Reference_Architecture.book Page 1 Thursday, November 6, 2008 2:12 PM Dell™ Virtual Remote Desktop™ Solution Reference Architecture: Citrix® XenDesktop™ Dell Edition w w w. d e l l . c o m | s u p p o r t . d e l l .
Reference_Architecture.book Page 2 Thursday, November 6, 2008 2:12 PM Notes, Cautions, and Warnings NOTE: A NOTE indicates important information that helps you make better use of your computer. ____________________ Information in this document is subject to change without notice. © 2008 Dell Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction of these materials in any manner whatsoever without the written permission of Dell Inc. is strictly forbidden.
Reference_Architecture.book Page 3 Thursday, November 6, 2008 2:12 PM Contents 1 Introduction . 2 Recommended Components 3 General Guidelines 4 Dell|XenDesktop Reference Architecture Configurations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Very Small Configuration Small Configuration Large Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . 9 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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Reference_Architecture.book Page 5 Thursday, November 6, 2008 2:12 PM Introduction This document describes four validated configurations of Dell|XenDesktop virtual infrastructure for XenDesktop deployments, so you can select the most suitable Dell virtualization solution for your needs. You can customize these configurations to fit your specific system needs.
Reference_Architecture.book Page 6 Thursday, November 6, 2008 2:12 PM Recommended Components The following table describes the recommended components for each configuration.
Reference_Architecture.book Page 7 Thursday, November 6, 2008 2:12 PM Very Small Small Medium Large XenServer Configuration XenServer Servers PE2900 recommended. Any servers on the compatibility matrix are supported. Number of Servers 1-4 5-8 9-16 17-32 16 GB 16 GB 16 GB 16 GB 2 Sockets Quad Core 2 Sockets Quad Core 2 Sockets Quad Core 2 Sockets Quad Core Minimum Memory (Memory varies widely based on VM memory configuration) CPU 1U/2U servers are recommended for PVS deployments.
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Reference_Architecture.book Page 9 Thursday, November 6, 2008 2:12 PM General Guidelines The following guidelines are valid for all four validated configurations: • CPUs: Dell recommends quad core CPUs for XenDesktop deployments, as CPU performance is typically the limiting factor in the number of virtual desktops that can be deployed. • XenServer Configuration: Due to rack space density, rack-mount dual-socket servers are typically best for XenDesktop deployments.
Reference_Architecture.book Page 10 Thursday, November 6, 2008 2:12 PM Dell|XenDesktop Reference Architecture Configurations The four configurations listed here are generic deployments that are based on solution size and capability, and are independent of the target application. The recommendations focus on hardware capacity and software features.
Reference_Architecture.book Page 11 Thursday, November 6, 2008 2:12 PM The components of Very Small Configurations are: • Servers: Because this configuration is intended for a proof-of-concept deployment or a deployment to a small office/satellite office, non-rack mounted servers are available. The Active Directory and License Server roles are combined on one server.
Reference_Architecture.book Page 12 Thursday, November 6, 2008 2:12 PM Building Blocks for Small Configurations 1950 (AD Server)/ License Server 1950 (XenCenter Server) PC6248 (Intranet) 5 to 8 XenServers 1950 (Citrix DDC Server) PC6248 (Datacenter) 1 to 2 PVS Servers PVS Server PVS Server Dell FE600W The components of Small Configurations are: 12 • Servers: The configuration utilizes 1U/2U rack servers. 1U rack servers have low local storage capacity, so they work well with Provisioning Server.
Reference_Architecture.book Page 13 Thursday, November 6, 2008 2:12 PM • Network: The two onboard and one add-in DualPort gigabit NICs provide enough bandwidth to support VM image streaming and network traffic, while leaving the remaining PCI-e slot(s) available for additional peripherals. The service console and XenServer management are shared on the same NIC. To keep storage traffic isolated, a pair of independent Ethernet switches is recommended to access Provisioning Servers.
Reference_Architecture.book Page 14 Thursday, November 6, 2008 2:12 PM Building Blocks for Medium Configurations 1950 (AD Server/ License Server) 1950 (XenCenter Server) PC6248 (Intranet) 1950 (Citrix DDC Server) 9 to 16 XenServers PC6248 (Datacenter) PVS Server 3 to 5 PVS Servers PVS Server PVS Server PVS Server PVS Server Dell FE600W The components of Medium Configurations are: 14 • Servers: The configuration utilizes 1U/2U rack servers.
Reference_Architecture.book Page 15 Thursday, November 6, 2008 2:12 PM peripherals. The service console and management are shared on the same NIC. To keep storage traffic isolated, Dell recommends a pair of independent Ethernet switches to access Provisioning Servers. • Disk: Local storage is used to store the VM configurations only. Provisioning Server is required for storage of the VM disk. NOTE: Using faster disks and/or adding more spindles can improve performance on the Provisioning Server.
Reference_Architecture.book Page 16 Thursday, November 6, 2008 2:12 PM Building Blocks for Large Configurations 1950 (AD Server/ License Server) 1950 (XenCenter Server) PC6248 (Intranet) 1950 (Citrix DDC Server) 17 to 32 XenServers PC6248 (Datacenter) PVS Server 6 to 10 PVS Servers PVS Server Dell FE600W The components of Large Configurations are: • Servers: Dell recommends 1U and 2U servers for space and performance reasons.
Reference_Architecture.book Page 17 Thursday, November 6, 2008 2:12 PM • Network: The two onboard and one add-in dual-port gigabit NICs provide enough bandwidth to support iSCSI target and network traffic, while leaving the remaining PCI-e slot(s) available for additional peripherals. The service console and XenServer management are shared on the same NIC. To keep storage traffic isolated, a pair of independent Ethernet switches are recommended to access iSCSI devices.
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Reference_Architecture.book Page 19 Thursday, November 6, 2008 2:12 PM Appendix: Further Resources Dell has several resources available for designing and deploying virtualization solutions. For further information about Dell supported virtualization solutions: • Dell Citrix Virtualization Solutions: http://www.dell.com/content/topics/global.aspx/solutions/xenserver_tech_ docs?c=us&cs=555&l=en&s=biz • Dell Support and Services: http://www.dell.com/content/topics/global.
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Reference_Architecture.book Page 21 Thursday, November 6, 2008 2:12 PM Appendix: Testing Methodology The configurations were tested using two defined workloads: knowledge worker and task worker. A base virtual machine (VM) was defined for these workloads, along with the workloads and their associated applications. These were deployed using the XenDesktop's pool feature.
Reference_Architecture.book Page 22 Thursday, November 6, 2008 2:12 PM Knowledge Worker Workload: The operations performed by the knowledge worker were based on the VMware "VDI Server Sizing and Scaling" paper. the operational steps performed by the knowledge worker were: 1 Start Microsoft PowerPoint®. Open a 5 MB presentation with automation and page through 50 slides. Close PowerPoint. 2 Start Microsoft Internet Explorer®. Browse 3 different web pages. Close Internet Explorer.
