January 2011 - TBL Networks

Collaboration experience within a virtual environment : VXI

Posted on January 24, 2011 by Patrick Tredway

As the collaborative experience is evolving in the workspace, it is driving the need for more and more rich media and therefore better performance of the underlying hardware and network. The fastest growing medium of this new experience is video. In the time that it takes to write this article, google will have serviced 70 million search requests and the second most utilized ‘search engine’ will service 30 million searches – YouTube.

Combine the onslaught of video and rich media collaboration with another market trend, virtual desktops, and we get an interesting situation. Virtual desktop protocols are great at doing what they were originally designed to do – transmit screenshots, mouse clicks, and keyboard strokes. These protocols (RDP or ICA) are lacking in their ability to deliver rich media content over the network within reasonable bandwidth constraints. Some protocols (PCoIP) have risen to the forefront of the market to address this need but are still lacking.

Think about it. If you take a point to point video call between to pc’s, the video is encoded in a protocol that is purpose built for delivering high quality video over a packetized network. H.264 is a great example.

Imagine that same call between two virtual desktops, the bandwidth between the desktops themselves doesn’t change, but we now introduce another leg for that media to travel – between the virtual image and the thin client connected to the remote keyboard and monitor. The protocols used in this leg are the weak point. They can take what is a 128Kbps video call and increase the load on the network to over 2Mbps between the virtual image and the thin client. That’s an increase of 1600%.

So where’s the solution? Meet the ‘Virtual Experience Infrastructure’!

Cisco has formed a coalition of companies, all working in the virtual desktop space, to design products that offer the best of both worlds, local media processing and virtual desktop services. The first tangible products to be born from this group will be the Cisco VXC 2100 and 2200 thin clients, which are due out Q2CY11. The 2100 will be a backpack model hanging off the rear of a Cisco 8900 or 9900 series IP phone. The 2200 model will be standalone.

Check back for more details as the products release.

An On-Demand World

Posted on January 23, 2011 by Alan Sears

Technology has radically changed our expectations of results over time, practically to the point where we expect instant gratification. We get our television shows and movies on-demand, we instantly tell the world what we are thinking and doing over social media, we communicate with our coworkers and partners on-demand over instant messaging, and we have on-demand mobile access to all these tools and applications on our smartphones. But much to the frustration of many CxOs, this technology revolution has been slow to impact the time to production of new services and applications their IT departments commit to spinning up to support the business.

Enter “the cloud.” Whether your definition of cloud computing involves software-as-a service (SaaS) hosted offerings from a public provider, or an on-premise private solution where a well-designed computing and virtualization infrastructure has abstracted the application from the hardware that serves it, the cloud has the potential to accelerate new service delivery for IT departments into the new on-demand world we live in today. Yes, consolidation of IT assets reduces operating costs, yes virtualization of servers reduces administrative costs, but I believe the true winning quality of cloud computing (public or private) will be its speed of new service delivery.

SAP’s co-CEO Hagemann Snabe was recently quoted as saying “On-demand has become more popular not because customers want to consume software over the Internet but rather because they wanted quicker time to value.” Many of us remember the quick ignition and almost immediate flame out of Application Service Providers (ASPs) in the 1990s. How was their business model any different from the SaaS offerings that are so successful today like salesforce.com? It’s not. So what has changed? Our perception of an acceptable time to value. Why wait 6 -12 months to order and build out a new server to run that new application when you can just provision another server instance on your public or private cloud and cut that time down to days or weeks? Our instant world of texting, smartphones, mobile applications, instant messaging, and social media has created our need for on-demand IT solutions. And cloud computing is here to stay.

First Ask Harley Session Question and Answer Summary

Posted on January 14, 2011February 11, 2019 by admin

On Thursday, January 13th I had my first Ask Harley Session. This was a session where I answered virtualization and VMware related questions on Twitter. I received a lot of great questions during this session. Thank you to all who participated. Below are the questions and their answers in case you missed them on Twitter.

Ask Harley: Question 1 – What common issues or mistakes do you see with your customers who have setup VMware infrastructure or are looking to setup VMware?

NOTE: This answer was originally provided over a series of Tweets by Harley Stagner on 1/13/11 at TBL Networks’ Twitter site as part of our “Ask Harley” series.

Question:

What common issues or mistakes do you see with your customers who have setup VMware infrastructure or are looking to setup VMware?

Answer:

Most of the issues in an initial deployment occur from a lack of capacity, application, and infrastructure planning.

