中小企业的桌面虚拟化方案VDI-in-a-Box
VDI-in-a-box是一个针对桌面虚拟化的整体打包方案，相关的支持服务器都以虚拟机的形式打包在一台服务器中。一台8核心、32GB内存、250GB存储的服务器可以支持30个主流规模的虚拟桌面，对SMB来说，应该是一个很有吸引力的桌面虚拟化解决方案
Citrix VDI-in-a-box 5安装在一台服务器上，包括Windows管理员交付虚拟桌面给使用任何设备的终端用户的所有工具。VDI-in-a-Box交付Citrix HDX获得高清晰桌面。也可以与Citrix Receiver软件客户端工作，得到VDI安全性与高可用性功能。
增添了简化Windows管理员虚拟桌面管理的向导，并支持三大主要的hypervisor：Microsoft Hyper-V、Citrix XenServer与VMware vSphere、ESX和ESXi。
思杰也将Citrix VDI-in-a-Box与Citrix GoToManage结合，让IT能进行远程监控，并在多个地点支持虚拟桌面。
系统环境需求：
The following hypervisors, user devices, and system resources are required to work with Citrix VDI-in-a-Box.
Supported Hypervisors
- Citrix XenServer 6.0. Platinum, Enterprise, Advanced, and Free editions
- Citrix XenServer 5.6 Feature Pack 1. Platinum, Enterprise, Advanced, and Free editions
- Citrix XenServer 5.6. Platinum, Enterprise, Advanced, and Free editions
- Microsoft Hyper-V Server 2008 R2 with Service Pack 1
- Windows Server 2008 R2 with Service Pack 1, Enterprise edition, with Hyper-V role enabled
- Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) server – supported
- Active Directory – supported
- Windows Server 2008 R2 with Service Pack 1 Server Core, with Hyper-V role enabled
- Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) server – supported
- Active Directory – supported
VMware ESXi or VMware vSphere
VMware ESXi 5.0 VMware ESXi 4.1
User Devices
VDI-in-a-Box provisioned desktops can be accessed from a Web browser, Citrix Receiver (formerly Citrix online plug-in), or the VDI-in-a-Box Java Desktop Client (using Java Runtime Environment (JRE) 1.6 or higher).- Download Citrix Receiver from .
- Download JRE from .
- A computer running 32-bit or 64-bit Windows XP, Windows Vista, or Windows 7.
- A computer running the following 32-bit Linux operating systems:
- RHEL 5.x
- CentOS 5.x
- Ubuntu 10.x
- A computer running Mac OS X 10.5 or 10.6.
- A mobile device running any of the following operating systems:
- iOS 4.2.3 (for iPhones and iPads)
- Android 3.1
- Thin clients running Windows XP Embedded or Linux operating systems.
- Thin clients running the latest version of Citrix Receiver.
- Supported certified thin clients include:
- Wyse C10LE
- Wyse R10L
- Wyse R90L7
- Wyse R90LE
- Wyse Xenith
- Wyse Xenith Pro
- 10ZiG 5682v/5672v
- 10ZiG 5617v
- 10ZiG 5616v
- Devon IT TC5Xc
- Devon IT TC5Dc
- OptiPlex FX130
- OptiPlex FX170
- Hewlett-Packard t5740e
Secure Remote Connectivity
Secure remote connections from user devices to virtual desktops are supported for the following products:
- Citrix Access Gateway VPX 5.0
- Citrix Access Gateway 5.0
Virtual Desktop Operating Systems
- Windows XP Service Pack 3, Professional edition – 32-bit version
- Windows 7 Service Pack 1 Professional, Enterprise editions – 32-bit or 64-bit versions
Windows 7 N is not supported.
Windows Virtual Desktop Access Volume License is needed to access virtual desktops. Please refer to for licensing details.
System Resource Requirements
- VDI-in-a-Box Manager appliance
- 1 GB RAM
- 70 GB disk space (this can be decreased or increased as required)
- CPU Requirements
- Use the guidelines provided by the hypervisor vendor. Typically the rule of thumb is a maximum of 6 to 10 desktops per core: 10 for task workers, 8 for knowledge workers, and 6 for heavy users. If the server has processors with Hyper-Threading Technology enabled, the number of desktops is doubled.
- Memory RequirementsMemory requirements per server is the sum of the memory required to run the virtual desktops on that server and the memory required by the VDI-in-a-Box Manager (vdiManager).
- For the hypervisor, reserve 1 GB for operations.
- For Windows 7, a minimum of 1.5 GB per desktop is recommended.
- For Windows XP, a minimum of 0.5 GB per desktop is recommended.
- If you need to run 50 desktop on a server, allocating 1 GB of memory to each desktop, the breakdown of the memory requirement for the server would be as follows: 1 GB for the hypervisor, 1 GB for the vdiManager, 1 GB for each of the 50 virtual desktops, and an additional 10% to allow for server operations. This totals 59 GB of memory for the server. You can use a 64 GB server in this case.
