If you use VMWare, you'll have a VirtualCenter system that manages all of your hosts and clusters. Some people keep this physical, but you can virtualize this management system as well.
http://www.vmware.com/pdf/vi3_vc_in_vm.pdf I'd recommend doing a "parallel" migration for your Citrix users, i.e. stand up a XenApp 6.5 farm, install the same applications as your old garm, and allow the users access to both new and old farms through a single Web Interface (Mr Webster's blog has a good article on doing this). Then you can get some test users to try the "new" apps, get some feel for the metrics of your new virtualized systems, and be able to instantly roll them back to the old farm if you hit any issues. On 13 March 2012 18:12, David Mazzaccaro < [email protected]> wrote: > Thanks,**** > > Right now I have 3 DL360s (dual proc, 4GB, 32bit) for 75 Citrix users and > they are taxed pretty hard.**** > > I always get alerts for CPU and RAM, and if I physically check the boxes, > they usually say 200M free of ram, w/ 6GB pagefile in use.**** > > ** ** > > What do you mean by “Virtualizing VirtualCenter”?**** > > ** ** > > ** ** > > ** ** > > *From:* James Rankin [mailto:[email protected]] > *Sent:* Tuesday, March 13, 2012 11:48 AM > > *To:* NT System Admin Issues > *Subject:* Re: New to virtualization**** > > ** ** > > Nothing wrong with virtualizing your Citrix kit, but another thing you'll > need to remember the latest Citrix XenApp version (soon to be the only > supported one, by July 2013) is 64-bit only, so you'll need to do some > heavy app testing to make sure everything will work OK. If it doesn't, > you'll have to invest in some other way of getting at those apps (VDI, VM > Hosted Apps, etc.) Obviously you won't get as many users on a virtual > XenApp system as you do on a physical one (unless your physical ones are > highly underpowered) - I've seen round about 30-40 users per box being a > ballpark figure dependent on the RAM and processing power you throw at the > VMs. > > The only thing you really maybe need to leave physical is a DNS server, > maybe a DC if you want to be able to log in to the domain when everything > else is down. Virtualizing VirtualCenter (if you go the VMWare route) isn't > that much of an issue.**** > > On 13 March 2012 15:04, David Mazzaccaro < > [email protected]> wrote:**** > > Hi all,**** > > I am starting to investigate moving our aging network infrastructure into > the virtual world.**** > > ~ 10 servers, 6-7 years old**** > > Windows 2003 domain**** > > Exchange 2003 **** > > Citrix 4.0 farm**** > > ~190 users**** > > After some initial discussions w/ a reseller, here’s what they are > recommending:**** > > (3) DL 380 G7 servers (to host the VMs) ~$18,000**** > > (1) Net App FAS2240 (this is the SAN that would host 12 600GB drives of > storage for the VMs) ~$20,000**** > > VMWare essentials plus kit (VMware software) ~$5200**** > > (3) MS Windows 2008 R2 Enterprise (this would allow the 3 HP servers to > run 4 Windows 2008 VMs each)**** > > I guess the way it would work is that the VMs would reside on the SAN, and the > 3 hosts would call up the SAN to load each VM utilizing the host’s CPU, > RAM, NIC, etc.)… right?**** > > I have meetings scheduled w/ 2 other vendors, but verbally both have > started the conversation along the same path as above.**** > > Being very new to VM, does the above scenario seem to make sense? **** > > It is hard for me to imagine all that traffic going between the SAN and > the host servers w/o creating a huge bottleneck (over gig Ethernet)**** > > Do people recommend virtualizing every server? **** > > Domain controllers? Exchange? Citrix farm (4 server)?**** > > Shouldn’t something be left physical?**** > > Is 7 TB of storage enough (probably only 3 usable after array config)? ** > ** > > Is the net app a decent appliance? $20k sounds cheap to me…**** > > I have done a little more reading, and from what I understand w/ 3 Windows > Enterprise licenses, I would be limiting myself to 12 VMs.**** > > However, if I went w/ 3 Windows Datacenter licenses, for a small increase > in price - I would get unlimited VMs? **** > > Which would allow for actually having a testing environment, and better > patch deployment?**** > > Thx**** > > > .**** > > ~ Finally, powerful endpoint security that ISN'T a resource hog! ~ > ~ <http://www.sunbeltsoftware.com/Business/VIPRE-Enterprise/> ~ > > --- > To manage subscriptions click here: > http://lyris.sunbelt-software.com/read/my_forums/ > or send an email to [email protected] > with the body: unsubscribe ntsysadmin**** > > > > > -- > "On two occasions...I have been asked, 'Pray, Mr Babbage, if you put into > the machine wrong figures, will the right answers come out?' I am not able > rightly to apprehend the kind of confusion of ideas that could provoke such > a question." > > ****** IMPORTANT INFORMATION/DISCLAIMER ***** > > This document should be read only by those persons to whom it is > addressed. If you have received this message it was obviously addressed to > you and therefore you can read it, even it we didn't mean to send it to > you. However, if the contents of this email make no sense whatsoever then > you probably were not the intended recipient, or, alternatively, you are a > mindless cretin; either way, you should immediately kill yourself and > destroy your computer (not necessarily in that order). Once you have taken > this action, please contact us.. no, sorry, you can't use your computer, > because you just destroyed it, and possibly also committed suicide > afterwards, but I am starting to digress...... ***** > > *The originator of this email is not liable for the transmission of the > information contained in this communication. Or are they? Either way it's a > pretty dull legal query and frankly one I'm not going to dwell on. But > should you have nothing better to do, please feel free to ruminate on it, > and please pass on any concrete conclusions should you find them. However, > if you pass them on via email, be sure to include a disclaimer regarding > liability for transmission.