Improving the User Experience in the Digital Workplace
Wed, 19 Aug 2020 23:32:32 -0000
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Originally published March 18, 2019
Ensuring a good user experience is a challenge for businesses interested in moving toward a digital workplace. While it seems intuitive that user experience improvement leads to increased productivity, that’s not the primary goal. “Increasingly, the success of digital workplace programs is being defined by how well business goals align with user needs, rather than just by productivity and costs savings,” said Esteban Herrera, partner and global head of ISG Research, in a news release about ISG’s recent Digital Workplace of the Future report.
In the digital environment, the user’s emotions and attitudes define the user experience. Aligning with user needs includes providing an experience that enhances how a person perceives and feels about the digital workplace. In fact, the ISG report identifies a shift away from traditional service level agreements (SLAs) in favor of end-user experience agreements (XLAs). The goal of an XLA is to monitor the user’s experience, identify gaps affecting the user, and then take corrective action. Ultimately, if the user enjoys working in the digital workplace, the benefits can include embracing new digital tools that improve productivity and collaboration with the business to further improve the digital transformation.
Operating systems and digital workplace applications are also designed to enhance the user experience, as software companies realize the important role that the application experience plays in the selection process. For example, each version of the Windows operating system has made advances in improving the user experience. In my own experience, it was an adjustment moving away from using shortcut keys, to the more visual experience provided by the Quick Access Toolbar in Office programs. However, in exchange, we receive a visually rich and intuitive user experience that created a demand for improved graphics virtualization.
It’s interesting how the presentation of color can play a significant role in the user interface of a program. “Research reveals people make subconscious judgments about a person, environment, or product within 90 seconds of initial viewing and that between 62% and 90% of that assessment is based on color alone,” according to CCI Color Institute for Color Research. This research highlights the importance of the presentation layer in the digital workplace. While a graphics processing unit does not affect the selection of color used in a user interface, it does affect color depth. In general, the greater the color depth the broader the spectrum of colors available.
The new NVIDIA T4 data center GPU with NVIDIA GRID software is designed to provide a native-PC user experience in a digital workplace. Users can use multiple screens and watch 4K video. The T4 also supports VP9 video decode and H.265 (HVEC) encode/decode and provides support for more than 1 TB of system memory.
Dell EMC now offers an integrated, validated, and tested solution for the digital workplace. The virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) solution combines PowerEdge servers with the NVIDIA T4 and GRID software and provides a comprehensive pathway to improving the user experience. After component integration, the solution is performance-tested to ensure its validity. As part of the testing process, engineers tune the system to maximize performance and efficiency, and document best practices. Finally, a separate team of experts evaluate the test results to ensure that the systems can be properly configured and sized for customers.
Monitoring the Dell EMC VDI solution is free and easy with Live Optics. Live Optics is a remote and agentless software for collecting data about your PowerEdge environment. It streams workload data from your system to an online analytics engine that measures, analyzes, and reports workload characteristics. Live Optics saves time by automating data collection and drives transparency by enabling system monitoring.
The goal of the new Dell EMC solution is to accelerate the time-to-value for the business in achieving an enhanced user experience for digital workplace users. Every digital workplace solution is different, requiring the design and size of the solution to match a customer’s requirements. This solution offers a great deal of flexibly in how it can be configured and sized for digital workplaces. Thus, customers have the capability to start with a foundation that matches their current requirements and incrementally grow as the business grows.
The user experience in the digital workplace doesn’t have to be a challenge. Companies can quickly enhance the digital workplace with a powerful combination of NVIDIA T4 cards, GRID software, and PowerEdge servers. This VDI solution was developed by a team of experts who have used digital workplaces, designed solutions, and been customers themselves. They understand the value of solutions that are easy to use and enable your business to quickly achieve its goals.
