Load balancing for app volume manager can be achieved by configuring an L7 virtual service with HTTPS application profile.

App Volumes servers do not support connections for the same client originating from different source IP addresses. In the case where the virtual service is deployed as an Active/Active scale out, it is possible that multiple connections from the same client are processed by different Service Engines. As each Service Engine uses a distinct SNAT IP, the servers may see multiple connections for the same client with a different source IP, resulting in authentication failures. To address this issue, use either one of the options given below:

  • Option 1: Use an Active/Standby Service Engine group when load balancing App Volumes

  • Option 2: If native scale out is being used, configure the flow distribution algorithm to be based only the client IP address rather than the client IP and port through the CLI:

configure virtualservice <appvol-vs-name>
flow_dist flow_dist consistent_hash_source_ip_address
save
Note:

Option 2 is only applicable in the case of native scale out. In the case where ECMP scale out is used (for example, with BGP), the distribution of flows across Service Engines is dependent on the ECMP hash algorithm used by the upstream router. If that hash is based on the full 5-tuple (source/destination IP/port/protocol) then this issue will be encountered.

Multi-site with GSLB

NSX Advanced Load Balancer can be configured with GSLB using any load balancing algorithm (geo, source IP based, and, so on) to direct the traffic to the required site. This avoids east-west traffic even within the same geo. Site 1 could be on any ecosystem and different to the site 2 ecosystem. For example, site 1 could be on prem and site 2 could be on VMC.



High Availability

It is recommended to deploy the NSX Advanced Load Balancer Service Engines in the elastic Active/Active high availability mode. In active/active high availability deployment mode, the Virtual Service is placed on both Service Engines. Hence a failure of one Service Engine will momentarily affect only the user traffic flowing through that particular SE. For more information, see High Availability and Redundancy topic in the VMware NSX Advanced Load Balancer Configuration Guide.

Note:

For best performance, it is recommended to use separate NSX Advanced Load Balancer SEs for Horizon. Do not place any other virtual service on the same SEs.

Sizing Considerations

NSX Advanced Load Balancer Controller sizing

It is recommended to have 3 Controllers in a cluster configured for production deployments. NSX Advanced Load Balancer Controller requires minimum specifications of CPU, RAM, and storage. For more information on sizing guidelines, see NSX Advanced Load Balancer Controller Sizing topic in the VMware NSX Advanced Load Balancer Installation Guide.

NSX Advanced Load Balancer SE sizing

For Horizon deployments, the SE sizing depends on number of users and the throughput per user. SE sizing also depends on the applications accessed over the VDI as higher bandwidth apps like video and 3D modeling would require higher throughput. Highest contributing factor to throughput would be the secondary protocols (Blast/PCoIP).

The number of SEs depends on the deployment model chosen to load balance UAGs as discussed below:

  1. Single VIP with two virtual services using 307 redirect solution: The Blast and PCoIP protocols flow through the NSX Advanced Load Balancer SEs, and so the SEs have to be sized for the Blast and PCoIP throughput.

  2. (n+1) VIP using 307 redirect solution: Only the XML-API protocol flows through the NSX Advanced Load Balancer SE and hence the number of SEs required would be lesser.

  3. Single VIP with Two Virtual Services:The Blast and PCoIP protocols flow through the NSX Advanced Load Balancer SEs, hence the SEs have to be sized for the Blast and PCoIP throughput.

  4. Single L4 Virtual Service: The Blast and PCoIP protocols flow through the NSX Advanced Load Balancer SEs, and so the SEs have to be sized for the Blast and PCoIP throughput.

  5. (n+1) VIP: Only the XML-API protocol flows through NSX Advanced Load Balancer SE and so the number of SEs required would be lesser.

  6. It is recommended to have separate SEs for connection server load balancing to avoid traffic to flow back into the DMZ for internal clients.

Active/Active high availability configuration requires a minimum of two service engines.

