The coronavirus (COVID-19) is causing\u00a0many universities and colleges to virtualize their classes. \u00a0Schools that have not considered or postponed a decision to virtualize\u00a0their GIS classes using\u00a0ArcGIS Pro and\u00a0ArcMap\u00a0are\u00a0revaluating\u00a0their options.\u00a0 Those that have experimented with virtualizing ArcGIS\u00a0Pro\u00a0are\u00a0seriously considering how to expand their virtualized offering.<\/p>\n
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Recently we\u00a0have\u00a0fielded\u00a0questions\u00a0on how to virtualize\u00a0especially ArcGIS Pro and ArcMap.<\/p>\n
For some classes this is an easy shift to simple webinars, however for other classes it is not as simple.\u00a0 Classroom labs provide hardware and\u00a0licensed\u00a0software to various users who may need those resources to succeed in the curriculum.<\/p>\n
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Fortunately,\u00a0the virtualization of\u00a0Esri\u00a0technology, especially ArcGIS Pro and ArcMap is well tested across many platforms.\u00a0\u00a0Cloud providers (Amazon AWS, Microsoft Azure, Oracle Cloud, and Google Cloud) have options in place that can support your needs and deliver a successful user experience using ArcMap or ArcGIS Pro.\u00a0Below we\u2019ll outline the options available, best practices and available online documentation.<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"sidebar","content":"
\u00a0<\/em>Virtualization is the act of creating a virtual version of a computing resource. Virtualization can move workloads from individual PCs to a powerful server that is on premise or in the cloud.\u00a0 This allows multiple users to share powerful compute resources.\u00a0 In this case, multiple people can use ArcGIS Pro (or ArcMap) running in virtual machines on a server even if their own laptops are not capable of running ArcGIS Pro (i.e., they have insufficient RAM, or they have Macs). The individual laptops act as thin clients that interact with virtual machines running ArcGIS on the server (or in the cloud).\u00a0 <\/em><\/p>\n More on virtualization at: <\/em>https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Virtualization<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n","image_reference":false,"layout":"standard","image_reference_figure":"","snippet":"","spotlight_name":"","section_title":"","position":"Right","spotlight_image":false},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":" ArcGIS Pro and ArcMap have different technical requirements that need to be considered when they are virtualized. \u00a0ArcMap is straightforward to virtualize with few special requirements. \u00a0ArcGIS Pro is a graphics heavy, multi-threaded application that delivers a wide range of GIS functionality with incredible visualization power. \u00a0To deliver this it requires GPU resources to be delivered in physical and virtualized environments. \u00a0The GPU resources are widely available in both cloud and on-premise virtualization environments.\u00a0 The connection between the virtualized machine with GPU resources and the client is very important. \u00a0Normal network bandwidth needed to sustain a good user experience is normally 4-8mbs at a minimum.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Summary of the requirements needed to virtualize ArcGIS Pro:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Most of the testing and use of ArcGIS Pro in virtualized environments have used Nvidia GPUs, drivers and GPU sharing technology. \u00a0Recent testing of Azure and AWS VMs using shared AMD GPUs was promising.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n When planning the virtualization infrastructure and GPUs to deliver a classroom experience it\u2019s important to identify the exercises and use cases that are used. \u00a0For most use cases a lower cost GPU will handle the load well. \u00a0For use cases that put a heavy load on the GPU a more capable GPU is required, which normally costs more. This includes use cases such as heavy 3D visualization, spatial analytics and deep learning.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Much of this information is available in a newly published<\/p>\n This document is a good place to begin when researching how ArcGIS Pro is virtualized.<\/p>\n Another very good doc which the ArcGIS Pro team contributed to is the<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Additional docs and links are provided below.