vdi, one size does not fill all (application virtualization) university virtualization solutions
TRANSCRIPT
VDI: Not a One Size Fits AllSpeakers:
Russel Thompson + Dustin Pittman
Meet the VDI Team
• Russel Thompson– Sr. Technology Support Specialist
• Dustin Pittman– System Engineer
• Joseph Warner– Sr. System Administrator– VDI Project lead– Served on A&M VDI council
Session Takeaways
• What is VDI?• How it is being used• How to analyze your environment for VDI
Virtual Desktop Infrastructure
“the practice of hosting a desktop operating system within a virtual machine (VM) running on a centralized server. VDI is a variation on the client/server computing model, sometimes referred to as server-based computing. The term was coined by VMware Inc.”
http://www.kelsercorp.com
How People Use the Term VDI• Buzz Word
– Broad all encompassing• Don’t know exactly what it means
www.soobsessedwith.com
Common Pain Points• Supporting a broad base
– Offices, Labs, Libraries, Dorms, Classrooms, Personal Computers
• Low resources for support– Central Management option
• Security– Lost/ stolen secure laptops
• Provide consistent user experience– Improving the user’s IT experience
What is needed to succeed
• Hardware– Servers– End user device– Storage
• Networking– FAST
• Software– Licensing
• People– Support http://www.uk.insight.com/en-gb/shop/vdi/vmware/features
Our VDI Journey
• Asked to research and implement a VDI solution– Broad request
http://imgur.com/IlJq1c9
About Tarleton’s Environment
• 12,000 + students• ~4,000 Tarleton owned machines• 80 virtual servers• 77 physical• 4 Satellite Campuses
Companies We Researched
What Problem were we trying to solve
Who are you trying to help?• Students• Faculty• Staff• Departments• Labs, Kiosks, work areas• Remote users• Remote Locations
http://www.bisok.com/companies-with-a-desktop-virtualization-solution-experience-a-wealth-of-benefits/
• Security(broad term)• Consistent user experience• Less down time• Ease of access• Faster launch time
What would they gain?
Security Consistency Less down time
ease of access
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What We Did
• Talked to system schools– Traveling visits
• A&M VDI council formed– Assessed who was using what and why
• Researched Vendors– Short in house trial deployments
• Dell Lab visit
What We Found Out (in 2014)• If you wanted an affordable rollout, you had to
go big• Getting a vendor to talk to you about a small
deployment was near impossible
https://www.tumblr.com/search/scott%20pilgrim%20vs.%20the%20world%20gif
Our VDI Project Hurdles• VDI Company Service Offerings vs Our Wants • Budget
– Solution Cost vs Solution Benefit• Dealing with multiple vendors
Decision TimeVendor 1 Vendor 2 Vendor 3
Virtualized Apps
Introducing…
Application JukeboxApplication Jukebox provides a mechanism to deliver, manage and virtualize applications to a client machine
from a centrally administered server
Key Features
• Deploy any Windows application to any device on and off campus, at any time
• Reduce the reliance on dedicated lab environments
• Quick and easy application packaging:• Small server footprint (serve 20,000 users with
10 servers)• Report on license usage to management
Advantages of App Jukebox
• Full License Management• Flexibility of Deployment• Improved PC Performance• Secure Application access• Simple Application Management
App Jukebox Requirements
• 3-8 Servers• Can be virtual• All have low recommended specs• Set up one server; build rest from clone
• Installation/ Set up of App Jukebox server• Assistance included in Price• Training
• On site, multiple day training• Set up app delivery Storefront• Install the agent piece on desired machines
VDI
• What is VDI?• How it is being used?• How to analyze your environment for VDI?