Citrix XenDesktop 5: Intro to Desktop

Virtualization Part 1
Overview
What we have for you right here is a detailed introduction to desktop virtualization (DV). When
you’re through with this article, you’ll not only know what desktop virtualization is. You’ll also
learn about the various types of desktop virtualization (there’s actually more than just VDI),  the
reasons why companies are considering DV, what the benefits are, and even some tips and best
practices.

Because of the length of this article, we’ve broken it down into three parts. However, we suggest
you read it from Part I through III. Let’s get started.

(Instructional video below provides a walkthrough of the steps contained in this article.)

What is Desktop Virtualization?

First, let’s correct a misconception.

You see, people usually associate desktop virtualization with VDI. There’s nothing wrong with
that. But while VDI or Virtual Desktop Infrastructure is a kind of desktop virtualization, it is
certainly not the only one. Other forms of DV include: client hypervisors, streaming, application
virtualization, and terminal server.  We’ll cover each of these in more detail later. But in the
meantime, let’s describe them briefly.

VDI - This is the most popular type of desktop virtualization today. It allows users to access
dedicated virtual machines (VMs) that are hosted on servers like Hyper-V boxes, ESX boxes,
XenServer boxes, etc.

Client hypervisor - Similar to a server hypervisor but is installed on a client, not a server.
Normally, it is used on laptops but can also be used on desktops. It can abstract the hardware
from the software, thus allowing one version of a VM to be deployed on different brands of
laptops. In addition, it can allow you to install multiple VMs on a single laptop.

Streaming - Makes use of a single image file that is streamed over a network into end users’
computers. In this type, end users may no longer need a local hard disk. All that a user will need
is memory and a CPU to run the streamed OS or application. Other platforms like VDI or
application virtualization have variants that already implement streaming, so we’ll take this up as
part of those platforms.

Application Virtualization - Allows an application to run on a physical machine without having

to install it there. You can use this technology, for example, to run a Windows application on
Linux. This arrangement also prevents the virtualized application to conflict with other
applications.

Terminal Server - This is a server system that offers terminal services. It enables the use of
dumb terminals and access to remote applications or desktops. It is similar to VDI except that
users are given sessions for connecting to the server instead of dedicated VMs.

As you can see, there are many platforms of desktop virtualization and each have their own
advantages. Later on, we’ll discuss the pros and cons of each platform so you can determine
which ones are best suited to meet certain needs. But now, let’s have a look at some of the
factors driving companies to consider desktop virtualization.

See Also: High Availability, Disaster Recovery, and Windows Azure

Why are some companies considering desktop

virtualization?
It can ease migration to the latest operating system

When a new version of Windows comes along and its predecessor reaches end-of-life,
companies are simply forced to adopt. For example, when Microsoft announced that they would
no longer be providing support, service packs, and updates for Windows XP, companies were
left with no other choice but to plan for a Windows 7 migration.

But upgrading hundreds or thousands of desktops to a new OS version is no easy task. A number
of compatibility issues can arise. For example, your custom applications may not run properly on
Windows 7 or web-based apps may not function properly on Windows 7’s Internet Explorer 8.
Furthermore, massive upgrades and the accompanying application installations can be very time-
consuming, disruptive, and costly.

With desktop virtualization, it is possible to let applications run on almost any kind of OS - old
or new. It is even possible to package the OS, applications, and profiles on a single image and
assemble multiple virtual desktops for all your users. You can then simply stream the OS and/or
the application to thin clients without having to go through time-consuming installations.

It can lower cost and is environment-friendly

Because certain desktop virtualization solutions reduce the amount of hardware and storage
space needed when providing desktop services, it can help companies save money. Some of
these solutions (e.g. streaming) even require minimal server infrastructures, and that should very
well translate to lower energy consumption compared to traditional systems.
It can improve help desk efficiency and make desktop management easier

Desktops are one of the most difficult components to manage in a computer environment. Issues
can pop up anytime. And each time a site visit is needed to resolve an issue, long disruptions can
follow. Imagine this happening on a very large organization. These long disruptions, which
render affected end users unproductive, can be very costly.

In comparison, when virtualized desktops are placed in a centralized location, a large part of the
troubleshooting won’t have to be done on the client side. In fact, IT personnel can even
troubleshoot remotely, thus saving time on their side. On certain scenarios, a quick machine re-
imaging can be performed, this time saving time on both the IT and the end user’s side.