- Disk size requirements (for Citrix XenServer with Thin Provisioning enabled and VMware ESXi)This is the sum of the disk space required to store desktop images, to run the virtual desktops, and to use vdiManager.
- VDI-in-a-Box uses up to two times the size of a desktop image to maintain multiple versions of an image.
- Due to the VDI-in-a-Box linked clone technology, each persistent virtual desktop typically requires 15% of the disk size of the desktop image from which it is generated.
- vdiManager is configured to require 70 GB of disk space by default, allowing it to support desktop images of up to 60 GB in size.
Example 1: Twenty-five non-persistent desktops with three images of 20 GB of disk space each on a host require at least 265 GB ( 2 x 3 x 20 + 25 x (15% of 20 GB) + 70).
Example 2: A server with one 20 Gb published image and 15 non-persistent desktops and 10 persistent desktops will require 265 GB (20 GB + 15x (15% of 20 GB) + 10 x (100% of 20 GB).
- As a best practice, provide some additional buffer. Citrix recommends using disk sizes of 450 GB to 500 GB per server.
- Disk size requirements (for Citrix XenServer without Thin Provisioning or with Thin Provisioning disabled)
- Each virtual desktop managed by vdiManager requires 100% of the disk space reservation on the Citrix XenServer host. For example, if the desktop image is set up with 20 GB of disk space and the virtual desktop is configured with 1 GB of RAM, the total disk space utilized by each virtual desktop is 20 GB (100% of 20 GB).
Example: Twenty-five virtual desktops with three images of 20 GB of disk space each on a Citrix XenServer host require at least 690 GB (2 x 3 x 20 + 25 x 20 + 70) of free disk space available after setting up the VDI-in-a-Box grid. As a best practice, provide some additional buffer. Citrix recommends using disk sizes of 1 TB per server.
- Each virtual desktop managed by vdiManager requires 100% of the disk space reservation on the Citrix XenServer host. For example, if the desktop image is set up with 20 GB of disk space and the virtual desktop is configured with 1 GB of RAM, the total disk space utilized by each virtual desktop is 20 GB (100% of 20 GB).
- Disk size requirements for Microsoft Hyper-V
- vdiManager requires a minimum of 60 GB of free disk space.
- Types of Disks
- To support the throughput of the desktops, Citrix recommends at least four disks for hosts running 25 desktops or more and at least six to eight disks for hosts running 50 desktops or more.
- Due to the redundancy provided by VDI-in-a-Box, Citrix suggests a Raid 0 configuration or a Raid 1+0 configuration.
- Citrix recommends 10K Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) or faster hard drives.
支持客户端协议及设备：
Protocols Supported by VDI-in-a-Box
1. HDX:
This is the default protocol.
No separate license is required.
HDX provides a high-definition user experience.
HDX provides better multimedia support while using less bandwidth.
HDX is suitable for remote access over a WAN.
2. Remote Desktop Connection (RDP) V6 and V7:
RDP is suitable for LAN deployments.
Accessing VDI-in-a-Box Virtual Desktops
Users access VDI-in-a-Box virtual desktops in any of three ways:
1. Web browser – Web browsers support both HDX and RDP, although some configuration is required to use each protocol.
2. Citrix Receiver (formerly Citrix online plug-in)
allows direct access to VDI-in-a-Box desktops through an HDX connection without the use of a Web browser or Java client.
Receiver connects to VDI-in-a-Box desktops on Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, and Android platforms.
3. Zero-maintenance VDI-in-a-Box Java Client
The Java client automatically checks for updates and refreshes itself as needed.
The client requires Java Runtime Environment (JRE) 1.6 or higher.
The client switches to an RDP connection if an HDX connection is not available.
Comparing Client Access
| Client | Accesses virtual desktop | Automatic RDP connection started if there is no HDX | Kiosk | Integrated error messages | Automatic failover to healthy vdiManager |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Citrix Receiver | Y | Not applicable | Y | ||
| Web browser | Y | Y | Y | ||
| VDI-in-a-Box Java Client | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
Logging on From a User Device
The following figure shows a basic logon sequence between a Web browser on a user device and a server with VDI-in-a-Box Manager. An HDX session between the user device and a specific virtual desktop on the server is being created using Citrix Receiver. Once the connection is created, the session traffic takes place between Receiver and the virtual desktop only. The same sequence applies when the Java client is used.
With Citrix Receiver, older and low-end thin clients that do not have browsers can be used to access VDI-in-a-Box virtual desktops. Mobile devices, such as the iPad, can also be used with Receiver to access VDI-in-a-Box virtual desktops without requiring a Web browser or Java client.