Remote PC

Virtual Machines

NETLAB_AE integrates with the following VMware products to provide powerful and cost effective PC support for lab topologies.

VMware Server (version 1.0) for Windows (Windows Server 2003 recommended).
- Obtain a free download of VMware Server from VMware, Inc. (version 1.0.7 recommended).
VMware GSX Server (version 3.1 or 3.2) for Windows

Benefits

The keyboard, video and mouse of each VM can be accessed without a backdoor network on the virtual machine.
All access to a virtual machine is proxied through NETLAB+ and the VMware host operating system, similar to KVM-over-IP hardware solutions.
NETLAB_AE supports revert to snapshot. Changes to a virtual machine can be discarded at the end of a lab reservation, returning the PC to a clean state.
Users can have administrative privileges on a virtual machine without risk.
NETLAB_AE integrates with the VMware API. Users may power on, power off, and revert to clean state (scrub) from the NETLAB+ web interface.
Users can shutdown and reboot a virtual machine during the lab, without losing changes.
Virtual network interfaces on a virtual machine can be tied to real networks in the lab (requires 802.1q NIC on the VMware host).
Administrators of the VMware server and virtual machines can access, update, and maintain the systems remotely.

Standalone PC

Standalone hardware PCs can be configured in the original Security Router Pod and Security PIX Pod. However, this is not recommended due to several limitations that are explained in the NETLAB+ Remote PC Guide for Standalone Implementation.

VMware Requirements

Remote PCs are implemented on one or more VMware GSX or VMware Server hosts (separate from the NETLAB_AE server). VMware host systems meeting the following requirements are supported by NDG.

Requirements

Processor Pentium 4 - 3.0GHz (or faster).
Windows Server 2003, VMware GSX and VMware Server can support more than one processor. Please review the requirements and license options of each product.

Memory 1.5GB minimum (see guidelines below)
Memory is based on the number of virtual machines implemented. Please refer to the section below.

Network Interfaces Dual Intel® 802.1q Adapters (recommended)
Two NICs are recommended, one for pod connectivity and one for host connectivity. The pod NIC must support 802.1q VLAN tagging.
All NETLAB_AE documentation is based on Intel® adapters, drivers, and management utilities.
DLink cards and/or chipsets are not supported. NDG has verified that the DLink driver has an MTU problem when used with VMware virtual switches. This problem will break almost all labs.

Hard Disk 80GB (minimum recommended)
Two drives and RAID1 are recommended.

VMware Software The following versions have been tested with NETLAB:

VMware GSX for Windows 3.1

VMware GSX for Windows 3.2

VMware Server for Windows 1.0.1 - 1.0.7

At this time, VMware Server for Windows version 2.x is not compatible with NETLAB+. A known issue with API support in VMware Server 2.x has been identified by our technical team. We are hopeful this issue will be resolved in a timely manner by VMware, Inc., as indicated in their release notes. Support of this version will also require us to develop new documentation to support the significant changes to the front-end interface in version 2.x. This effort will begin when VMware Server 2.x is finalized.
Please continue to use VMware Server for Windows version 1.0.1 - 1.0.7 until advised otherwise. We will alert you, when support for version 2.x becomes available. If you are planning to install VMware Server in the future, we recommend you download version 1.0.7 from the VMware website, while it is still available.
VMware ESX Server and VMware Virtual Center are not compatible with NETLAB+. Do not purchase these products, they cannot be used with NETLAB+.

Host Operating System Microsoft Windows Server 2000 or 2003

Web Edition (up to 2GB RAM, 2-way SMP)
Standard Edition (up to 4GB RAM, 4-way SMP)
Enterprise Edition (up to 32GB RAM, 8-way SMP)
Datacenter Edition (up to 64GB RAM, 64-way SMP)
Standard Edition is the recommended choice for most sites.
Each virtual machine uses a preset amount of memory. Choose the version of Windows Server that will accommodate enough memory for your virtual machine (see guidelines below).
Because of the VMware limitation of 10 virtual switches, Enterprise and Data Center Edition may support far more virtual machines than can be implemented on a single server.

