VMware End User Computing: EMC and LSI Optimize VMware Horizon View Virtual Desktop Deployments
By guest blogger Rob Callaghan, Manager of Product and Outbound Marketing, Data Center Solutions Group, LSI
The manageability and security benefits of virtualized desktop environments are numerous. VDI (virtual desktop infrastructure) deployments continue to grow like gangbusters. Deploying and supporting hundreds of desktops on a single server lets you easily centralize desktop support and security. Another advantage of VDI is that patches, security updates, and hardware and software upgrades demand much less overhead. VDI also dramatically reduces the risk that desktop users will breach security by providing configurations to prevent data from being copied onto portable media or sent externally.
EMC and LSI are putting together solutions that pair with VMware Horizon View to optimize a virtual desktop infrastructure. One nifty solution is EMC ScaleIO, software that helps streamline and speed up VDI deployments.
VDI Deployments Are Moving to Converged Data and Compute Infrastructures
When deploying datacenter and enterprise applications, scaling can lead to a number of performance challenges. In enterprise-scale VDI deployments, if the storage infrastructure is not designed properly, performance can suffer when the IT administrator attempts to boot or provision a large number of desktops at once. One common bottleneck is legacy SAN-connected storage because data access is queued through a single, shared storage infrastructure. And, of course, increasing the density of virtual desktops supported by a server can exacerbate any performance issue.
A virtual desktop infrastructure is ripe for the solution of distributed storage, and EMC ScaleIO software is a compelling solution. EMC ScaleIO incorporates converged and elastic storage infrastructure, which allows scaling of both capacity and performance to meet changing business requirements. This software locates direct attached storage (DAS) on each server and pools it into a large virtual storage repository. EMC ScaleIO leverages the speed of LSI Nytro flash storage accelerator cards to achieve industry-leading VDI density and Ultrabook performance. If desktops are moved between physical servers, or if a server fails, the datacenter’s existing high-speed network moves data to the local storage of the new server.
EMC ScaleIO has created a new breed of converged infrastructure for VDI.
LSI Nytro and ScaleIO Software Boost VDI Session Numbers, Reduce Costs
In a recent demonstration, the ScaleIO software leveraged the application acceleration of LSI® Nytro™ PCIe flash storage accelerator cards to increase the number of VDI sessions a server could support, significantly reducing the cost of each desktop. Better yet, application acceleration gives users improved performance for much shorter response times. By using the ScaleIO software and the Nytro WarpDrive flash storage accelerator card, customers receive the benefits of high-availability storage plus intelligent flash acceleration at a more budget-friendly price point than comparable SAN-based solutions.
To demonstrate the benefits of this solution, the widely accepted Login VSI benchmark was used to simulate the actual workload of users. Test results showed key customer benefits, including
- Support for 1,000 desktops with average user response times of less than 1 second
- Rapid desktop provisioning – deployment of 1,000 virtual desktops in 1 hour, 28 minutes
- Elimination of boot storms – simultaneous boots of 1,000 virtual desktops in 12 minutes
- Linear scalability and easy sizing – support of up to 167 desktops per server node
- Affordable all-flash solution – Ultrabook™-like user experience for the cost of an entry-level business PC
- Reduced TCO – low-cost project implementation and efficient management and maintenance
To learn more, take a look at the following EMC ScaleIO and LSI flash storage accelerator card solutions for optimizing your Horizon View virtual desktop deployments:
via VMware Blogs http://bit.ly/1iSsHYy