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Smart Style Office as Virtual Desktop Infrastructure for Desktop Virtualization

Zenith Infotech Europe

Published: February 2010

Pages: 8

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Contents Introduction and Definitions .................................................................................................................................. 3

Desktop Virtualization Concept .......................................................................................................................... 3

Virtual Desktop Infrastructure ........................................................................................................................... 3

Remote Desktop Software ................................................................................................................................. 4

Thin Clients ......................................................................................................................................................... 4

Advantages and Disadvantages .............................................................................................................................. 4

Benefits .............................................................................................................................................................. 4

Limitations .......................................................................................................................................................... 4

The Opportunity ..................................................................................................................................................... 4

Use Cases ................................................................................................................................................................ 5

Remote Administration ...................................................................................................................................... 5

Hosted Desktops ................................................................................................................................................ 5

Desktop Migration.............................................................................................................................................. 5

Securing Devices and Data ................................................................................................................................. 5

Supporting a Changing Workforce ..................................................................................................................... 5

Technical Considerations ........................................................................................................................................ 6

Smart Style Office as Virtual Desktop Infrastructure .............................................................................................. 6

Smart Style Office Architecture .......................................................................................................................... 6

Smart Style Office Components ......................................................................................................................... 6

Recommended Configuration ............................................................................................................................ 7

Recommendations ............................................................................................................................................. 7

Other White Papers ................................................................................................................................................ 7

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White Paper Introduction

Smart Style Office as Virtual Desktop Infrastructure for Desktop Virtualization

Client or desktop virtualization is a priority for

companies, but adoption is ramping up slowly due

to complexity and cost. While lowering costs is

driving client virtualization interest, manageability,

security and remote access are the driving forces

in the business case for desktop virtualization.

Introduction and Definitions This white paper examines the current state of

desktop virtualization and how Smart Style Office

can be the underlying platform to provide virtual

desktop infrastructure. Desktop virtualization,

sometimes called client virtualization, as a

concept, separates a personal computer desktop

environment from a physical machine using a

client-server model of computing.

For most organisations the fastest growing server

workload that will be running in their data centres

will be the desktop. That of course represents a

trend towards centralised computing bringing back

in all that distributed computing capability into

contained environments. Many users will see that

again as a return to the vision of thin client

computing, but it is much more than that. This is

an easy path to transition, an easy to way to take

your presence and responsibilities out of that

distributed location without having the need to

reengineer your application.

The key is that if you wanted to deliver a thin client

model you had to reengineer your application in

that server hosted environment. With the hosted

virtualized desktop world you just pick up the

application, software and the whole environment

bring it into a data centre or central location and

run it on a server platform and users access it

remotely.

Performance wise it didn’t use to be good enough

for every user or every type of application, but this

changed since the introduction of Smart Style

Office. Important is to use virtualized desktops and

Smart Style Office for users where it really works.

Pick up the desktops of your clients, move them

onto a Smart Style Office and achieve the same

objectives around application functionality without

reengineering the application, lowering the costs

for your clients.

Desktop Virtualization Concept The concept stores the resulting virtualized

desktop on a remote central server, instead of on

the local storage of a client; thus, when users work

from their remote desktop client, all of the

programs, applications, processes, and data used

are kept and run centrally. This scenario allows

users to access their desktops on any capable

device, such as a traditional personal computer,

notebook computer, smartphone, or thin client. In

simple terms, virtual machines are running on the

server (for each client) and clients can connect to

their computers using remote desktop software.

It involves encapsulating and delivering either

access from a client to an entire information

system environment or the environment itself to

connect to a remote client device. The client

device may use an entirely different hardware

architecture than that used by the projected

desktop environment, and may also be based upon

an entirely different operating system.

The desktop virtualization model allows the use of

virtual machines to let multiple network

subscribers maintain individualized desktops on a

single, centrally located computer or server. This

can be the Smart Style Office platform solution as

offered by Zenith Infotech. The central machine or

SSO may operate at a business premise or data

center. Users may be geographically scattered, but

all will be connected to the central machine by a

local area network, a wide area network or the

public internet.

