Stateless Architecture and how to use DRS

[MartinE11]

Hello

I'am currently installing our new VDI environment.

We got a 4 Host Cluster with a Fusion IO Card in each Host. (FusionIO = SSD, local storage PCI-Card)

Its gonna be a stateless architecture. Like documented here : Link

What I am asking myself is, if I really should not use DRS at all. I know that migration of VMs will not work cause of local storage, but if I disable DRS I also can’t create Ressource Pools (And I want them to group our Costumers).

So what I though is to enable DRS-Feature and set it to manual.

Now I’am able to create Ressource Pools and I will not run into DRS-Migrations errors.

Is this recommended? How would you use DRS in a stateless architecture? Does limits/reservations etc. on Ressource Pools still work?

Thanks

[vcpguy]

Setting Manual DRS is as good as disabling DRS. In stateless architecture we don't need DRS. Could you please tell us little more about your customers requirement ?

[MartinE11]

I don't need the VMs being moved automatically.

But lots of 3rd Party Application like Backup Software or Monitoring Tools got access to this Pools. For example Veeam One lists me the Pools and i can monitor the Overall Usage of a costumers VMs by monitor the costumers Pool.

So i get a better view. And not have all VMs in one Container.

Also may I want to limit the Costumers resources in the future. (That he only gets what he paid for.)

I want to create Pools like this:

CustomerPool1

-VM01

-VM02

-VM03

CustomerPool2

-VM01

-VM02

-VM03

-VM04

-...

If I disable DRS at all, I am not able to do so.

[vcpguy]

So the only reason why you are taking this approach is to understand the usage and charge customers accordingly, is that right ?

Why do you need to backup if they are stateless? Do you use vCOPS ? I have a idea, I will have to confirm this - someway group all the customers VM in a folder and ask vCOPS to show you the result like total usage. This may not work for you if you don't use vCOPS

I will think further and let you know about it.

[MartinE11]

Yes and no.

Monitoring is one but may I wanna have the ability in the future to set limits and reservations for the costumers. I don't do this right now, but it's may coming in the future.

Ok Backup may wasn't the best example. But Golden-Images and VMs for Manual Pools (got a few of them cause of compatibility and licensing problems) also need to be Backed-Up. So I would like to create a Ressource Pool named "Backup" , so I simply can Backup this Ressource Pool.

I am not using vCOPS.

Thanks for your assistant anyway