dell dvs enterprise 6010 entry configuration for 50-500...

Dell DVS Enterprise 6010

Entry Configuration for 50-500 users

XenDesktop Reference Architecture

Note: See the DVS Enterprise 6010 Rack and Blade Reference Architecture document and

the Dell ISS Solution Architecture documents for details of the solution stack to support

more than 500 users

ii XenDesktop Reference Architecture

Contact Details

Contact Name Project Role E-mail

Jason Maynard Citrix Solutions Architect – DVS [email protected]

Reed Martin Technology Marketing Sr. Advisor - DVS [email protected]

Document Circulation and Approval List

Name Role Company

Senthil Bala Citrix Lead (Eng) Dell

Chad Roesle Citrix Solutions Manager Dell

Jason Maynard Citrix Solutions Architect (Mktg) Dell

Peter Fine Engineering Solutions Architect Dell

Document Control

Version Description Date Author

Draft v1.91 Add customer provided hardware recommendations.

11/29/2011 Don McCall

Draft v2.0 Add order codes. 11/29/2011 Jason Maynard

Draft v2.1 Add DellStar screenshot. 11/30/2011 Jason Maynard

iii XenDesktop Reference Architecture

Contents

1 Introduction ................................................................................ 1 1.1 Summary ............................................................................................ 1 1.2 Purpose of this document ....................................................................... 2 1.3 Dell DVS Enterprise 6010 Entry Bundle Overview ........................................... 2 1.4 Design principles .................................................................................. 4 1.5 Dell DVS Enterprise 6010 solution design criteria ........................................... 4

2 Dell DVS Enterprise 6010 Solution Architecture Components .................... 5 2.1 VMware vSphere Cluster and Management ................................................... 5 2.2 Host Server Testing Summary ................................................................... 5 2.3 Hardware Components ........................................................................... 6

2.3.1 Top of Rack Switching ..................................................................... 6 2.3.2 Compute Host Server ....................................................................... 7 2.3.3 Management Server ........................................................................ 7

2.4 Dell PowerEdge Embedded Server Management ............................................. 8 2.5 Storage .............................................................................................. 8

3 Networking ............................................................................... 11 3.1 Logical Network Topology ..................................................................... 11 3.2 Physical Network Topology .................................................................... 12 3.3 Network Attached Storage .................................................................... 13

4 Alternative File Storage with the FS7500 .......................................... 14 4.1 FS7500 Integration Guidelines ................................................................ 14 4.2 ESXi Host Networking ........................................................................... 16

Physical Networking Connectivity – Virtual Compute Server ............................. 16 Physical Networking Connectivity – Management Server ................................. 17

4.3 Software Components .......................................................................... 18 4.3.1 XenDesktop 5.5 ............................................................................ 18 4.3.2 SQL Server 2008 R2 ....................................................................... 18 4.3.3 Citrix License Server ..................................................................... 18 4.3.4 Citrix Web Interface Server ............................................................. 19 4.3.5 Windows File Services .................................................................... 19 4.3.6 Citrix Desktop Receiver .................................................................. 19 4.3.7 Virtual Desktop Antivirus ................................................................ 20 4.3.8 Windows Active Directory Integration ................................................ 20 4.3.9 Enterprise Thin Client Support ......................................................... 20

5 End-User Workload Characterizations ............................................... 21 5.1 Basic Workload Characterization ............................................................. 21 5.2 Standard Workload Characterization ........................................................ 21 5.3 Premium Workload Characterization ........................................................ 22

6 Solution Stack Functionality .......................................................... 23 6.1 XenDesktop Communication ................................................................... 23 6.2 Scaling and Sizing ............................................................................... 24

6.2.1 Scaling Dell DVS Enterprise 6010 Entry bundle by Workload Characterization 25

7 High Availability Option ................................................................ 26 7.1 Dell DVS Enterprise 6010 Entry Bundle Resiliency ......................................... 26

iv XenDesktop Reference Architecture

7.2 Load Balancing ................................................................................... 26 7.2.1 NetScaler VPX 200 ........................................................................ 26

7.3 Solution Bundle Bill of Materials Example .................................................. 26 7.4 Solution Software and Licensing Components.............................................. 27 7.5 How to Order .................................................................................... 27

7.5.1 Dell DVS Enterprise 6010 Solution Stack Order Codes .............................. 28 7.5.2 Sample Dell DVS Enterprise 6010 Order .............................................. 29

7.6 Customer Supplied Stack Components ...................................................... 30 7.6.1 Storage Requirements ................................................................... 30 7.6.2 Networking Requirements ............................................................... 31

8 Conclusion ................................................................................ 32

1 XenDesktop Reference Architecture

1 Introduction

1.1 Summary

The Dell DVS Enterprise 6010 reference architecture (RA) is provided to customers as a summary of the specifications, functionality, performance, and benefits of the solution. It includes details of the basic hardware and components, a primer on how the software elements should be set up, and a section on sizing guidance. The reference architecture is NOT a detailed configuration guide with

intricate step-by-step instructions on how to set it up, exact sizing specifics, or troubleshooting.