Guest Operating Systems
(virtual machines) NDG has tested Windows XP and Linux as guest operating systems. Novell Netware is not currently supported. Other operating systems that are supported by VMware may work, but have not been tested by NDG.
Please Note: Each guest operating system is fully functional and must meet the vendor's licensing requirements.

Requirements
Processor	Pentium 4 - 3.0GHz (or faster). Windows Server 2003, VMware GSX and VMware Server can support more than one processor. Please review the requirements and license options of each product.
Memory	1.5GB minimum (see guidelines below) Memory is based on the number of virtual machines implemented. Please refer to the section below.
Network Interfaces	Dual Intel® 802.1q Adapters (recommended) Two NICs are recommended, one for pod connectivity and one for host connectivity. The pod NIC must support 802.1q VLAN tagging. All NETLAB_AE documentation is based on Intel® adapters, drivers, and management utilities. DLink cards and/or chipsets are not supported. NDG has verified that the DLink driver has an MTU problem when used with VMware virtual switches. This problem will break almost all labs.
Hard Disk	80GB (minimum recommended) Two drives and RAID1 are recommended.
VMware Software	The following versions have been tested with NETLAB: VMware GSX for Windows 3.1 VMware GSX for Windows 3.2 VMware Server for Windows 1.0.1 - 1.0.7 At this time, VMware Server for Windows version 2.x is not compatible with NETLAB+. A known issue with API support in VMware Server 2.x has been identified by our technical team. We are hopeful this issue will be resolved in a timely manner by VMware, Inc., as indicated in their release notes. Support of this version will also require us to develop new documentation to support the significant changes to the front-end interface in version 2.x. This effort will begin when VMware Server 2.x is finalized. Please continue to use VMware Server for Windows version 1.0.1 - 1.0.7 until advised otherwise. We will alert you, when support for version 2.x becomes available. If you are planning to install VMware Server in the future, we recommend you download version 1.0.7 from the VMware website, while it is still available. VMware ESX Server and VMware Virtual Center are not compatible with NETLAB+. Do not purchase these products, they cannot be used with NETLAB+.
Host Operating System	Microsoft Windows Server 2000 or 2003 Web Edition (up to 2GB RAM, 2-way SMP) Standard Edition (up to 4GB RAM, 4-way SMP) Enterprise Edition (up to 32GB RAM, 8-way SMP) Datacenter Edition (up to 64GB RAM, 64-way SMP) Standard Edition is the recommended choice for most sites. Each virtual machine uses a preset amount of memory. Choose the version of Windows Server that will accommodate enough memory for your virtual machine (see guidelines below). Because of the VMware limitation of 10 virtual switches, Enterprise and Data Center Edition may support far more virtual machines than can be implemented on a single server.
Guest Operating Systems (virtual machines)	NDG has tested Windows XP and Linux as guest operating systems. Novell Netware is not currently supported. Other operating systems that are supported by VMware may work, but have not been tested by NDG. Please Note: Each guest operating system is fully functional and must meet the vendor's licensing requirements.

How Many VMware servers Do I Need?

The number of VMware servers and memory requirements vary based on the lab topologies and number of pods you want to implement.

Step 1. Carefully study the lab topologies and determine the number of virtual switches and virtual machines required by each pod. The requirements for each pod shown below assume that you are implementing all PCs supported by the pod.

Please Note: Only these Academy Edition lab topologies support virtual machines.

Topology Maximum Virtual Switches (VMnet) Maximum Virtual Machines

3 4

3 3

4 5

4 4

3 4

5 required, 2 optional 5 required, 2 optional

5 7

3 5

5 7

Topology	Maximum Virtual Switches (VMnet)	Maximum Virtual Machines
	3	4
	3	3
	4	5
	4	4
	3	4
	5 required, 2 optional	5 required, 2 optional
	5	7
	3	5
	5	7

Step 2. Add up the number of virtual switches and virtual machines used by each pod you are implementing. For example:

Pod Name Type Virtual Switches Virtual Machines

POD 1 Basic Router Pod Version 2 3 4

POD 2 Basic Router Pod Version 2 3 4

POD 3 Basic Router Pod Version 2 3 4

POD 4 Basic Router Pod Version 1 0 (n/a) 0 (n/a)

