Today we’re bringing an interesting tutorial that explains how to emulate a SSD on nested ESXi courtesy of Settlersoman.
The author explains that this process may help you to test VSAN and EMC ScaleIO in case you don’t have a server with SSD disk.
Find below the link to the article where you can see screenshots and learn about the whole process:
Hyper-converged storage systems are emerging as an ideal option for a virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI), since they allow providers to manage all configuration options. The system can be preconfigured with the type of storage and adequate networks, so virtual desktops work properly. In addition, having a single contact for support also facilitates the work of the administrator.
In this type of storage, all parts of the system are designed to work together and they are optimized for a specific type of virtualization (server virtualization or VDI). This makes it fairly simple to start with a small pilot and then update it and expand it to support the entire organization.
Today we bring over an interesting article written by Larry Smith in which he reports his experience building a home-made NAS for VMware’s vSphere hypervisor.
He had been using so far Nexenta 3.x but, as he had to move to 4.x, the possibility of running a GlusterFS cluster using the two NAS servers that he used for Nexenta was called into question. Learn all the details reading this article.
In some cases, when analyzing the storage needs for a VDI platform we look at saving disk space when using template-based or non-persistent desktops. Nevertheless, it is necessary to bear in mind that all the I/O operations on disc in a standard job platform are made on local discs located in each post.
In a VDI environment, all these I/O operations take place concurrently on shared storage. Tasks such as updates of OS patches, antivirus, user logins scans… produce a large amount of concurrent I/O operations that are referred to as “storms”. These storms produce a deterioration in the performance of the storage because these I/O operations are accumulated in queues and this, obviously, causes an irregular performance of the virtual desktops.
Choosing a storage technology for VDI because of vendor loyalty may lead to a wrong decision. Administrators should take into account different points to select the storage for virtual desktops.
VDI expert Brian Madden explained at a seminar in New York the storage requierements for a virtual desktop infraestructure and the importance of choosing the right option.
