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
Additional Recommendations Targeting Minimal Capital Expenditure
You can reduce the number of ESX/ESXi hosts required for your local mode pool if you increase the number
of virtual machines per ESX/ESXi host. An ESX/ESXi 4.1 host can accommodate up to 500 virtual machines if
most are not powered on at the same time, as is frequently the case for local mode pools.
Use the following recommendations to reduce the amount of bandwidth and I/O operations required by each
virtual machine and maximize the number of virtual machines on an ESX/ESXi host.
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Set a View policy so that end users must use their View desktops in local mode only. With this setting,
the virtual machines in the datacenter remain locked and powered off.
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Set local mode policies so that end users cannot initiate desktop rollbacks, data backups, or check-ins to
the datacenter.
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Do not schedule automatic backups.
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Do not turn on SSL for provisioning or downloading local mode desktops.
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If the performance of View Connection Server is affected by the number of local desktops, set the heartbeat
interval to be less frequent. The heartbeat lets View Connection Server know that the local desktop has a
network connection. The default interval is five minutes.
Pools for Kiosk Users
Kiosk users might include customers at airline check-in stations, students in classrooms or libraries, medical
personnel at medical data entry workstations, or customers at self-service points. Accounts associated with
client devices rather than users are entitled to use these desktop pools because users do not need to log in to
use the client device or the View desktop. Users can still be required to provide authentication credentials for
some applications.
View desktops that are set to run in kiosk mode use stateless desktop images because user data does not need
to be preserved in the operating system disk. Kiosk mode desktops are used with thin client devices or locked-
down PCs. You must ensure that the desktop application implements authentication mechanisms for secure
transactions, that the physical network is secure against tampering and snooping, and that all devices
connected to the network are trusted.
As a best practice, use dedicated View Connection Server instances to handle clients in kiosk mode, and create
dedicated organizational units and groups in Active Directory for the accounts of these clients. This practice
not only partitions these systems against unwarranted intrusion, but also makes it easier to configure and
administer the clients.
To set up kiosk mode, you must use the vdmadmin command-line interface and perform several procedures
documented in the topics about kiosk mode in the VMware Horizon View Administration document. As part of
this setup, you can use the following pool settings.
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Create an automated pool so that desktops can be created when the pool is created or can be generated
on demand based on pool usage.
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Use floating assignment so that users can access any available desktop in the pool.
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Create View Composer linked-clone desktops so that desktops share the same base image and use less
storage space in the datacenter than full virtual machines.
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Institute a refresh policy so that the desktop is refreshed frequently, such as at every user logoff.
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If applicable, consider storing desktops on local ESXi datastores. This strategy can offer advantages such
as inexpensive hardware, fast virtual-machine provisioning, high-performance power operations, and
simple management. For a list of the limitations, see “Local Datastores for Floating, Stateless Desktops,”
on page 29.
Chapter 4 Architecture Design Elements and Planning Guidelines
VMware, Inc. 43