It can enhance a company’s ability for true business continuity and disaster recovery

Desktops are usually left out in BC/DR planning. When it comes to preparing for BC/DR,
companies usually focus their IT investments on technologies for protecting and recovering data.

Of course, your data should be given utmost importance. However, even if you’re able to quickly
recover your data after a major disaster, your company still won’t be able to get back into
operation if your desktops aren’t available. How would your users go back to work?

Traditional desktops are practically linked to the hardware. If the hardware is seriously damaged,
it would be very difficult to restore your desktop exactly the way it was. By comparison,
virtualized desktops are completely isolated from the hardware. Because of that, they’re easy to
backup, replicate, and restore - that’s almost everything you need to enable BC/DR for desktops.

It can enable companies to practice BYOPC (a.k.a. BYOC or CYOPC)

One new concept that companies are adopting nowadays is the BYOPC (Bring Your Own PC) or
BYOC (Bring Your Own Computer) or CYOPC (Choose Your Own PC). This entails giving
employees a certain amount of cash and allowing them to go out and buy computers of their own
choice.

The idea is that, since ownership of these computers now resides with the employees, the
responsibility of maintaining them no longer belongs to the company. So, not only are the
companies liberated from the duty of buying computers and managing PC upgrades but also the
duty of maintaining them.

But there’s a problem here. What if a PC does bog down? Even if the company is no longer
obligated to troubleshoot and repair it, the productivity of the user will still be affected. This can
subsequently affect the company as well. It doesn’t look like a brilliant idea anymore, does it?

Other issues that you probably overlooked but really need to address when going into a BYOPC
arrangement include:
  Data ownership - Who will now own the data inside the computer? Obviously, they’ll
have some information that belong to the company in there but since the computers
belong to them, what now?
 Data encryption - Who’ll be in charge of data encryption? Wouldn’t you want to make
sure that your employees wouldn’t be violating regulations dealing with data integrity or
customer data privacy & confidentiality?
 Private and corporate data mix - Wouldn’t you want to separate corporate data from
personal data? or have a separate workspace for the office and another for personal use
within the same computer?
 Access to the corporate network - How will you give them access to the corporate
network? Are you sure the necessary controls and security measures are in place?

As you’ll soon discover in the second part of this article, desktop virtualization is perfect for
BYOC because it easily addresses all these issues.

Server virtualization was a smashing success

Server virtualization introduced a lot of benefits to IT, like: improved up time, high availability,
savings in CapEx, ability to implement server consolidation and containment, and so on. These
breakthroughs led companies to think that similar benefits could also be realized with desktop
virtualization.

But while desktop virtualization does introduce certain benefits, those benefits are different from
that of server virtualization. For instance, DV won’t let you save on CapEx. Instead, you’ll
realize savings in OpEx. We’ll elaborate more on that later.

Enables the use of Thin Clients

Some desktop virtualization platforms, especially those that are server-based, support Thin
Clients. Many of these clients have nothing except except CPU and memory. In the case of Pano
Logic’s Pano Zero Client, even CPU and memory are non-existent. You simply connect a
keyboard, mouse, VGA display, and audio output and you’re ready to go. Because there’s no
data or software on them, hackers won’t have anything to exploit on the device.

Other devices that can already serve as Thin Clients include: tablet PCs (like the iPad),
smartphones, and netbooks. These are devices that have very minimal hardware resources
compared with regular desktops and laptops, but still - using desktop virtualization - you’ll be
able to access your desktop remotely through them.

These are very valid reasons to consider desktop virtualization and that’s why many companies
are already going in that direction. Before we end the first part of this article, we’d like to take up
one topic that’s creating a lot of buzz in the tech/IT world and which is very much related to
desktop virtualization.

Impending cloud computing integration

As far as we see it, cloud computing is inevitable. Whether you like it or not, that’s going to be
how computing will be in the future. Don’t believe it? Well, in case you haven’t heard, Microsoft
has now moved Office to the cloud by way of Office 365. If the most widely used suite of
applications has gone to the cloud, then you can be sure a lot of end users will find their way
there too.

So, assuming we’re right, what has that got to do with desktop virtualization? Actually, it’s not
only going to be about desktop virtualization. You see, cloud computing, in simple terms, is a
highly virtualized data center. That means, it encompasses not only server virtualization; but also
network virtualization, I/O virtualization, storage virtualization, and, of course, desktop
virtualization.

