Application Volume Configuration

This chapter is part of a series in which theReference architecture for VMware Workspace ONE and VMware Horizon, a framework that provides guidance on the architecture, design considerations, and implementation of Workspace ONE and Horizon solutions. This chapter provides information about common tasks for configuring and deploying VMware App Volumes.™.

This includes step-by-step instructions for configuring VMware App Volumes across multiple sites, implementing redundancy within and across sites. As described inMultisite-Designsection offApplication volume architecture, the recommended deployment option for Multi-Site App Volumes is to use separate databases.

The procedures in this guide create a configuration in which the App Volumes database can be automatically switched between sites. Site 1 and Site 2 have separate databases, but during a failover, users at Site 1 can use the App Volumes packages that were replicated at Site 2, as long as the users' entitlements are also replicated by managing multiple instances. To seeMultiple instance managementfor more information.

Configure separate App Volumes DB instances by location

This theme uses separate App Volumes database instances for each website. This option allows you to use SQL Always On Availability Groups on each site to achieve high availability of the local database. To make user-based entitlements available for packages across sites, you can manually replicate entitlements or use the App Volumes Entitlement Sync tool available as VMware Fling.

To use this configuration, complete the procedures in the following order:

Create a Windows Server Failover Cluster at Each Site
Install standalone SQL Server 2016 on all virtual machines
Create the App Volumes databases and enable availability groups for the clusters
Create AlwaysOn Availability Groups for App Volumes Databases
Configure cluster quorum settings
Install App Volumes to use a highly available database

Create a Windows Server Failover Cluster at Each Site

A failover cluster is a group of virtual machines that have the same software installed and work together as an instance to provide high availability for a service, for example B. a Microsoft SQL Server database. If a virtual machine or cluster node fails, another cluster node starts providing service.

To use: For information on configuring NSX Advanced Load Balancer (AVI Networks) for use with App Volumes, seeConfigure Avi Vantage for VMware Horizon. If you are using a different type of load balancer, make sure you have configured that load balancer according to the vendor's instructions.

To create a Windows Server Error Switching Clusters (WSFC) cluster:

On two ESXi hosts in Site 1, create and configure the two virtual machines to be used as the clustered instance of Microsoft SQL Server and do the same in Site 2.
1. For this reference architecture, we use the Windows Server 2019 Standard operating system on the virtual machines running SQL Server.
2. In this example, we name the virtual machines as follows: In site 1, we create virtual machines with the names1-sql4js1-sql5on separate ESXi hosts. On site 2, we create virtual machines calleds2-sql4js2-sql5.
3. Configure each virtual machine the same way with a total of five 20GB hard drives: one drive for the Windows operating system and five drives for the different SQL Server data types.

In the operating system, disks are assigned drive letters as follows.

In preparation for creating the failover cluster, choose a cluster name and obtain a corresponding static IP address for the cluster at Site 1 and Site 2.

For example, in this reference architecture, we uses1-sqlclust-2js2-sqlclust-2for cluster names.

To configure failover clustering on SQL Server virtual machines, use Server Manager on each of the four virtual machines (two in site 1 and two in site 2) and use the Add and Windows Server functions to configure failover clustering -Add feature.

In the wizard, select to add the following features:

.NET Framework Resources 3.5
Failover Clustering, including the addition of Failover Clustering Tools

See Microsoft's blog post for detailed instructionsInstalling the Failover Clustering Feature and Tools on Windows Server 2012. One of the installed tools is the Failover Cluster Manager, which you will use for many of the following steps.

Use Failover Cluster Manager to create a WSFC cluster containing two SQL Server virtual machines in Site 1 and do the same in Site 2.

For detailed instructions, seeCreate a failover cluster. Site 1 failover cluster contains the virtual machiness1-sql4js1-sql5. The Site 2 cluster contains the virtual machiness2-sql4js2-sql5.

Install SQL Server Standalone on all virtual machines

Install standalone SQL Server on each virtual machine instead of creating a SQL Server failover cluster. For App Volumes, use unattended installs and then create AlwaysOn Availability Groups to achieve intra-site failover.

To install SQL Server:

On Site 1 on the first SQL Server VM, run the SQL Server Setup Wizard according to the following guidelines:
1. InstallationPage - selectNew unattended installation of SQL Server.
2. feature selectionPage - selectDatabase Engine Services and Management Tools - Basic.
3. instance configurationPage - selectdefault instance. The instance ID isSERVIDORMSSQL.
4. server configurationPage: Startup type is Automatic for SQL Server Agent and SQL Server Database Engine.
5. Database engine configurationPage - Noserver configurationtab, selectMixed mode (SQL Server authentication and Windows authentication)and enter the credentials of a user account that will be part of SQL Server Administrators.
  About itdata directoriesFor each item, select the disk you created for that file type during virtual machine creation. Use the screenshot below as a guide:

For more information about the setup wizard, seeInstall SQL Server through the installation wizard (setup).