Each site will require to be sized for its own SEs with an additional SE for GSLB requirement between sites.

Sizing Examples for Single VIP with Two Virtual Services and Single L4 Virtual Service

Example 1

250 users with small workloads (email, MS Office applications, multiple monitors) in a single site.

No. of Users

Approximate Throughout Per User

Total Throughput = No. of Users X Throughput Per User

Active/Active HA

250

600 Kbps

150 Mbps

1 Core SE X 2

Example 2

1500 users with medium workloads (frequent file transfers, complex document editing, 480 p video, MS office applications) in a single site.

Number of Users

Approximate Throughout Per User

Total Throughput = Number of Users X Throughput Per User

Active/Active HA

1500

2 Mbps

3 Gbps

2 Core SE X 2

Example 3

1000 users with high workloads (3D modeling, Hi-definition video, 3D graphics) in a single site.

Number of Users

Approximate Throughout Per User

Total Throughput = Number of Users X Throughput Per User

Active/Active HA

1000

20 Mbps

20 Gbps

4 Core SE X 4
Note:

  • For video or jitter-sensitive applications, dedicated dispatcher is recommended for best performance.

  • For high bandwidth applications like video, L3 scale out is recommended for best performance.

Example 4

5000 users with medium workloads(frequent file transfers, complex document editing, 480 p video, MS office applications) in a single site.

No. of Users

Approximate Throughout Per User

Total Throughput = No. of Users X Throughput Per User

Active/Active HA

5000

2 Mbps

10 Gbps

3 Core SE X 2
Note:

It is recommended to have dedicated dispatcher for higher PPS for better performance.

Example 5

10000 users with small workloads (email, MS Office applications, multiple monitors) in a single site.

No. of Users

Approximate Throughout Per User

Total Throughput = No. of Users X Throughput Per User

Active/Active HA

10000

600 Kbps

6 Gbps

2 Core SE X 2

The summary of sizing reference for a single site is as shown below:

Throughput Per Users

Small (Maximum of 600 kbps per user)

Medium (Maximum of 2 Mbps Per User)

Large (Maximum of 20 Mbps Per User

100

1 Core X 2 SEs

1 Core X 2 SEs

1 Core X 2 SEs

700

1 Core X 2 SEs

1 Core X 2 SEs

4 Core X 3SEs

1000

1 Core X 2 SEs

1 Core X 2 SEs

4 Core X 4 SEs (L3 scale out is recommended)

5000

2 Core X 2 SEs

4 Core X 2 SEs

4 Core X 16 SEs (L3 scale out is required)

10000

2 Core X 2 SEs

4 Core X 4 SEs (L3 scale out is recommended)

4 Core X 32 SEs (L3 scale out is required)

Sizing Examples for n+1 VIP

Number of Users

Number of SEs

Up to 1000 users

1 core * 2 SEs

1000 - 5000 users

2 core * 2 SEs

5000 - 10000 users

3 core * 2 SEs

Sizing Examples for Connection Server Load Balancing

Number of Users

Number of SEs

Upto 1000 users

1 core * 2 SEs

1000 - 5000 users

2 core * 2 SEs

5000 - 10000 users

3 core * 2 SEs

Sizing with GSLB

GSLB requires 1 SE per site. This can be a 1 core SE for GSLB for Horizon. For example, 250 users with small workloads (email, MS Office applications, multiple monitors) in site 1. 250 users with high workloads (3D modeling, Hi Def video, 3D graphics) in site 2.

Site

Number of Users

Approximate Throughput per User

Total Throughput = Number of Users X Throughput per User (Maximum of 20 Mbps Per User

Number of SEs Active/Active HA

GSLB

Site 1

250

600 Kbps

150 Mbps

1 core SE X 2

1 core SE

Site 2

250

600 Kbps

150 Mbps

1 core SE X 2

1 core SE

Total Cores = 6

4

2