Virtualization 1.0

In 2010, we already saw more and more companies taking advantage of the benefits of
virtualization to implement BC/DR, reduce outages, increase high availability, and improve
resource optimization. We also witnessed adoption of server virtualization for Tier-1 applications
like Exchange, Oracle, etc. We even saw the rise of advanced desktop virtualization technologies
like VDI.

Virtualization 2.0

Today, we’re seeing companies going into automation and orchestration; storage, network/IO,
and application virtualization; and integrated physical/virtual management. Companies are
starting to make use of self-service portals, policy-based management, and chargeback/utility
style billing. But where is this all heading?

Virtualization 3.0

The direction we’re headed is an environment wherein fully virtualized datacenters span internal
and external clouds; adaptive and intelligent infrastructures are well established; and many
businesses subscribe to the IT-as-a-service and Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) models. You can
pretty much expect wide adoption of integrated cloud management, holistic
monitoring/diagnosis, cross-hypervisor management, external cloud federation, and
virtualization-aware applications.

Summary
So as the business world takes this inescapable journey to the cloud, the logical thing to do is to
be prepared for it. What you’re doing now is a tiny but nevertheless wise step to the right
direction. In Part II, you’ll move some more to that direction as you get a closer look at the
different types of desktop virtualization.
Citrix XenDesktop 5: Intro to Desktop
Virtualization Part 2
Introduction to Desktop Virtualization - Part 2
A closer look at the different types of Desktop Virtualization

In Part I of this article, we gave you a brief introduction to desktop virtualization and some very
brief descriptions of each type of Desktop Virtualization.
In this article, we’ll be taking a much closer look at what each type can offer, their benefits, as
well as the types of users they are best suited for.

(Instructional video below provides a walkthrough of the steps contained in this article.)

Importance of user profiling

Before you go out and invest on any desktop virtualization technology, you need to examine the
types of end users your organization has and then profile them. The reason why you have to go
through this is because each desktop virtualization type caters to a specific group of users.

Take a look at the diagram below.

To simplify, your company may have power users, terminal users, mobile users, and so on.
As you can see, server-side computing types like Terminal Server and VDI are best suited for
task users.  These are users who do the same tasks and use the same applications every single
day. In addition, the applications they use may not be memory or CPU-intensive.

Client-side computing types like Client Hypervisor and Streaming, on the other hand, work best
for users who need richer user interfaces. Notice also that Application Virtualization may cater to
all kinds of users. After we discuss the different types of desktop virtualization, you can use the
knowledge you’ll learn there when the time comes to profile your users.

VDI (Virtual Desktop Infrastructure) a.k.a. Server-Hosted

Virtual Desktops

As its other name (Server-Hosted Virtual Desktops) suggests, VDI relies on virtual machines
residing on servers. These servers can be ESX, XenServer, or Hyper-V servers housed in a data
center. In other words, it follows a server-based computing model.

Microsoft Hyper-V Server 2012 R2 ... Free Download

These are some of the benefits you can get from a VDI environment:

Centralized management and better security

Instead of managing hundreds or even thousands of computers scattered all over your premises
or even across a certain geographical location, you will now be able to manage all those desktops
in one central location.
In relation to that, your users will be connecting to the same central location to access their
desktops. If you have centralized access, it would be much easier to enforce security measures.
With all these regulations going on that affect data security, it would now be easier for you to
comply.

If you have certain applications that require a high level of security and you want to allow access
only to a specific set of users, then VDI is an ideal solution because you can easily control user
access to a particular VM.

Existing hardware can still be used and broken hardware can be replaced with Thin Clients

In a VDI environment, much of the computing goes on in the server side. So you don’t really
need powerful computers for your end users. In fact, you can still make use of existing hardware
that may have been with you already for the past couple of years or so.

In addition to that, if your old hardware breaks down, you can always replace it with a thin
client. Essentially, you can have a mixture of old and new hardware plus some thin clients. Thus,
you can extend the lifetime of your computers.

Power savings 

Now, because you won’t be needing powerful computers, you’ll be able to save on energy
consumption. Not only will you be saving dollars, you’ll also be saving the environment.

Save on support

In a traditional set up, you would need to spend time and money each time a computer in your
office breaks down. You would need to send a technician to the site and the affected employee
will have to be unproductive while troubleshooting is being done. By comparison, if you have a
VDI setup and the problem is in the hardware, you simply replace the hardware, connect it to a
VM, and your user is ready to go.