Desktop virtualization customers typically have a wide range of end user computing needs. These customers – often from different industry segments – need sophisticated solutions to allow their end users to perform highly-specialized and challenging tasks. Dell DVS has a comprehensive solution portfolio designed to enable customers to experience the benefits of virtual desktop computing and allow their end users to perform at extremely high levels.

Getting the most out of virtual desktops requires a well-developed, reliable architecture. If the virtual desktop architecture is undersized in terms of server processing, memory, or storage, then the end user experience will not match that of a traditional PC. If the architecture is oversized, then the cost per virtual desktop may be prohibitive.

The Dell DVS Enterprise 6010 leverages thousands of hours of testing and purpose-built hardware, software, and service elements to enable a capable architecture that maximizes IT control while delivering a seamless end user experience that is similar to a traditional PC. Dell utilizes industry standard components so customers can see a clear path to upgrades and full support through the life of the solution without sacrificing choice and flexibility. The Dell DVS Enterprise 6010 helps streamline the deployment of desktop virtualization and represents a major step in the journey

toward a more secure, more flexible, and fully scalable virtual desktop computing experience.

Key benefits of the solution include:

Enhanced Productivity: Transform work environments to enable robust and secure access

from most any device virtually anywhere, anytime to help optimize end user productivity.

o End Point Flexibility: Support for most enpoint devices including smartphones,

iPads, thin client and re-purposed legacy desktops and laptops

o Security: Data is protected in the data center as screen information is encrypted enroute to the end point with no data stored on the endpoint

o Reduced support costs: Self healing images (just reboot to get a clean image) and a rip and replace end point service model (user can just plug in a new devide ―like a

phone‖)

o Data Center Flexibility: The solution can be deployed into data centers with non-Dell networking and/or storage

Easy to Buy & Deploy: Streamlined selection and deployment of desktop virtualization for 50

to 500 users

o Deployment of an end to end solution for 500 users

o Designed to scale from 2 servers with 50 users to 15,000 users over time

Easy to Support: The right services to meet the needs of your business including

deployment, training and HW/SW support.


1.2 Purpose of this document

This document provides a reference architecture (RA) of the DVS Enterprise 6010 solution. It is intended to help customers understand how to select and rapidly deploy pilot installations of the Dell DVS Enterprise 6010 solution. Target pilot deployment size is from 50 to 500 users. The solution shares software and most hardware components with the DVS Enterprise 6010 Rack and Blade configurations so customers can add components and easily scale from 50 to 15,000 users.

1.3 Dell DVS Enterprise 6010 Entry Bundle Overview

The Dell Desktop Virtualization Solutions are a combination of purpose built horizontal architectures designed to be modular and scalable for an array of customer needs and a defined and tested

services methodology.

To provide a simplified solution stack we have designed three Integrated Solution Stack (ISS) bundles to address the vast majority of customer needs and use cases for desktop virtualization. These bundles are:

Entry – Rack Servers and 1Gb networking to support 50-500 users

Rack – Rack Servers and 1Gb networking to support over 500 users

Blade – Blade Servers, 10 Gb networking, shared storage for over 500 users

This document covers the Entry configuration for 50-500 users. Details of the Rack and Blade configurations are included in the Dell DVS 6010 Rack & Blade Reference Architecture and ISS

Solution Architecture documents.

To provide a prescriptive and scalable architecture, the bundles have limited configuration. Whether the customer requires a managed solution from Dell or prefers to manage the solution in-house Dell DVS Enterprise solutions are consistent and will be leveraged as the horizontal platform. If the prescribed configurations do not meet customer needs then a custom solution can be

provided.


This reference architecture focuses on the Dell DVS Enterprise 6010 Entry bundle which is marketed as a minimal configuration to serve as pure entry point to VDI deployments supporting up to 500 users. All management roles will be virtualized on a dedicated server. Per server user estimations

are based on one of the following:

● 80 users per server running a basic workload.

● 60 users per server running a standard workload.

● 42 users per server running a premium workload.

●

See Section 5 for details on workload characterizations.

The Dell DVS Enterprise 6010 entry bundle can optionally provide centralized user and profile data storage on the Dell EqualLogic PS4100E series array. The virtual machine vDisk images can be stored on the PS4100 as well. This provides a robust, mid-market entry-level solution. Dell DVS Enterprise 6010 entry bundle is also an excellent choice for customers wishing to implement a VDI proof-of-

concept with the intent of scaling up the solution at a later time.


1.4 Design principles

The design principles for the flexible computing solution are:

● Secure – Security risks, concerns and policies are addressed or mitigated.

● Manageable – The solution includes the tools and software services required to manage the environment.

● Standards based – Makes use of commodity, off-the-shelf components wherever possible.

