VDI & Application Virtualization for universities and colleges
explained
Contact Information:
Natalia Fox
Software2inc
Natalia.fox@software2inc.com
www.software2inc.com
Tel: +1 (857) 250 3880
Sales: sales@software2inc.com
Support: support@software2inc.com
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Table of Contents
1.
Executive Summary ............................................................................................................ 3
2.
Virtual Desktop Infrastructure............................................................................................ 3
3.
Back-End* VDI Versus Front-End* VDI (*terminology not an industry standard) ............. 3
4.
Back-End Pros, Cons, and Use Cases .................................................................................. 4
5.
Front-End Pros, Cons, and Use Cases ................................................................................. 6
6.
The Library Use Case........................................................................................................... 7
7.
Conclusion .......................................................................................................................... 8
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1. Executive Summary
University desktop provisioning is a huge challenge – this document has been co-authored
with a number of leading US universities to help define and understand the VDI options
available to deliver complex apps to students.
This complexity stems from a number of factors inherent with this type of environment; the
vast numbers of users, the fast turnover of the user base and their increasing mobility.
Couple those needs with the pace at which hardware and software advances, across all
departments, and the complexity of making sure ALL students have access to ALL their
university taught software, wherever they require it, becomes an almost impossible challenge
2. Virtual Desktop Infrastructure
There are two main approaches to VDI, with a myriad of variations in between. The use cases
for each approach differ, as well as the respective pros and cons. It is also important to note
that many organizations have found it necessary to implement a blended approach in order
to cover all use cases within the organization.
In other words, there is currently no single VDI solution that will do
everything.
There are VDI vendors that have broad product ranges that cover nearly every use case, but
the solutions within the broad product range blend two fundamental approaches. Arguably,
the two main players in the VDI space are Citrix and VMware. Other companies, including
Microsoft, have a much less comprehensive product line and weaker management tools.
3. Back-End* VDI Versus Front-End* VDI (*terminology not an industry
standard)
The two main approaches to VDI differ mainly in where the application execution is
happening. There are many variations within each of these approaches.
With back-end VDI the application execution happens on a server somewhere, and screen
shots are passed along to the client computer/thin client/dumb terminal/mobile device.
Generally speaking, the main feature of this solution is delivering the functionality of a
Windows desktop or a Windows software application to almost any device with any local
operating system (Windows, MacOS, Android, sometimes iOS, and Linux/Unix variations).
With front-end VDI, the software application executes on the local hardware but is either
delivered and installed locally on demand from a server somewhere (locally or in the cloud),
or it resides completely on the server and executes code over the network on the local
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computer. Other terminology to describe these technologies includes Application Streaming
and Cloud Paging.
The main feature of this solution is better application performance—especially with high-end
applications—1) because applications execute on local hardware therefore speed is dictated
by how good the local machine is, not the network or the server, and 2) concurrent use does
not significantly slow down the application. In other words, the number of users accessing
the application may cause a small increase in network traffic, but nothing is processed on the
back-end server other than file delivery, so speeds remain consistent as use increases.
4. Back-End Pros, Cons, and Use Cases
Pros
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Cons
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Allows delivery of Windows applications to almost any device and any operating
system.
Supports BYOD scenarios well (e.g. being able to deliver specialized software
applications directly to student-owned devices, for example).
Works on old computers and thin or “zero” clients, eliminating the need to buy highend computers.
Eliminates the need to periodically update and push out FULL software images to
clients (usually each semester).
Applications can be updated quickly on the server and be available immediately to
clients with very little down time.
New applications can be deployed immediately.
Proven to be a reliable solution for standard applications over reliable networks.
ALLOWS INNOVATIVE AND RESPONSIVE SERVICE DELIVERY TO END USERS!
Performance is poor for high-end or graphics intensive applications.
Performance degrades with higher concurrent usage.
Poor performance is addressed by buying more hardware to reduce the number of
connections attached to each server.
Typically the back-end infrastructure needed to support this scenario is specialized,
expensive, and complex to support.
Application licensing can be a deal-breaker if vendor licensing does not support this
mode of operation (running on a server concurrent to many desktops).
Applications requiring access to local device drivers may not work well with
peripherals attached locally.
Printing and access to local files can be tricky and unintuitive for users.
Poor network performance (wiring and/or hardware) can impact speed and usability.
Requires access to the network—does NOT work off-line.
Does not entirely eliminate periodic maintenance and updates for client stations
(though this is drastically simplified).
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
DOES NOT SAVE MONEY! Requires VDI licensing and tools, as well as a significant
investment in back-end server and storage infrastructure, as well as potential
upgrades to the network infrastructure (wiring and hardware).
Use Cases
 Good VDI solution for mixed platform environments (e.g. Windows, Mac, Linux/Unix)
and may best meet student/staff/faculty Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) scenarios.
 Good solution for tightly controlled, secured, and standardized IT environments with
highly centralized support.
 Good solution for leveraging poor or outdated client hardware.