Supports disaster recovery and business continuity

Because these virtual desktops are essentially data files, you can easily perform backups and
replication on them. Similarly, they are also easier to put back into operation after a disruption.
In other words, VDI supports disaster recovery and business continuity.

As a matter of fact, you really need desktop virtualization to carry out true business continuity.
What good would it be if you could quickly recover your data but couldn’t let your users get
back to work right away because their desktops are still down?

Features device independence

VDI can serve your desktop to a variety of devices. You can access those virtual desktops from
laptops, netbooks, desktop PCs, tablets, smartphones, and so on.
Once you’ve determined that VDI is appropriate for you and decide to go for it, make sure you
have the following resources: adequate storage, user personalization, and - of course - the right
management skills for this technology.

You’ll need sufficient storage to support all the dedicated VMs that will be running
simultaneously.

It’s also equally important to support user personalization. In fact, user personalization should be
supported on any desktop virtualization solution.

Regardless of the policies you set in your organization, users will always want to have some
degree of personalization when using a computer. If you don’t allow your users to have some
level of flexibility on their desktops, they might feel excessively constrained and that could
affect their productivity.

Terminal Server

As it is the oldest, most established form of desktop virtualization out there, you can be sure that
practically all of the quirks and bugs associated with terminal server have already been identified
and perhaps even ironed out. Thus,  with terminal server, you’ll be dealing with a relatively
stable and predictable DV platform.

The other benefits of terminal server have already been tested and proven by many companies.
Here are some of them:

Server-based platform benefits

Just like VDI, Terminal Server will allow you to operate thin clients alongside old and new
computers. Thus, the cost-saving benefits of VDI mentioned earlier also apply to Terminal
Server. And because Terminal Server is also server-side computing, the benefits that come with
server-based setups (e.g. centralized management, better security, remote administration, etc)
also apply.
Deploying applications and performing patches on VDI and Terminal Server platforms are also
much faster because everything is done centrally. Again, this reduces downtime and increases
productivity.

High ratio of users/server

Terminal servers are very capable of handling a few hundred to several thousands of users. And
this has been proven time and time again in its over 13 years of existence. So if you have a lot of
users that need to perform simple, repetitive tasks in front of a computer, then this is the DV
platform for you.

Eyes only security

It’s easy to implement eyes-only security. That means, users can only view things on the screen
but they won’t be able to copy or paste. You can also prevent them from doing other tasks like
printing.

Highly managed

This allows users working on different shifts to share the same computer and access their data
from different computers. Of course, they’ll have to be assigned unique login details. But there’s
a downside to the feature that enables this capability.

A terminal server is highly manageable because multiple users connect to a single terminal
server and are only differentiated through individualized sessions. But while this greatly reduces
the number of administrative tasks per user, it also allows a single point of failure for a large
number of users.

If there are 400 users connected to one terminal server and that terminal server goes down, all
400 users will be affected. Yes, you can later on connect those users to other terminal servers but
still, that single event would have already inconvenienced a large number of users and caused
widespread disruption. So even if terminal servers are great for admins, they don’t suit well with
end users.

Client Hypervisors - Type 1 and Type 2

A client hypervisor is similar to those hypervisors you run on servers in that it can support
multiple VMs on top of it. But as the name implies, this kind of hypervisor is installed on a client
device and not on a server. That means, it doesn’t have to be online all the time.

Unlike the two desktop virtualization platforms we mentioned earlier, client hypervisor makes
use of client-side computing. Hence, you can take full advantage of computing resources you
may have on your device, like large CPU and RAM. That is why client hypervisors are ideal if
your end users need better graphics or computing power.

There are actually two types of client hypervisors. And because they have their own distinct
advantages and disadvantages, we’d like to tackle them separately. The main difference is that,
in a Type 1 client hypervisor, the hypervisor is installed on bare metal, i.e. on the hardware itself.
Type 2, on the other hand, is installed on an operating system.

Type 1 client hypervisors

Option to create a single Windows image or multiple VMs

Once you’ve installed a Type 1 client hypervisor software on say a laptop, you can then create
virtual machines and run them on top of the hypervisor. That means, you can use a single
Windows image and distribute it to the different laptops and desktops in your organization.