POD 5 Basic Switch Pod Version 2 3 3

POD 6 Network Security Pod (2.0) 5 7

Total 17 22

Pod Name	Type	Virtual Switches	Virtual Machines
POD 1	Basic Router Pod Version 2	3	4
POD 2	Basic Router Pod Version 2	3	4
POD 3	Basic Router Pod Version 2	3	4
POD 4	Basic Router Pod Version 1	0 (n/a)	0 (n/a)
POD 5	Basic Switch Pod Version 2	3	3
POD 6	Network Security Pod (2.0)	5	7
Total		17	22

Step 3. Assign each pod that supports PCs to a VMware server.

VMware (Windows) supports 10 virtual switches per server. This is a hard limit.

The number of virtual switches (VMnet) required for your lab topologies could effectively limit the number of virtual machines you can implement on a single VMware server. Please consider this when evaluating your VMware server hardware requirements. You do not want to purchase a very high-end system capable of running 20 virtual machines, only to realize later that virtual switch requirements for your topologies will limit you to a smaller number!

We recommend no more than 10 to 12 virtual machines per server. Each virtual machine uses CPU cycles and memory on the server. As a simple rule of thumb, divide the processor clock speed by the number of virtual machines to determine the speed of each virtual machine in a heavily loaded environment (i.e. all pods are running at the same time and users are working on the PCs). For example, a 3GHz processor could run 10 virtual machines at 300MHz each. This does not account for overhead on the host operating system.

In the example from step 2, 17 virtual switches are required. Since you can have up 10 virtual switches per server, you would need at least 2 VMware servers for this implementation. Server 1 could accommodate POD1, POD2, and POD3. Server 2 could accommodate POD5 and POD6. Note, POD4 does not support PCs and uses no VMware resources.

VMware Server #1 - Example

Pod Type Virtual Switches Virtual Machines

POD 1 Basic Router Pod Version 2 3 4
POD 2 Basic Router Pod Version 2 3 4

POD 3 Basic Router Pod Version 2 3 4

Total 9 12

VMware Server #1 - Example
Pod	Type	Virtual Switches	Virtual Machines
POD 1	Basic Router Pod Version 2	3	4
POD 2	Basic Router Pod Version 2	3	4
POD 3	Basic Router Pod Version 2	3	4
Total		9	12

VMware Server #2 - Example

Pod Type Virtual Switches Virtual Machines

POD 5 Basic Switch Pod Version 2 3 3

POD 6 Network Security Pod (2.0) 5 7

Total 8 10

VMware Server #2 - Example
Pod	Type	Virtual Switches	Virtual Machines
POD 5	Basic Switch Pod Version 2	3	3
POD 6	Network Security Pod (2.0)	5	7
Total		8	10

Step 4. Based on the pod type and curriculum requirements, determine which guest operating system you will use on each virtual machine. Tabulate the operating system and memory requirements for the host operating system and virtual machines. You should allocate the same amount of memory as you would if standing up a real PC. The following would represent typical choices for VMware Server 1 in the previous example.

VMware Server #1 - Example

Pod PC Name Operating System Memory (MB)

n/a VMware Host O/S Windows Server 2003 512

POD 1 PC1a Windows XP 128

POD 1 PC1b Windows XP 128

POD 1 PC2 Windows XP 128

POD 1 PC3 Windows XP 128

POD 2 PC1a Windows XP 128

POD 2 PC1b Windows XP 128

POD 2 PC2 Windows XP 128

POD 2 PC3 Windows XP 128

POD 3 PC1a Windows XP 128

POD 3 PC1b Windows XP 128

POD 3 PC2 Windows XP 128

POD 3 PC3 Windows XP 128

Total 2048 (2GB)

