VDI: A Lifesaver for IT Departments During Rapid Scaling
Managing 20-30 new employees is often an IT nightmare: from unboxing laptops and installing Windows to applying warranty stickers. Instead of wasting weeks on manual tasks, VDI (Virtual Desktop Infrastructure) allows you to provision mass virtual machines in just minutes. This modern approach centralizes all resources within the data center.
With VMware Horizon 8, employees can work on affordable devices like Thin Clients (costing only about 3-5 million VND) or repurpose old computers. All data resides securely on the server instead of being scattered across personal hard drives. If a virtual machine encounters an issue, you simply trigger a remote Reset command to restore the OS to its original clean state.
4 Key Components of the VMware Horizon Architecture
To ensure the system operates smoothly, you need to master the following core components:
- ESXi & vCenter: The virtualization foundation layer that manages hardware resources.
- Horizon Connection Server: The central orchestration hub, responsible for authentication and connecting users to the correct virtual machine.
- Horizon Agent: A service running in the background of the VM to communicate with the management system.
- Horizon Client: The application installed on end-user devices (Laptops, Tablets, Thin Clients) to access the virtual desktop.
Detailed Deployment Steps
1. Setting Up the Foundation Infrastructure
Before installing the Horizon software, ensure your infrastructure is ready:
- At least 1 physical server running ESXi that has been added to vCenter.
- 1 Windows Server acting as a Domain Controller (Active Directory).
- A dedicated OU (Organizational Unit) created in AD to house the VDI virtual machines.
- Administrative privileges granted to a dedicated Horizon service account.
2. Installing and Configuring the Connection Server
Download the VMware-Horizon-Connection-Server-x86_64-8.x.exe installer. The process is quite straightforward, but note the following points:
- Always run the installer with Administrator privileges.
- Select Horizon Standard Server if this is the first server in the system.
- Set a Recovery password carefully to recover data in case of an incident.
- Allow the installer to automatically configure the Windows Firewall to open ports 80, 443, and 4172 (PCoIP).
Once complete, log in to the dashboard at: https://<IP-Connection-Server>/admin.
3. Linking with vCenter
This step allows Horizon to “borrow” computing power from vCenter. Under Settings > Servers > vCenter Servers, select Add and enter the [email protected] account credentials.
Pro tip: If vCenter uses a self-signed certificate, an SSL warning will appear. Simply click Verify and accept the certificate to continue the connection process.
4. Building the Golden Image (Template VM)
The quality of the template VM determines 90% of the end-user experience. Create a clean Windows 10 VM, then perform these optimization steps:
- Install VMware Tools to boost graphics performance.
- Pre-install essential applications like Office, Vietnamese input methods, and browsers.
- Expert Tip: Use the VMware OS Optimization Tool to remove Windows bloatware. This significantly reduces disk IOPS consumption.
- Install Horizon Agent and include the Instant Clone feature.
Finally, shut down the machine and Take Snapshot. This serves as the “mold” for cloning all other virtual machines.
5. Creating a Desktop Pool
Navigate to Desktops > Desktop Pools > Add. For small businesses, an Automated Desktop Pool combined with Instant Clone is the optimal choice.
Why not use Full Clone? I previously tried Full Clone, and the result was disks filling up rapidly. Instant Clone utilizes parent disk sharing technology, saving up to 80% of storage space. Creating a new virtual machine takes only 2 to 5 seconds.
# Reference Parameters:
- Pool ID: VDI-Sales-Dept
- Provisioning: Instant Clone
- Image: Select the Snapshot of the template VM created.
- Storage: Select a high-speed Datastore (SSD/NVMe).Real-World Experience: Avoiding System “Lag”
Many VDI systems suffer from user complaints about slowness after deployment. Here are some tips to avoid these pitfalls:
- Set RAM Reservation: Dedicate a fixed amount of RAM for the VMs in vCenter. This prevents resource contention that causes swap file usage on the hard drive.
- Graphics Handling: If employees need to watch 4K videos or do light design work, equip the server with NVIDIA GRID graphics cards. Without a GPU, the CPU will be overloaded when processing complex visual tasks.
- Network Infrastructure: Ensure the connection from the user’s device to the server reaches 1Gbps. Using weak Wi-Fi or low bandwidth will cause mouse delay (high latency), making work frustrating.
Summary
Deploying VMware Horizon 8 is not difficult, but it requires meticulousness in optimizing the template virtual machine. Once you master the process, you will free yourself from repetitive maintenance tasks. Instead of fixing Windows errors manually, you can spend time researching more advanced automation solutions for your business.
