VDI

Smackdown!

Author(s) : Version: Date:

Ruben Spruijt 1.22 April 2011

VDI Smackdown

2011 PQR, all rights reserved. All rights reserved. Specifications are subject to change without notice. PQR, the PQR logo and its tagline Eenvoud in ICT are trademarks or registered trademarks of PQR in the Netherlands and/or other countries. All other brands or products mentioned in this document are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders and should be treated as such.

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CONTENT
1. 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 2. 2.1 2.2 3. 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 3.9 3.10 3.11 3.12 3.13 4. 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 5. 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 5.7 5.8 5.9 6. 6.1 6.2 7. 8. Introduction .....................................................................................................................1 Objectives........................................................................................................................1 Intended audience ...........................................................................................................1 Vendor Involvement .........................................................................................................1 Contact............................................................................................................................1 About ..............................................................................................................................2 About PQR .......................................................................................................................2 Acknowledgments ............................................................................................................3 Understanding all the application and desktop delivery solutions .........................................4 Introduction .....................................................................................................................4 Trusted and untrusted Work Place Scenarios .....................................................................5 Secure Access ..................................................................................................................5 Web Application Acceleration ............................................................................................5 Connection Broker ............................................................................................................5 Application Streaming and Virtualization ............................................................................5 OS Provisioning ................................................................................................................6 Server-Hosted Virtual Desktop (VDI) .................................................................................6 Server-Hosted (Virtual) Desktop with GPU Acceleration ......................................................6 Remote Desktop Services (RDS) ........................................................................................7 Client-Side Desktop Virtualization (VDI) .............................................................................7 Client Management ..........................................................................................................7 vendor matrix, who delivers what,.....................................................................................8 Desktop Virtualization .......................................................................................................9 Introduction .....................................................................................................................9 Types of Desktop Virtualization .........................................................................................9 Overview of the Desktop Virtualization solutions .............................................................. 10 VDI Strategy .................................................................................................................. 12 Vendors and their VDI Solution ....................................................................................... 14 Introduction ................................................................................................................... 14 Citrix XenDesktop ........................................................................................................... 14 Kaviza ........................................................................................................................... 15 Microsoft Virtual Desktop Infrastructure ........................................................................... 16 Quest vWorkspace ......................................................................................................... 18 Oracle Virtual Desktop Infrastructure ............................................................................... 20 Virtual Bridges, VERDE ................................................................................................... 21 VMware View ................................................................................................................. 22 Roadmap ....................................................................................................................... 23 VDI features Comparison ................................................................................................ 25 Product Version .............................................................................................................. 25 Feature Comparison Matrix ............................................................................................. 26 Change Log ................................................................................................................... 34 Conclusion ..................................................................................................................... 38

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1.

INTRODUCTION
If you are looking for an independent overview of the Server Hosted Desktop Virtualization (VDI) solutions and curious about the different features- and functions each Desktop Virtualization vendor is offering!? This is the whitepaper you definitely must read! In the current market there is an increasing demand for unbiased information about Desktop Virtualization solutions. This white paper is focused on solutions that are anticipated to have an important role in VDI deployments. An overview of available features of each solution is created to better understand each solutions capability.

1.1

OBJECTIVES
The overall goal of this whitepaper is share information about: Application- and Desktop Delivery Solutions overview; Explain the different Desktop Virtualization concepts; Explain the pros and cons of Virtual Desktop Infrastructure; Describe the different Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) vendors and solutions; Compare the features of the various VDI solutions;

1.2

INTENDED AUDIENCE
This document is intended for IT Managers, Architects, Analysts, System Administrators and ITPros in general who are responsible for and/or interested in designing, implementing and maintaining Virtual Desktop Infrastructures.

1.3

VENDOR INVOLVEMENT
All major vendors whose products are covered in the feature comparison, such as Citrix, Microsoft, Quest and VMware have been approached in advance to create awareness of this whitepaper and discuss the different features and functionality.

1.4

CONTACT
PQR; Tel: +31 (0)30 6629729 E-mail: info@pqr.nl ; www.pqr.com Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/pqr_nl We try to provide accurate, clear, complete and usable information. We appreciate your feedback. If you have any comments, corrections, or suggestions for improvements of this document, we want to hear from you! Please send e-mail to Ruben Spruijt (rsp@pqr.nl) Include the product name and version number, and the title of the document in your message.

THIS DOCUMENT IS PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND FOR REFERENCE PURPOSES ONLY COPYRIGHT PQR IT IS NOT ALLOWED TO (PARTIALLY) PUBLISH OR DISTRIBUTE CONTENT WITHOUT APPROVAL