(Video) Delivering Horizon Published Apps on Demand with VMware App Volumes

Repeat step 1 to install SQL Server on the other Site 1 VMs and Site 2 VMs.
Create a shared folder on the first SQL Server VM in each site; in this example are the virtual machiness1-sql4js2-sql4).
1. Create a folder calledreproduceabout itSQL_Binarios (E:)To drive. You created this unit in step 1 ofCreate a Windows Server Failover Cluster at Each Site.

Give the SQL service account full permissions on the folder.

Create the App Volumes databases and enable availability groups for the clusters

This section provides step-by-step instructions for creating a highly available database, but does not provide database sizing recommendations for different deployment sizes. For information about database size, seeBest practices for VMware App Volumes 2.x databases.

To create the databases:

On the first SQL Server virtual machine in each site, use Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio to create an App Volumes database.
1. For this example, the virtual machiness1-sql4js2-sql4.
2. Log in to Management Studio as a system administrator or as a user account with system administrator privileges.
3. Connect to the SQL Server instance in the virtual machine, right-click on thedatabasesfolder and selectnew database.
4. Enter a database name and clickOK.

For example, for location 1, let's name the databases1-App-Volume. For location 2, we call the databases2-appvolumes.

Create AlwaysOn Availability Groups for App Volumes Databases

In this procedure, you create an AlwaysOn Availability Group and add the standalone SQL Server instances from Site 1 as the primary replica and secondary replicas. Then do the same for Site 2 so that each site has its own AlwaysOn Availability Group for automatic failover within each site (but not across sites).

To create availability groups:

On the first SQL Server virtual machine in Site 1, open Management Studio, right-clickalways highly availablein the left pane and selectNew Availability Group Wizard.
Complete the New Availability Group Wizard according to the following guidelines:
1. specify namesPage: Use the name of the AD computer object you just created. For this example, the name iss1-sqlclust2-ag1to location 1.
2. select databasesPage: Check the local database box thats1-App-Volumein this example.
3. Specify replicas>the replicaGuide: The first SQL Server VM should already be listed. Clickadd replicato connect and add the second SQL Server VM for this site.

Important: To choosesynchronous commitjautomatic failovercheckbox for thereadable by childrensetting, selectNOfor the main instance andEfor the secondary instance.

Choose data syncPage - selectCompleteand specify thereproducefolder you created in step 3,Install SQL Server Standalone on all virtual machines.

This share is used to synchronize the database on the secondary replica with the primary.

Once you've completed these pages, the validation page, summary page, and results page walk you through the process of creating availability groups and listeners and adding replicas. On the results page, you can see that thes1-App-Volumethe database is synchronized between the two SQL servers.

When the process is complete, you can use Management Studio to view the new availability groups. The following screenshot shows the availability group with the primary replica ons1-sql4virtual machine

The following screenshot shows the availability group with the secondary replica ons1-sql5virtual machine

Repeat steps 1 and 2 for location 2.

Configure cluster quorum settings

This is where you configure the cluster quorum options to use a file share witness. Each element in a cluster can cast a "vote" to determine whether the cluster can run. Since you have two nodes in a cluster and you need an odd number of voting items, create a file share quorum witness that casts the third vote. A file share witness is recommended when you need to consider disaster recovery across multiple sites with replicated storage.

(Video) Learning VMware App Volumes : Creating an AppStack for Notepad++ | packtpub.com

To configure cluster quorum settings:

On a file server at each site, use Server Manager to open and complete the New Share wizard and create an SMB share following the guidelines below:
1. choose a profilePage - selectShare SMB - fast.
2. share locationPage: select shared locationChoose by volumeand select the unit.

PermissionsPage - Clickadjust permissionsand give the WSFC cluster object full control over the file share.

When you complete this step, you will have two file shares: one for site 1 and one for site 2. For more information on how to access and use this wizard, see12 Steps for NTFS Shared Folders in Windows Server 2012.

Configure cluster quorum settings for each site:
1. On the first virtual machine in Site 1, open the Failover Cluster Manager, right-click and select the clustermore actions>Configure cluster quorum settings.
2. Complete the Configure Cluster Quorum wizard according to the following guidelines:
  1. Select the quorum configuration optionPage—EliasSelect quorum witness.
  2. Select quorum witnessPage - selectConfigure a File Share Witness.
  3. Configure the File Share WitnessPage - Enter the path to the file share you created in step1.

