5.2
Table Of Contents
- VMware Horizon View Architecture Planning
- Contents
- VMware Horizon View Architecture Planning
- Introduction to Horizon View
- Planning a Rich User Experience
- Feature Support Matrix
- Choosing a Display Protocol
- Using View Persona Management to Retain User Data and Settings
- Benefits of Using View Desktops in Local Mode
- Accessing USB Devices Connected to a Local Computer
- Printing from a View Desktop
- Streaming Multimedia to a View Desktop
- Using Single Sign-On for Logging In to a View Desktop
- Using Multiple Monitors with a View Desktop
- Managing Desktop Pools from a Central Location
- Architecture Design Elements and Planning Guidelines
- Virtual Machine Requirements
- Horizon View ESX/ESXi Node
- Desktop Pools for Specific Types of Workers
- Desktop Virtual Machine Configuration
- vCenter Server and View Composer Virtual Machine Configuration
- View Connection Server Maximums and Virtual Machine Configuration
- View Transfer Server Virtual Machine Configuration and Storage
- vSphere Clusters
- Storage and Bandwidth Requirements
- Horizon View Building Blocks
- Horizon View Pods
- Advantages of Using Multiple vCenter Servers in a Pod
- Planning for Security Features
- Understanding Client Connections
- Choosing a User Authentication Method
- Restricting View Desktop Access
- Using Group Policy Settings to Secure View Desktops
- Implementing Best Practices to Secure Client Systems
- Assigning Administrator Roles
- Preparing to Use a Security Server
- Understanding Horizon View Communications Protocols
- Overview of Steps to Setting Up a Horizon View Environment
- Index
Estimating Memory Requirements for Virtual Desktops
RAM costs more for servers than it does for PCs. Because the cost of RAM is a high percentage of overall server
hardware costs and total storage capacity needed, determining the correct memory allocation is crucial to
planning your desktop deployment.
If the RAM allocation is too low, storage I/O can be negatively affected because too much Windows paging
occurs. If the RAM allocation is too high, storage capacity can be negatively affected because the paging file
in the guest operating system and the swap and suspend files for each virtual machine grow too large.
NOTE This topic addresses issues regarding memory allocation for remote access to View desktops. If users
run View desktops in local mode, on their client systems, the amount of memory used is some proportion of
that available on the client device.
You need enough memory to run the host operating system on the client computer, plus the memory required
for the View desktop's operating system and for applications on the client computer and the View desktop.
VMware recommends that you have 2GB or more for Windows XP and Windows Vista, and 3GB or more for
Windows 7 or 8.
If you attempt to check out a desktop that is configured in vCenter Server to require more memory than the
local client system can accommodate, you will not be able to check out the desktop unless you change a
Windows registry setting. For instructions, see the VMware Horizon View Administration document.
RAM Sizing Impact on Performance
When allocating RAM, avoid choosing an overly conservative setting. Take the following considerations into
account:
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Insufficient RAM allocations can cause excessive Windows paging, which can generate I/O that causes
significant performance degradations and increases storage I/O load.
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VMware ESX/ESXi supports sophisticated memory resource management algorithms such as transparent
page sharing and memory ballooning, which can significantly reduce the physical RAM needed to support
a given guest RAM allocation. For example, even though 2GB might be allocated to a virtual desktop, only
a fraction of that number is consumed in physical RAM.
NOTE Transparent page sharing increases total consolidation ratios by reducing the total host memory
consumed by all desktops. Over a period of time, for desktop images running on the same host, the
transparent page sharing (TPS) feature collapses common memory blocks. The benefits of TPS accrue over
time and depend on the number of common memory blocks. For Windows 7, the expected TPS ratio is
between 20 and 40 percent.
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Because virtual desktop performance is sensitive to response times, on the ESX/ESXi host, set nonzero
values for RAM reservation settings. Reserving some RAM guarantees that idle but in-use desktops are
never completely swapped out to disk. It can also reduce storage space consumed by ESX/ESXi swap files.
However, higher reservation settings affect your ability to overcommit memory on an ESX/ESXi host and
might affect VMotion maintenance operations.
Chapter 4 Architecture Design Elements and Planning Guidelines
VMware, Inc. 35