Virtual Desktop Infrastructure Virtual desktop infrastructure, sometimes referred

to as virtual desktop interface (VDI) is the server

computing model enabling virtualization,

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encompassing the hardware and software systems

required to support the virtualized environment. In

other words, VDI is the practice of hosting a

desktop operating system within a virtual machine

(VM) running on a centralized server.

A Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) separates

the personal desktop environment from the

physical machines. It creates a virtual image of

that personal desktop environment on a remote

central physical server rather than on the actual

physical desktop of the client. VDI allows end-user

to access their personal desktops from any

connected device such as the traditional personal

computer, notebook, netbook, thin Clients or even

the more recent Smart Phones or iPads.

By using a Virtual Desktop Infrastructure IT

responsible can switch to remote administration of

desktops and can limit the administration and

maintenance of actual physical machines by simply

cutting down on these physical machines. One

large computer can be used as a server to serve

several terminals or thin clients.

Remote Desktop Software Remote desktop refers to software or an OS

feature allowing applications to be run on a server,

while being displayed locally. Remote control is

achieved from one computer to another

connected via the local area network or the

internet. The controlling computer displays a copy

of the image received from the controlled

computer’s display screen. The software on the

controlling computer transmits its own keyboard

and mouse activity to the controlled computer,

where the remote control software implements

these actions. The controlled computer then

behaves as if the actions were performed directly

at that computer.

Thin Clients A thin client is a computer or computer program

which depends heavily on its server to fulfil its

traditional computation roles. The most common

type of modern thin clients is a low-end computer

terminal which concentrates solely on providing a

graphical user interface to the end-user. The

remaining functionality, in particular the operating

system, is provided by the server.

Advantages and Disadvantages The shared resources model inherent in desktop

virtualization offers advantages over the

traditional model, in which every computer

operates as a completely self-contained unit with

its own operating system, peripherals and

application programs. Overall hardware expenses

may diminish as users can share resources

allocated to them on an as-needed basis.

Benefits simpler provisioning of new desktops

use of templates forces standardization

reduced downtime in the event of server

or client hardware-failures

lower cost of deploying new applications

desktop image-management capabilities

secure remote access to an enterprise

desktop environment

longer refresh cycle desktops

Limitations some loss of user autonomy, but this is a

serious gain for IT administrators

difficulty in running certain complex

applications, such as multimedia

increased downtime in the event of

network failures

reliance on connectivity to corporate or

public network

complexity and high costs of VDI

deployment and management

The Opportunity According to a recent research report by Gartner,

the worldwide hosted virtual desktop (HVD)

market will accelerate through 2013 to reach 49

million units, up from more than 500,000 units in

2009. The worldwide HVD revenue will grow from

about $1.3 billion in 2009, which is less than 1% of

the worldwide professional PC market, to $65.7

billion in 2013, which will be equal to more than

40% of the worldwide professional PC market.

Gartner estimates that approximately 15% of

current worldwide traditional professional desktop

PCs will migrate to HVDs by 2014. Read more:

http://www.gartner.com/it/page.jsp?id=920814

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Use Cases Managing desktops is getting harder by the day.

Employees are more mobile and are located in

multi-site work environment, malicious code is

more targeted; applications are larger and harder

to deploy in a timely manner; patch management

is a nightmare; and managing dozens of PC images

is all but impossible. And let’s not even discuss

upcoming Windows migrations. Users will tell you

that their machines are simply too slow and that IT

is not responsive to their needs. IT support costs

are on the rise, and organizations are looking for a

way to curtail their spending. Today’s technologies

don’t address desktop operations, but it is not

technology which are driving the use cases of

desktop virtualization.

Remote Administration A simple use for desktop virtualization involves

remote administration, where the controlling

computer will work almost the same as on a

duplicated desktop, except that the actions of the

controlling computer or SSO may be almost

unnoticeable on the remote computer display.

This differs from simple remote desktop software

in that several people can use the same controlling

computer at once without disturbing each other’s

work. This could be useful for several

administrators doing different tasks on the same

server.

In some cases one can buy one large (or server)

and several thin clients, rather than purchasing a

complete computer for each physical workstation.

