All sessions run 24x7 • Users encouraged to leave apps running • Sessions statically assigned (no pooling) • Support multiple sessions per user (software testing) • Wyse dual-monitor & HP thin terminals, 19-inch LCD monitors, biometric keyboards, Windows XP Embedded • Manually failover sessions to remote datacenter if disaster

  4. Sessions • Windows XP SP2 • 10GB C: drive • 512MB RAM (pagefile 768-1536MB), 1 vCPU, 1 NIC • Sessions never suspended/shut down • Will reboot every 2 weeks once idle for 8 hours • Reimaged as needed using Altiris (PXE boot) • “My Documents” redirected to network drive • Sessions not backed up

  5. Session Deployment • Sessions deployed once using ESX service console shell script (bash) • VM name & hostname same as custom MAC address • 00:50:56:0A for VDC sessions • 00:50:56:0D for BDC sessions • Deployment process • Create directory, customize new VMX • vmkfstools clone sysprep-ready VMDK • register with server and power on for sysprep

  6. Location-based computing • Sessions aware of user location within the enterprise • Printing & applications require user location to function properly • Specific printers dynamically installed at RDP login depending on user’s location • “Roaming Printer Agent” • Custom solution developed in-house • Microsoft Terminal Services API used to obtain thin terminal hostname, correlate to a location

  7. Application deployment • Initially considered SVS/Appstream • Currently use Novell ZENWorks, Altiris • Application objects assigned to users in eDirectory • Icons for ZEN applications presented on desktop • Application installed at first launch • Moving to ZEN 10 for Active Directory

  8. Broker: • Custom broker developed in-house • Brokers RDP connections to VDI and other endpoints: • VDI • CCI (HP blade PCs) • Desktop PCs • Assignments made in Active Directory • Based on “Remote Operator” property of computer object in AD • Supports multiple endpoints per user

  9. Clusters & Servers • 38 x ESX 3.0.1 Enterprise • 2 x VirtualCenter 2.0.2 • 40 sessions per server (DRS balances load) • 4 clusters, 9-10 servers per cluster • HA & DRS enabled • 375 sessions per cluster • HP BL480c G1 c-Class blades • Dual Intel Xeon Quad-Core processors @ 2.666GHz • 24 GB memory • 4 x 1000MB NICs • Dual-port 4GB FC HBA

  10. Network • 4 x 1000MB NICs • c-Class enclosures with two Cisco switches • ESX vSwitch vmnics uplink to ports on both enclosure switches (two nics per vSwitch) • Cisco switches have 2 x 1000MB Etherchannel uplinks, link state tracking enabled • vSwitch0 • Service Console (VLAN for servers) • VMKernel (VLAN for VMotion) • vSwtich1 • Multiple Virtual Machine portgroups (separate VLANs)

  11. Storage • Dual-port 4GB Qlogic FC HBA • c-Class enclosures with two 4/12 Brocade 4GB switches, single uplinks to core switches • HBA connects to each switch • Metro has dual-fabric FC ‘star’ layout (core & edge switches, 32 total) • 15 datastores per cluster • 25 sessions per datastore • 263GB datastore size • 9-10 hosts per datastore

  12. Storage • 2 x HP StorageWorks XP1024 arrays • 7.89TB dedicated to local datacenter VM disks • 7.89TB dedicated on remote array for synchronous continuous replication of local VM disks • 15.78TB/array, 31.5TB total • Dedicated array ports for VDI ESX (4 per fabric, 8 total) • Datastores balanced across all paths (8) • 18 RAID5(7D+1P) disk groups per array • Local VDI LDEVs • Replicated VDI LDEVs from remote array • 1 LUN per datastore (no extents) • Datastore LUNs are XP LUSEs of 17 LDEVs (from different disk groups - 136 spindles per LUN)

  13. Achievements • Staff appreciate lightning-fast access to applications and improved mobility • Performance on par with and sometimes faster than PCs/BladePCs (server-class hardware) • Decreased time to access information – improves patient safety • Very convenient • Information secure in Datacenter • Reduced PC support calls • Reduced electricity usage through fewer PCs/CRTs • Streamlined infrastructure • Safe from ESX server failure with HA • Safe from runaway CPU/memory hogging apps in sessions affecting servers with DRS load balancing • Service desk has more tools to manage sessions (VM reset and View console through VC WebAccess) • Able to perform server maintenance during the day by utilizing VMotion to shuffle sessions around

  14. Issues • Multimedia limits of RDP • streaming video/Flash • high-res images/animation • Currently using Wyse multimedia redirector, supports only few codecs • USB support • VDI performance suffers when all sessions perform high disk I/O at same time • Windows Updates – disabled, failing retries • Antivirus – randomized across week • Large software deployment/updates – Epic • Re-imaging

  15. VMware vClient / VDM3 • Metro invited to private beta at Palo Alto HQ • Several features of VDM could be beneficial for our environment • Herculean effort to move existing environment to VDM • rip & replace would be quickest (versus migration) • What to do with 1,500 displaced users? • Conflicts exist between current session management processes/configuration and VDM’s methods = retraining

  16. Future • Software vendors working on multimedia improvements for RDP • Considering switching to RGS or another protocol • Introducing session pooling • Eliminating array replication or switching to asynchronous • Finding cheaper storage that performs • Continuing to evaluate VDM

  17. Questions? housecs@metrogr.org http://communities.vmware.com/people/chouse

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