Session 6: Desktop DeploymentMark Aslett – Consultant

Adam Shepherd – Consultant

MCS Talks Infrastructure Architecture

Agenda

Introduction

Assessing the Infrastructure

Creating an Image

Maintaining the Image

Deployment Strategies

Common Scenarios

Virtualization

Introduction - Deployment

Focus on Microsoft Windows Desktop Deployments

Looking at strategy not technical details

Some assumptions:

Basic infrastructure in place, e.g. Active Directory

Basic infrastructure in place for deployment, at least able to deploy patches, anti-virus definitions

Introduction - Infrastructure Optimisation

Standardized DynamicRationalizedBasic

More Efficient

Cost Center

Strategic AssetBusiness

Enabler

Cost Center

Managed IT

infrastructure

with limited

automation and

knowledge

capture

Fully automated

management;

dynamic resource

usage; business-

linked service

level agreements;

knowledge

capture and use

automated

Managed and

consolidated IT

infrastructure

with extensive

automation;

knowledge

captured and

reused

Uncoordinated,

manual

infrastructure;

knowledge not

captured

Identity and Access Management

IT and Security Process

Desktop, Device, and Server Management

Security and Networking

Data Protection and Recovery

Desktop Management

Virtualization

Server Management

Mobile Device Management

Common Deployment Challenges

Typical problems faced during an OS rollout in a large organisation

Wide mix of hardware

Environment spread across multiple locations

Variety of network and infrastructure availability

Numerous applications to support

Inconsistent policy and process across the business

Multiple support groups working independently

Resistance to change

ASSESSING THE

INFRASTRUCTURE

MCS Talks Infrastructure Architecture

What do I need to know?

Are my applications

compatible

Is my infrastructure

ready?

What hardware do I

have on the estate?

What is our

business strategy

for the next 5

years?

What does my

environment look

like?

Knowing Your Environment

Physical topology

Network topology

Hardware / software inventories

Users

What are the key challenges facing my users

Can users be categorised in terms of what they require to perform their role

Business drivers and technology strategy

Is there a business case for the deployment project?

Business and technology strategies:

Enhanced Mobility

Changes to physical topology

Consolidation

New usage models (Thin Client / VDI)

File services

32-bit vs 64-bit

Security and BitLocker

Standard User Desktop

Is the Infrastructure Ready?

Infrastructure to support deployment:

Is existing infrastructure fit for purpose

Are changes required to support the features of the new operating system

How should changes to infrastructure be handled?

Separate vs. composite project

Before vs. during deployment

Other infrastructure projects planned or in progress

Hardware

Understand the Hardware estate

Hardware in the estate today and for deployment

Hardware refresh cycles

Use existing tools or Windows Vista Hardware Assessment Tool

Device Drivers

Can have a big impact on performance and reliability, get the latest.

Peripherals

Don’t over look them, some will be business critical.

Understanding your application estate

Available resources?

Software Inventory and Metering

Definitive software library

Source files and UAT scripts

Time for a change?

Consider application rationalisation

Consider which applications are productively used

Advantages to upgrading to a later version or different LOB application

Application Compatibility Testing

One of the biggest deployment blockers

Plan appropriately

Can be biggest undertaking

Consider how many business critical applications are old and out of support

ACT and 3rd Party Tools can help reduce the cost and complexity

Application Compatibility Remediation

Common approaches

Approach ISV / Upgrade

Create a SHIM (ACT or 3rd party)

Different software

Terminal Services

Virtualization (later)

Microsoft Office Migration

OS Migration is frequently coupled with a Microsoft Office migration

Things to think about:

Discovering what Microsoft Office files exist

Understanding what Microsoft Office files will be compatible with the later version of Microsoft Office

CREATING AN IMAGE

MCS Talks Infrastructure Architecture

Building an image – common questions

What languages are

required for my

environment

What applications

should I include in

my image?

What processes

should I use to

create an image?How many images

will I require?

What drivers do I

need? Will I include

them all or deploy

later?

MAINTAINING THE IMAGE

MCS Talks Infrastructure Architecture

Maintaining an image – things to consider

How do I handle

version controlling?

How do I keep all my

systems at the same

patch level?

How do I keep my

image up to date?What’s should my

change control

process look like?

How often should I

update my image?

DEPLOYMENT STRATEGY

MCS Talks Infrastructure Architecture

Deployment Scenarios

Lite or Zero Touch approaches

Which methodologies to use:

Refresh

Replace

Bare Metal, OEM (birthing information)

Media based install

Which technology to use:

System Center Configuration Manager

Microsoft Deployment Toolkit

Windows Deployment Services

Managing Deployments

Deployment approach:

Deploy realistic numbers

Avoid allowing deployments to run over a long period of time

Be realistic about how long a deployment project will take

Pilot, ramp up slowly and fix problems up front

Allow time to train users, helpdesk first

Migrating Users

What needs to be migrated?

Data, settings or both?

How should user state be migrated?

Manual vs. automated?

Where will data be stored?

When will migration take place?

Co-existence with down-level operating systems?

COMMON SCENARIOS

MCS Talks Infrastructure Architecture

Contoso Infrastructure

Ireland

1000 UsersDevelopment

London

6,000 UsersHead Office

India

1500 UsersDevelopment

London LAN

Bristol

Fail Over

Data Centre

Manchester

Data Centre

Manchester

LAN

Manchester

25,000 UsersCall Centre

Glasgow LAN

Glasgow

25,000 UsersManufacturing

1MB to 8MB

ADSL

Remote

VPN Users

3,000

York

100 Users

Newcastle

350 Users

Edinburgh

400 Users

Birmingham

750 UsersReading

350 UsersOxford

250 Users

Exeter

500 UsersParis

20 Users

Tokyo

10 Users

New York

30 Users

1MB 512KB 512KB

10MB

2MB

1GB

1MB 1MB 1MB

1MB

1MB

10MB

10MB

100MB 1GB

Considerations for initiating a deployment

Manchester

Data Centre

Manchester

LAN

Manchester

25,000 UsersCall Centre

Data

Centre

Call Centre

Campus

York

100 Users1MB

1MB

Newcastle

350 Users

York

Office

Newcastle

Office

Considerations for deploying the image

Data

Centre

Call Centre

Campus

York

Office

Newcastle

Office

Considerations for Application

Deployment

Application provisioning:

Applications in the image

Role based vs. user based

Based on previous machine

Application source files

Consider where they’re required

How much storage will they need

How long do you have to replicate updates

VIRTUALIZATION

MCS Talks Infrastructure Architecture

Virtualization – deployment considerations

Applications Virtualization (formerly SoftGrid)

Consider for change to app strategy

Not the silver bullet for application to OS compatibility issues

Presentation Virtualization (Terminal Server)

Good for hosting intensive or data heavy applications

Enterprise Desktop Virtualization (formerly Kidaro)

Not available yet, but essentially puts a VPC on the users desktop

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