● Distributed – Non-blocking and built with distributed components to maximise the use of available computing resources and eliminate bottlenecks.

● Scalable – Capable of scaling up / down to support business needs.

● Resilient – The solution must be able to withstand the failure of a single infrastructure component.

1.5 Dell DVS Enterprise 6010 solution design criteria

To provide a scalable and predictive solution stack, Dell developed scalability and design criteria based on extensive testing and validation within our Global Solutions Lab. Based on this analysis the following design criteria have been established. This drives the design criteria to allow modular

scalability which requires certain design constraints as outlined below.

Dell DVS Enterprise 6010 Entry solution:

One R710 physical management server.

One R710 physical host server.

The management server’s virtual machine OS disks reside on local Tier 1 storage or,

optionally, on PS4100E.

One R710 physical compute host with local Tier 1 storage.

One Dell EqualLogic PS4100E Tier 2 storage array (optional, customer can provide).

o A Tier 3 storage solution is optional.

One PowerConnect 6248 1GB top of rack switch (optional, customer can provide).

Up to seven virtualization hosts and can provide VDI services to up to 500 users characterized as a Basic Workload. Up to this level, only one PowerConnect 6248 is

required.

The design assumptions for user densities is based on workload characterization completed for the Dell DVS Enterprise 6010 entry bundle that was done within the Dell DVS Engineering lab. These are the same user densities that are used for the Dell DVS Enterprise 6010 Rack and Blade ISS bundles

with either XenDesktop 5.5 or VMware View 5.0.


2 Dell DVS Enterprise 6010 Solution Architecture

Components

2.1 VMware vSphere Cluster and Management

All XenDesktop Virtual Desktops run as virtual instances hosted on the VMware vSphere

infrastructure.

2.2 Host Server Testing Summary

The Desktop Host performance graphs shown in this section of the report demonstrate a summary of key performance metrics within each desktop host during each test run. During testing the Dell DVS Engineering team found that total CPU and memory utilization are fairly low at 60% for 80 users. More desktops can be added to the current solution depending on the user type and amount of

resources required for peak loads.

The following diagrams illustrate Host Server performance of a full 6010 Entry stack with 100% of

the user desktops pre-booted:

The following diagrams illustrate Host Server performance of a single server 6010 Entry stack with

20% of the user desktops pre-booted:


2.3 Hardware Components

2.3.1 Top of Rack Switching

A single PC-6248 switch can be used to serve a full Dell DVS Enterprise 6010 Entry bundle without high availability (HA) but HA is easily achieved by adding a second switch. Routing decisions should be assumed to be made at the network core. All top-of-rack (ToR) switches in this configuration should be configured as Layer2 edge switches. All VLANs could potentially exist in the core switch and be trunked down to all edge switches. This configuration will consist of four primary VLANs: iSCSI (L2-non-routable), VDI (L3-routable), Production (L3-routable), and Management Network (L3-

routable). Note: A customer-provided switch can be used in lieu of the PC6248.

Model Features Options

PowerConnect 6248 48 x BaseT (10/100/1000) + 4 x SFP

combo ports

4 x 10Gbe uplink ports

184 Gbps switching capacity

131 Mbps forwarding rate

IEEE 802.1Q tagging and port-based; up to 4,000 VLANs; Voice VLANs,

private VLANs, Protocol VLANs

409.5 BTU/hr

120 watts of power consumption

Up to 4 x SX or LX optics (1Gb)

48Gb stacking module (Bay1 only)

Dual SFP+ module

Single or dual LR or SR optics (10Gb)

RPS-600 (redundant power supply)


2.3.2 Compute Host Server

The Dell DVS Enterprise 6010 Entry bundle compute host server is the Dell PowerEdge R710. The

solution is based on Citrix XenDesktop 5.5 Premier with vSphere 4.1.

PowerEdge R710

2x Intel Xeon E5660 Processor

96GB Memory

8x 146GB SAS 6Gbps 15k Disks - RAID10

PERC H700 Integrated RAID Controller

Embedded SD Card for ESXi 5.0

Embedded Broadcom 5709 GbE LOM with TCP/IP Engine (4 Port)

iDRAC6 Enterprise

2.3.3 Management Server

In addition to the Virtual Desktop compute host, there will be a dedicated R710 management server that will host virtualized infrastructure services such as Web interface servers, desktop broker

services, Provisioning services, SQL/File, and load balancing services.