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About the co-author
Anand is working as a Tech Marketing Engineer in Dell EMC VDI ready Solutions. He is specialized in VDI technologies, primarily based on VMware and Citrix Suites. In his role as Tech Marketing Engineer, he analyzes VDI solutions and build collaterals, which enable customers to understand technology better. Prior to joining Dell EMC, Anand worked on projects related to VDI solutions and managed all aspects of design and implementation of desktop virtualization projects.
Related Blog Posts
Next-Generation Graphics Acceleration for Digital Workplaces from Dell EMC and NVIDIA
Fri, 09 Dec 2022 13:58:56 -0000
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Originally published June 2019
For most organizations undergoing a digital transformation, maintaining a good user experience on virtual desktops—an essential component of digital workplaces—is a challenge. Users naturally compare their new virtual desktop experience to their previous physical endpoint experience. As the user experience continues to gain importance in digital workplaces (see this blog for more information), it is essential that virtualized environments keep pace with growing demands for user experience improvements.
This focus on the new user experience is being addressed by developers of modern-day operating systems and applications, who strive to meet the high expectations of their consumers. For example, the Windows 10 operating system, which plays a significant role in today's digital transformation initiatives, is more graphics-intensive than its predecessors. A study by Lakeside Software's SysTrack Community showed a 32 percent increase in graphics requirements when you move from Windows 7 to Windows 10. Microsoft Office applications (PowerPoint, Outlook, Excel, and so on), Skype for Business collaboration software, and all modern-day web browsers are designed to use more graphics acceleration in their newest releases.
Dell EMC Ready Solutions for VDI with NVIDIA Tesla T4 GPU
Dell EMC Ready Solutions for VDI, coupled with NVIDIA GRID Virtual PC (GRID vPC) and Virtual Apps (GRID vApps) software, provides comprehensive graphics acceleration solutions for your desktop virtualization workloads. The core of the NVIDIA GRID software is NVIDIA vGPU technology. This technology creates virtual GPUs, which enables sharing of the underlying GPU hardware among multiple users or virtual desktops running concurrently on a single host. This video compares the quality of a “CPU-only” VDI desktop with a VDI desktop powered by NVIDIA vGPU technology.
The latest NVIDIA GPU offering that supports virtualization is the NVIDIA Tesla T4, which is a universal GPU that can cater to a variety of workloads. The Tesla T4 comes with a 16 GB DDR6 memory. It operates at 70 W, providing higher energy efficiency and lower operating costs than its predecessors, and has a single-slot PCIe form factor. You can configure up to six Tesla T4s in a single Dell EMC PowerEdge R740xd server, providing the highest density for GPU-accelerated VMs in a Dell EMC server. For more details about the NVIDIA Tesla T4 GPU, see the Tesla T4 for Virtualization Technology Brief.
Image courtesy NVIDIA Corporation
Figure 1. NVIDIA vGPU technology stack
Tesla T4 vs. earlier Tesla GPU cards
Let's compare the NVIDIA Tesla T4 with other widely used cards—the NVIDIA Tesla P40 and the NVIDIA Tesla M10.
Tesla T4 vs. Tesla P40:
- The Tesla T4 comes with a maximum framebuffer of 16 GB. In a PowerEdge R740xd server, T4 cards can provide up to 96 GB of memory (16 GB x 6 GPUs), compared to the maximum 72 GB provided by the P40 cards (24 GB x 3 GPUs). So, for higher user densities and cost efficiency, the Tesla T4 is a better option in VDI workloads.
- You might have to sacrifice 3, 6, 12, and 24 GB profiles when using the T4, but 2 GB and 4 GB profiles, which are the most tested and configured profiles in VDI workloads, work well with the Tesla T4. However, NVIDIA Quadro vDWS use cases, which require higher memory per profile, are encouraged to use Tesla P40.
Tesla T4 vs. Tesla M10:
- In the PowerEdge R740xd server, three Tesla M10 cards can give you the same 96 GB memory as six Tesla T4 cards in a PowerEdge R740xd server. However, when it comes to power consumption, the six Tesla T4 cards consume only 420 W (70 W x 6 GPUs), while the three Tesla M10 GPUs consume 675 W (225 W x 3 GPUs), a substantial difference of 255 W per server. When compared to the Tesla M10, the Tesla T4 provides power savings, reducing your data center operating costs.