Consider the 4 core (CPU, RAM, DISK, NET) resources from a capacity standpoint. Consider application requirements (MS Clustering, Dongles, Vendor Support, Etc.).

Consider scalability and ease of management from the infrastructure standpoint. Infrastructure item examples: Scale up vs scale out(more hosts = more DRS opportunities,Less hosts = more risk).

Details. Details. Details. Example- Do I have enough space for VMDK and Swap files? Do I have a syslog server for ESXi?

Keep it simple. Avoid Resource Pools, Reservations, and Limits unless they are needed.

Resource pools are NOT for organization. That’s worth repeating. Resource pools are NOT for organization. Folders are.

There is more involved in a virtualization design / deployment than clicking next.

Ask Harley: Question 2 – Why would you use Virtual Port-ID NLB instead of IP-Hash NLB?

NOTE: This answer was originally provided over a series of Tweets by Harley Stagner on 1/13/11 at TBL Networks’ Twitter site as part of our “Ask Harley” series.

Question:

Why would you use Virtual Port-ID NLB instead of IP-Hash NLB?

Answer:

The summary answer would be simplicity. Port-ID is the default load balancing and good in a wide range of use cases.

Port-ID Advantage: Simple, effective. Port-ID Disadvantage: Only egress traffic is load balanced as it depends on the source virtual port id

IP-Hash has an upstream dependency on 802.3ad static link aggregation. An example is etherchannel on Cisco Switches. Even if the dependency is met. You may not be load balancing as efficiently as you think. You need MANY destinations in order for IP-Hash maximum effectiveness.

Why? Because IP-Hash algorithm uses an Xor of source and destination IP using the least significant byte (LSB) of both addresses. Then, the modulo of the Xor result is computed over the number of physical NICs.

Formula- (“LSB of Source IP of VM” xor “LSB of Destination IP”) mod “Number of Physical NICs in the team” = Modulo. If the Modulo is the same among two VM’s they will choose the same physical NIC for traffic. If the Modulo is different, they will choose different physical NICs.

IP-Hash Advantage: Ingress and Egress load balancing. IP-Hash Disadvantage: Upstream dependencies. More complexity and planning involved.

For further detail beyond Twitter see Ken Cline’s excellent post on Network Load Balancing here -> http://bit.ly/e7eVK0

Ask Harley: Question 3 – What are some of the most difficult parts of the journey to becoming a VCDX?

NOTE: This answer was originally provided over a series of Tweets by Harley Stagner on 1/13/11 at TBL Networks’ Twitter site as part of our “Ask Harley” series.

Question:

What are some of the most difficult parts of the journey to becoming a VCDX?

Answer:

I can only speak from my experience on the VCDX journey.

If you are well prepared and study the written portion of the tests (and to some extent the lab), while challenging are nothing compared to the application and defense.

The application and design submission itself requires a significant amount of work.

Whatever you calculate the work effort to be, you may want to double or quadruple it.

I spent about four weeks worth of man-hours on my application and design.

Make sure you meet the application requirements in your design documentation and then go beyond. Leave nothing blank.

Know your design for the defense. This is worth repeating. Know your design cold for the defense. Nothing can prepare you for the defense other than knowing your design and significant field experience.

You don’t know what the panelists will throw at you, so you must have a breadth of knowledge.

By far the most challenging of all may be getting a handle on your nerves during the panel defense.

My detailed experience is here -> http://goo.gl/Y0tPD

There is also a nice roundup of experiences here -> http://bit.ly/eeycor

Ask Harley: Question 4 – Are there significant performance advantages on ESXi using Dell Equalogic MPIO drivers over native VMware Round Robin drivers?

NOTE: This answer was originally provided over a series of Tweets by Harley Stagner on 1/13/11 at TBL Networks’ Twitter site as part of our “Ask Harley” series.

Question:

Are there significant performance advantages on ESXi using Dell Equalogic MPIO drivers over native VMware Round Robin drivers?

Answer:

I have not tested the performance of the Dell Equalogic MPIO drivers and a quick search did not net any official benchmarks. In general, a properly implemented and tested third party MPIO solution like the Equalogic MEM or Powerpath VE should be better at making path selections.

The storage vendor should be more familiar with its array than VMware. I have experience with Powerpath VE and the installation is fairly easy. Once it is installed there is very little management besides just updating the software from time to time.

Any other third party plugin should have a similar ease of use / management story.Consult the vendor.