PowerEdge R710

2x Intel Xeon E5670 Processor

96GB Memory

PERC H700 Integrated RAID Controller

Embedded SD Card for ESXi 4.1 Update 2

Embedded Broadcom 5709 GbE LOM with TCP/IP Engine (4 Port)

iDRAC6 Enterprise


Management Component vCPU RAM (GB)

NIC Tier 1 vDisk (GB)

Tier 2 vDisk (GB)

OS

XenDesktop Controller 1 4 1 40 5 Windows Server 2008 R2

Citrix Web Interface 1 2 1 40 0 Windows Server 2008 R2

Citrix License Server 1 2 1 40 0 Windows Server 2008 R2

VMware vCenter 2 8 1 40 50 Windows Server 2008 R2

Provisioning Server 4 24 1 40 100 Windows Server 2008 R2

SQL Server 2 4 1 40 200 Windows Server 2008 R2

File Server 1 4 1 40 0 Windows Server 2008 R2

TOTALS 12 48 7 280 355

2.4 Dell PowerEdge Embedded Server Management

The Lifecycle Controller is the engine for advanced embedded management and is delivered as part of iDRAC Enterprise in 11th-generation Dell PowerEdge blade and rack servers. It includes 1GB of managed and persistent storage that embeds systems management features directly on the server, thus eliminating the media-based delivery of system management tools and utilities previously

needed for systems management. Embedded management includes:

● Unified Server Configurator (USC) aims at local 1-to-1 deployment via a graphical user interface (GUI) for operating system install, updates, configuration, and for performing diagnostics, on single, local servers. This eliminates the need for multiple option ROMs for hardware configuration.

● Remote Services are standards-based interfaces that enable consoles to integrate, for example, bare-metal provisioning and one-to-many OS deployments, for servers located remotely. Dell’s Lifecycle Controller takes advantage of the capabilities of both USC and Remote Services to deliver significant advancement and simplification of server deployment.

● Lifecycle Controller Serviceability aims at simplifying server re-provisioning and/or replacing failed parts and thus reduces maintenance downtime.

2.5 Storage

As noted previously a RAID 10 volume across 8 x 146GB 15k SAS drives on each R710 compute hosts

the PVS write cache and vDisks for the VDI sessions as Tier 1.

The Dell EqualLogic PS4100E (or equivalent) can be optionally leveraged as Tier 2 storage which is used to store management virtual machines, user home and profile directories, and SQL database and logs. Additional arrays can be added for scalability if the solution is a pilot that is expected to eventually scale beyond 500 users. In that case, consideration for a larger array should be made prior to deployment for investment protection. The volume space outlined here consumes double the amount of disk space listed as an equal amount for each volume has been reserved as snapshot space for each volume, this can be scaled back as required to make more disk space available to the servers to use. (Reserved snapshot space was 100% of the provisioned volumes allowing customers to reduce the amount of space they reserve to create more usable disk space for users, as required.) The Dell DVS Enterprise 6010 Entry bundle Tier 2 storage is configured as outlined below. Note:


Customer-provided storage can be used in lieu of the PS4100E. See section 6.4.1 for details.

Model Features

Equallogic PS4100E 12 drive bays (NL-SAS/ 7200k RPM), dual HA controllers, Snaps/Clones, Async replication, SAN HQ. Configured with 6TB – 12 x 1TB HDDs.

The PS4100E array will be configured as RAID 50 to optimise the unit for throughput. Each Volume will be configured with a maximum size of 500GB in line with best practice with the exception of the volumes presented to the file servers for file storage which will be configured as 2048GB with a block size of 8MB.

PVS100GB

VMFS

Home Drives2TB

NTFS

Profiles20GB

NTFS

Templates and ISOs200GB

VMFS

SQL TempDBData5GB

VMFS

SQL TempDBLog5GB

VMFS

SQL Data

100GBVMFS

SQL Log

100GBVMFS

Mgmt VMs500GB

VMFS

Free Space.5TB

Names Size (GB) Storage Array VM’s Purpose

Management 500 PS4100 vCenter, Provisioning Server, Delivery Controller, File

Server and SQL

Base Images

Home Drives 2048 PS4100 File Server Data Home drive for users

SQL DATA 100 PS4100 SQL SQL Database volume

SQL LOGS 100 PS4100 SQL SQL Logs volume

TempDB Data 5 PS4100 SQL SQL Temp DB

TempDB Logs 5 PS4100 SQL SQL Temp DB


The following table details the DataStore configuration of the internal host storage and the anticipated maximum number of desktops supported for each workload on each DataStore when configured as RAID 10:

LUN (Volume) Size (GB) Basic Workload Standard Workload Premium Workload

Local R710 Vol 584 194 155 97

The space required for each desktop in the above table has been calculated as follows for the

shared disk image machines:

● Page File (1.5x RAM to a maximum of 4GB) + Temporary Session Data +VMware Swap File (1x non-reserved RAM)

o Basic - (1x1.5) + 1 + 0.5 = 3.0GB

o Standard – (1.5x1.5) + 1 + 0.5 = 3.75GB

o Premium – 4 + 1 + 1 = 6GB


3 Networking

3.1 Logical Network Topology

Below is a diagram of the logical network topology for the Dell DVS Enterprise 6010 Entry bundle.

There are a number of VLANs to isolate and manage traffic.

