----
{expand: h5. Contents}
{toc:type=list|minlevel=2|maxlevel=4}
{expand}
----
h1. Getting Started - VDI Demo
The following information describes how to install and configure the VDI components (connection broker, virtualization platform, and storage) *on one host*. A Demo VDI Setup is great for evaluation, but cannot support a large deployment.
!Supported Configurations^clientdiagram1.gif|align=center!
\\
{info}The VDI Demo configuration is *not* a supported production environment configuration. For more information about supported production environment VDI configurations, please see the [Supported Configurations] page.{info}
\\
You can also make a multi-host demo version of VDI, but you will have to refer mainly to the [Installing] document. In this case, the system requirements will be less strict than what this page describes, see the Supported Software tables in the [Release Notes]. Also refer to [Supported Configurations] to learn more about which hardware configurations will and will not work. When configuring the VDI Core software, make sure to choose the *Evaluation configuration*, see [Step 6 below|#6. Configure VDI for Evaluation.] for more details.
{expand:h2. Installing the Software|expanded=true }
h4. System Requirements
You must perform the installation on a physical machine ("bare metal"). Installing the VDI software in a virtual machine will not work.
The machine must meet the following requirements:
* x86 CPU
* At least 4 GB memory RAM
* At least 32 GB disk space - it is recommended to use a system with two disks so that the Solaris OS uses on one disk and the ZFS storage uses the other (see below).
Refer to the [VDI 3 Release Notes|Release Notes] for more details.
h4. 1. Install the operating system.
* You must use Solaris 10 Update 7 (64-bit) as the operating system.
* Install the operating system on the first disk.
* You should perform a default installation using either UFS or ZFS as the file system.
* We recommend adapting the default partition layout:
** All of the VDI components will be installed under {{/opt}} - ensure that sufficient disk space is available here.
** Swap space must be equal to or greater than the physical memory - if you have 4 GB memory, your swap space must also be 4 GB or more.
** Templates for virtual machines will be stored under {{/var/tmp}} - you should reserve enough disk space for storing at least one or two virtual machine images.
Refer to the [Solaris documentation|http://docs.sun.com/app/docs/doc/820-7010/planning-8?l=en&a=view&q=Solaris+10+5%2F09+chapter+3] for more details.
h4. 2. Configure the ZFS storage.
Sun VDI 3 (in combination with VirtualBox) uses the ZFS filesystem to create snapshots of virtual machine disk images or to clone/replicate virtual machine disks. The interaction with ZFS is handled automatically and is completely encapsulated within VDI. However, initially you must setup the ZFS storage (more precisely a ZFS storage pool aka zpool).
* As previously mentioned, the second disk should be configured as ZFS storage. Simply trigger the following command as root user:
{code:none}# zpool create VDI <name of second disk>{code}
(In this case, the name of the zpool is 'VDI', but you can also use any other name in your setup. If you do not know the name of your second disk, you can look it up using the {{format}} or {{fdisk}} command.)
* ZFS uses any memory available (up to the limit) for a so-called ARC cache. This can cause issues in a demo setup, because VDI may falsely report that there is not enough memory for starting up any virtual machine. To resolve this issue, adapt the max value used for the ARC cache.
For example, to restrict the memory to 2GB, add the following line in {{/etc/system}}:
{code:none}set zfs:zfs_arc_max = 2147483648{code}
* Enable the SMF service for iSCSI access (iSCSI target daemon) with the command:
{code:none}svcadm enable svc:/system/iscsitgt:default{code}
h4. 3. Install the virtualization platform.
For the demo installation we will use Sun VirtualBox as the virtualization platform.
* You must use the VirtualBox archive ({{vbox_2.0.zip}}) that is bundled with Sun VDI 3. This archive includes Sun VirtualBox 2.0.12 together with an installation script ({{vb-install}}) that automates the necessary configuration steps.
* As root user, unzip the VirtualBox archive and execute the installation:
{code:none}
# unzip vbox_2.0.zip
# cd vbox_2.0
# ./vb-install
{code}
The installation script installs the VirtualBox packages and starts up the VirtualBox web service. In addition, the Apache web server (bundled with Solaris 10) will be configured to act as SSL proxy for the VirtualBox web service.
h4. 4. Install the VDI Connection Broker (aka VDI Core).
