Remote PC Support
NETLABAE integrates with 3rd party virtualization products to provide powerful
and cost effective PC support for lab topologies.
Many NETLABAE lab topologies
support remotely accessible PCs. The NETLABAE
documentation library includes several guides with extensive detail on the implementation
of virtualization with your NETLABAE system.
Please refer to the pod-specific pages,
videos, and documentation guides to determine the remote PC options
supported by each topology.
Benefits of Implementing Virtual Machines
-
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 NETLABAE and the
VMware host operating system, similar to KVM-over-IP hardware solutions.
-
NETLABAE 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.
-
NETLABAE integrates with the VMware API. Users may power on, power off,
and revert to clean state (scrub) from the NETLABAE 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 server and virtual machines can access,
update, and maintain the systems remotely.
Support of VMware Virtualization Products
Additional Resources:
NDG's Current Test Platform
The tables in this section show the specifications for the VMware host machine used by NDG as the
2010 test platform. We recommend using these specifications as a reference when planning
your own system configuration.
Summary of Pilot System
| Components |
Recommended Minimum / Features |
| Server Model |
Dell R710 |
| Physical CPUs |
2 x Intel Xeon E5520 Quad Core |
| Total number of cores |
8 |
| Total number of threads |
16 |
| 64-bit guest support |
Yes (important) |
| Hardware Assisted Virtualization support |
Yes (important) |
| Total System Memory |
Up to 6TB |
| Storage |
3TB RAID1 |
| RAID Controller |
PERC 6/i SAS RAID Controller |
| Power supplies |
2 x 870W |
Note: The base system was purchased from Dell. NDG added memory from 3rd party sources.
3rd Party Memory Alternative
| Components |
Recommended Minimum / Features |
| Brand |
Patriot Signature |
| Kit |
PS312G13ER3K-E |
| Type |
240-pin DDR3 SDRAM, ECC, Registered |
| Speed |
DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) |
| Capacity |
12GB (3 sticks x 4GB) |
| Rank |
2 Rank double-sided module (important) |
ESXi System Recommendations
| Components |
Recommended Minimum / Features |
Notes |
| Processor(s)1,2 |
x86-64 compatible (Intel, AMD)
- 4 or more cores
- 2.33 Ghz per core
Intel-specific features:
- Intel 64 (formerly EM64T)1,2
- Intel VT-x (Vanderpool)
AMD-Specific Features:
- AMD64 revision D or later1,2
- AMD-V (virtualization)
|
Examples that meet the minimum:
- Intel Xeon E5520 (Quad core)5
- Intel Xeon E5410 (Quad core)4
Please search the VMware Hardware Compatibility Guide for supported processors.
Hardware assisted virtualization should be added:
Hardware assisted virtualization will be required to support the VMware IT Academy Program ICM course.
|
| Memory |
4 GB (minimum) |
Install enough memory for the maximum number of running virtual
machines and the host.
|
| Disk3 |
320GB – 1 TB, RAID 1 or RAID 5 |
See note 3 below concerning RAID.
VMware ESXi also supports external iSCSI and NAS storage arrays.
Please search the VMware Hardware Compatibility Guide for supported disks.
|
| Network Interfaces |
Dual(2) 100/1000 Ethernet with 802.1q
Intel server adapter (825XX chipset)
|
Please search the VMware Hardware Compatibility Guide for supported processors. |
1x86-64 should not be
confused with the Intel Itanium (formerly IA-64) architecture, which
is not compatible on the native instruction set level with the x86
or x86-64 architecture.
2VMware provides a
standalone utility that you can use without ESXi to perform the
same check and determine whether your CPU is supported for ESXi
virtual machines with 64‐bit guest operating systems. You can
download the 64‐bit processor check utility.
3VMware ESX/ESXi
only supports hardware RAID. If you are upgrading from VMware
Server to VMware ESXi, be sure the RAID
controller is supported by ESX/ESXi. Please note that the “on-board”
RAID in many motherboards is actually software RAID (or “fake” RAID),
because the actual RAID functions are performed by device drivers
running on the host operating system. You can potentially
run your SATA drives in a non-RAID configuration. More information regarding limitations
is available in the
VMware Knowledge Base. These options should only be considered by those
seeking to make use of existing equipment. If you are purchasing new equipment,
following the requirements in the current test platform section
is your best option.
4This hardware was used by NDG as the
2009 test platform.
5This hardware was used by NDG as the
2010 test platform. In the future, the E5520 will be the minimum processor that
may be used to support the VMware IT Academy Program ICM course.
VMware Server 2.0 Requirements
| Components |
Recommended Minimum / Features |
Notes |
| Processor(s) |
x86-64 compatible (Intel, AMD)
- 4 or more cores
- 2.33 Ghz per core
Intel-specific features:
- Intel 64 (formerly EM64T)1,2
- Intel-VT (Vanderpool)
AMD-specific Features:
- AMD64 revision D or later1,2
- AMD-V (virtualization)
|
Examples that meet the minimum:
- Intel Xeon E5410 (Quad core)4
- Intel Core i7 940
- Intel Core i7 920
- Intel Xeon X3350
- Intel Xeon X3330
- Intel Core 2 Quad Q9650
- Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550
- Intel Core 2 Quad Q9450
- Intel Core 2 Quad Q6700
- AMD Phenom II X4 940
|
| Memory |
4 GB (minimum) |
4GB is the maximum supported by the 32-bit version of Windows
Server 2003/2008 Standard Edition. The 64-bit version of
Windows Server 2003/2008 Standard Edition will support
up to 32GB of RAM.
|
| Disk3 |
320GB – 1 TB, RAID 1 or RAID 5 |
See note 3 below concerning RAID. |
| Network Interfaces |
Dual(2) 100/1000 Ethernet with 802.1q
Supported Interfaces:
Intel server adapter (825XX chipset) with Advanced Network Support (ANS) features.
Unsupported (by NDG):
|
|
| Host Operating System |
Microsoft Windows Server 2003 |
The 32-bit version supports a maximum of 4 gb of RAM.
For more than 4GB (up to 32GB), consider using the 64-bit version
|
1x86-64 should not be
confused with the Intel Itanium (formerly IA-64) architecture, which
is not compatible on the native instruction set level with the x86
or x86-64 architecture.
2VMware provides a
standalone utility that you can use without VMware Server to perform the
same check and determine whether your CPU is supported for VMware Server
virtual machines with 64‐bit guest operating systems. You can
download the 64‐bit processor check utility
3VMware ESX/ESXi
only supports hardware RAID. If you are upgrading from VMware
Server to VMware ESXi (or ESX in the future), be sure the RAID
controller is supported by ESX/ESXi. Please note that the “on-board”
RAID in many motherboards is actually software RAID (or “fake” RAID),
because the actual RAID functions are performed by device drivers
running on the host operating system.
VMware Server 1.x and GSX System Recommendations
| Components |
Recommended Minimum / Features |
Notes |
| Processor(s) |
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 |
1.5 GB minimum |
Memory is based on the number of virtual machines implemented |
| Disk |
80GB (minimum recommended) |
Two drives and RAID1 are recommended. |
| 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+ 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.
|
| 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.
|
Versions tested: VMware Server for Windows 1.01 - 1.0.7, VMware GSX for Windows 3.1, 3.2.
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.
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.
VMware Server (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!
This limitation is specific to VMware Server. The virtual switch limit
is not a factor if you are using ESXi.
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.
More information on determining the number of VMware Servers needed >
