6.0.2

Table 11‑12. 3D Renderer Options for Pools Running on vSphere 5.1 or Later (Continued)
Option Description
Hardware 3D rendering is enabled. The ESXi host reserves GPU hardware resources on a first-come, first-
served basis as virtual machines are powered on.
The ESXi host allocates VRAM to a virtual machine based on the value that is set in the Configure
VRAM for 3D Guests dialog box.
IMPORTANT If you configure the Hardware option, consider these potential constraints:
n
If a user tries to connect to a machine when all GPU hardware resources are reserved, the
virtual machine will not power on, and the user will receive an error message.
n
A machine cannot be moved by vMotion to an ESXi host that does not have GPU hardware
configured.
n
To use vSGA (Virtual Shared Graphics Acceleration), all ESXi hosts in the cluster must be
version 5.1 or later. If a virtual machine is created on an ESXi 5.0 host in a mixed cluster, the
machine will not power on.
n
To use vDGA (Virtual Dedicated Graphics Acceleration), all ESXi hosts in the cluster must be
version 5.5 or later, and the virtual machines must be hardware version 9 or later.
When you configure hardware-based 3D rendering, you can examine the GPU resources that are
allocated to each virtual machine on an ESXi host. For details, see “Examining GPU Resources on
an ESXi Host,” on page 123.
Disabled 3D rendering is inactive.
Table 11‑13. 3D Renderer Options for Pools Running on vSphere 5.0
Option Description
Enabled The 3D Renderer option is enabled. The ESXi host uses software 3D graphics rendering.
When software rendering is configured, the default VRAM size is 64MB, the minimum size. In the
Configure VRAM for 3D Guests dialog box, you can use the slider to increase the amount of
VRAM that is reserved. With software rendering, the ESXi host allocates up to a maximum of
128MB per virtual machine. If you set a higher VRAM size, it is ignored.
Disabled 3D rendering is inactive.
If a desktop pool is running on earlier vSphere version than 5.0, the 3D Renderer setting is inactive and is
not available in View Administrator.
Best Practices for Configuring 3D Rendering
The 3D rendering options and other pool settings offer various advantages and drawbacks. Select the option
that best supports your vSphere hardware infrastructure and your users' requirements for graphics
rendering.
NOTE This topic provides an overview of the controls you find in View Administrator. For detailed
information about all the various choices and requirements for 3D rendering, see the VMware white paper
about graphics acceleration.
The Automatic option is the best choice for many View deployments that require 3D rendering. This option
ensures that some type of 3D rendering takes place even when GPU resources are completely reserved. In a
mixed cluster of ESXi 5.1 and ESXi 5.0 hosts, this option ensures that a virtual machine is powered on
successfully and uses 3D rendering even if, for example, vMotion moved the virtual machine to an ESXi 5.0
host.
The only drawback with the Automatic option is that you cannot easily tell whether a virtual machine is
using hardware or software 3D rendering.
The Hardware option guarantees that every virtual machine in the pool uses hardware 3D rendering,
provided that GPU resources are available on the ESXi hosts. This option might be the best choice when all
your users run graphically intensive applications.
Setting Up Desktop and Application Pools in View
122 VMware, Inc.