● iSCSI VLAN: configured as a switched only VLAN; Management VMK VLAN: configured for ESX; Service Console traffic – routed.

● VDI VLAN: Configured for VDI infrastructure traffic – routed.

● Hardware Management VLAN: configured for all hardware management traffic, managing the ESX hosts, EqualLogic storage units, network switches – routed.

Three VLANs have routing interfaces on the core network.

The network will comprise of five VLAN, two of which will be switched-only VLANs for iSCSI. There will also be 3 routed VLANs; one for ESXi Service Console, one for Hardware Management and one for Virtual Desktop Infrastructure. The Hardware Management VLAN (DRAC) will be configured for all hardware management traffic, managing the ESX hosts, EqualLogic storage units, network

switches etc.


3.2 Physical Network Topology

Below is a diagram of the physical topology of the network. This represents the physical nature of the network showing how connectivity is gained between the PowerConnect 6248, PowerEdge R710 and the EqualLogic Storage unit.


3.3 Network Attached Storage

The EQL NAS device applies to the HA bundle and >500 user scale out options.

Model Features Options

Equallogic FS7500 Dual clustered active-active controllers, 24GB cache per controller, battery backup array, supports up to 8 EQL PS series storage arrays + an additional FS7500, CIFS & NFS support, AD-

integration.

No configurable

hardware options.

REPO OUT REPO IN

125V – 15AOUTPUT

INPUT 100V–125V~

REPO OUT REPO IN

125V – 15AOUTPUT

INPUT 100V–125V~

2GbGb 1 Gb 3 Gb 4

21

2GbGb 1 Gb 3 Gb 4

21

IPMI ports

No

de

2B

atte

ryN

od

e 1

Back-end ports Front-end ports


4 Alternative File Storage with the FS7500

The Dell EqualLogic FS7500 is a unified, scale-out NAS solution that works with EqualLogic PS Series arrays to combine both NAS and SAN storage in a single, flexible architecture designed to optimize both performance and capacity. It can be used in the DVS stack to replace the virtual file server, bringing greater scalability for file services to the solution.

While many storage solutions tend to experience performance degradations as you increase their capacity, the FS7500 offers almost linear scalability; that is, as you increase the number of controller pairs or EqualLogic PS Series arrays, the FS7500 delivers a proportional increase in storage performance. This is a key feature because consolidating virtual workloads can cause unexpected demand bursts in your storage capacity and performance. The scalability of performance with

capacity eases this common stumbling block.

The FS7500 system can be quickly added to an existing EqualLogic SAN environment to create a NAS service. Because workloads in virtual environments can be deployed or moved quickly to meet business needs, it is not uncommon to experience high volatility in storage demand. As a result, the ability to add or move NAS or SAN storage quickly and easily, without disrupting operations, is a

great advantage—especially as more and more applications are virtualized.

4.1 FS7500 Integration Guidelines

The FS7500 may be an optional or a required component in a DVS Enterprise 6010 Entry deployment

depending on a few key factors:

● Whether or not the HA option is being deployed.

● What is the intended total supported user count.

If the DVS Enterprise 6010 Entry is deployed in a High Availability configuration, the FS7500 is a necessary component to ensure file services maximum uptime, data protection and file server redundancy in the event of a component failure. If the HA option is not required, but the total supported user count exceeds 500, the FS7500 is recommended to ensure file service performance


as well as support the addition of an additional storage array. Refer to the diagram below for details. If an optional FS7500 NAS head is used, the File Services role will be migrated to the NAS and the virtual file server instance(s) removed.

User Count With HA Without HA

1-50 Required No

50 - 500 Required Optional

500 - 1000 Required Optional

>1000 Required Required


4.2 ESXi Host Networking

All R710 ESXi Servers have an identical networking configuration. This will ensure connectivity

across the bundle and allow for ease of configuration and management.

Physical Networking Connectivity – Virtual Compute Server


Physical Networking Connectivity – Management Server

Each server has 4 NICS, connected to a PowerConnect 6248 TOR switch. All adapters run at 1Gbps. Two of the 1Gbps adapters serve the ―VDI VLAN‖ on each server i.e. the network the VM’s communicate over and the other two NICs serve all other traffic (iSCSI, Management Network and vMotion). The main design decision here was to keep the iSCSI on a separate physical network for maximum throughput and put the VM network traffic on the other 1Gbps network. Management Network and vMotion network traffic is minimal and will therefore have minimal impact on the iSCSI

traffic.

vSwitch0 is connected to vmnic2 and vmnic3. Within this vSwitch there are 4 VMKernel ports; Management Network, vMotion, iSCSI1 and iSCSI2. Both NICs are set to Active Auto on the vSwitch. All Security and Traffic Shaping Settings are set to the default setting. VLAN tagging is used on all

vmkernel ports.

vSwitch1 is connected to vmnic0 and vmnic1. On this virtual switch there is a single port group with all the default security and traffic shaping options. A combination of scripting and manual

configuration steps can be used to configure ESXi networking.


