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I've been given an short time frame to try and setup vmware 5 for desktop virtualization in a university setup. Mostly for our labs and public machines. I have a few thin clients from Dell and Wyse I can try with them

We are a MS only network for the most part. I have been using HyperV on everything for some time now. But VMware and it's structure baffles me.

I just want to set up a test environment for a few thin clients. I need someome to straighten the mess of servers needed for vmware view

Composer, ESXI, connection servers....etc

What needs to be a Physical server? Can I install multiple things onto one server? can I install anything on a hyperV VM for testing or does it all need to be physical? My Manager gave me one sadly outdated server to try this and I'm thinking it can't be done. What do I install first? VMWare for dummies anyone?

1 Solution

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The basic components:

* Shared storage - iSCSI, Fiber, NAS (Not recommended, but an option for a small number of desktops or testing). Also, required switching hardware (Fiber or Ethernet). You can use local storage but you will lose your availability to vMotion or turn on HA.

* ESXi Host(s) - The number will depend on the size of the environment.

* SQL 2005+ database - Physical or VM.

* Active Directory

* Proper MS licensing depending on what type of clients you'll be using. Example: You may need to pay for VDA licenses if you use clients that don't natively run Windows to connect to the virtual desktops.

* Desktops, laptops, zero clients, or thin clients to access virtual desktops.

* View Connection Server - Physical or Virtual (Virtual is recommended).

* vCenter Server - Physical or Virtual (Virtual is recommended).

* Security Server - This is used to securely tunnel sessions from WAN links to your View Connection Server/Manager if you want clients to connect securely from the outside or to a secured part of your network where you Connection Manager(s) are located.

Basically, you'll install ESXi on your physical boxes, build your supporting virtual servers, get the View management environment up and running, then begin to build your virtual desktops, and then create the pools that your client devices will connect to.

I don't think a single host will be enough for you to accomplish everything and it won't really be a good test since you won't get High Availability or vMotion functionality and it sounds like you don't have access to shared storage either.

The documents posted at the link below will give you all the information you need to get up and running.

http://www.vmware.com/support/pubs/view_pubs.html

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9 Replies

The basic components:

* Shared storage - iSCSI, Fiber, NAS (Not recommended, but an option for a small number of desktops or testing). Also, required switching hardware (Fiber or Ethernet). You can use local storage but you will lose your availability to vMotion or turn on HA.

* ESXi Host(s) - The number will depend on the size of the environment.

* SQL 2005+ database - Physical or VM.

* Active Directory

* Proper MS licensing depending on what type of clients you'll be using. Example: You may need to pay for VDA licenses if you use clients that don't natively run Windows to connect to the virtual desktops.

* Desktops, laptops, zero clients, or thin clients to access virtual desktops.

* View Connection Server - Physical or Virtual (Virtual is recommended).

* vCenter Server - Physical or Virtual (Virtual is recommended).

* Security Server - This is used to securely tunnel sessions from WAN links to your View Connection Server/Manager if you want clients to connect securely from the outside or to a secured part of your network where you Connection Manager(s) are located.

Basically, you'll install ESXi on your physical boxes, build your supporting virtual servers, get the View management environment up and running, then begin to build your virtual desktops, and then create the pools that your client devices will connect to.

I don't think a single host will be enough for you to accomplish everything and it won't really be a good test since you won't get High Availability or vMotion functionality and it sounds like you don't have access to shared storage either.

The documents posted at the link below will give you all the information you need to get up and running.

http://www.vmware.com/support/pubs/view_pubs.html

To install ESXi 5, the minimum requirements are:

CPU – 2 processors of 2GHz
Memory – 2GB
Network – 1 x 1GB network adaptor

To install VMware View 4.5, please click - http://www.vmware.com/pdf/view45_installation_guide.pdf

Thanks,

Ganesh

~GaneshNetworks™~ If you found this or other information useful, please consider awarding points for "Correct" or "Helpful".

excellent info, thanks. Striaght forward and to the point. I do have storage, iscsi, sas, mutiple types, and licensing is not a problem.I have numerous host servers I can run hyperv vm's on so that's not a problem. I only had one physical and that was my concern.

The Securuty Server, can that be virtual as well? I can still place it on the dmz via ip.

Yes, it can be. Everything can be virtual except for the ESXi hosts.

excellent. one more thing. MAnager wanted me to start with VMWare 5.0 not 4.5 or 4.6. Logic being that we might as well just start with the newer version. . Is that a problem?

That should not be a problem. The components are all the same.

wow, great help! I think I have enough to get started now. Many thanks

do I build the supporting servers ie connection, security, and vcenter servers on the actual ESXi server? or do they have to go onto other physical hosts servers leaving the ESX basically free for anything else?

I basically have a HP server I'm dedicating as a ESX server, dual cpu and 32gig ram, mirrored sys drive 80gig, and 1tb local storage. SAN and sas storage options

then I have the optoin of creating any other server on one of our HperV hosts which are all brand new Dell 2008 servers, plenty of ram and storage.

I have the ESX built. It just seems that most tutorials I'm reading are actually creating the vcenter on the ESX server, and then some say to leave the ESX server free for other vm duties. Contradicting.

All of the View components can be installed as virtual instances.