The controlling thin client computers need only

enough resources to run the remote controlling

software, therefore virtualization can provide a

very simple and cheap computing system.

Hosted Desktops Hosted virtual desktops results from desktop

virtualization services provided through an

outsourced, hosted subscription model. Hosted

virtual desktop services generally include a

managed desktop client operating system

configuration. Transferring information technology

infrastructure to an outsourced model can shift

accounting for the associated costs from capital

expenses to operating expenses.

Desktop Migration Organizations are faced with the daunting task of

having to migrate their desktop environments to

Windows 7 as Windows XP availability and support

are squeezed. The consensus is clear; Microsoft

Windows 7 is a desirable and increasingly urgent

desktop upgrade. Many organizations are

accelerating their move to desktop virtualization

to virtualize their Windows 7 migration rather than

implement Windows 7 in their existing desktop

architecture.

According to Citrix the benefits of transforming

their IT infrastructure with desktop virtualization

accomplish several key goals at once: (1) deliver

complete Windows 7 desktops to any device,

anywhere, instantly: PC, Mac, smartphone, iPad,

netbooks or thin clients; (2) lower cost of desktop

management with longer PC refresh cycles; (3)

control corporate data and ensuring IT

compliance.

Securing Devices and Data An operating system will always require patching,

but increasingly the challenge is securing the data.

For most small and large organization, securing

data and intellectual property are top business

objectives. To do this, however, they are forced to

deploy multiple technologies, such as antimalware,

host intrusion prevention, information leak

prevention and encryption, making it difficult for IT

to keep up with the latest threats.

Supporting a Changing Workforce The number of typical 9-to-5 office-bound workers

decreases every year. IT faces a two-fold

challenge: 1) the increasing number of mobile and

remote employees, and 2) a younger, more

demanding generation of workers. And IT must

still provide a consistent level of service to these

users that now require anytime, anywhere access

to data and applications. Furthermore, companies

deal more often with multi-location support issues

and flexible employment. This means that the IT

infrastructure needs to support freelance and

contractors and provision desktops in a temporary

situation.

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Technical Considerations When researching the market for appropriate

hardware and software solutions supporting

desktop virtualization, consider following:

OS support: multiple OS support ranging

from Windows, Linux, FreeBSD,…

Audio support: the remote control

software transfers audio signals across

the network and plays the audio through

the speakers attached to the computer.

Built-in encryption: the software has at

least one method of encrypting data

between the local and remote computers,

and the encryption is built into the

remote control software.

File transfer: the software allows the user

to transfer files between the local and

remote computers, from within the client

software’s user interface.

Local application deliver: users can

disconnect from the remote computer

and work offline with the local computer

using a desktop virtualised application.

Single instance management: means you

only need to update operating system

patching, application updates and profile

changes once.

Seamless window: the software allows an

application to be run on the server, and

just the application window to be shown

on the client’s desktop, without user

interface chrome.

Smart Style Office as Virtual

Desktop Infrastructure

Smart Style Office Architecture Using SSO as client virtualization solution

addresses security, management, availability and

flexibility needs. Client virtualization encompasses

four different technologies: 1) local desktop

virtualization; 2) hosted desktop virtualization; 3)

local application virtualization; and 4) hosted

application virtualization.

Smart Style Office supports both local and hosted

desktop virtualization. Local desktop virtualization

enables IT support staff to provision virtual

desktops as large files rather than as individual,

physical PCs. Hosted desktop virtualization is

where the desktop environment executes in a

protected environment in a data center or central

location. These desktops are always on and users

can access their environments from anywhere,

including native business continuity and disaster

recovery capabilities.

Smart Style Office Components The SSO Virtual Desktop Infrastructure consists of

the minimal following components:

2 x CS414 nodes with quad core CPU AMD

2.7GHz and 28 GB usable memory in total

Storage capacity of 12 x 1TB secondary

storage and 4 x 60 GB primary SSD in total

2 switches for public and private network

1 x Racktivity device for power monitoring

Fully racked and cabled with space to

scale with 2 more node in same rack

Cloud Management Center with extensive

virtual machine controls: start, stop,

snapshot, clone, restart, etc. but also

storage and server management tools.