4.3 Software Components

4.3.1 XenDesktop 5.5

The solution is based on Citrix XenDesktop. Citrix XenDesktop provides a complete end-to-end solution that delivers Microsoft Windows 7 virtual desktops to users on a wide variety of endpoint devices. Virtual desktops are dynamically assembled on demand, providing users with pristine, yet

personalised, desktops each time they log on.

Citrix XenDesktop provides a complete virtual desktop delivery system by integrating several distributed components with advanced configuration tools that simplify the creation and real-time

management of the virtual desktop infrastructure.

The core components of XenDesktop are:

● XenDesktop Controller

― Installed on servers in the data centre, the controller authenticates users, manages the assembly of users’ virtual desktop environments, and brokers connections between users and their virtual desktops.

● Citrix Provisioning Server

― The Provisioning Services infrastructure is based on software-streaming technology. This technology allows computers to be provisioned and re-provisioned in real-time from a single shared-disk image. In doing so, Enterprise 6010 administrators can completely eliminate the need to manage and patch individual systems. Instead, all image management is done on the master image. This greatly reduces the amount of storage required compared to other methods of creating virtual desktops. The Provisioning Server runs on a virtual instance of Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 on the Management Server(s).

● XenDesktop Database

― A Microsoft SQL database that hosts configuration and session information and as a result should be hosted on a resilient database platform.

● Virtual Desktop Agent

― The Virtual Desktop Agent (VDA) is installed on every virtual desktop and enables the direct connection between the virtual desktop and users’ endpoint devices. This connection is made using the Citrix ICA (Independent Computing Architecture) protocol.

4.3.2 SQL Server 2008 R2

The Citrix and VMware databases will be hosted by a single dedicated SQL 2008 R2 Server VM in the

management tier:

Citrix XenDesktop

Citrix Provisioning Server

VMware vCenter

VMware vCenter Update Manager

4.3.3 Citrix License Server

The Citrix License Server is an essential component at any Citrix-based solution. Every Citrix product environment must have at least one shared or dedicated license server. License servers are computers that are either partly or completely dedicated to storing and managing licenses. Citrix products request licenses from a license server when users attempt to connect.


The Citrix License server component requires minimal system resources; the resource requirements are so minimal that there is no hardware requirements above those required by the operating system used to host the service. The License Server must be version 11.9 or newer and will be based on Windows Server 2008 R2 running as a virtual machine on the first management server in the

Enterprise 6010 stack.

4.3.4 Citrix Web Interface Server

The Web Interface provides users with simple and controlled access to XenDesktop virtual desktops. Users access their resources through a standard Web browser or through the Citrix online plug-in. The Web Interface employs Java and .NET technology executed on a Web server to dynamically create an HTML depiction of server farms for XenApp Web sites. Users are presented with all the resources (applications, content, and desktops) published in the server farm(s) made available.

Stand-alone Web Interface sites can be utilized or they can be integrated into a corporate portal.

4.3.5 Windows File Services

The File Services role will be shared with the VM running SQL server and will be used to store user profile and home drive data. Unless an advanced user profile abstraction tool is used, profiles and user data should be controlled using the folder redirection and profile management tools native to Windows and administered via Windows Group Policy and Citrix User Profile Manager.

4.3.6 Citrix Desktop Receiver

The Citrix Desktop Receiver is a client-based plug-in that is installed on the user’s endpoint device. This is to be used in-conjunction with Citrix XenDesktop when the user requires the ability to


interact with their local desktop as well as the XenDesktop. This package provides the toolbar functionality, allowing the user to pan and scale their XenDesktop inside their local desktop. When a user logs into a Web Interface site to access XenDesktop, the Web Interface site can detect that the Citrix Desktop Receiver is absent from endpoint devices, and automatically prompt users to

download and install it from the site.

4.3.7 Virtual Desktop Antivirus

In order to ensure the environment is as representative of a production environment as possible Anti-Virus should be deployed to all servers and virtual desktops. For example, the environment can add the use of McAfee VirusScan SMB 8.7i, which can be managed centrally by the ePolicy

Orchestrator which can control agent deployment, definition updates and policies.

Since the Virtual desktops will be based on a single read-only image streamed from the provisioning servers there are a number of exclusions that can be configured to optimise performance of the On-

Access scanning features of McAfee.

4.3.8 Windows Active Directory Integration

Windows Active Directory integration for XenDesktop 5.0 is required for authentication services only, unlike previous versions where the controllers were discovered using Service Principle names

which were maintained as object in the Active Directory structure.

4.3.9 Enterprise Thin Client Support

Optionally customers can leverage the Dell FX130 or FX170 thin client devices. These enterprise-class devices and Citrix Certified and ship with the Citrix Desktop Receiver pre-installed. They can provide users with a fast virtual desktop experience that is delivered in a micro-sized, power

efficient form factor.

