Deliver your Technology-Based Labs with

VMware Lab Manager

5/6/2010Michael Fudge

Agenda

Why is this so difficult?How lab manger makes it easerThe iSchool specfic SetupDemos / Use-casesWhere do we go from here?

How do you conduct labs for:

Operating Systems Install / Configuration Setting up and securing network services: DHCP,

DNS, HTTP, SMTP, LDAP, Etc… Host and network-based firewalls. Routing, NAT, VLANS. Application deployment, workstation

configurations. Advanced services: web applications, email, VOIP

A Typical Example: “The Email Lab”

• You’d like build an experiential learning activity around email and its protocols

• From a configuration standpoint, you’d like each student to have the same experience.

Email Client:Windows XP

Email Server:Windows 2003

POP3, IMAP, SMTP Protocols•Outlook Express•Wireshark

•hMailServer

How it used to be done.

Need a lot of hardware to do this for the entire class.

Need a lot of space for the hardware

Difficult to prepare and deploy labs in this manner, and keep them consistent.

Students must be “in the lab” to complete the exercise.

Windows XP client Windows

2003 email server

Ethernet Switch

Platform Virtualization makes things a little better

Platform Virtualization• VMware workstation• Virtual Box• Virtual PC

What used to be a computer is now just “files”

The “host” computer is a lab workstation or student’s personal computer.

Requires several GB of storage. Where do you put all those the files?

Where Do You Store Your Platform VM files?

“Mobile Racks” “Portable Storage” “File Server”

Students must sit at same seat in lab

High failure rate from adding / removing drives

Poor I/O performance

Deployment issues – how do you get the VM files to the students?

Need high network bandwidth to server

File server becomes a bottleneck under high utilization

The Lab Manager Solution…

Accessible through a web browser “Package-able” Provides network isolation Consistent configurations Accessible anytime from anywhere

What Exactly is Lab Manager?“Web browser-based delivery of

platform virtual machines and networks.”

Think:

Overview of Lab Manager

https://vlab.ischool.syr.edu

Let’s take a quick look

Configuration: The core concept

Virtual Machines

Physical Network

Virtual Networks

ConfigurationBoundary

Security Model

Lab Manager

Users and Groups assigned to organizations / workspaces then given permission to resources (Configurations and Templates).

iSchool Implementation

To confine a set of resources to a group of users, (for a specific course or research project, for example) a separate workspace must be created

Organization

Workspaces

Main StagingCourse Specific

iSchoolLabsiSchoolLabs

iSchoolLabs

SU Network

VyattaNAT

128.230.x.y

Lab Manager

VM’s

Lab Manager

VM’s

10.1.1.1

10.1.2.2through10.1.254.254

iSchool Physical Network Implementation

Virtual Networks can leverage the physical network as needed

The NAT removes the requirement ofeach VM having anIP address on theCampus Network, and the MAC address registered to the IP.

VM Template(s)

NetworkTemplate(s)

Configuration

Lab Designers

Lab Designers Library

Capture

Library Archive

Template

Designers

Template

Designers

Create VM Template(s)

Create NetworkTemplate(s)

iSchool Roles/Workflow

Students &

TeachersStudents &

Teachers

Deploy Configuration

(Powers on VM’s)

Connect Virtual And

Physical Networks

Clone from Library to

Workspace

Administrator

sAdm

inistrators

Workspace Management

Security Management

Lab Designers: Steps to deploy a Configuration

Lab Designers can practice these step in a special organization called “iSandbox”

Demo Time!

https://vlab.ischool.syr.edu

Software Costs

Costs are negligible thanks to:Vendor “Academic Initiatives” (IBM,

Microsoft).Low-cost operating systems, flexible licensing

Vyatta (open source cisco-like networking)Vmware e-acadamy $150 /year licensed to

support ESX, vCenter and Lab Manager

Hardware required:

SAN (iSCSI / FC)Servers

ESX HostsvCenterLab Manager

SAN

ESX1 ESXnESX2 …

vCenter

Lab Manager

Estimates for ESX Hosts (no SAN)Count of Concurrent Class Sections (n=32)

Approximate Cost 2Dell Power edge Servers

1 $11,500

2 $21,000

3 $27,500

4 $34,000

6 $48,800

2 Server minimum Recommended Count in class section = 32 (30 students 1 TA, 1 Prof) Estimate based on 64GB RAM required to run one class

section Agreement to leverage SAN @ Central IT, so there’s a

substantial cost savings there.

Next Steps for usBuild “iSandbox” for template designers to hone

their craft.Identify which classes should be moved into this

environment first (for Fall 2010).Class Roster Integration – Powershell Cmdlet.Purchase hardware to support real use in the

classroom.Start rebuilding labs for the new environment

over the summer.Most importantly: Capture pilot experiences for

best practices.

Thank you - Questions?

http://michaelfudge.com/lab-managerOr

http://bit.ly/fudgelabman