Using Solaris Resource Manager With Sun Ray
- Understanding the Background and Case Scenario
- Integrating Solaris Resource Manager Software
- About the Author
- Acknowledgements
- Related Resources
- Ordering Sun Documents
- Accessing Sun Documentation Online
This article describes best practices for managing system resources for Sun Ray™ users. Based on an actual customer scenario, the solution in this article provides recommendations for integrating and using the Solaris™ Resource Manager software to distribute system resources fairly when users insert and remove their smart cards from Sun Ray desktop units (DTUs). Sample scripts associated with this article are available from the Sun BluePrints™ web site via the Sun Download Center (SDLC) download service.
This article does not provide introductions to the Sun Ray DTU and the Solaris Resource Manager software. For an introduction to Sun Ray, refer to the Sun Ray Server Software 2.0 Administrator's Guide, available from Sun's web site. For an introduction to Solaris Resource Manager software, refer to Sun Blueprints OnLine article titled "Resource Management in the Solaris 9 Operating Environment."
This article contains the following topics:
"Understanding the Background and Case Scenario" on page 2
"Integrating Solaris Resource Manager Software" on page 3
"About the Author" on page 10
"Acknowledgements" on page 10
"Related Resources" on page 10
"Ordering Sun Documents" on page 11
"Accessing Sun Documentation Online" on page 11
Understanding the Background and Case Scenario
It's no fun sharing a room with a slob. Inevitably, the person's mess creeps into your side of the room. Likewise, when consolidating potentially hundreds of users onto a single Sun Ray server, run-away processes and users who use too much of system resources can diminish the desktop experience for all users. Streaming media to a Sun Ray could consume a significant portion of a 400-MegaHertz processor. Unfair! What can be done?
Users should be prevented from consuming more than their fair share of system resources. Furthermore, users sitting in front of their Sun Ray desktops should have higher priority than those not at their desktops, so that they have the resources they need when they need them.
We recently solved this problem when providing session mobility for the Internet Caf of a customer's annual sales management conference. We provided session mobility for about 600 users on 70 Sun Rays. In essence, the solution required Solaris Resource Manager software constraints to be modified whenever users insert or remove their smart cards from a Sun Ray DTU. Key elements of the solution include:
A functional Sun Ray 2.0 server, running Solaris 9 Operating Environment.
The Fair Share Scheduler (FSS) as the default scheduling class for the system.
A project in /etc/project for each user, with certain resource constraints.
Scripts to run when users insert or remove their cards.
Modifications to the default X session configuration.