* As root user, unzip the VDI archive and execute the installation:
{code:none}
# unzip vda_3.0_amd64.zip
# cd image
# ./vda-install
{code}
After accepting the license agreement, the installation process begins, and all VDI components are installed. These components include:
* Sun Ray Server Software
* Sun Ray Connector for Windows Operating Systems
* Sun VDI Core
* MySQL Database
* Web Administration
* Apache Tomcat
* RDP Broker
* Sun Ray Kiosk session scripts
* After successful installation reboot your machine.
{code:none}
# reboot
{code}
h4. 5. Apply the VDI 3 Patch 3.
* Download VDI 3 patch 3 (141482-03) from [sunsolve|http://sunsolve.sun.com/search/document.do?assetkey=1-21-141482-03-1].
* Install the patch on your system. As root user, trigger the following command:
{code:none}
# patchadd /var/spool/patch/141482-03
{code}
h4. 6. Configure VDI for Evaluation.
As root user execute the vda-config script and choose the "{{0 Evaluation Sun VDI Host}}" configuration type:
{code:none}
# /opt/SUNWvda/sbin/vda-config
{code}
Now you've successfully installed and configured your VDI demo! For the remaining steps, use the VDI and VirtualBox administration tools.
{expand}
{expand:h2. Creating Virtual Machine Templates|expanded=true }
After installing the software, you should prepare a couple of virtual machines that will later be assigned to users. This is a two step process: first, create virtual machines using tools from the VirtualBox virtualization platform. Then, import the prepared virtual machines into Sun VDI. The imported virtual machines can either be assigned to users or can act as templates for cloning additional machines.
VirtualBox provides some management tools for creating new virtual machines, which were installed on your demo machine when {{vb-install}} was executed. If you prefer to prepare and test virtual machines on a separate machine, for example using your laptop, then you can also download a compatible VirtualBox 2.0.8 version for your preferred operating system from [here|http://download.virtualbox.org/virtualbox/vboxvdi3download.html].
The following steps assume that you are running the VirtualBox tool directly from your demo machine.
h4. 1. Create a new virtual machine using the VirtualBox GUI.
* As root startup the Sun VirtualBox GUI
{code:none}
# /opt/VirtualBox/VirtualBox
{code}
## You can safely ignore the notification that a newer VirtualBox version is available.
## Click New to launch the New Virtual Machine wizard.
## The wizard will guide you through virtual machine creation.
Be sure to choose the appropriate hard-disk and RAM space for the desired configuration (4 GB hard-disk and 384 MB RAM are recommended).
For more information about virtual machine system requirements, refer to _Chapter 3: Starting out with xVM VirtualBox_ in the [_Sun xVM VirtualBox User Manual_|http://download.virtualbox.org/virtualbox/2.0.4/UserManual.pdf].
h4. 2. Install an operating system in the virtual machine.
At this point you have an empty virtual machine, equivalent to a PC without an OS installed. The next step is to choose the boot medium for the OS and install it.
# Select the newly created virtual machine and click Settings.
# Open the Advanced tab in the Settings GUI.
# Ensure that CD/DVD-ROM is set as the first boot device.
# Select the CD/DVD-ROM option in the left panel of the Settings dialog.
# Check the Mount CD/DVD Drive checkbox.
## Select the Host CD/DVD Drive radio button to install the OS from the CD-ROM drive.
## Select the ISO Image File radio button, with the appropriate path, to install the OS from a previously downloaded ISO file.
# Click OK to save the changes and close the Settings GUI.
At this point the new virtual machine must be started to trigger the OS installation.
# Select the new virtual machine and click Start.
# Follow the installation prompts, or seek further installation details from the OS manufacturer.
h4. 3. Install the VirtualBox Guest Additions.
After the OS is installed, the Sun VirtualBox Guest Additions must be installed.
# With the virtual machine running and fully booted, click the Devices menu, then select Install Guest Additions.
This will launch the xVM VirtualBox Guest Additions installer inside the virtual machine.
# Install the Guest Additions according to the instructions in the wizard and reboot when asked.
# Install all additional software for the desired virtual machine template.
If you plan to take advantage of the Windows Sysprep functionality, then you also need to install the Sysprep tool into your virtual machine. However, for a first demo setup we recommend to NOT execute the Sysprep tool, because it is hard to later detect any errors in this area. Instead, you should first become familiar with Sun VDI and then create a Sysprep-ed virtual machine in a later stage. For example, you must take advantage of sysprep if the virtual machine must join an ActiveDirectory domain.