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5 End-User Workload Characterizations

It is important to understand the user workloads when designing a desktop virtualization solution. The Dell Desktop Virtualization Solution methodology includes a Blueprint process to assess and categorize a customer’s environment according to the workloads defined in this section. In the Dell Desktop Virtualization solution this will map directly to the SLA levels we offer in our Integrated Stack. There are three levels, each of which is bound by specific metrics and capabilities.

5.1 Basic Workload Characterization

The Basic User workload profile consists of simple task worker workloads. Typically a repetitive application use profile with a non-personalized virtual desktop image. Sample use cases may be a kiosk or call-center use cases which do not require a personalized desktop environment and the application stack is static. In a virtual desktop environment the image is dynamically created from a template for each user and returned to the desktop pool for reuse by other users. The workload requirements for a basic user are the lowest in terms of CPU, memory, network and Disk I/O requirements and will allow the greatest density and scalability of the infrastructure.

User Workload

VM Memory

Allocation

VM Memory Reservation

User Data Disk Space

OS Image Notes

Basic 1GB 0.5GB 5GB This user workload leverages a shared desktop image emulating a task worker. Only two apps are open simultaneously and session idle time is approximately one hour and forty-five minutes.

5.2 Standard Workload Characterization

The Standard User workload profile consists of e-mail, typical office productivity applications and Web browsing for research/training. There is minimal image personalization required in a standard user workload profile. The workload requirement for a Standard User is moderate and most closely matches the majority of office worker profiles in terms of CPU, memory, network and disk I/O. This will allow moderate density and scalability of the infrastructure.

User Workload

VM Memory

Allocation



OS Image Notes

Standard 1.5GB 1GB 10GB This user workload leverages a shared desktop image emulating a a medium knowledge worker. Five applications are open simultaneously and session idle time is approximately 45 seconds.


5.3 Premium Workload Characterization

The Premium User workload is an advanced knowledge worker. All office applications are configured and utilized. The user has moderate-to-large file size (access, save, transfer requirements). There is some graphics creation or editing done for presentations or content creation tasks. Web browsing use is typically research/training driven, similar to Standard Users. The Premium User requires extensive image personalization, for shortcuts, macros, menu layouts etc. The workload requirements for a Premium User are heavier than typical office workers in terms of CPU, memory, network and disk I/O. This will limit density and scalability of the infrastructure.

User Workload

VM Memory

Allocation



OS Image Notes

Premium 2.5GB 1.5GB 20GB This user workload leverages a shared desktop image emulating a high level knowledge worker. Eight applications are open simultaneously and session idle time is approximately two minutes.


6 Solution Stack Functionality

6.1 XenDesktop Communication


6.2 Scaling and Sizing

The 6010 Entry stack is designed to start with as few as 50 virtual desktop users at the Basic workload. The base stack configuration can support to 80 basic users, and then scale up to a maximum of 500 users. The scaling-up of the stack is simple to accomplish and only requires increasing the number of Desktop Virtualization Host servers. It also provides the customer with several scalability increments on the way to 500 users. Scaling details are below.


The flexibility of the 6010 Entry stack enables scaling up to 500 users within a single configuration. This is accomplished by merely adding the required number of Virtualization Host Servers to meet the desired user load. See diagram below.

6.2.1 Scaling Dell DVS Enterprise 6010 Entry bundle by Workload

Characterization

The following is an example of how to properly size and scale an Enterprise 6010 Enterprise 6010 by

user workload characterization.


7 High Availability Option

7.1 Dell DVS Enterprise 6010 Entry Bundle Resiliency

The key to establishing any highly available network is to identify the critical components, create redundancy for these components, and then ensure automatic failover to the alternate components

in the event of an active component failure. The critical components added as follows:

7.2 Load Balancing

Depending on which management components are to be made highly available, the use of a load balancer may be required. The following management components require the use of a load

balancer to function in a high availability mode:

― Web Interface Server

― Licensing Server

― XenDesktop XML Service

― XenDesktop Desktop Director

― Provisioning Services TFTP Service

―

This load balancing solution can be either a customer provided solution, or implementation of

Citrix’s Netscaler VPX 200 (see below).

7.2.1 NetScaler VPX 200

The NetScaler VPX 200 appliance will be hosted on one or more of the Management Servers. If these servers are made highly available, the Netscaler VPX’s will be protected against hardware failure at this level. In addition the appliances will be configure as a High Availability cluster which will allow administrators to manage all configuration from a single appliance and the secondary (passive) appliance will automatically update itself, in the event of a failure on the active appliance the secondary appliance will detect it’s missing partner and assume the role of the active appliance.