***** > > *In the event that the originator did not send this email to you, then > please return it to us and attach a scanned-in picture of your mother's > brother's wife wearing nothing but a kangaroo suit, and we will immediately > refund you exactly half of what you paid for the can of Whiskas you bought > when you went to Pets At Home yesterday. ***** > > *We take no responsibility for non-receipt of this email because we are > running Exchange 5.5 and everyone knows how glitchy that can be. In the > event that you do get this message then please note that we take no > responsibility for that either. Nor will we accept any liability, tacit or > implied, for any damage you may or may not incur as a result of receiving, > or not, as the case may be, from time to time, notwithstanding all > liabilities implied or otherwise, ummm, hell, where was I...umm, no matter > what happens, it is NOT, and NEVER WILL BE, OUR FAULT! ***** > > *The comments and opinions expressed herein are my own and NOT those of > my employer, who, if he knew I was sending emails and surfing the seamier > side of the Internet, would cut off my manhood and feed it to me for > afternoon tea. ***** > > ** ** > > ~ Finally, powerful endpoint security that ISN'T a resource hog! ~ > > ~ <http://www.sunbeltsoftware.com/Business/VIPRE-Enterprise/> ~ > > --- > To manage subscriptions click here: > http://lyris.sunbelt-software.com/read/my_forums/ > or send an email to [email protected] > with the body: unsubscribe ntsysadmin**** > > > . > > ~ Finally, powerful endpoint security that ISN'T a resource hog! ~ > ~ <http://www.sunbeltsoftware.com/Business/VIPRE-Enterprise/> ~ > > --- > To manage subscriptions click here: > http://lyris.sunbelt-software.com/read/my_forums/ > or send an email to [email protected] > with the body: unsubscribe ntsysadmin > -- "On two occasions...I have been asked, 'Pray, Mr Babbage, if you put into the machine wrong figures, will the right answers come out?' I am not able rightly to apprehend the kind of confusion of ideas that could provoke such a question." ****** IMPORTANT INFORMATION/DISCLAIMER ***** This document should be read only by those persons to whom it is addressed. If you have received this message it was obviously addressed to you and therefore you can read it, even it we didn't mean to send it to you. However, if the contents of this email make no sense whatsoever then you probably were not the intended recipient, or, alternatively, you are a mindless cretin; either way, you should immediately kill yourself and destroy your computer (not necessarily in that order). Once you have taken this action, please contact us.. no, sorry, you can't use your computer, because you just destroyed it, and possibly also committed suicide afterwards, but I am starting to digress...... * * The originator of this email is not liable for the transmission of the information contained in this communication. Or are they? Either way it's a pretty dull legal query and frankly one I'm not going to dwell on. But should you have nothing better to do, please feel free to ruminate on it, and please pass on any concrete conclusions should you find them. However, if you pass them on via email, be sure to include a disclaimer regarding liability for transmission. * * In the event that the originator did not send this email to you, then please return it to us and attach a scanned-in picture of your mother's brother's wife wearing nothing but a kangaroo suit, and we will immediately refund you exactly half of what you paid for the can of Whiskas you bought when you went to Pets** ** At Home yesterday. * * We take no responsibility for non-receipt of this email because we are running Exchange 5.5 and everyone knows how glitchy that can be. In the event that you do get this message then please note that we take no responsibility for that either. Nor will we accept any liability, tacit or implied, for any damage you may or may not incur as a result of receiving, or not, as the case may be, from time to time, notwithstanding all liabilities implied or otherwise, ummm, hell, where was I...umm, no matter what happens, it is NOT, and NEVER WILL BE, OUR FAULT! * * The comments and opinions expressed herein are my own and NOT those of my employer, who, if he knew I was sending emails and surfing the seamier side of the Internet, would cut off my manhood and feed it to me for afternoon tea. * ~ Finally, powerful endpoint security that ISN'T a resource hog! ~ ~ <http://www.sunbeltsoftware.com/Business/VIPRE-Enterprise/> ~ --- To manage subscriptions click here: http://lyris.sunbelt-software.com/read/my_forums/ or send an email to [email protected] with the body: unsubscribe ntsysadmin
