Specifications

Table 4-2. Desktop Virtual Machine Example for Windows XP
Item Example
Operating system 32-bit Windows XP (with the latest service pack)
RAM 1GB (512MB low end, 2GB high end)
Virtual CPU 1
System disk capacity 16GB (8GB low end, 40GB high end)
User data capacity (as a persistent disk) 5GB (starting point)
Virtual SCSI adapter type LSI Logic Parallel (not the default)
Virtual network adapter Flexible (the default)
The amount of system disk space required depends on the number of applications required in the base image.
VMware has validated a setup that included 8GB of disk space. Applications included Microsoft Word, Excel,
PowerPoint, Adobe Reader, Internet Explorer, McAfee Antivirus, and PKZIP.
The amount of disk space required for user data depends on the role of the end user and organizational policies
for data storage. If you use View Composer, this data is kept on a persistent disk.
The guidelines listed in Table 4-3 are for a standard Windows Vista virtual desktop running in remote mode.
Table 4-3. Desktop Virtual Machine Example for Windows Vista
Item Example
Operating system 32-bit Windows Vista (with the latest service pack)
RAM 1GB
Virtual CPU 1
System disk capacity 20GB (standard)
User data capacity (as a persistent disk) 5GB (starting point)
Virtual SCSI adapter type LSI Logic Parallel (the default)
Virtual network adapter E1000 (the default)
The guidelines listed in Table 4-4 are for a standard Windows 7 virtual desktop running in remote mode.
Table 4-4. Desktop Virtual Machine Example for Windows 7, Hosted on an ESX 4.1 Server
Item Example
Operating system 32-bit Windows 7
RAM 1GB
Virtual CPU 1
System disk capacity 20GB (slightly less than standard)
User data capacity (as a persistent disk) 5GB (starting point)
Virtual SCSI adapter type LSI Logic SAS (the default)
Virtual network adapter E1000 (the default)
Chapter 4 Architecture Design Elements and Planning Guidelines
VMware, Inc. 39