Virtual desktop infrastructure
Virtual Desktop Infrastructure describes a data center infrastructure in companies in which complete desktop PCs are virtualized .
background
The desktop virtualization in the company is the consistent further development of the server and storage virtualization. Instead of a single component or application, the entire PC desktop is virtualized in the data center .
The PC has revolutionized companies so that working without it is unimaginable. The productivity resulting from the use of traditional personal computers requires significant investments . Many of these costs have been well documented over the years, while many of the hidden costs have only emerged in recent years. Expensive hardware replacement cycles are nothing new, just like extensive help desks and numerous IT staff to keep IT operations going.
On the other hand, it is more time-consuming to quantify costs relating to the security and compliance requirements of desktops and laptops . The same applies to sensitive data that is stored locally on the employees' computers. The acquisition, commissioning and protection of standard PCs require high expenditure of time and money, which should be centralized and reduced by the provision of virtual desktops.
Virtual desktop solutions
Based on virtualization solutions from AppliDIs Fusion 4, VMware , Citrix , Xen , Sun Microsystems , Univention , Wyse Technology , Nutanix Frame or Microsoft , enterprise desktops are distributed to multiple, server-based virtual machines . The virtualization software can thus be connected to the thin clients known from server-based computing to form a high-performance computer infrastructure. This solution, which manufacturers use different names - Enterprise Desktop Virtualisation (EDV) from Wyse, Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) from VMware - enables each client to assign its own virtual computer on a server . Even if the concept of desktop virtualization is relatively new compared to server virtualization, the demand is high. Large companies in particular with complex requirements, for example in finance departments or accounting, have an increased need for cost-efficient technologies to provide their employees with the required desktop environment. In order to be able to meet the increasing demand for virtual and more dynamic IT infrastructures, more and more companies are developing appropriate solutions. With the solutions, companies can not only perform the virtualization of individual applications , but also include the entire user desktop - including all applications and personal settings. As with server-based computing , users can use the same standard PCs with a virtual desktop solution. A major advantage of VDI, however, is that the operating system runs independently for each workstation computer in its own dedicated virtual machine. In this way, the applications of two users can never affect each other. In addition, a virtualized desktop infrastructure consolidated in the data center means that companies can provide secure, isolated desktops that are available without interruption. And every thin client is organized centrally and can be reached from anywhere in the network . The distribution of remote access by users to the correct virtual machines can be coordinated using a connection broker .
General modes of operation
To better understand the benefits of virtual desktop infrastructures for companies and how they support the provision of end-user desktops without reaching the hardware limits of the local PC, one should take a look at the basic network installations. The server on which the virtual machines of the individual desktops are hosted plays a key role . The virtual infrastructure software is usually installed on the x86-based hardware .
The dimensioning of the server depends on how many clients are to be connected, how high the expected network traffic (also called I / O traffic) is and how much load or “workload” will occur. From today's perspective, it can be said that at least two midrange servers with 128 GB RAM each (better 256 GB) and a SAN SSD storage for around 15 to 20 desktops are required for smooth operation . This takes into account the aspects of performance , high availability and better scalability with rapidly growing data volumes. Put simply, the performance of fat clients (PCs) is shifting from the office to the server room.
Central idea: With virtual infrastructure solutions, the approach is followed that companies simplify their IT and optimize investments in IT systems . This should make it possible to react faster and more flexibly to business requirements. A more flexible IT infrastructure is intended to increase the productivity of employees and their service levels.
Individual evidence
- ↑ AppliDIs Fusion 4 ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Univention publishes desktop virtualization. In: HeiseOpen. Heise Verlag, June 27, 2011, accessed June 30, 2011 .
- ↑ frame. Retrieved on October 23, 2019 (German).
