We are pilot testing VMware View 5.2 and the initial feedback from our users is that desktop performance is significantly worse than their regular desktops. Specific complaints:
- Opening and saving my drafts in MS Word consume more time (regardless of the file size, mostly, the MS Word is not responding for more than 30 seconds);
- Opening and closing PDF also consume more time (especially with larger size);
- Although searching and browsing the internet is as fast as using the desktop, the challenges I encounter are on copying from the internet and pasting it on MS Word because both consume more time as well.
We are using the fastest Intel Xeon 4-processor HP servers, plenty of memory, and Windows 7 32-bit with all the recommended optimizations. Each desktop is currently assigned 2 vCPU's and 3 GB of memory. We are using the same Microsoft Office 2007 and Adobe Acrobat PDF reader on the physical desktop as we are on the virtual desktop. We are pilot testing with less than ten users on these servers right now, so there is no contention. Storage is coming from a fast, dedicated NetApp filer.
My guess is that we may be seeing some difference in performance because of the processor/hypervisor or possibly the network interface since users are retrieving the documents across the local network.
Any suggestions on things to look into before we get started.