Bye Bye Spreadsheets! Hello (New) VMCSizer!!!! Part 2

In a previous blog, I highlighted Workload profiles and how they should be used in right sizing your VMWonAWS environment. Since my last blog, the sizer has been updated not only with a new URL but with several new features. One of which is that you can now choose either i3 or R5 instances depending on your workload needs. You will notice that when you select an r5 instance, you are automatically assigned 15 TB of AWS Elastic Block Storage (EBS) aka Elastic VSAN. For more information regarding Elastic VSAN, click here.

r5 instance type

Similar to the previous version, you will be able to see the results of your workload inputs. Another new feature is ribbon across the top that allows you get into the data!! Information is key when sizing your environment and this section of the sizer gives you everything you need.

Recommendation buttons that allow you to go deep into your data inputs and results

As a part of the recommendation, you can see below that the sizer has identified my SDDC to be storage bound due to my storage requirements. This gives me a good idea where I will need to grow going forward.

SDDC Recommendation Dashboard

With the continued interest and adoption of VMware Cloud on AWS come two topics that always come to the forefront once you get passed how cool it is…..HOW MUCH DO I NEED? and HOW MUCH IS IT GOING TO COST?! To get the full picture, you will need to capture the details of your environment. There are several tools available and luckily enough, Bill Roth from VMware highlighted these tools in a blog a few weeks ago. In addition to his mention of RVTools, which is very popular, I would also encourage you to reach out to your….shameless plug…VMware Technical Account Manager. They have an additional toolset that can help you right-size the environment. Take a test drive and size today!!

Advertisement

VMC Sizer: Understand your VMware Cloud on AWS Costs

As multi-cloud strategies continue to evolve, the cost of moving to the cloud will continue to be an important topic among decisions makers. In order to better understand the total cost of ownership (TOC), VMware Cloud on AWS has created a simple cost estimating tool for customers. Introducing VMC Sizer. With VMC Sizer, you can choose your workload type (VDI, Databases (Oracle or MSSQL), or General VMs), as well VM specifics such as vCPU, vRAM, IO, storage requirements and much more. With this tool, we have taken the guesswork out of understanding the costs associated with running workloads in VMware Cloud on AWS. In order to get a holistic view of costs, you have the option of adding several workload profiles to your profile where you can see all the costs of your Oracle, Microsoft SQL, VDI, and General Purpose VM configurations.

Getting the recommendations and TCO for your workloads only takes three simple steps.

• Define your workloads
• Review the recommendations based on your inputs
• Create an account and review your VMConAWS TCO.

Workload Profiles

This is where the rubber meets the road but it’s important for you to understand that the information you enter from this point forward will determine the results of the recommendations and TCO of your SDDC in VMConAWS. The first settings you need to verify is your Cluster Settings, specifically your desired CPU Headroom and Fault Tolerance. The Server Configuration is static as all VMware Cloud on AWS hosts are all i3 instances.

Once you are comfortable with your cluster settings, you have the option of creating more than one workload profile so why not create one for your General VMs as well as your databases and VDI?! After selecting your workload type and VM count, you have two options for calculating storage. You can enter the amount of storage per VM or, if you are unsure how much you need per VM, you can enter the cluster storage requirement.

The next step in the process is to define additional workload settings such as vCPU, vRAM properties as well as IOPs and Dedup.  Keep in mind that your choices around IOPs and Dedup will change the size of your SDDC clusters.

Once all the data has been entered, select “Recommendation” to move to Step 2. I will cover the Recommendation and TCO section in Part 2. In the meantime, take the tool for a spin and enjoy!! VMCSizer