- Tesla M10 cards support a 512 MB profile, which is not supported by the Tesla T4. However, the 512 MB profile is not a viable option in today’s modern-day workplaces, where graphics-intensive Windows 10 operating systems, multi-monitors, and 4k monitors are prevalent.
The following table provides a summary of the Tesla T4, P40, and M10 cards.
Table 1. Comparison of NVIDIA Tesla T4, P40 & M10
GPU | Form factor | GPUs/board | Memory size | vGPU profiles | Power |
T4 | PCIe 3.0 single slot | 1 | 16 GB GDDR6 | 1 GB, 2 GB, 4 GB, 8 GB, 16 GB | 70 W |
P40 | PCIe 3.0 dual slot | 1 | 24 GB GDDR5 | 1 GB, 2 GB, 3 GB, 4 GB, 6 GB, 8 GB, 12 GB, 24 GB | 250 W |
M10 | PCIe 3.0 dual slot | 4 | 32 GB GDDR5 | .5 GB, 1 GB, 2 GB, 4 GB, 8 GB | 225 W |
(8 per GPU) |
GPU sizing and support for mixed workloads
With multi-monitors and 4K monitors becoming a norm in the modern workplace, streaming high-resolution videos can saturate the encoding engine on the GPUs and increase the load on the CPUs, affecting the performance and scalability of VDI systems. Thus, it is important to size the GPUs based on the number of encoding streams and required frames per second (fps). The Tesla T4 comes with an enhanced NVIDIA NVENC encoder that can provide higher compression and better image quality in H.264 and H.265 (HEVC) video codecs. The Tesla T4 can encode 22 streams at 720 progressive scan (p) resolution, with simultaneous display in high-quality mode. On average, the Tesla T4 can also handle 10 streams at 1080p and 2–3 streams at Ultra HD (2160p) resolutions. Running in a low-latency mode, it can encode 37 streams at 720p resolution, 17–18 streams at 1080p resolution, and 4–5 streams in Ultra HD.
VDI remote protocols such as VMware Blast Extreme can use NVIDIA GRID software and the Tesla T4 to encode video streams in H.265 and H.264 codecs, which can reduce the encoding latency and improve fps, providing a better user experience in digital workplaces. The new Tesla T4 NVENC encoder provides up to 25 percent bitrate savings for H.265 and up to 15 percent bitrate savings for H.264. Refer to this NVIDIA blog to learn more about the Tesla T4 NVENC encoding improvements.
The Tesla T4 is well suited for use in a data center with mixed workloads. For example, it can run VDI workloads during the day and compute workloads at night. This concept, known as VDI by Day, HPC by Night, increases the productivity and utilization of data center resources and reduces data center operating costs.
Tesla T4 testing on Dell EMC VDI Ready Solution
At Dell EMC, our engineering team tested the NVIDIA Tesla T4 on our Ready Solutions VDI stack based on the Dell EMC VxRail hyperconverged infrastructure. The test bed environment was a 3-node VxRail V570F appliance cluster that was optimized for VDI workloads. The cluster was configured with 2nd Generation Intel Xeon Scalable processors (Cascade Lake) and with NVIDIA Tesla T4 cards in one of the compute hosts. The environment included the following components:
- PowerEdge R740xd server
- Intel Xeon Gold 6248, 2 x 20-core, 2.5 GHz processors (Cascade Lake)
- NVIDIA Tesla T4 GPUs with 768 GB memory (12 x 64 GB @ 2,933 MHz)
- VMware vSAN hybrid datastore using an SSD caching tier
- VMware ESXi 6.7 hypervisor
- VMware Horizon 7.7 VDI software layer
Dell EMC Engineering used the Power Worker workload from Login VSI for testing. You can find background information about Login VSI analysis at Login VSI Analyzing Results.
