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A Secure, Stable, Reliable and High Performance CAD Workstation Environment

WB LimSeagate Technology Internationalwb.lim@seagate.com

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Reasons for Change

MCAD tool migration

Migration from existing NX-Ideas5 to NX6 is planned

NX6 certified hardware

*NX6 is no longer supported on existing Unix platform

Network and software/hardware performance issues

Existing installation faced performance and network bottleneck

Users want familiar Microsoft Windows environment with better hardware performance

Accessibility

Quick access to workstation anytime and anywhere requirements

Physical and data security

Management concerns over access control and data security

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Existing Infrastructure - Layout

Common Shared Workstations

LAN

Existing Workstations Layout

LAN

User Workspace

Data Center Services

Control environment with UPS protection

Sun Application Servers – NIS domain, NSF shared, user /home

Network Storage – SAN, NAS

Backup server and Tape Library

Cluttered User Workspace

Desktop PC and CAD WorkstationTedious to maintain

No physical access control

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Existing Infrastructure - Limitations

Without centralized and environmental control

CAD workstations are not resided in centralized Data Center

CAD workstations scattered around user’s desktop occupying lot of useful workspace

CAD workstations are away from shared network resources

No UPS protection

Access control and Security

CAD workstations are shared with no physical access control

Administration

Tedious administration and maintenance

Difficult to provide users’ data backup and recovery

Uncontrollable and unpredictable downtime

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Existing Software Tools

NX-Ideas5

NX5

Teamcenter Engineering client

ANSYS

FLUENT

Mentor Expedition PCB

Mentor DxDesigner

Mentor HyperLynx

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Existing Software Tools - Upgrade Process

On UNIX client workstation

Customized upgrade is simply extracting the tar-zipped file overwriting the previous installation

Can be repeated on all UNIX client workstations

On Microsoft Windows client workstation

Standard Microsoft installation steps

Challenges

Same steps need to be repeated on every client workstation

Might be done by users

Prone to mistakes and errors

Users - Preferences

A familiar Microsoft Windows personal workstation with complete installation of NX-Ideas5 locally

Workstation with powerful 2D/3D graphics and video capability

Multi-display with simultaneous multi-workstation access

Able to collaborate real-time securely

Access to workstation remotely without much degrade in system performance and response

24x7 operation - uninterrupted services with high availability

Management - Expectations

Easy transition and cost control

Reuse existing Microsoft Windows-based PCs and Laptops

Spend less money on workstation upgrade and lower the total cost of ownership

Data security

Keep classified information securely in data center

Provide better risk protection to engineering intellectual property

Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity requirements

Efficient data backup

Quick disaster recovery

High availability - quick fail-over capability

Remote access - work-from-home or work remotely

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IT - Requirements

Consolidation, Centralization & Optimization – A lean CAD workstations infrastructure

Simplifies IT administration and management

Maximizes system performance with scalability

Improves IT efficiency

Improves uptime and response time

Enhances data security

Speed up of deployment and serviceability

Simplifies disaster recovery & improves business continuity

Reduces total IT cost

IT resource and capital – administration and maintenance

Energy

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New Infrastructure - Layout

LAN

HP Blade Enclosure

Array of HP Blade Workstations

RGS Sender

Network Storage

New Workstations Layout

User’s Desktop PCRGS Receiver

HP Thin ClientRGS Receiver

Laptop/NotebookRGS Receiver

HP Thin ClientDual Display

RGS Receiver

HP Chubby Client4 Screens Display

RGS Receiver

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New Infrastructure - Promises

To meet all Users, Management and IT requirements

Availability and Accessibility – access anytime and anywhere from

PC Desktop

Laptop

Thin client

Data security

Disaster Recovery & Business Continuity

IT Optimization with Consolidation and Centralization

TCO & ROI

Lowering IT administrative overhead

Increasing user satisfaction and productivity

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New Setup - Primary Components and Services

HP Blade Enclosure

HP Blade Workstation

HP RGS – Remote Graphics Software v5.0

HP RDP – Rapid Deployment Pack

HP SAM – Session Allocation Manager v2.2

Windows ADS – Active Directory Service

Microsoft WSUS – Windows Server Update Services 3.0 SP1

McAfee VirusScan Enterprise 8.5.0 with ePO – ePolicy Orchestrator 4.0

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HP Blade Enclosure

Power and cooling

Energy efficiency with multiple thermal sensors

Consumes less power per workstation than traditional workstation

Smaller footprint per workstation

Redundancy network connectivity

Dedicated data network Gb/s ports

Separate Administrator management port

Embedded SAN connectivity

System management

iLO - Integrated Lights Out management system

HP SIM - System Insight Manager

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HP Blade Enclosure vs. Workstation

C3000 Enclosure

C3000 Fully Populated with HP Blade Workstations

SunBlade Workstation 1000

SunBlade Workstation 21000

HP Blade Enclosure vs Workstation

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HP Blade Workstation - Options

Processor x86-based

2 Dual-Core or 2 Quad-Core Intel® Xeon® processors

Memory

Up to 32 GB of memory supported by 8 slots of PC2-5300 Fully Buffered DIMMs at 667 MHz.

