Chapter 1. VMware Horizon Infrastructure Overview

This chapter will discuss a number of topics that play a critical role in our Horizon design. We will discuss the different components of a Horizon installation, examine the different license levels, and outline the core requirements of a Horizon infrastructure. We will also discuss how to measure the resource requirements of a desktop, and how those requirements impact all layers of our infrastructure including the storage design, network design, and virtual desktop VMware ESXi server configuration.

By the end of this chapter we will learn:

• The individual components of a VMware Horizon installation
• The role of different components of VMware Horizon
• VMware Horizon license options
• Core infrastructure requirements for VMware Horizon
• An overview of several key VMware Horizon design and pilot project considerations

Tip

Throughout this book you may see references to components or features of VMware Horizon View made without the word View being included in the name. While this book focuses heavily on components of VMware Horizon View itself, it does include other components that are now part of the larger product known as VMware Horizon. So, while these names may be slightly different than you are used to seeing, know that my goal was to try and match the terms VMware wants us to use for their products, and not necessarily those that we are most familiar with (or that VMware themselves always uses for that matter).