To ensure the optimal combination of end-user experience (EUE) and cost-per-user, we conducted performance analysis and characterization (PAAC) testing on this solution using the Login VSI load-generation tool. Login VSI is a carefully designed, holistic methodology that monitors both hardware resource utilization parameters and EUE during load-testing.
Login VSI installs a standard collection of desktop application software (for example, Microsoft Office or Adobe Acrobat Reader) on each VDI desktop. It then uses launcher systems to connect a specified number of users to available desktops within the environment. Once the user is connected, the workload is started using a logon script, which starts the test script once the user environment is configured by the login script. Each launcher system can launch connections to several ‘target’ machines such as VDI desktops.
For Login VSI, the launchers and Login VSI environment were configured and managed by a centralized management console. Additionally, the following login and boot paradigm was used:
- Users were logged in within a login timeframe of one hour. An exception to this login timeframe occurred when testing low density solutions such as GPU/graphics-based configurations. With those configurations, users were logged in every five seconds.
- All desktops were pre-booted before logins started.
- The data collection interval for non-VSAN datastores was one minute while for VSAN metrics the data collection interval was five minutes.