Alternatively, you can have multiple virtual machines. So for instance, you can create an “office
VM”, which your employee is supposed to use when at work, and a “home VM”, which he can
use when at home. The working environment inside the “office VM” may have certain
restrictions, while the one in the “home VM” may offer more freedom.

Perfect for BYOC

Client hypervisors are ideal for BYOC arrangements. Your team members can buy whatever
laptop they like (assuming of course it can support your hypervisor) and you simply install the
hypervisor and the necessary VMs on them. Because this “installation” is considerably quicker
than regular software installations, this will save a significant amount of time when compared to
the usual way of installing the operating system and all necessary applications.

Even if a computer breaks down, you can easily bring them back into operation in no time (see
succeeding section).

Shorter downtimes

One advantage of working with virtual machines is that you can reimage them.

This basically entails creating a duplicate copy of a VM. When your system starts slowing down
after a year or a few months, you can simply copy and paste that duplicate VM. You won’t have
to install or configure anything and can practically be back up and running in just a few minutes.

Best of all, your system will be able to run like a freshly installed operating system. Similarly, if
an employee’s laptop bogs down, you can simply find an available laptop, copy the VM from the
first laptop to the second, and he can get back to work in just a few minutes.

In addition, there are ways to update an OS by synchronizing the VM with a data center. So
updates can be performed much faster as well.

Type 2 client hypervisors

As mentioned earlier, a Type 2 client hypervisor differs from its Type 1 sibling simply by the
manner it is installed. While the latter is installed right on top of bare metal, the former has to be
installed on top of an operating system. All other features, like the ability to: support multiple
VMs, run locally on the device, and enable quick recovery when something goes wrong are the
same … well, almost.

It’s also one way to continue using an older OS version on top of a newer one. For instance, this
is the technology used in Windows Virtual PC, which enables users to shift to Windows XP
Mode while on Windows 7.

Again, Type 2 has some of the benefits of Type 1. However, there’s one major problem. Because
the VMs (on the hypervisor) have to be installed on an underlying OS, you now have to manage
more desktops - the underlying OS and all the VMs running on top of it. That’s going to make
things more complicated. If you need to perform patches, upgrades, or antivirus-related tasks,
you’ll have to do it on all those desktops.

Taking this into consideration, then Type 1 client hypervisors are definitely better than Type 2.
So if we end up mentioning more strong points of client hypervisors later in the text, you can be
sure we’re referring to Type 1 hypervisors.

Application Virtualization
Application virtualization allows you to virtualize an application, thereby encapsulating all files
needed to run the application, including DLLs, registries, etc., into a single file. You can then run
that single file on an operating system without installing it there.

Saves storage space and time

Because the virtualized application isn’t installed on the operating system, it doesn’t occupy disk
space. Furthermore, in technologies like Citrix XenApp, the application is streamed from a
central location to devices that need it. Thus, if you have thousands of devices needing the
application, you will be able to save a significant amount of time because no installation is
involved during deployment.

Centralized management

In the scenario given earlier, wherein the virtualized application is streamed from a central
location, you again enjoy the benefits of a server-based setup - i.e., centralized management,
better security, and so on.

Supports aging or conflicting applications

One of the real sweet spots of application virtualization is its ability to prolong the life span of
legacy applications. So if you have an aging and highly customized application that you don’t
want to part with but haven’t had any luck in making it run on the operating system your
company is migrating to, then you can still find hope in application virtualization.

This kind of desktop virtualization is also ideal for problematic applications, i.e., those that
always have conflicts with other apps on your device. By virtualizing those problematic
applications you can isolate them from the rest and let everything run smoothly.

Remember though that not all applications can be virtualized. So there can be exceptions.

Summary
At this point, you’re now ready for Part III. There, we’ll zoom in to the challenges faced by
desktop virtualization, its operational benefits (where its strength really lies), and some tips and
best practices to make the most out of a DV investment. We’ll then end that part with a glimpse
at one of the best desktop virtualization products in the market today.
Desktop Virtualization Challenges –
Introduction to Desktop Virtualization Part 3
by Elias Khnaser - October 12, 2011
inShare

Overview
You’re now on the third and final leg of your journey to understanding desktop virtualization.
This is where you can get information that can help you decide whether desktop virtualization is
right for your organization.

Let’s start off by talking about desktop virtualization challenges. What are the critics saying?
What are the main arguments against DV?
(Instructional video below provides a walkthrough of the steps contained in this article.)