Please refer to [Defining Virtual Machine Templates in Sun xVM VirtualBox] for further details.
{expand}
{expand:h2. Manage Desktops with the VDI Web Administration|expanded=true }
To manage desktops and users in VDI, refer to the following pages (these are also listed under Step 1 of [Administering]):
# [Access the Web Administration GUI.|How to Access the Admin GUI]
# [Create desktop providers.|How to Create Desktop Providers for an xVM VirtualBox Platform]
# [Create desktop pools.|How to Create Desktop Pools]
# [Import virtual machine templates into the VDI Core.|How to Import Virtual Machines for an xVM VirtualBox Platform]
# [Clone the virtual machine templates.|How to Enable Cloning for an xVM VirtualBox Platform]
# [Set up a user directory.|How to Set Up a User Directory]
# [Add test users to desktop pools.|How to Add Users to Pools]
# [Associate tokens to the test users.|How to Associate Tokens to Users]
{expand}
{expand:h2. Access a Desktop (as an End-User)|expanded=true }
There are three VDI-compatible options for desktop access software: Sun Ray Software, Sun Secure Global Desktop Software, and Microsoft RDC Software.
Sun Ray software is automatically installed with the VDI Core installation, and is covered under the VDI demo licensing. To read more about how to adapt Sun Ray software, and access a desktop as and end-user with a Sun Ray DTU, use the following links:
* [Adapting Sun Ray Software]
* [Accessing Desktops with a Sun Ray DTU]
For desktop SGD, and MS RDC information, refer to *Steps 2-3* of [Administering].
{expand}
h2. Congratulations!
You should have a fully functional VDI Demo. If you have run into problems setting up VDI, please look for answers in some of the following places:
* [Troubleshooting and FAQs|Troubleshooting and FAQs#VDI Demo]
* [The VDI Forum|http://forums.sun.com/forum.jspa?forumID=992]
{expand: h5. Contents}
{toc:type=list|minlevel=2|maxlevel=4}
{expand}
----
h1. Getting Started - VDI Demo
The following information describes how to install and configure the VDI components (connection broker, virtualization platform, and storage) *on one host*. A Demo VDI Setup is great for evaluation, but cannot support a large deployment.
!Supported Configurations^clientdiagram1.gif|align=center!
\\
{info}The VDI Demo configuration is *not* a supported production environment configuration. For more information about supported production environment VDI configurations, please see the [Supported Configurations] page.{info}
\\
You can also make a multi-host demo version of VDI, but you will have to refer mainly to the [Installing] document. In this case, the system requirements will be less strict than what this page describes, see the Supported Software tables in the [Release Notes]. Also refer to [Supported Configurations] to learn more about which hardware configurations will and will not work. When configuring the VDI Core software, make sure to choose the *Evaluation configuration*, see [Step 6 below|#6. Configure VDI for Evaluation.] for more details.
{expand:h2. Installing the Software|expanded=true }
h4. System Requirements
You must perform the installation on a physical machine ("bare metal"). Installing the VDI software in a virtual machine will not work.
The machine must meet the following requirements:
* x86 CPU
* At least 4 GB memory RAM
* At least 32 GB disk space - it is recommended to use a system with two disks so that the Solaris OS uses on one disk and the ZFS storage uses the other (see below).
Refer to the [VDI 3 Release Notes|Release Notes] for more details.
h4. 1. Install the operating system.
* You must use Solaris 10 Update 7 (64-bit) as the operating system.
* Install the operating system on the first disk.
* You should perform a default installation using either UFS or ZFS as the file system.
* We recommend adapting the default partition layout:
** All of the VDI components will be installed under {{/opt}} - ensure that sufficient disk space is available here.
** Swap space must be equal to or greater than the physical memory - if you have 4 GB memory, your swap space must also be 4 GB or more.
** Templates for virtual machines will be stored under {{/var/tmp}} - you should reserve enough disk space for storing at least one or two virtual machine images.