I did find one unofficial performance testing post here -> http://bit.ly/hkbFv8

Ask Harley: Question 5 – What about using multiple vendor MPIO drivers, have you ever experienced issues in a mixed environment?

NOTE: This answer was originally provided over a series of Tweets by Harley Stagner on 1/13/11 at TBL Networks’ Twitter site as part of our “Ask Harley” series.

Question:

What about using multiple vendor MPIO drivers, have you ever experienced issues in a mixed environment?

Answer:

I have not tested using multiple MPIO drivers.

However, I would not recommend that scenario as a host can only have one path selection policy.

If you have multiple hosts using different path selection policies, then performance or availability can be impacted. You should always use the same path selection policy for all of the hosts in a cluster to avoid path confusion.

Consistency is the key in a virtual infrastructure

Ask Harley: Question 6: With Cisco load balancers in places, do I still specify direct URL’s to the two security servers for #VMwareView or use LB URL?

NOTE: This answer was originally provided over a series of Tweets by Harley Stagner on 1/13/11 at TBL Networks’ Twitter site as part of our “Ask Harley” series.

Question:

With Cisco load balancers in places, do I still specify direct URL’s to the two security servers for #VMwareView or use LB URL?

Answer:

With Cisco load balancers in front of the view security servers, you would specify the load balancer URL.

Snow Days and Cisco UC

Posted on January 10, 2011 by Steve Glissman

As a kid, there were few events more exciting than a Snow Day. Growing up in Virginia Beach, true snow storms were rare, but fortunately for me, the bar for defining “snow” was set very low. An outbreak of dandruff in the school administration could easily prompt a school closing, allowing the adults to focus their energy on urgent winter weather matters; namely, raiding the grocery store for bread and milk. (Why do people instinctively hoard milk when snow arrives? If I am trapped in my house, I am going to start making my own cheese on Day Three?)

Unfortunately, as an adult, the responsibilities of the office do not stop when storms begin. You need the ability to productively conduct your business and reach your customers and clients, who in turn need be able to reach you.

The severity of a recent Richmond snowstorm (three-to-five inches of snow, which in Southern measurement equates to three-to-five feet) necessitated the evacuation of TBL Worldwide Headquarters. As a good soldier, I was willing to forgo my normal Snow Day routine (The Godfather I and II and several seasonal Sam Adams) to remain at the office and risk life and limb for the company. Then I received the following email:

“Go home! We all have laptops, VPN access, WebEx and cell phones with SNR should you need to continue any work.”

With this message, I was freed from the bonds of the office and business casual pants. Arriving at home, I decided to demonstrate my productivity by documenting how I can use Cisco Unified Communications while still enjoying my Snow Day routine.

Virtual Private Network (VPN)

Using Cisco AnyConnect VPN, I can securely access all my email, corporate network and CRM (e.g. Salesforce.com) from the comfort of home. In addition, AnyConnect would securely guard my Godfather themed web searches for the day. For instance, did you know that Gianni Russo, the actor who portrayed Carlo Rizzi, has fathered 11 children with 10 different women and has an eponymous line of wine? I was able to obtain that urgent information while maintaining top-level security.

If my laptop decides to have its own Snow Day, it is not a problem, as AnyConnect is available for iPhone and BlackBerry. I can securely access my email, network and CRM info via my Smartphone.

Cisco WebEx

Traveling for business is never fun, but it can be exceptionally difficult during the winter, as your schedule is tied to the whims of Mother Nature. Despite being trapped on my couch with an Old Fezziwig Ale, I could still meet with my clients via Cisco WebEx. Cisco WebEx allows me to make presentations, in addition to capabilities such as document sharing and presentation recording. If the participants have access to webcams, we can see each other face to face. And, of course, if my laptop catches a cold from the snow, I can use Cisco WebEx on my Smartphone.

Single Number Reach (SNR)

Utilizing Cisco Unified Mobility, I don’t have to worry if my clients have my cell phone number, or rush to change my voicemail message. Single Number Reach (SNR) allows me to provide one phone number with no additional complications.
SNR is more than call forwarding. Whereas call forwarding could result with my client leaving a message on my personal voicemail, SNR allows the client to leave a message in my work voicemail. When I return my client’s call, SNR presents my office number, even if I am using my personal cell phone.

With the power of Cisco Unified Communications, Snow Days are no longer an impediment to productivity. And that is an offer that I can’t refuse.

Virtualization? Ask Harley.

Posted on January 5, 2011 by Steve Glissman

Virtualization can be daunting a subject matter. Server consolidation. Tier 1 applications. Paravirtualization. The cloud. Security. Virtual desktops. Where do you start?