The GPU-enabled PowerEdge compute server hosted 96 VMs with a GRID vPC vGPU profile (T4-1B) of 1 GB memory each. The host was configured with six NVIDIA Tesla T4 cards, the maximum possible configuration for the NVIDIA Tesla T4 in a Dell PowerEdge R740xd server.
With all VMs powered on, the host server recorded a steady-state average CPU utilization of approximately 95 percent and a steady-state average GPU utilization of approximately 34 percent. Login VSImax—the active number of sessions at the saturation point of the system—was not reached, which means the performance of the system was very good. Our standard threshold of 85 percent for average CPU utilization was relaxed for this testing to demonstrate the performance when graphics resources are fully utilized (96 profiles per host). You might get a better user experience with managing CPU at a threshold of 85 percent by decreasing user density or by using a higher-binned CPU. However, if your CPU is a previous generation Intel Xeon Scalable processor (Skylake), the recommendation is to use only up to four NVIDIA Tesla cards per PowerEdge R740xd server. With six T4 cards per PowerEdge R740xd server, the GPUs were connected to both x8 and x16 lanes. We found no issues using both x8 and x16 lanes and, as indicated by the Login VSI test results, system performance was very good.
Dell EMC Engineering performed similar tests with a Login VSI Multimedia Workload using 48 vGPU-enabled VMs on a GPU-enabled compute host, each having a Quadro vDWS-vGPU profile (T4-2Q) with a 2 GB frame buffer. With all VMs powered on, the average steady-state CPU utilization was approximately 48 percent, and the average steady-state GPU utilization was approximately 35 percent. The system performed well and the user experience was very good.
For more information about the test-bed environment configuration and additional resource utilization metrics, see the design and validation guides for VMware Horizon on VxRail and vSAN on our VDI Info Hub.
Summary
Just as Windows 10 and modern applications are incorporating more graphics to meet user expectations, virtualized environments must keep pace with demands for an improved user experience. Dell EMC Ready Solutions for VDI, coupled with the NVIDIA Tesla T4 vGPU, are tested and validated solutions that provide the high-quality user experience that today’s workforce demands. Dell EMC Engineering used Login VSI’s Power Worker Workload and Multimedia Workload to test Ready Solutions for VDI with the Tesla T4, and observed very good results in both system performance and user experience.
In the next blog, we will discuss the affect of memory speed on VDI user density based on testing done by Dell EMC VDI engineering team. Stay tuned and we’d love to get your feedback!
VDI on Dell Technologies Cloud Platform – Part 1: Introduction
Fri, 09 Dec 2022 13:47:56 -0000
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The way we work is changing. With more employees working from home and outside the office on flexible schedules, organizations are shifting towards digital workspaces. Digital workspaces allow employees to access their applications and data from anywhere, anytime, across any device. The flexibility offered by digital workspaces fosters collaboration and enhances the productivity of employees.
Virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) is an enabling technology for workspace transformation initiatives. A growing number of organizations rely on VDI for providing accessibility to business applications and data while ensuring a secure and superior user experience. VDI provides the agility, security, and centralized management that are critical to successful workspace transformation initiatives.
According to a survey by market intelligence company IDC, 93 percent of customers will deploy their workloads across two or more clouds. A multi-cloud approach comes with its unique benefits, and VDI is a workload that takes full advantage of it. For example, VDI customers can utilize the flexibility and economics of the multi-cloud approach by extending their on-premises infrastructure for seasonal demand spikes and/or can also host a disaster recovery (DR) environment on the public cloud.
However, a multi-cloud approach can increase complexity by creating multiple management and operational silos. Due to the difference in the architecture and environments of the multiple clouds involved, workload migrations are often complicated. Maintaining consistent and efficient security is challenging with multiple cloud providers, and existing security best practices adopted by your organization may not be portable across a multi-cloud environment. The best solution to overcome these challenges is a hybrid cloud approach that offers consistent operations and infrastructure.