Refer to the [Solaris documentation|http://docs.sun.com/app/docs/doc/820-7010/planning-8?l=en&a=view&q=Solaris+10+5%2F09+chapter+3] for more details.
h4. 2. Configure the ZFS storage.
Sun VDI 3 (in combination with VirtualBox) uses the ZFS filesystem to create snapshots of virtual machine disk images or to clone/replicate virtual machine disks. The interaction with ZFS is handled automatically and is completely encapsulated within VDI. However, initially you must setup the ZFS storage (more precisely a ZFS storage pool aka zpool).
* As previously mentioned, the second disk should be configured as ZFS storage. Simply trigger the following command as root user:
{code:none}# zpool create VDI <name of second disk>{code}
(In this case, the name of the zpool is 'VDI', but you can also use any other name in your setup. If you do not know the name of your second disk, you can look it up using the {{format}} or {{fdisk}} command.)
* ZFS uses any memory available (up to the limit) for a so-called ARC cache. This can cause issues in a demo setup, because VDI may falsely report that there is not enough memory for starting up any virtual machine. To resolve this issue, adapt the max value used for the ARC cache.
For example, to restrict the memory to 2GB, add the following line in {{/etc/system}}:
{code:none}set zfs:zfs_arc_max = 2147483648{code}
* Enable the SMF service for iSCSI access (iSCSI target daemon) with the command:
{code:none}svcadm enable svc:/system/iscsitgt:default{code}
h4. 3. Install the virtualization platform.
For the demo installation we will use Sun VirtualBox as the virtualization platform.
* You must use the VirtualBox archive ({{vbox_2.0.zip}}) that is bundled with Sun VDI 3. This archive includes Sun VirtualBox 2.0.12 together with an installation script ({{vb-install}}) that automates the necessary configuration steps.
* As root user, unzip the VirtualBox archive and execute the installation:
{code:none}
# unzip vbox_2.0.zip
# cd vbox_2.0
# ./vb-install
{code}
The installation script installs the VirtualBox packages and starts up the VirtualBox web service. In addition, the Apache web server (bundled with Solaris 10) will be configured to act as SSL proxy for the VirtualBox web service.
h4. 4. Install the VDI Connection Broker (aka VDI Core).
* As root user, unzip the VDI archive and execute the installation:
{code:none}
# unzip vda_3.0_amd64.zip
# cd image
# ./vda-install
{code}
After accepting the license agreement, the installation process begins, and all VDI components are installed. These components include:
* Sun Ray Server Software
* Sun Ray Connector for Windows Operating Systems
* Sun VDI Core
* MySQL Database
* Web Administration
* Apache Tomcat
* RDP Broker
* Sun Ray Kiosk session scripts
* After successful installation reboot your machine.
{code:none}
# reboot
{code}
h4. 5. Apply the VDI 3 Patch 3.
* Download VDI 3 patch 3 (141482-03) from [sunsolve|http://sunsolve.sun.com/search/document.do?assetkey=1-21-141482-03-1].
* Install the patch on your system. As root user, trigger the following command:
{code:none}
# patchadd /var/spool/patch/141482-03
{code}
h4. 6. Configure VDI for Evaluation.
As root user execute the vda-config script and choose the "{{0 Evaluation Sun VDI Host}}" configuration type:
{code:none}
# /opt/SUNWvda/sbin/vda-config
{code}
Now you've successfully installed and configured your VDI demo! For the remaining steps, use the VDI and VirtualBox administration tools.
{expand}
{expand:h2. Creating Virtual Machine Templates|expanded=true }
After installing the software, you should prepare a couple of virtual machines that will later be assigned to users. This is a two step process: first, create virtual machines using tools from the VirtualBox virtualization platform. Then, import the prepared virtual machines into Sun VDI. The imported virtual machines can either be assigned to users or can act as templates for cloning additional machines.
VirtualBox provides some management tools for creating new virtual machines, which were installed on your demo machine when {{vb-install}} was executed. If you prefer to prepare and test virtual machines on a separate machine, for example using your laptop, then you can also download a compatible VirtualBox 2.0.8 version for your preferred operating system from [here|http://download.virtualbox.org/virtualbox/vboxvdi3download.html].
The following steps assume that you are running the VirtualBox tool directly from your demo machine.
h4. 1. Create a new virtual machine using the VirtualBox GUI.
