Nimble Unites With Cisco and VMware for New Reference Architecture for VDI

Nimble Storage, Inc. announced a new reference architecture with Cisco Systems, Inc. and VMware for 1,000 simultaneous VDI users, requiring 3U of rack space, for $43 for storage per desktop.

A preconfigured, integrated system – built around the reference architecture, which consists of a Nimble CS220G-X2
array, Cisco Unified Computing System (UCS) B-Series Blade server
platform, and VMware View 5.1 – enables customers to provision VDI,
realize savings over deployment of physical desktops, and achieve
security and central manageability.
 
Highlights

• Validated
  and tested Nimble Storage, Cisco and VMware reference architecture that
  eliminates the complexities of configuring compute, networking and
  storage
• Nimble Storage conducted load stress tests, including
  tests for boot storms and software patches,  that optimize the system
  configuration
• Optimized desktop storage density: $43 per desktop for 1,000 users in 3U of rack space
• The architecture was tested with a moderate profile steady-state workload
• Modular product architecture provides easy scalability and support

Architecture

• Cisco
  UCS B-Series Blade server platform including six UCS B230 M2 blades,
  each with dual-socketed 10-core Intel CPU and 256GB RAM
• Dual, redundant 10GbE connections between the Nimble Storage array and Cisco UCS Fabric Interconnect
• Windows 7 Enterprise virtual desktops with 1.5GB vRAM and one vCPU per desktop
• One CS220G-X2 array with twelve 1TB hard disk drives and four 160GB flash SSDs
• VMware View 5.1 with VMware vSphere

Suresh Vasudevan, CEO, Nimble Storage, said: "The
economics of VDI are extremely compelling, but customers may balk at
implementation if they foresee long ramp-up times, interoperability
problems, performance issues or uncertain ROI. Nimble Storage has united
with Cisco and VMware to eliminate the uncertainties of VDI with a
reference architecture that has been proven under loads and in an
extensive range of scenarios. There’s a common denominator in every
scenario for VDI:  the need for speed. Users simply won’t wait for their
data. Built from the ground up for virtualized environments, Nimble
arrays reduce latencies, effectively enabling end users to gain the
responsiveness of a physical desktop with the convenience and security
of VDI."
 
Mason Uyeda, director of Technical Marketing, End-User Computing, VMware, said: "VMware
provides robust, easy-to-deploy desktop virtualization solutions that
can enhance user productivity and provide IT with low-cost, secure and
truly scalable platforms to support end users. VMware View together with
Nimble and Cisco help drive this goal and ensures that customers can
confidently leverage this technology to get up and running quickly and
successfully."
 
Andrew Pruett, IT director, Teck Resources Limited, said: "When
we were looking for storage to deploy VDI over our Cisco UCS
infrastructure running VMware ESX and View, our primary criteria were
performance, ease of use and price. Nimble has delivered on all these
and then some. Today we have 700 desktops deployed, with a plan to scale
this to 1,200-1,400 desktops, all supported by one 3U Nimble array."