<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":" On-premise virtualization of ArcGIS Pro and ArcMap is well tested and documented. The major virtualization vendors (VMWare, Citrix) have platforms that support ArcGIS Pro delivering very good user experience.\u00a0 It\u2019s important for the virtualization environment to be properly architected and configured to deliver a good user experience.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n VMware–<\/strong> VMware Horizon is an effective on-premise virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) solution for virtualizing ArcGIS Pro. \u00a0Horizon is a heavily used VDI platform and supports one of the most important requirements for virtualizing ArcGIS Pro: \u00a0shared and pass-through GPU to the virtual machine (VM).<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Citrix–<\/strong> Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops provides an On-Premise virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) solution that can deliver ArcGIS Pro with a powerful user experience.\u00a0 It is worth noting that the Virtual Apps (formerly XenApp) is not recommended for ArcGIS Pro, however it is capable of supporting ArcMap.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Hyper-V–<\/strong> Microsoft Hyper-V is a native hypervisor to the Windows Server operating system. This hypervisor is built into the operating system and can be enabled by accessing a server role. \u00a0GPU support for Hyper-V requires a GPU being installed in a Pass-through mode using DDA, this adequately provides ArcGIS Pro with the necessary GPU resources. \u00a0\u00a0Due to the nature of this technology, we find this solution suited toward less demanding workloads.\u00a0 Configuring and setting up to run with Hyper-V is relatively easy, provided the hardware has the proper configuration to support the implementation.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Nutanix Acropolis (AHV) —<\/strong>\u00a0Acropolis Hypervisor (AHV) offers a flexible hypervisor that supports GPU backed virtual machines as part of the Nutanix Hyper Converged solution.\u00a0 Nutanix hyper converged solutions offer \u201cinfrastructure in a box\u201d supporting compute, network and storage functionality.\u00a0 Unlike a single server appliance approach, this implementation can be a bit more complex but offers wide varieties of scalability and functionality without sacrificing large amounts of rack space.\u00a0 Using AHV also requires the use of Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops (formerly XenDesktop) to support and connect to VMs.\u00a0 For additional information on Nutanix click the following link.<\/p>\n https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/arcgis-pro\/3d-gis\/virtualizing-arcgis-pro-on-nutanix-hyper-converged-infrastructure\/<\/a><\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":" All hardware vendors provide a wide range of servers that can support on-premise virtualization.\u00a0 The key to selecting the right hardware is to design it to be scalable\u00a0 and capable of supporting the needs of ArcGIS Pro.\u00a0 Below is a list of some of the most common servers used.<\/p>\n These vendors each have various offerings that can be used, a key component is to select a proper configuration, below is a sample of a reliable configuration:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Esri has an ArcGIS Pro Virtualization Appliance that is designed on a Dell platform. It is available now, off the shelf. It can also be used as a template when architecting virtualization servers on other HW platforms.<\/p>\n https:\/\/www.esri.com\/content\/dam\/esrisites\/en-us\/media\/pdf\/hardware-partners\/dell\/DellVirtualizationAppliance.pdf<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":" ArcGIS Pro on Mac–<\/strong> Installing Parallels onto a Mac allows the Mac hardware to host a Windows file based VM, similar to VMWare workstation.\u00a0 This allows windows applications to then be run on the windows VM yet accessed from the MacOS environment.\u00a0 This gives the feel of a native Mac application, yet it\u2019s running from the windows VM. \u00a0Parallels offers an ability to run ArcGIS Pro in a way that creates a user experience that feels like you\u2019re running a native Mac application. \u00a0This is different than Bootcamp, which is the partitioning of the hard drive to host separate operating systems.\u00a0 using a Mac with Parallels 15 and configured as described in the link below should run ArcGIS Pro 2.3 and later with an acceptable user experience.