Each node on the Smart Style Office platform can

host up to 7 virtual desktops (Windows 7) at 2 GB

RAM per desktop. It does not require additional

server software such as Citrix XenDesktop or

VMware View. Windows users can take benefit

from Terminal Services or Remote Desktop

Services.

Following functionality is important in desktop

virtualization:

Golden image support allowing you to

deploy new desktops to specific user

groups

Desktop performance monitoring with

real time data and consumption reporting

Snapshot functionality allowing users to

roll-back and roll-forward

Local peripheral support allowing users to

connect devices via hardware thin client

Multimedia support with fluent video and

audio streaming

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The system itself can be located at the customer

premise and has all remote administration tools

included. As long as there is power and IP, remote

administrators can access their Smart Style Office

instance and make changes to the configuration,

adding new users, removing old profiles, etc.

Besides on-premise deployments, Smart Style

Office can also be placed at the data center. This

requires another view on bandwidth consumption

and security configuration, but the user experience

should be identical compared to a local

deployment.

It is important to consider the availability

requirements of the customer. When all resources

are consumed for desktop virtualization on the

Smart Style Office instance with a maximum

occupancy, it might not have enough resource left

to rebuild a server. This won’t have down-time

impact in case a provisioned desktop is corrupted

by a virus for example. It is recommended to

deploy desktops at an 80% fill rate against total

capacity, so there is physical resource left for

temporary desktops or desktop rebuilds in case

you need it.

Recommended Configuration Example Desktop Virtualization for 10 users

5 new thin clients + 5 existing PCs

3 x CS414 nodes (2 desktop nodes + 1

server/standby node)

2 x switches + Racktivity device

Recommendations As a reseller of Zenith Infotech’s products and

services, there is no one-size-fits-all client

virtualization solution, nor is every user a fit for

virtualization. Desktop environments are almost

always unique, so more than with other

technologies, your mileage will vary. Make sure

you build a tailored business case that prioritizes

your customer’s scenarios. Forrester recommends

that you take this three-step approach:

Step 1: Build a new business case around security

and manageability, not cost savings.

As with any new technology, you must build a

business case. Refrain from building this business

case around the cost savings that your preferred

vendor is hyping. Focus your arguments on data

and endpoint security, improved desktop

manageability, and flexible remote access. Cost

savings are having a hard time proving it to

customers because of the additional server

hardware, software and bandwidth needed. Those

resellers that focus on hard IT support costs

combined with softer benefits are proving value

from day one.

Step 2: Define your scenarios and classify your

users.

Many of you have already gone through this

exercise as part of your traditional PC

management process. For the rest, use a two-step

classification method: 1) Based on performance

needs, put users in task-based, knowledge, and

power user groups, and 2) further segment your

users based on whether they are mobile, remote,

or third party. The remaining users who can’t find

a home in this classification should remain on a

traditional PC for now.

Step 3: Pick a problem scenario to start with, build

out from there.

Take a look at your user population. Are there

groups that have specific needs, such as access to

highly confidential customer data or the ability to

use a non-managed device, which the traditional

PC model doesn’t accommodate well? These are

great starting points for a client virtualization pilot.

Use the success of the pilot to build your case for

new user groups and technologies.

Other White Papers Smart Style Office as Virtual Desktop

Infrastructure for Desktop Virtualization

Smart Style Office as iSCSI Target for

Storay Array and Storage Area Network

Smart Style Office as as Application Host

for Multi-Site Small Office Environments

Smart Style Office as Wide Area Network

Host for Data Center Services

Smart Style Office as Server Cluster for

High Availability Workloads

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Disclaimer

The information contained in this document

represents the current view of Zenith Infotech

Europe on the issues discussed as of the date of

publication. Because Zenith Infotech Europe must

respond to changing market conditions, it should

not be interpreted to be a commitment on the part

of Zenith Infotech Europe, and Zenith Infotech

Europe cannot guarantee the accuracy of any

information presented after the date of

publication.

This White Paper is for informational purposes

only. Zenith Infotech Europemakes no warranties,

express, implied or statutory, as to the information

in this document.

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©2011 Zenith Infotech Europe. All rights reserved.