Arguments against Desktop Virtualization

Each form of Desktop Virtualization has its set of criticisms, and these are illustrated in the
figure below.

Let’s look at these criticisms more closely.

Arguments against VDI

Too complex and costly - These are what most of the VDI critics are saying; that it’s just way too
complex to set up and manage. They say it’s too costly to acquire, and that you don’t realise any
savings at all.

Availability and performance is heavily dependent on the network - Because the VMs are
installed on a server in the data center, people don’t see any offline use case for VDI. And
because a connection to the VM is needed, even if a user is online but the network is slow,
performance is expected to suffer.

Storage requirements are too high - When people look at desktop virtualization, they usually
liken it to server virtualization. When treated this way, VDI’s storage consumption can be
staggering. For example, if you have a thousand users and assign each desktop to a vdisk
equivalent to 40 GB, then you’ll certainly need a lot of storage space.

Requires new rounds of training - It introduces a different system than what people are used to,
so users will have to undergo a series of trainings to be acquainted with it.

Arguments against Terminal Server

Limited personalization features - Users are not given enough flexibility to customize the
desktop in order to suit their personal aesthetic or functional preferences.

Availability and performance is heavily dependent on the network - Like VDI, Terminal Server
is highly reliant on the availability and performance of the network. If the network is slow or,
worse, if it is down, then users suffer.

Limited resource management flexibility - For instance, if you have 300 sessions connecting to a
terminal server, then all sessions are forced to use the same amount of resources. If say, 20 of
those sessions need more memory than the rest, you won’t be able to give them that.

Arguments against Application Virtualization

Too complex - Packaging an application entails starting a recording, storing the application,
stopping the recording, and compiling everything together, which is actually more complicated
than a regular application installation. Updating can also be difficult because when you need to
update the runtime, you will have to compile again.

Compatibility and Interoperability issues - Some applications can’t run on certain operating
systems when virtualized, while other applications simply can’t be virtualized at all.

Arguments against Client Hypervisors

Unproven technology - As the newest among this bunch of desktop virtualization platforms, not
many people can vouch for it.
Compatibility - Not all existing physical machines can support client hypervisors. Citrix
XenClient, for instance, requires an Intel vPro processor in order to perform as expected.

Requires a PC and physical device management - Remember that you still need to interact with a
physical device to install and manage client hypervisors.

Low performance - This criticism is particularly aimed at Type-2 client hypervisors.

Pointing out the misconceptions

Many of the arguments given in the previous section are actually misconceptions. Thus, before
you make your final judgement on DV, it would only be fair to weed out those misconceptions
first.

Cost savings are in OpEx, not in CapEx

When critics say that desktop virtualization solutions are very costly and that you can’t realize
any cost savings, that’s because they’re looking for CapEx savings. According to research
companies like Gartner, IDC, and Forrester savings from DV actually come from OpEx. Here
are some numbers:

So not only do your operational costs go down, so do your hardware/software costs and your
worker downtime. An affected end user can quickly get back up and running especially if you
simply decide to change the hardware. You can’t simply change the hardware in a traditional
desktop scenario.

In addition, because your IT staff no longer have to spend as much time for on-site
troubleshooting and because issues in desktop virtualization-enabled environments can be
remedied much faster, your IT staff productivity levels go up.

Here’s another illustration supporting OpEx savings in DV:

Thus, it really makes sense to go after savings on the bigger chunk of expenses, which is OpEx.

Free Tools from SolarWinds to Help Resolve Network Issues

Traditional desktop environments are actually more complex

 When people say that desktop virtualization environments are complex, they seem to have
forgotten how complex traditional desktop environments are. You have to enforce very strict
antivirus policies, you need to have a system center of configuration manager to effectively
manage your physical machines, you need to employ asset management tools, and so on.

The reason why we think traditional desktops are easier to manage is because we’ve already
gotten used to all the complexities associated with them. But if we put those complexities side by
side with the complexities associated with desktop virtualization and judge them from a zero-
based standpoint, you’ll realize that traditional desktop environments are actually way more
complex after all.

Storage costs are not as high as you think

As mentioned earlier in this article, when people look at the storage costs of desktop
virtualization, they usually treat it like server virtualization storage costs. When treated this way,
VDI’s storage consumption can of course be staggering. The question is, if you have a thousand
users, do you really need to  assign each desktop to a vdisk equivalent to 40 GB?