<\/p>\n https:\/\/pro.arcgis.com\/en\/pro-app\/get-started\/run-pro-on-a-mac.htm<\/a><\/p>\n https:\/\/www.parallels.com\/<\/a><\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":" Virtualizing ArcGIS Pro in the cloud has a wide range of options from all the major cloud providers.<\/p>\n Cloud Providers have added all the necessary technology required to support ArcGIS Pro. \u00a0This includes GPU resources\u2014either shared or pass-through\u2014just like On-Premise and physical environments.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n There are such a large number of options available to virtualize ArcGIS Pro in the cloud that users must be careful in the instance type chosen. \u00a0New choices are made available frequently.\u00a0 The ArcGIS Pro team has an ongoing virtualization test effort, working with vendors to identify useable instance types and configurations.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n EC2 G4 Instances<\/strong> \u2013 These instances have all the power you need and provide graphics and compute support from an NVIDIA T4 GPU.\u00a0 Although these systems are new and have yet to be blogged about, they have been used to deliver classes running Geospatial Deep Learning at University of California San Diego.\u00a0 The G4 instances provide excellent resources to support heavy workloads, making them capable for use with Deep Learning events, ArcGIS Pro and CityEngine activities.<\/p>\n https:\/\/aws.amazon.com\/ec2\/instance-types\/g4\/<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n EC2 with Elastic Graphics and DCV NICE Client<\/strong> \u2013 Using a wide range of choices of EC2 instance types you can addon the GPU with a single check box during setup.\u00a0 Using Elastic graphics attaches an AMD GPU to the system providing support for 3D functions.\u00a0 This is an option that seems to work best to 2D and lightweight 3D work.<\/p>\n https:\/\/aws.amazon.com\/ec2\/elastic-graphics\/<\/a><\/p>\n https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/arcgis-pro\/3d-gis\/arcgis-pro-with-amazon-ec2-and-elastic-graphics\/<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n AppStream<\/strong>\u00a02.0<\/strong> \u2013 EC2 backend supported VDI but configured as a fully managed application streaming service.\u00a0 Using AppStream you centrally manage your applications to deliver them to the user from the convenience of an HTML 5 browser.\u00a0 This makes delivering ArcGIS Pro possible with this GPU enabled platform possible and convenient as it can then be done from any support browser on a laptop, desktop, tablet or phone.\u00a0 This is convenient for various learning environments; however, these are not persistent instances.\u00a0 AppStream has a time limitation, once assigned the AppStream pool resets after seven days.<\/p>\n https:\/\/aws.amazon.com\/appstream2\/<\/a><\/p>\n https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/arcgis-pro\/administration\/arcgis-pro-streamed-from-the-cloud-yes\/<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Workspaces Graphics Bundles\u00a0and GraphicsPro Bundles<\/strong>\u2013\u00a0These cloud-based workstations have been a stable option for ArcGIS Pro users for several years.\u00a0 These instance types offer the use of a NVIDIA M60 GPU paired with Amazon client to connect to the system, providing a great user experience and can be setup with relative ease.\u00a0 These systems are more capable and more expensive than AppStream. This instance type is a persistent platform that are designed with long-term use in mind.\u00a0 It is worth noting that the limitation with this system and the M60 GPU that powers the graphics rendering is that it must be set in either a compute or graphics mode to support the given function.\u00a0 In this case the GPU is configured to deliver graphics and provide a rich visual experience.<\/p>\nSpecial considerations<\/h1>\n
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Esri ArcGIS Pro Virtualization White Paper<\/a>.<\/h3>\n
NVIDIA Quadro Virtual Data Center Workstation Application Sizing Guide for Esri ArcGIS Pro<\/a><\/h3>\n
Virtualization On-Premise<\/u><\/h1>\n
Hardware used for on-premise virtualization<\/h3>\n
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Virtualization Cloud<\/u><\/h1>\n
AWS– the AWS cloud platform provides a wide range of options to successfully deliver ArcGIS Pro from the cloud to a user.\u00a0 This includes VMs with dedicated GPUs, streaming technology to deliver ArcGIS Pro in a browser, and on-demand GPUs that can be attached to existing VMs.<\/h3>\n