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White Paper:
Desktop over IP: The Benefits of Computer Virtualization with the Performance of Dedicated Computing
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Desktop over IP |
 Overview
In the early days of desktop computing, there were few users and low expectations. Today, the desktop is considered standard for virtually all desks. It's relied on to manage user environments ranging from those of low-end application users, to the offices of high-end computer graphics artists.
Desktop computer and software administrators in large organizations are tasked with harnessing the processing power of their computers and providing that power to many different levels of users. At the same time, they must maintain higher levels of hardware and software security and reliability. The goals of the administrator (simplified provisioning, security and reliability) and the needs of the user (high quality experience, rich peripheral set and varied processing needs based on individual roles) can often lead to conflict and problems. And, sometimes the problems cannot be solved by the existing computer on each user's desk.
In many organizations there is also a drive towards improving the security of computer data because of legislation such as Sarbanes-Oxley, HIPAA and newer EU regulations. These requirements are forcing desktop administrators to question the validity of an individual PC on each user’s desk. They have a need for alternative solutions that remove sensitive data from the desktop device.
In parallel, the drive toward virtualization of network servers, along with the growth of software tools that enable virtualization, raises the possibility of desktop administrators realizing the same benefits as their server admin colleagues.
Traditional solutions
The primary solution offered by the industry to date has been the Thin Client model. All applications run on a background server and the user gains access to the applications from a Thin Client running a slim OS and a network connection.
These solutions also offer Thin Client access to a remote virtual operating system that is provisioned from a server over the network. Both of these solutions are targeted at users with processing needs focused around standardized applications and operating systems. Hardware is irrelevant in their experience.
The Thin Client model serves these users well but falls short in providing for users who need higher levels of processing power, higher quality graphics, larger sets of peripherals at their desks or specialized software applications. This means that a traditional Thin Client model does not scale to all of the users in an organization. The desktop administrator must manage two completely different systems.
Additionally, the Thin Client model requires the desktop administrator to implement a completely different computing model -- all computers are replaced with virtualization servers (application virtualization or OS virtualization) and performance of those servers is shared between all users.
The inability of Thin Client models to provide a generic solution that applies to all end-user types prevents the technology from being widely adopted. It has failed to deliver on the promises of back-racked desktop computing. |
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So, what is the ideal solution?
Ideally, the desktop administrator has one solution acceptable to all different types of desktop users (desktop PC users and high-end workstation users) with all the benefits of a back-racked model.To achieve this, the administrator replaces each desktop computer with a zero client and consolidates all computing resources into a backroom environment.The solution allows the desktop administrator to provision any type of computing resource to any desk based on user login and admin profiles. Any qualified user can log in at any desk and access the computer available to them in the backroom.This solution uses TCP/IP as its transport mechanism and includes the ability to provision many types of computing resource to a user desk -- dedicated rack-mounted PCs, rack-mounted blade PCs, specialized computers with unique hardware, and virtualized computers.This ideal solution allows many different types of users (application users, workstation users, etc.) to have "rich" access to a computer as if it were at their desk. The solution allows the administrator to realize all the benefits of Thin Client and back-racked computing.This rich computer access includes high-quality graphics and allows for use of multiple video displays, CD audio, and support for any USB peripherals at the desk.An overview of the ideal solution is shown below. In this solution all user desks are equipped with a client that allows the user to access a given computer resource located somewhere remotely on the network. In the background the desktop administrator provides various types of computing resources including dedicated PCs, blade PCs and possibly virtualized operating systems and applications. The administrator can provision the appropriate computer to any given user's desk based on their computing needs.As an example, this ideal solution allows one system to provide call center users with access to a standard set of virtualized applications. The office managers have access to a standard set of PC hardware and software. The graphics design team can access dedicated workstations with unique applications and peripherals. All of this is managed by a single administrator and provisioned using the standard TCP/IP network that already exists in the organization. This same system solution provides a rich computer experience for all desktop users.
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White Paper:
Desktop over IP: The Benefits of Computer Virtualization with the Performance of Dedicated Computing
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