Installation guide

10 Implementing Windows Terminal Server and Citrix MetaFrame on IBM ^ xSeries Servers
2.1 Rack optimized servers
Over the past few years, the physical size of dual processor servers was dramatically reduced
to the rack optimized servers of today such as the xSeries 335 (x335). These servers do not
sacrifice size for performance. They are fitted with dual Intel Xeon processors, onboard SCSI
RAID controller, and onboard management.
Figure 2-1 xSeries 335 dual processor server 1U high
The x335 is a popular choice by Citrix MetaFrame designers for many reasons:
򐂰 The small form factor of the x335 allows hundreds of thin-client users to be supported with
minimal filled rack space. 42 x335 servers can fit into a standard 42U rack.
򐂰 Extra thin-client capacity is available by installing additional x335 servers into the server
farm, or “scaling out” for extra capacity. Capacity can be increased gradually by buying
additional smaller servers, as opposed to buying additional larger servers.
򐂰 Larger servers may not effectively use all of the memory and CPU resources due to
application or operating system limitations. 32-bit memory addressing limitations limit the
amount of memory used higher than 4 GB.
򐂰 If a smaller server fails, the number of users affected is much smaller than a large server
that supports a larger number of users.
򐂰 It is used for the following server roles: MetaFrame Servers, Dedicated Data Store,
Domain Controllers, Secure Gateway, etc.
You can learn how to determine the number of thin-client users that you can support in your
environment in 3.2, “Sizing your server for WTS and MetaFrame” on page 18. After you
calculate a number of users per server, you can determine how many servers are required.
You should always consider purchasing one or more servers to meet your capacity
requirements in the event of a server failure or a server off-line for maintenance. Consider
using additional servers for a thin-client development environment.
To build multiple MetaFrame servers, start with a standard Windows Server 2003 and Citrix
MetaFrame server. Use Microsoft’s System Preparation (sysprep) tool to create a master
image from which to build additional servers with the same configuration.
Section 9.1 of Doug Brown’s “Methodology in a Box” provides further details about the steps
that are required to clone a MetaFrame server. You can find Methodology in a Box on the Web
at:
http://www.dabcc.com/miab/
2.2 Blade servers
Blade servers are a relatively new technology that is particularly useful in a thin-client
solution. For medium-sized Citrix farms, which may consist of ten or more MetaFrame
servers, IBM BladeCenter can be considered as an alternative to many 1U servers. Blade