7.3 Solution Bundle Bill of Materials Example


7.4 Solution Software and Licensing Components

7.5 How to Order

Work with your Dell Sales team to define your exact requirements. The following questions can help guide your decision making and will allow the Dell sales team to quickly configure and quote your solutions:

Select the solution bundle that is appropriate for your business

o Entry – Rack Servers and 1Gb networking to support 50-500 users. (This RA

document)

o Rack – Rack Servers and 1Gb networking to support over 500 users. (See Rack Bundle RA)

o Blade – Blade Servers, 10 Gb networking, shared storage for over 500 users. (See

Rack & Blade Bundle RA)

Select High Availability Options if needed

Redundant Switch

Redundant Compute Host Server

Addition of NAS Head

Redundant Management Server

Select Investment Protection Options if needed


(For customers that plan to scale out using blade servers)

10Gb Networking

10Gb iSCSI SAN instead of Equalogic PS4100E

Select Virtualization Solution

VMware View(see DVS Enterprise 6010 RA for VMware)

Citrix XenDesktop(this document)

Determine the number of Users

Reserved (Always available- NOT included in the number below!)

Named (All users who may use the solution)

Concurrent (Maximum number of Named users that may be using the solution at one

time)

Determine the percent mix of users for each workload for Named and Concurrent Users

Windows 7 Basic, Standard, Premium

Windows XP Basic, Standard, Premium

Determine which licenses Dell should include in the solution

Microsoft Server OS Licenses

Microsoft CALs

Micrsoft SQL License

VMware vCenter Licensing

Select optional hardware

XenApp Servers

42U Racks

Power Distribution Units (PDU)

End Points

o Dell FX130 or FX170

o VDI Blaster™ software to re-deploy existing desktops or notebooks

o Citrix XenDesktop for client for PCs, Smart Phones and Tablets

7.5.1 Dell DVS Enterprise 6010 Solution Stack Order Codes

List Item FamilyID ChassisID Order Code Comments

PowerEdge R710-DVS-H 1782 1481 Dellstar_1481_DVD_HOST Enterprise 6010 Host and Management Rack Server

EqualLogic PS4100E-DVS 9577 1357 Dellstar_1357_DVS_4100E Enterprise 6010 Tier 2 Storage Array

PowerConnect 6248-DVS 574 1851 Dellstar_1851_DVS_TOR Enterprise 6010 Top-of-Rack Switch


7.5.2 Sample Dell DVS Enterprise 6010 Order

Pre-configured orders are available by logging into DellStar and clicking on Dell DVS Enterprise 6010

RA.


7.6 Customer Supplied Stack Components

7.6.1 Storage Requirements

In the event that a customer wishes to provide his or her own storage array solution for a Dell DVS Enterprise 6010 Entry bundle solution the following minimum hardware requirements must be met.

Feature Minimum Requirement Notes

Total Storage Space 1.5 TB minimum 1.5 TB is the minimum required free space to support 80 users. For additional users, see Section 4 (End-user Workload Characterizations) for additional per user disk space requirements.

Drive Support 6x 7200rpm 3.5‖ NLSAS The minimum optimal drive configuration utilizes 6 drives for the best RAID 50 performance.

Data Networking 6x 1GbE RJ45

Management Networking None Required

Drive Controllers 1 with >4GB cache 4GB of cache minimum per controller is recommended for optimal performance and data protection.

RAID Support 50 RAID 50 is used on the external storage array. RAID 10 is leveraged only for local storage on host servers.


7.6.2 Networking Requirements

In the event that a customer wishes to provide his or her own rack network switching solution for a Dell DVS Enterprise 6010 Entry bundle solution, the following minimum hardware requirements must

be met.

Feature Minimum Requirement Notes

Switching Capacity 180Gbps

10Gbps Ports None Required The Dell DVS Enterprise 6010 Entry bundle solution is based on 1Gbps network connectivity.

1Gbps Ports 5x per Management server

5x per Host Server

6x per Storage Array

VLAN Support IEEE 802.1Q tagging and port-based VLAN support.

Stacking Capability Yes The ability to stack switches into a single management view for an HA configuration is highly recommended.


8 Conclusion

Dell’s Enterprise 6010 solution is a well-developed, reliable, and flexible solution with the ability to scale as needed. Customers who choose Enterprise 6010 as their first desktop virtualization option can rest assured that the solution will provide excellent performance at a reasonable cost over the long term, with the ability to scale as deployment needs expand. The Dell Enterprise 6010 leverages purpose-built hardware, software, and Dell services to provide all of the benefits of desktop virtualization: enhanced security, greater end user flexibility, and easier maintenance and IT support. The 6010 solution can be deployed into data centers with Non-Dell networking and storage and can scale from only tw servers serving 50 users in a test deployment, up to 15,000 users in an enterprise-wide roll-out. Dell Desktop Virtualization Solutions have provided customers with a way to harness the benefits of virtual desktop computing. The Dell Team is with customers every step of the way to ensure extremely high levels of performance that meet or exceed end users legacy desktop experience. Your Dell sales representative will help you work through any remaining

questions or provide any additional information.

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