VMware Server #1 - Example
Pod	PC Name	Operating System	Memory (MB)
n/a	VMware Host O/S	Windows Server 2003	512
POD 1	PC1a	Windows XP	128
POD 1	PC1b	Windows XP	128
POD 1	PC2	Windows XP	128
POD 1	PC3	Windows XP	128
POD 2	PC1a	Windows XP	128
POD 2	PC1b	Windows XP	128
POD 2	PC2	Windows XP	128
POD 2	PC3	Windows XP	128
POD 3	PC1a	Windows XP	128
POD 3	PC1b	Windows XP	128
POD 3	PC2	Windows XP	128
POD 3	PC3	Windows XP	128
Total			2048 (2GB)

VMware Server #2 - Example

Pod PC Name Operating System Memory (MB)

n/a VMware Host O/S Windows Server 2003 512

POD 5 PC1a Windows XP 128

POD 5 PC2 Windows XP 128

POD 5 PC3 Windows XP 128

POD 6 PC1 Windows XP 128

POD 6 IS1 Windows 2000 Server 256

POD 6 DMZ1 Linux 64

POD 6 BB Windows 2000 Server 256

POD 6 PC2 Windows XP 128

POD 6 IS2 Windows 2000 Server 256

POD 6 DMZ2 Linux 64

Total 2048 (2GB)

VMware Server #2 - Example
Pod	PC Name	Operating System	Memory (MB)
n/a	VMware Host O/S	Windows Server 2003	512
POD 5	PC1a	Windows XP	128
POD 5	PC2	Windows XP	128
POD 5	PC3	Windows XP	128
POD 6	PC1	Windows XP	128
POD 6	IS1	Windows 2000 Server	256
POD 6	DMZ1	Linux	64
POD 6	BB	Windows 2000 Server	256
POD 6	PC2	Windows XP	128
POD 6	IS2	Windows 2000 Server	256
POD 6	DMZ2	Linux	64
Total			2048 (2GB)

To utilize all available virtual switches on a VMware server, it is possible to split virtual switches and machines in a single pod across two different VMware servers. You should be very familiar with the remote PC and virtual switch layout for each pod before attempting this.

Step 5. Translate the requirements from steps 1 through 4 into an itemized list for each server.

The two VMware servers in the previous examples would require the following items.

VMware Server #1 - Example

Quantity Item Role

1 Intel Pentium 4 Server

3.0GHz or higher
2048MB RAM (2GB)
2 x 80GB Hard Disks with RAID1 support
Dual (2) Intel Network Interfaces with 802.1q VLAN tag support
server hardware

1 VMware Server for Windows 1.0.1 - 1.0.7 virtual machine software

1 Windows 2003 Server - Standard Edition host operating system

12 Windows XP (Home or Pro) guest operating systems

VMware Server #1 - Example
Quantity	Item	Role
1	Intel Pentium 4 Server 3.0GHz or higher 2048MB RAM (2GB) 2 x 80GB Hard Disks with RAID1 support Dual (2) Intel Network Interfaces with 802.1q VLAN tag support	server hardware
1	VMware Server for Windows 1.0.1 - 1.0.7	virtual machine software
1	Windows 2003 Server - Standard Edition	host operating system
12	Windows XP (Home or Pro)	guest operating systems

VMware Server #2 - Example

Quantity Item Role

1 Intel Pentium 3 Server

3.0GHz or higher
2048MB RAM (2GB)
2 x 80GB Hard Disks with RAID1 support
Dual (2) Intel Network Interfaces with 802.1q VLAN tag support
server hardware

1 VMware Server for Windows 1.0.1 - 1.0.7 virtual machine software

1 Windows 2003 Server - Standard Edition host operating system

5 Windows XP (Home or Pro) guest operating systems

3 Windows 2000 Server guest operating systems

2 Linux guest operating systems

VMware Server #2 - Example
Quantity	Item	Role
1	Intel Pentium 3 Server 3.0GHz or higher 2048MB RAM (2GB) 2 x 80GB Hard Disks with RAID1 support Dual (2) Intel Network Interfaces with 802.1q VLAN tag support	server hardware
1	VMware Server for Windows 1.0.1 - 1.0.7	virtual machine software
1	Windows 2003 Server - Standard Edition	host operating system
5	Windows XP (Home or Pro)	guest operating systems
3	Windows 2000 Server	guest operating systems
2	Linux	guest operating systems

For More Information

Please visit the following documentation resources:

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