For detailed instructions, seeConfigure and manage quorum.

Repeat this procedure to configure a quorum witness for file shares on the site2.

You can now install App Volumes and reference the availability set we created.

Install App Volumes to use a highly available database

This procedure focuses on the specific configuration needed to connect App Volumes to a highly available database. For details on other aspects of installing App Volumes, including system requirements, seeVMware App Volumes Administrator Guide.

To install App Volumes:

In preparation for installing App Volumes and connecting to the availability group listener, use the SQL Server Configuration Manager on each SQL Server virtual machine to enable named pipes.

See instructions belowEnable or disable a server network protocol.

Important: Restart the SQL Server service for the new settings to take effect.

On Site 1, on the first virtual machine where you want to install App Volumes, download the App Volumes Manager installer, launch the installation wizard, and follow the prompts to the database server page.
Populate the database server page according to the following guidelines:
1. Select local or remote database server to use- Select the SQL Server Always On Availability Group Listener you createdCreate AlwaysOn Availability Groups for App Volumes Databases.
2. Database catalog name to be used or created– Select the database you created inCreate the App Volumes databases and enable availability groups for the clusters.

Important: If you see an error message like the following, it means that you need to enable named pipes as described in step1.

On the Select Network Ports page, verify that the HTTP port is set to80and the HTTPS port is configured443.
Follow the rest of the wizard instructions to complete the installation.
Repeat steps 1-5 on the second App Volumes virtual machine on Site 1, but on the database server side, leave the file "Overwrite existing database (if existing)Unchecked checkbox.
Both App Volume admins in Site 1 must point to the same high availability database.
Repeat this entire process in location 2.

When App Volumes is successfully installed, you can start the setup. For detailed instructions, seeVMware App Volumes Administrator Guide.

package replication

This design uses a shared NFS data store to replicate packages between sites and application volume instances. Although NFS is not required, it provides cost-effective storage replication that works with VMware vSphere®VMFS e VMware Virtual SAN™VMware vSphere Deployments®.

illustration 1: Packet replication with a shared data store

NFS datastores can also be used in VMware Cloud on AWS to provide a shared datastore between different SDDCs (Software Defined Data Centers).

To use this configuration, perform the procedures in the following sections.

Configure a Non-Removable NFS Data Store for Site 1 and Site 2

To use: Screenshots in this section are taken from Site 1. The process was repeated for the localization2.

(Video) Apps on Demand for Published App Environments, powered by VMware App Volumes

To configure a non-removable data store for replication purposes:

Use the App Volumes Manager console to configure a machine manager for VMware vCenter Server®.

App Volumes - Managed storage locations are available depending on the vCenter Server selected in the App Volumes machine manager settings. For example, the following screenshot shows a machine manager configured for vCenter Server whose hostname iss1-vc-vdi.vmweuc.com.

Mount the NFS datastore on selected vCenter Server hosts to make them available as managed App Volumes locations.

For example, in the following screenshot, the AppVolumes-Untached NFS data store is added to the vSphere hosts in thes1-vc-vdi.vmweuc.comGroup.

After adding the NFS datastore to the vSphere hosts, clickscan againto be made available as a managed storage location.

Select the datastore and clickSet as unassailable. This option allows packages to be replicated to and from this datastore, but prevents packages from this datastore from being mounted for use.

Repeat these steps for all other instances of App Volumes.

Mark source instance locations as read-only

It's a good idea to define an instance of App Volumes as the source for package replication. This avoids potential conflicts if changes are made in two instances. On the source instance, you must mark the locations (datastores) used for packages as read-only.

Use the App Volumes Manager console on the App Volumes instance that you have sourced.
Select the storage locations to be used for package storage and click onMark as read-only.

To use:Only do this on the single instance you designate as the source. Do not repeat this in other cases.

Create storage groups

Then create a storage group containing one or more removable data stores and the non-removable data store as shown in the screenshot below.

Figure 2: Create a storage group

Repeat this process for the other instances of Sites and App Volumes.

Multiple instance setup

When configuring multiple App Volumes instances and sites, you can create a source and target relationship between App Volumes instances so that packages are distributed across different App Volumes instances and sites. Version 2203 of App Volumes also added the ability to sync metadata, bookmarks, and mappings between instances.

The instructions below outline the process for a two-site deployment with one instance of App Volumes per site. Can be modified to add additional sites or instances as targets to the source instance in Site1.

