How to define an Esxi architecture

[andreiachiurato]

Hello, I need to present to my boss a proposal for an architecture with Esxi and I don't know where to start, could you help me?
It is an environment for program development, so I thought of the following architecture: 1 Esxi server (approximately 10 VMs of 16 GB RAM each) + switch + QNAP + Acronis for backups (with the possibility of remote access to work with the VMs, and use Windows O.S)
What would be the hardware and software needed for this configuration? Thanks ,

[fabio1975]

Hello
there are other aspects that are to be considered such as:
- You are talking about OS windows but they will be server systems (Windows 2019 etc.) or client systems (Windows 10 ...)
- What workload will be hosted on the VMs:
    If OS clients will be users who will use office only or advanced applications .... type for 3D design or graphics?
   If Server will there be SQL servers and applications as management or just web servers and file servers?
- Do you use QNAP as a backup repository? 
- What continuity of service do you need? If the ESXi host fails can you sit still for 1 or more days?

Once you have unmarked these first questions, you can begin to understand what to evaluate as HW and also as SW.

[andreiachiurato]

Thanks for your help @fabio1975

1- The VMs must be clients Windows 10 with + - 16GB ram each

2- the programs will be use are : SQL Express ( in some VM ) and other programs of industrial automation, for example ( Siemens WinCC, ABB, TIA Portal,etc)  , and yes I think it will be necessary some program to manage the VMs.

3- Yes QNAP is for backups

4- Well, we are in 10 people more or less, and this server with VMs will be necessary to work remotely, we have other local VMs on our PCs, in case we lose connection to the Server temporaly.

[scott28tt]

Thread reported so moderators know it should be moved, since you aren't asking about the vSphere Management SDK.

[andreiachiurato]

Hi @scott28tt , please what is the correct topic? I did not find it. Thanks

[scott28tt]

Your thread has been moved now, look at the path towards the top of the screen:

[fabio1975]

Ciao 

For the SW part, I recommend you evaluate the VMware Horizon solution.
I don't know if you know the component, but with Horizon you can use a WEB client (like EDGE or other Browser) or an OS Client (For Linux, Windows and MAC) to access the VMs and with the use of the UAG (VMware Unified Access Gateway) to public access outside the company with all the necessary security levels (including the MFA, for example, that of Microsoft). This is a quick summary of what it does.

Horizon needs some Windows VM server on which to install its components (Connection Server, the event DB, etc.)
VMware Horizon also includes vSphere for Desktop licenses (vCenter License and ESXi License for use only of VM Windows 10 and the servers required for the Horizon infrastructure)

For the HW part, I recommend (even here without thinking about the budget) at least two Hosts and external storage (or a vSAN solution).
At least you need to have SSD disks and calculate the physical vCPU and CPU ratio well.

Everything also depends on the available budget.

I recommend that you read up here:

Quick-Start Tutorial for VMware Horizon 8 | VMware

and for the vCPU to CPU ratio 

5.8 Determining an Appropriate vCPU-to-pCPU Ratio (vmware.com)

However, I recommend that you contact a vmware partner in your region for specific advice. It is a very broad topic

[andreiachiurato]

@fabio1975  Thanks! I'll read the topics, thanks for your attemption.