As virtualization is a topic that affects every aspect of your organization, it is important to have an expert to whom you can turn. At TBL Networks, we are going to provide you the opportunity to speak with one of the leading voices in the field. You can Ask Harley.

Harley Stagner is TBL Networks’ resident virtualization expert. He is the only VMware Certified Design Expert (VCDX) in Virginia and the 46th person to achieve this elite virtualization certification worldwide. And now, you have a chance to learn Harley’s perspective on your virtualization questions.

On Thursday, January 13, Harley will answer your questions about virtualization live on Twitter, starting at 7PM. To submit your questions, simply post them on Twitter and tag with #AskHarley. If Twitter is not your thing, don’t worry; just email your questions to twitter@tblnetworks.com.

To ensure that Harley has adequate time to review your questions, please submit them by end of business on Wednesday, January 12.

Take this opportunity to learn everything that you wanted to know about virtualization (but were afraid to ask). Now, you can Ask Harley.

Solving the Virtual Desktop Puzzle Part 2

Posted on January 5, 2011February 11, 2019 by admin

In part 1 of this series, we explored the possibilities that VMware View’s linked clones technology unlocks. We can begin move closer to deploying a single “gold” image with this technology and managing only that “gold” image. That is a very powerful prospect. However, if we truly want to get to that state, some other items in the image need to be offloaded. This post will discuss strategies to offload the user data from the virtual desktop images.

First, let’s define what typically can be found as part of the user data.

My documents
Desktop
Application Data
Shortcuts
Basically any “user” customization data that makes that desktop unique to the user

If the user data is part of the virtual desktop image, then the virtual desktop is not disposable (from the point of view of the user, at least 🙂 ). We need to store the user data somewhere else if we do not want to lose it if the virtual desktop is refreshed, recomposed, or provisioned again. There are several ways to tackle this particular design consideration. Let’s go over a few of them.

First, the built in Windows methods.

Roaming Profiles

Pros:

Built in to Windows
Well understood
Capable of offloading the entire user profile, including files for third party applications (e.g. Favorites for third party browsers like Firefox.)

Cons:

Downloads the entire user profile every time a user logs on
Large profiles can cause very long logon times for users
The virtual disk on the virtual desktop image will grow with the profile data every time a user logs on
Cannot really be monitored for consistency or functionality
May be problematic when upgrading from an older Operating System (like Windows XP) to a new Operating System (like Windows 7) due to profile incompatibilities.

Even though it is the first listed, I would actually recommend roaming profiles as a last resort. Long time Windows administrators know the frustrations of roaming profiles. Dealing with roaming profile problems may lessen the operational efficiencies gained by deploying a virtual desktop environment in the first place.

Folder Redirection

Pros:

Built in to Windows
Well understood
Folders redirected truly reside completely off of the virtual desktop image
Logon times are not an issue like they can be with roaming profiles

Cons:

Does not take care of the entire user profile. Third party application customizations (like Favorites for third party browsers like Firefox) may or may not be redirected depending on where that data is stored.
Cannot really be monitored for consistency or functionality
May be problematic when upgrading from an older Operating System (like Windows XP) to a new Operating System (like Windows 7) due to folder differences.

I have used Folder Redirection many times in different environments. When set up properly it works reasonably well. My wish list for improvement would be the ability to audit when a user does not have their folder redirected to avoid any user data loss.

Outside of built in Windows solutions, there are several third party solutions that are trying to tackle the “user identity” offloading consideration. These solutions vary in functionality, complexity, and price. So, I will just list the general Pros and Cons with this category of software solution.

Third Party Profile Management

Pros:

Profile management is what it does. It had better be good at it 🙂
May have more robust monitoring of the user data for consistency and functionality
May have the ability to seamlessly migrate user data from an older Operating System (like Windows XP) to a newer Operating System (like Windows 7)
Can be a more robust profile management solution vs. built in Windows tools
Will likely scale more efficiently than built in Windows tools

Cons:

May add more complexity
Added price
Not all profile management is created equal, research must be done to ensure that the solution fits the need for your environment. (At least with Roaming Profiles and Folder redirection you know exactly what you are getting and not getting)

As you can see, we must offload user data if the virtual desktop environment is going to be as efficient as possible. Fortunately, there are many ways to accomplish this goal. Part 3 of this series will go over offloading the applications from the virtual desktop image. Until then, if you have any comments or questions feel free to post them.