The answer is “no”. Later on, in the Tips and Best Practices section, we’ll discuss how you
should manage your storage resources so as to keep the costs affordable.
“No offline use-case” is no longer true

Today, with solutions like XenApp or application virtualization, it is now possible to run
applications even when they’re not connected to the server.

Heavily reliant on the network - So what business isn’t nowadays?

If you really think about it, all businesses are now heavily reliant on an ‘up’ network.

You need email or Instant Messaging apps to communicate with colleagues, suppliers and
customers. You need the Internet for anytime/anywhere collaboration with team members
through tools like Microsoft Sharepoint and Exchange, IBM Lotus Notes and Domino, Adobe
Acrobat Connet, Basecamp, and others.

If you’re an isolated business with no connection to the outside world, then you can’t hope to
compete in today’s heavily connected business environment. Thus, the argument of desktop
virtualization’s heavy reliance on the network is totally irrelevant.

Training?

Training is part and parcel of any productive, innovative, creative organization. If think you’d
like your business to espouse those traits, then this too, is irrelevant.

Operational benefits of DV

Let’s now put together the operational benefits of desktop virtualization (remember, its main
benefit lies in OpEx), some of which have already been covered earlier in the article.

 Faster provisioning - Fast provisioning is very crucial especially for growing businesses.
With DV, you can help new employees hit the ground running at day one because you
can immediately equip them with desktops faster.
 Now supports offline use cases - This has been covered earlier.
 Security - ditto
 Improves user experience - With platforms like VDI or application virtualization, you can
now enable users to personalize their desktops; a capability that used to be non-existent
with older DV platforms like terminal server.
 Maximizes storage space - Imagine having 500 GB of disk space on every user’s PC in a
traditional desktop environment. Will all of that space be utilized? No. With DV, you can
eliminate under-utilized storage space by moving storage into the data center and take
advantage of dynamic provisioning or thin provisioning.
 Enables better performance
 Many applications will run faster if you put them on a data center, on top of datacenter-
class hardware.
 In a VDI or Terminal Server model, it is only screen updates that are being sent to the
user. So, you can actually use video rendering apps and graphics intensive apps like
Photoshop, Autocad, or Sony Vegas on them.
  In addition, you can use those apps over a WAN. For example, you can employ Citrix’s
HDX technology to deliver a high-definition desktop virtualization user experience to
end users over the network.

Tips and best practices

Just like any technology, the benefits of desktop virtualization can only be realized if you use it
properly. In this section, we’ll discuss some tips and best practices so you’ll know how to get the
most out of a DV environment.

Get out of the server virtualization mindset when you deal with DV

Again, desktop virtualization should be treated differently. One way to deal with storage
problems is to employ thin provisioning and image management. Thin provisioning limits
allocation for your initial storage. Thus, you don’t have to use full storage capabilities right
away.

Understand where the value of DV lies

Always remember that OpEx is where you’ll see huge savings in DV. DV will also help you in
improving resource utilization through efficient management. By bearing these in mind, you’ll
be able to effectively leverage DV’s strengths to your advantage.

Integrate DV into the overall desktop management strategy

Chances are, you won’t be able to make a complete migration from physical to virtual in just one
go, so you can expect to initially have a hybrid of physical and virtual desktops. You must
therefore be able to integrate the DVs into your overall desktop management strategy.

Here are some steps you can take on your way to a complete migration to desktop virtualization:

 Identify where your existing infrastructure’s costs are and determine whether there is a
case to deliver an ROI
 Formulate solid business cases that DV can address.
 Identify both the limitations and the business values of DV
 Evaluate vendors and their solutions to determine which of them can provide the best fit
 Conduct a Proof of Concept (POC) and pilot to gauge the ideal product and user fit
 Deploy your chosen DV solutions to a selected group of users then evaluate. If that is
successful, move on to a stage deployment. If that works as well, scale up accordingly. 

 
Citrix XenDesktop 5 - More than just an end-to-end desktop
virtualization solution
Remember that there are different groups of desktop users and there are specific DV platforms
that are best suited for each particular group. In other words, there’s no such thing as a one-size-
fits-all DV solution. However, there exists an end-to-end desktop virtualization solution that can
support all the major forms of DV. It’s Citrix’s XenDesktop.