 Good solution for providing access to standard, non graphics-intensive applications
without the need to maintain local software images. Software updates and additions
can be performed quickly with little or no down-time for end users.
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5. Front-End Pros, Cons, and Use Cases
Pros
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Cons
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Provides the best performance for high-end or graphics intensive applications.
Performance is determined by the client hardware.
Allows virtualized applications to run side-by-side with local applications to take
advantage of the best of both scenarios.
Virtualized applications are isolated from the local machine to minimize
performance problems and software conflicts.
Some scenarios allow off-line use (e.g. virtualized applications will run without being
connected to the network).
Virtualized applications can be updated once and then made available to all clients
with no downtime.
New applications can be deployed immediately.
Performance does not degrade quickly as concurrent connections are added when
compared to back-end VDI solutions.
The back-end infrastructure is fairly lightweight, scales easily, and is relatively
inexpensive.
Depending on the solution, application licensing can be covered with conventional
licenses as the code is executing on local machines in much the same way as a
conventional, non-VDI, application.
With many solutions, access to local device drivers, printing, and files is
straightforward and transparent to the user.
ALLOWS INNOVATIVE AND RESPONSIVE SERVICE DELIVERY TO END USERS!
Local computer hardware must be maintained and refreshed. Application
performance will only be as good as the local hardware.
Can only deliver Windows applications to Windows computers, or Unix/Linux to
Unix/Linux. Apple computers are NOT supported.
Does not eliminate the need to periodically update and push out software images to
clients (usually each semester).
The process of building virtualized application “packages” can be complex, timeconsuming, and capabilities and support models vary widely among different VDI
vendors.
DOES NOT SAVE MONEY! Requires VDI licensing and tools, as well as continued client
hardware refresh.
Use Cases
 Good VDI solution for delivering Windows applications to Windows client hardware,
including BYOD scenarios.
 Highly flexible solution for scenarios involving a mix of virtualized applications with
locally installed applications, or even a mix of VDI solutions.
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Best performing solution for high performance or graphics-intensive applications
when capable local hardware is available (e.g. the better the hardware, the better
the performance).
The only solution for off-line (not connected to the network) use.
6. The University Computer cluster (Lab) Use Case
Lab computer users come from every campus department/major and require access to a huge
software catalog. This often results in poor performance for students and staff due to the
software load complexity and application conflicts. The process of building a “jumbo”
software image is complex and error prone. Applications must be installed in a prescribed
order so that as each subsequent application potentially overwrites bits of code, previously
installed applications continue to function.
In addition, the size of the current software image sent over the network to each individual
computer is huge, thus taking a tremendous amount of time to deploy. As the images grow
in size and complexity, update frequency often changes from each semester to twice-yearly
(Summer and Winter Break) because of the time window required for deployment. In
addition, the lab can no longer accommodate special software requests from departments or
faculty without risking further performance issues.
At this point the lab develops, maintains, and deploys multiple different software loads or
“images;” typically one for MacOS computers, one for checkout laptops, one for general
Windows computing, and one for CAD/GIS + general applications for Windows. Performance
can be variable.
Performance on machines using CAD/GIS/STEM can be nearly unusable because of the
addition of three applications; ArcGIS, AutoCAD, and SolidWorks. All three of these
applications are used extensively across campus.
The goal for most universities and colleges is to develop a solution that will provide the
following:
1. Provide our users with computers that meet their needs and provide acceptable
performance.
2. Deploy a single Windows software load throughout the library and/or lab. This
eliminates the need for patrons to be able to differentiate computers/locations
based on their software requirements. All Windows computers would provide the
same software load.
3. The ability to be responsive to software requests and add new applications (licensing
permitting) on demand.
4. The ability to quickly deploy changes and updates with little or no down-time.
5. The solution should be quick to implement as we are not currently meeting our
user’s needs.
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7. Conclusion
Both front and back-end VDI has the potential to solve many, if not all of the library problems
and use cases outlined above.
In general, front-end technology is the better fit for high-end
Windows computer lab use cases.
Back-end technology is a very broad category of solutions capable of addressing a variety of
campus needs, but is not as well suited for addressing issues common to high performance
Windows-based computer labs. Back-end solutions require an even larger investment in
infrastructure than the norm to support high performance applications versus typical office
applications, resulting in a solution that does not scale well as demand grows.
Front-end VDI was designed specifically to provide all of the benefits of virtualization while
maximizing and preserving application performance. The technology scales well, and because
the support infrastructure needed is minimal, could be deployed to the campus quickly. In
addition, software application licensing will likely be less problematic because applications
are running locally as they would be in a standard, non-VDI installation. The user interface is
also much more intuitive because applications appear to be installed locally.
Examples of front-end technology include VMware ThinApp, Citrix XenApp, Microsoft App-V,
and Software2 Application Jukebox. The application packaging process differs slightly for each
solution. Finding a solution that can successfully package and deploy all of the difficult to
maintain, high-end applications (currently AutoCAD, SolidWorks, and ArcGIS) is critical to a
successful deployment.
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Any views or opinions presented in this email are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Software2inc.