Note: 32-bit OS limits physical memory space to 4GB

Graphics Adapter - Multi-display hardware accelerated graphics performance for 2D & 3D

NVIDIA Quadro FX560M or NVIDIA Quadro FX1600M up to 4 display support

Resolution - Max width 7680 pixels (@7680x1200)

Resolution - Max height 7680 pixels (@1200x7680)

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HP RGS – Remote Graphics Software

RGS Sender/Receiver 5.0 or higher

Provides fast capture, compression, and transmission of the workstation image over the network to users

Note: will only work on HP Blade Systems

Advantages over Windows Remote Desktop Protocol

Multi-display with simultaneous multi-workstation access

Better performance by taking advantage of Blade workstation hardware and graphics resources

Session recovery

Collaboration

WAN optimization

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HP SAM – Session Allocation Manager v2.2

Manages the assignment of end user connections to desktop sessions running on Blade workstations

Features and benefits

Single log in – Allow log in once and connected to multiple Blade workstations

Static and dynamic resource assignments with auto-failover

Static resources - pre-defined set of Blade workstations

Dynamic resources - pool of available Blade workstations

Follow-me roaming - re-connect users to their previous remote Blade workstation

Ease of administration

Web interfaces to manage the properties with detailed logging

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HP SAM – Session Allocation Manager v2.2

HP SAM software components

HP SAM Web Server

Microsoft Windows Web Server - IIS

Microsoft Windows SQL Server 2005 Standard or Enterprise

SAM client running on any access device

PC with Microsoft Windows XP

HP thin client

Microsoft Windows Active Directory Services

Provides user account and resource management

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HP SAM – Session Allocation Manager v2.2

SAM Web Server with an associated SQL database Manages connections between Blade workstations and users

When a user requests a connection to a Blade, the SAM Web Server accesses the SQL Server database to determine how to allocate the requested Blade resources to the user

The SQL database stores information such as:

The properties of each Blade resources

The properties of each access clients

Monitor layout ID - number of monitors, layout info as well as resolutions

The properties HP RGS

On a per user basis, a per user group basis, and a per security group basis

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HP SAM – Session Allocation Manager v2.2

Blade Workstation Pool 1

Blade Workstation 1 Blade Workstation 2 Blade Workstation 3

Role = Designer

HP SAM Configuration

Blade Workstation Pool 2

Blade Workstation 1 Blade Workstation 2 Blade Workstation 3

Role = Administrator

User Access Termin

al1

Client1

User Access Termin

al 2

Client2

User Access Termin

al3

Client3

User Access Termin

al4

Client4

RGS or RDP

User TomUser Robert

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HP RDP – Rapid Deployment Pack

Automated installation and configuration

Fast and scalable patch/change deployment

Monitor, remote control and troubleshoot Blade workstations

Image management - Support unattended image or script based deployments

Capture the fine-tuned NX and Teamcenter Engineering client installation consists of enormous number of special/unique configuration details being optimized based on this centralized Blade workstation hardware

IT administrators do not need to worry about user messing up the pre-configured NX and TcEng installations as each workstation image is being captured and managed by HP RDP

Last known working environment can be retrieved and re-deployed in minutes

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Windows Active Directory Service

Users authentication

GPO – Group Policy management

User Profiles management

User roaming profile

User network home space allocation

Home space allocation

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Microsoft WSUS – Windows Server Update Services 3.0 SP1

To deploy the latest Microsoft product updates or patches to these Blade workstations running Microsoft Windows

To manage should the updates be deployed automatically or in a control manner

Note: Auto update feature on each Blade workstations can be enabled/disabled to receive update from the WSUS server

McAfee VirusScan Enterprise 8.5.0 with McAfee ePolicy Orchestrator 4.0

McAfee VirusScan Enterprise - Anti-virus tool

Protects the Blade workstations installation

McAee ePolicy Orchestrator – Centralized security policy analysis and enforcement tool

Provides IT administrator a centralized and remotely accessible component to analyze security profiles on these Blade workstations

Allows IT administrator to enforce the policies locally on each of these Blade workstations

Allows IT administrator to deploy updates for McAfee DATs, engines, service packs, patches, etc.

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New setup – Secondary Components and Services

User Access Client

HP Blade Management Tools

Storage, Backup and Recovery

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User Access Client

Normal PC

Thin Client – HP t5730 (Windows XP Embedded SP2)

Eliminates hard disk or removable media for increased data security

Single client device at the desk dramatically removes heat and noise from user workspace

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HP Blade Management Tools

HP RDP – Rapid Deployment Pack

HP iLO 2 - Integrated Lights-Out 2

HP Onboard Administrator

HP SIM - System Insight Manager

Single management interface for monitoring health of entire Blade workstations infrastructure

Proactive alert of actual or impending component failure

Automatic event handling policies and script execution

Comprehensive utilities for system data collection and inventory reporting

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Storage, Backup and Recovery

Tiered storage strategy

SAN and network storages simplify backup and data recovery process

Uses disk and tape when required to meet the Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery requirements

Data deduplication eases storage requirements and enhances retention

Improve performance as it is being back up to disk as staging instead to tapes

Longer retention on disk provides fast recovery without ever going to tape

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Others to Consider

SAM – Session Allocation Manager

Setting up users with Dynamic or Dedicated resources

Users and Roles

Resources

Windows ADS – Active Directory Service

Roaming profiles

Windows AD on Profiles and Group Policy

Book on Active Directory

O'Reilly Media, Inc.; 3rd edition (19 Jan 2006)

By Joe Richards, Robbie Allen & Alistair Lowe-Norris

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Others to Consider

License management and usage monitoring

SAMsuite/SAMreport -> FLEXnet Manager

http://www.acresso.com/

Data center readiness

Power and cooling consideration

Power distribution management

RDP - Image management strategy

Before and after AD login

Windows clustering requirements

Benefit of Windows cluster for the ANSYS or FLUENT

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Thank You

WB LimSeagate Technology Internationalwb.lim@seagate.com(65) 6417 7710