VCF on VxRail, the Dell Technologies Cloud Platform1 (DTCP), takes the complexity out of a multi-cloud environment by offering true hybrid compatibility and facilitating consistent operations across private and public cloud environments. DTCP is an on-premises infrastructure based on industry-leading Dell EMC VxRail hyper-converged infrastructure running VMWare Cloud Foundation (VCF). It offers options to extend your infrastructure to Dell Technologies’ partner public clouds, providing choice and flexibility. DTCP allows you to build standardized VMware Software-Defined Data Center (SDDC) architecture that provides a consistent infrastructure connecting your on-premises and public clouds.
Figure 1: VCF on VxRail, Dell Technologies Cloud Platform
Let’s see how you can benefit from a VDI solution based on VMware Horizon running on DTCP.
VMware Horizon on DTCP
Dell Technologies offers a tested and validated VMware Horizon solution running on DTCP for your VDI workloads. Horizon on DTCP allows you to leverage a software-defined infrastructure for compute, storage, networking, and security with the market-leading capabilities of VMware Horizon for a complete, secure, and easy-to-operate desktop and application virtualization solution. The native integration of VxRail Manager with SDDC Manager offers automation and simplifies lifecycle management for your entire VDI stack, including hardware. With VMware NSX2, you can secure east-west traffic within your data center by creating fast and simple network policies that follow virtual desktops. The Micro-segmentation feature of NSX creates a perimeter defense around the virtual desktops, eliminating unauthorized access between virtual desktops and adjacent critical workloads.
Our Horizon solution architecture aligns with the VMware Horizon Cloud Pod Architecture (CPA)3. CPA allows you to join multiple pods to form a single Horizon implementation. This pod federation spans multiple sites, simplifying the administration effort that is required to manage a large-scale Horizon deployment. See the ‘VDI on DTCP using VMware Horizon’ reference architecture guide4 available on the VDI InfoHub for more details on our validated solution.
VMware Horizon on DTCP offers a hybrid platform where you can easily enable public cloud use-cases like provisioning additional capacity and DR. With DTCP, you can have an extended Horizon deployment on one of our public partner clouds such as VMware Cloud (VMC) on AWS. VMC on AWS delivers VMware SDDCs as a service on the AWS cloud. If you already have a Horizon installation on-premises on VMware SDDC, you can leverage those skills to build a Horizon infrastructure on VMC on AWS. You get a unified architecture, operational consistency, and a similar feature set for Horizon across on-prem and VMC on AWS.
Conclusion
DTCP can offer you a true hybrid cloud experience by delivering consistent operations and infrastructure for your VDI workloads across a multi-cloud environment. By running VDI on DTCP powered by Dell EMC VxRail hyper-converged infrastructure, you can enable typical VDI use-cases like provisioning additional capacity and DR in a simple, flexible and cost-effective manner.
DTCP is also available with subscription pricing5, which gives you freedom of choice between CapEx and OpEx models. You can start small, easily scale and align with growing business needs.
I hope you enjoyed reading part 1 of this blog series. In part 2, we will discuss the public cloud interoperability use-cases of VMware Horizon on DTCP in detail. Stay tuned!
Additional Resources
- DTCP: https://www.delltechnologies.com/en-in/solutions/cloud/vmware-cloud-foundation-on-vxrail.htm
- NSX for Horizon: https://www.vmware.com/content/dam/digitalmarketing/vmware/en/pdf/products/horizon/vmware-nsx-with-horizon.pdf
- Horizon Cloud Pod Architecture: https://techzone.vmware.com/resource/workspace-one-and-horizon-reference-architecture#sec10-sub2
- VDI on DTCP using VMware Horizon: https://infohub.delltechnologies.com/section-assets/h18160-vdi-dtcp-horizon-reference-architecture
- DTCP with the subscription: https://www.dellemc.com/en-us/collaterals/unauth/offering-overview-documents/products/dell-technologies-cloud/h18181-dell-technologies-cloud-platform-with-subscription-solution-brief.pdf