* As root startup the Sun VirtualBox GUI
{code:none}
# /opt/VirtualBox/VirtualBox
{code}
## You can safely ignore the notification that a newer VirtualBox version is available.
## Click New to launch the New Virtual Machine wizard.
## The wizard will guide you through virtual machine creation.
Be sure to choose the appropriate hard-disk and RAM space for the desired configuration (4 GB hard-disk and 384 MB RAM are recommended).
For more information about virtual machine system requirements, refer to _Chapter 3: Starting out with xVM VirtualBox_ in the [_Sun xVM VirtualBox User Manual_|http://download.virtualbox.org/virtualbox/2.0.4/UserManual.pdf].
h4. 2. Install an operating system in the virtual machine.
At this point you have an empty virtual machine, equivalent to a PC without an OS installed. The next step is to choose the boot medium for the OS and install it.
# Select the newly created virtual machine and click Settings.
# Open the Advanced tab in the Settings GUI.
# Ensure that CD/DVD-ROM is set as the first boot device.
# Select the CD/DVD-ROM option in the left panel of the Settings dialog.
# Check the Mount CD/DVD Drive checkbox.
## Select the Host CD/DVD Drive radio button to install the OS from the CD-ROM drive.
## Select the ISO Image File radio button, with the appropriate path, to install the OS from a previously downloaded ISO file.
# Click OK to save the changes and close the Settings GUI.
At this point the new virtual machine must be started to trigger the OS installation.
# Select the new virtual machine and click Start.
# Follow the installation prompts, or seek further installation details from the OS manufacturer.
h4. 3. Install the VirtualBox Guest Additions.
After the OS is installed, the Sun VirtualBox Guest Additions must be installed.
# With the virtual machine running and fully booted, click the Devices menu, then select Install Guest Additions.
This will launch the xVM VirtualBox Guest Additions installer inside the virtual machine.
# Install the Guest Additions according to the instructions in the wizard and reboot when asked.
# Install all additional software for the desired virtual machine template.
If you plan to take advantage of the Windows Sysprep functionality, then you also need to install the Sysprep tool into your virtual machine. However, for a first demo setup we recommend to NOT execute the Sysprep tool, because it is hard to later detect any errors in this area. Instead, you should first become familiar with Sun VDI and then create a Sysprep-ed virtual machine in a later stage. For example, you must take advantage of sysprep if the virtual machine must join an ActiveDirectory domain.
Please refer to [Defining Virtual Machine Templates in Sun xVM VirtualBox] for further details.
{expand}
{expand:h2. Manage Desktops with the VDI Web Administration|expanded=true }
To manage desktops and users in VDI, refer to the following pages (these are also listed under Step 1 of [Administering]):
# [Access the Web Administration GUI.|How to Access the Admin GUI]
# [Create desktop providers.|How to Create Desktop Providers for an xVM VirtualBox Platform]
# [Create desktop pools.|How to Create Desktop Pools]
# [Import virtual machine templates into the VDI Core.|How to Import Virtual Machines for an xVM VirtualBox Platform]
# [Clone the virtual machine templates.|How to Enable Cloning for an xVM VirtualBox Platform]
# [Set up a user directory.|How to Set Up a User Directory]
# [Add test users to desktop pools.|How to Add Users to Pools]
# [Associate tokens to the test users.|How to Associate Tokens to Users]
{expand}
{expand:h2. Access a Desktop (as an End-User)|expanded=true }
There are three VDI-compatible options for desktop access software: Sun Ray Software, Sun Secure Global Desktop Software, and Microsoft RDC Software.
Sun Ray software is automatically installed with the VDI Core installation, and is covered under the VDI demo licensing. To read more about how to adapt Sun Ray software, and access a desktop as and end-user with a Sun Ray DTU, use the following links:
* [Adapting Sun Ray Software]
* [Accessing Desktops with a Sun Ray DTU]
For desktop SGD, and MS RDC information, refer to *Steps 2-3* of [Administering].
{expand}
h2. Congratulations!
You should have a fully functional VDI Demo. If you have run into problems setting up VDI, please look for answers in some of the following places:
* [Troubleshooting and FAQs|Troubleshooting and FAQs#VDI Demo]
* [The VDI Forum|http://forums.sun.com/forum.jspa?forumID=992]