application virtualization, university of new hampshire
TRANSCRIPT
© 2016 University of New Hampshire. All rights reserved. Academic Technology
Streamlining Application Deployment and Management
through Virtualization
David Blezard NERCOMP Annual Conference
3/22/2016
Academic Technology
Why you should stay…
• Understand how application virtualization can overcome issues with deploying software
• Learn our system for evaluating a new tool’s potential benefits
• Appreciate the capabilities of Application Jukebox to be able to assess its utility to your campus
Some Generic Business
Some Design Company
Pharma/BioTech
Some Engineering Firm
College Computer Lab
155 TitlesOur Job is Hard!
Academic Technology
About UNH
• 12,840 undergrads and 2,100 grads • 3 campuses - focusing on Durham • About 740 total workstations across 47 labs and
33 instructor stations • 490 Dells • 99 dual-boot Macs
• 10Gb network backbone with 100Mb and 1Gb to the desktop
Academic Technology
So How DID We Do It?
• Monolithic image w/ 100+ applications • Require faculty to submit software requests 4
weeks before semester starts (yeah, right…) • Total image size >90 GB • Cheat by installing some things to a network
volume (not easy!) • Scripts, hacks, and running around to deploy
things mid-semester • Potentially long delays at boot to install apps
Academic Technology
What is Application Virtualization?
File System Registry
Install Application
FilesConfigConfigFiles
Academic Technology
What is Application Virtualization?
Abstraction
File System Registry
Virtualize Application
Files Config
ConfigFiles
Academic Technology
What is Application Virtualization?
Abstraction
File System Registry
Run Application
Files Config
ConfigFiles
Files Config
Application Library
ConfigFiles
Academic Technology
Is it Worth It?
• That depends… • How do I know??? • Evaluation with objective criteria is key • Reduce costs • Increase flexibility • Prevent incidents and problems • Et al.
Academic Technology
VMware Mirage
• “VMware Mirage is a next-generation desktop image management solution for physical desktops”
• “Manage your desktop image as a set of logical layers owned by either IT or the end user. Update IT-managed layers while maintaining end-user files and personalization. Easily deploy applications to any collection of end users with application layering technology. Quickly restore the system layers to fix any issues without overwriting user layers.”
https://www.vmware.com/products/horizon-‐mirage/features.html
Academic Technology
Evaluating Mirage
• Overall ease of use
• Effectiveness of the tool
• Time required to use the tool vs. time saved in current management practices
Academic Technology
Evaluating Mirage
• Overall ease of use
• Effectiveness of the tool
• Time required to use the tool vs. time saved in current management practices
• Layering works • Can customize different locations
• Updates in the background • Users get notified to reboot
• Long time to ingest each machine • Longer time to deploy than current image
Academic Technology
Application JukeboxCloudpaging
1950’s 2010’s
Less
More
Academic Technology
Cloudpaging
• Application virtualization solution from Numecent
• Resold and supported in the education market by Software2
• Claims to virtualize ALL Windows applications • Fonts • Services • Drivers
• Server-based delivery, on-demand
Academic Technology
Evaluating App Jukebox
• Cost savings - >$20 per computer
• Increased flexibility and agility
• Low end-user impact
Academic Technology
Evaluating App Jukebox
• Cost savings - >$20 per computer
• Increased flexibility and agility
• Low end-user impact
• 25+% reduction in imaging time • Less re-work and update time
$22 per computer
• Simple mid-semester deployments • Applications separate from OS
• Slow first launch, but good caching • Simultaneous launch no slower than single
computer (Test w/ SPSS in 30-seat classroom)
Academic Technology
Deploying Application Jukebox
• Evaluation completed by June 2014 • Transitioned servers from POC to production • Started packaging applications in June • 100+ applications done by August • Stripped down Windows 7 64-bit OS setup
imaged to computers in late August • Continued packaging and deploying remaining
applications as needed through October
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Demos
Please make appropriate sacrifices to the demo gods…
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Infrastructure
• All virtual servers • Separation of roles allows for ease of scaling
MS SQL Database
Repository
License ServiceApplication Portal
Paging Servers
Configuration & License Data
App Sets
Windows Clients
Studio Workstation
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Cloudpaging Layers
• Layer 1 • assets are installed to the local storage permanently
• Layer 2 • assets are installed to the local storage • assets are tracked and can be removed by the abstraction layer
• Layer 3 • “normal” setting • assets are installed within the abstraction layer • assets are visible to the OS and other apps
• Layer 4 • assets are installed within the abstraction layer • assets are not visible to the OS and other apps
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Issues
• Split Active Directory environment • License counting • Applications with VERY large Registry footprints
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Pluses
• VDI-based systems • 90+% of application packages moved from
Windows 7 physical to Windows 7 VDI • Nearly instant deployment • Deployments require 1 shortcut to get to the
local computer • Windows 10 • Anticipating that we can reuse many application
packages on Win 10 with no changes
Academic Technology
Acknowledgements
• Tony DiTulio - system administrator • Chris Pycko - testing, packaging, lots of work • Jerry Marceau - keeping everything else
working • Software2 - Marcus, Brian, Tony, Nick