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
Horizon View Building Blocks
A building block consists of physical servers, a vSphere infrastructure, Horizon View servers, shared storage,
and virtual machine desktops for end users. You can include up to five building blocks in a Horizon View pod.
Table 4-12. Example of a LAN-Based View Building Block for 2,000 Desktops
Item Example
vSphere clusters 1 or more
80-port network switch 1
Shared storage system 1
vCenter Server with View Composer on the same host 1 (can be run in the block itself)
Database MS SQL Server or Oracle database server (can be run in the
block itself)
VLANs 3 (a 1Gbit Ethernet network for each: management network,
storage network, and VMotion network)
With vSphere 4.1 and later versions, each vCenter Server can support up to 10,000 virtual machines. This
support enables you to have building blocks that contain more than 2,000 View desktops. However, the actual
block size is also subject to other Horizon View-specific limitations.
If you have only one building block in a pod, use two View Connection Server instances for redundancy.
Horizon View Pods
A pod is a unit of organization determined by Horizon View scalability limits.
Pod Example Using Five Building Blocks
A traditional Horizon View pod integrates five 2,000-user building blocks into a View Manager installation
that you can manage as one entity.
Table 4-13. Example of a LAN-Based Horizon View Pod Constructed of 5 Building Blocks
Item Number
View building blocks 5
vCenter Server and View Composer 5 (1 virtual machine that hosts both in each building block)
Database server 5 (1 standalone database server in each building block) MS
SQL Server or Oracle database server
View Connection Servers 7 (1 for each building block and 2 spares)
vLANs See Table 4-12.
10Gb Ethernet module 1
Modular networking switch 1
With vSphere 4.1 and later versions, each vCenter Server can support up to 10,000 virtual machines. This
support enables you to have building blocks that contain more than 2,000 View desktops. However, the actual
block size is also subject to other Horizon View-specific limitations.
For both examples described here, a network core can load balance incoming requests across View Connection
Server instances. Support for a redundancy and failover mechanism, usually at the network level, can prevent
the load balancer from becoming a single point of failure. For example, the Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol
(VRRP) can communicate with a load balancer to add redundancy and failover capability.
Chapter 4 Architecture Design Elements and Planning Guidelines
VMware, Inc. 57