Citrix XenDesktop can support VDI, Application Virtualization, Streaming, Terminal Server,
and Type-1 Client Hypervisor. Thus, in XenDesktop, you have one DV product that can cater to
the entire spectrum of users.

XenDesktop relies on a very robust remote protocol known as IMA or HDX. As mentioned
earlier, HDX  can deliver a high-definition desktop virtualization user experience to end users
over a LAN, WAN, or even over the Internet.

Another fantastic feature of XenDesktop is that it won’t lock you into any virtual infrastructure.
In other words, you may either have Citrix XenServer, VMware Infrastructure vSphere (4 or
4.1), or Microsoft Hyper-V as your virtual infrastructure, and it won’t matter. XenDesktop will
be able to run on any of them.

Let’s now have a look at the various components of XenDesktop 5.

Components of XenDesktop 5
Host / Virtual Infrastructure - This refers to either XenServer, vSphere, or Hyper-V. Note that
the virtual infrastructure won’t be needed all the time. For example, you won’t need a virtual
infrastructure if you stream directly to physical devices.

Controller / Desktop Delivery Controller (DDC) - The DDC is the most important component of
XenDesktop. It is the one responsible for matching a user with an available desktop. When a user
connects to the server, the DDC will be contacted and it will determine which desktop should be
assigned to the user. You may also think of it as a load balancer that connects users to their
appropriate desktops.

Provisioning Services (PVS) - This enables streaming. It allows you to stream complete OS
images to physical devices or even virtual machines, while providing a single centralized
managed image. When needed, applications may also be streamed through this service.

Machine Creation Services (MCS) - This is similar to VMware’s linked clones, wherein you
have a master virtual machine with which you can create snapshots of. These snapshots will then
be available for users to connect to.
XenClient - The name of Citrix’s Type-1 Client Hypervisor. It separates the operating system
from the underlying hardware so that desktop images can be created, secured, deployed and
moved across any supported hardware.

Web Interface (WI) - A web portal that allows users to login and gain access to all their
applications, which can be App-V applications, Citrix virtualized applications, or entire desktops
for that matter.

License Server - A server responsible for keeping track of all your licenses of the various
components in the Citrix architecture.

SSL Gateway - This can either be a physical appliance, called an Access Gateway, or a virtual
applicance, called a NetsScaler VPX. You can also have a relatively old technology known as
the Secure Gateway.

A typical XenDesktop Architecture

Before we end this article, let me show you a typical XenDesktop architecture. It may sound
quite intimidating at first, but let me assure you that it’s really simple.

We’ll be discussing these items in more detail on future posts, so let’s just go through this very
briefly.

On the leftmost side, you see two different sets of clients: clients who connect through your own
LAN/WAN and clients from the outside who need to connect through a DMZ. Those who are
required to pass through a DMZ will have to go through either an Access Gateway, a NetScaler,
or a Secure Gateway.

For this particular scenario, we are assuming that both sets of clients will go through a Web
Interface, making it their central connection point.

A user who requests for a VDI will be directed to the DDC. The DDC will then decide which
VM can be connected to the user. When a suitable VM is found, a direct connection will be
established between the user and that VM. In other words, the DDC will only be needed for
initially arranging a connection between the two.

On the other hand, if a user requests for a published application, then the Web Interface contacts
the XenApp Servers. The XenApp Server containing the requested app then connects the user
with that app.

If you notice, we have an Active Directory on this particular deployment. That means, user
groups, permissions, and other relevant settings on this deployment will be based off of Active
Directory. As mentioned earlier, the License Server will take charge of the licenses of the
components on this environment.

The SQL Server you see right below the License Server exists to lend support to both the DDC
and the PVS. There’s also a Virtual Infrastructure (either XenServer, vSphere, or Hyper-V).
When needed, the Virtual Infrastructure, will allow you to share your physical resources of
multiple VMs across your entire infrastructure.

The SAN is not required but you will need it if you have multiple Provisioning Servers, which
will be needing shared disks between them.

Lastly, the File Server to the left of the XenApp Farm exists to hold the User Profiles. It is where
you’ll be saving user personalisations for Office, Outlook, for user backgrounds, and so on.

Summary
So there you have it! In this three part series we introduced what desktop virtualization is,
showed you some different types of desktop virtualization and why you might chose one over the
other, and finally, today we've gone over some desktop virtualization challenges faced with
today's technology. Hopefully you have found the three articles to be informative and served as a
nice introduction to desktop virtualization.