Install Application Volume Manager:
1. Installing the first local App Volumes Manager 1. If you are using AlwaysOn Availability Groups to provide a highly available local database, use the local availability group listener for the site.1 when configuring the ODBC connection.
  Important: For step-by-step instructions on how to do this, seeInstall App Volumes to use a highly available database.
2. Complete the App Volumes Manager wizard and add vCenter Server for Site1 as machine administrators, including mapping their corresponding data stores.
3. Proceed to install subsequent App Volume Managers for the site1. Add them as targets to the local load balancer virtual IP.
4. Repeat steps 1-3 for Site 2 to allow App Volumes administrators on the site2 Point to the local availability group listener for site 2 and register the local vCenter servers for site2 as chief engineers.
Add target instances:
1. Add the site using the App Volumes management console for the Site 1 instance2 instance as the target instance. To seeRegister an instance of App Volumes as a target.
2. select forEnable app package import,sync favorites, jsync tasks.
Configure storage locations:
1. On the Site 1 and Site 2 instances, set the shared data store location tonot contagious.
2. On the Site 2 (Destination) instance, mark the shared data storage location asonly reading.
Set up a storage group on each App Volumes instance:
1. Create a storage group. For more details seeConfigure storage groups.
2. Select all datastores to be used for packages.
3. Also select a shared datastore that will be used to replicate packages between instances.
4. Do not select Import AppStacks and packages automatically.
5. select forAutomatically replicate application stacks and packages.
6. Repeat this step for the Site 2 instance.

This project achieves the following:

The Site 1 instance is set as the source and becomes the source for packages and maps. The instance at location 2 is a target.
Bundles are available on both sides.
Packets are replicated from site 1 (source) to site 2 (destination) in defined storage groups and using a shared data store configured as removable.
User-based permissions for packages are replicated across sites.

Additional configuration options for writable volumes

You can configure writable volumes so that end users can determine how much free space is available on their writable volume. You can expand the storage space if needed.

Allow end users to view the size of write volumes

Administrators can use the App Volumes Manager console to view remaining space on writable volumes. Administrators can also allow end users to see how much space is available on their writable volume by looking at the system volume. To do this, administrators must create a new registry key during App Volumes agent configuration:

navigate toHKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\svdriver.
Create a new registry key named at this locationParameterif it doesn't already exist.
Inside the Parameters key, create a new key calledInformierenSistemaEspacioLibrecommonGOLDEN WORDvalue of0(null).

Alternatively, run a command from an elevated CMD prompt to create the correct key and value:

Registrando adicionar hklm\system\currentcontrolset\services\svdriver\parameters /v ReportSystemFreeSpace /t REG_DWORD /d 0

(Video) Learning VMware App Volumes : Creating a Writable Volume | packtpub.com

Figure 3: Screenshot of Windows registry with correct path, key and value

To use:This change requires a reboot to take effect. Logging out or logging in does not apply the changes.

End user view of recording volume space

When end users view available disk space through Windows ExplorerBeforeWhen making changes to the registry, he can see the free space and total space reported for the C: drive.

Figure 4: Current disk free space in C:\

After making registry changes and restarting the system, the C: drive reports the amount of free space on the user write volume, which totals 19.7GB in the example below:

Figure 5: Free space on user recording volume

Note that the total space still reflects the value of the C: drive.

We recommend configuring the registry so that end users can see the free space on their recording volumes whenever they use recording volumes.

recording volume expansion

The default writable volume model in App Volumes 4 is 10GB. When a user's recording volume is near or at its maximum capacity, it can be expanded. To expand the write volume for each user in the App Volumes Manager console:

Locate the user-writable volume in thevolumestab belowwritablesubtab and expand the information about the specific writable volume.
click on itexpand volumeand enter a larger value in 1 GB increments.
Have the user log out and log in again. The extra size is added to the recording volume after the user logs out and logs in again. Also, free space usage is not reflected in the App Volumes Manager until the user logs out and back in. In.

What is the next?

Now that you've reached the end of this chapter, you can go back tolanding pageand search or scroll to select the next chapter in one of the following sections:

Summary of chaptersProvide understanding of business drivers, use cases and service definitions.
Architecture ChapterDiscover the products included in this platform, including Workspace ONE UEM, Workspace ONE Access, Workspace ONE Assist, Workspace ONE Intelligence, Horizon, App Volumes Dynamic Environment Manager and Unified Access Gateway.
integration chaptercover the integration of components and services you need to build the platform that can deliver what you want.
configuration chapterWhen building your platform, provide references for specific tasks such as: B. the installation, deployment, and configuration processes for Horizon, App Volumes, dynamic environment management, and more.

Application Volume Configuration | VMware (2023)