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2.
2.1

ABOUT
ABOUT PQR
PQR is the professional ICT infrastructure specialist with a focus on availability of data, applications and work spaces with optimized user experience in a secure and manageable way. PQR provides its customers innovative ICT solutions that ensure the optimization of application availability and manageability, without processes getting complex. Simplicity in ICT, thats what PQR stands for. PQR has traceable references and a wide range of expertise in the field, proven by many of our high partner statuses and certifications. PQR is Citrix Platinum Solution Advisor, HP GOLD Preferred Partner 2011, Microsoft Gold Partner Advanced Infrastructures & Security, NetApp Star Partner, RES Platinum Partner, VMware Premier Partner en Gold Authorized Consultant Partner, Cisco Premier Certified Partner, CommVault CASP Value Added Reseller, Dell Enterprise Architecture Certified Partner, HDS Platinum Partner, HP ProCurve Master Partner, Juniper JPartner, Veeam Gold ProPartner, Quest Software Platinum Partner and Wyse Premier Partner. Customers of PQR are active in all segments of society and are classified as medium to large enterprises to whom ICT provisioning is vital for running business. Sales is realized in both profit and non-profit organizations, a significant part is realized within the healthcare sector, education and local and national government. PQR informs its clients as a Trusted Advisor about new technologies that keep ICT environments running even easier, creating secure optimal performance and information accessibility from any location or device. By using consolidation and virtualization techniques, PQR works towards an easy to use management environment. This not only applies to system administrators but also to users. PQR supports the new way of working with its Dynamic Datacenter concept and cloud computing abilities. PQR implements private cloud infrastructures where availability of data, applications and workplaces in a secure and manageable way is key, and also designs and implements a variety of desktop virtualization like server based computing, virtual desktop infrastructures (VDI), blade PCs and typical fat clients. In this way PQR is offering an ICT environment that increases productivity and entails significant cost decreases, not only in management but also in energy consumption. PQR provides an ICT infrastructure that is stable, flexible and future proof. PQR has extensive experience in designing and implementing server & storage environments, including networking and security. Traditionally, massive storage environments have been PQRs specialty. PQRs approach is based on four main pillars: Data & Systems Availability Application & Desktop Delivery Secure Access & Secure Networking Advanced IT Infrastructure Management

The PQR approach is always transparent. To avoid common pitfalls of default configurations, only the best suitable solution will be selected, naturally in consultation with the client. During the whole process of designing up to implementation, PQR carries responsibility to deliver (part of) projects to its final result, as a rule against fixed prices and corresponding guarantees. PQR calls this Simplicity in ICT. PQR, founded in 1990, is headquartered in De Meern and counts over 100 employees. In fiscal year 2009/2010 posted sales of 70.4 million and a net after tax profit of 2.5 million have been recorded. www.pqr.com

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2.2

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Team leader Ruben Spruijt, Technology Officer. Ruben Spruijt, born in 1975, studied Computer Science and started his career as a Systems Engineer at A-Tree Automatisering. He has been working as a Solutions Architect at PQR since 2002. Focusing on Server and Storage, Virtualization and Application Delivery solutions, PQR implements and migrates advanced ICT-infrastructures and has achieved the highest certifications of its most important partners: HP Preferred Partner Gold, Microsoft Gold Certified Partner, Citrix Platinum Solution Advisor, VMware Premier and Consultancy Partner. In his job, Ruben is primary focused on Application and Desktop Delivery, hardware and software Virtualization. Ruben has been awarded the Microsoft Most Value Professional (MVP), Citrix Technology Professional (CTP) and VMware vExpert titles. At various local and international conferences Ruben presents his vision and profound knowledge of Application and Desktop Delivery and Virtualization solutions. He is initiator of PQRs conceptual modes of Application and Desktop Delivery solutions and Data and System Availability solutions and originator of www.virtuall.eu, the solutions showcase of PQR. He has written several articles that have been published by professional magazines and informative websites. To contact Ruben directly send an email to rsp@pqr.nl. Follow ruben on twitter: @rspruijt. A-Team! Only through the effort and persistence of the VDI Smackdown team we achieved the goals, a big thanks to them! Name Rob Beekmans Sven Huisman Olaf Voorhoeve Peter Sterk Position Consultant PQR Consultant PQR Sr. Consultant PQR Consultant PQR Contact rbe@pqr.nl shu@pqr.nl ovo@pqr.nl pst@pqr.nl Role Writer Writer Writer Reviewer Twitter @robbeekmans @svenh @ovoorhoeve @petersterk

Community effort Thanks to the reviewers and contributors, especially Jurjen van Leeuwen and Bjorn Bats, Carl Webster, Pim van de Vis, Arjan Beijer and Andrew Wood; Thanks! Special thanks A special thanks to Chris Wolf of Burton Group (a Gartner Company) for his insights, ideas and opinions with regards to Server-Hosted Virtual Desktops and this whitepaper. Burton Group created an In-Depth Research Assessment Server-Hosted Virtual Desktops with document ID: 68090 really worth reading. Follow Chris on Twitter Suggestions and improvements We did our best to be truthful and accurate in investigating and writing-down the different solutions. When you see improvements please let us know. You will be rewarded with eternal fame . Thank you for helping to make this whitepaper better by emailing rsp@pqr.nl

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3.
3.1

UNDERSTANDING ALL THE APPLICATION AND DESKTOP DELIVERY SOLUTIONS

INTRODUCTION
Before you do a deep dive in the Virtual Desktop Infrastructure arena, its important to have an overview of all the Application- and Desktop Delivery solutions. PQR created the Application & Desktop Delivery Solutions Overview to provide a full at-aglance outline of the various application and desktop delivery solutions. Reading this chapter will give you a complete outline of the diagram and all the application and desktop solutions that are included in it. There are so many delivery solutions available on the market that - often due to a lack of knowledge - their functionalities are frequently confused. This paragraph does not aim to describe all application scenarios or their technical advantages and disadvantages, but to give a general idea of the state of affairs in the application and desktop delivery segment, independent of vendors.

Figure 1, Application and Desktop Delivery Solutions Overview

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3.2

TRUSTED AND UNTRUSTED WORK PLACE SCENARIOS

Trusted work places are devices that are connected to the existing IT backend infrastructure via wired or wireless LAN/WAN. Untrusted work places are devices that do not have a secure wired or wireless LAN/WAN connection to the existing IT backend infrastructure or devices which arent centrally managed by the IT department. This is, for example, equipment that is connected to a separate network segment for security reasons or because it is used from home or at a work experience location. Each organization has different work place and application delivery scenarios. For the IT department, it is important to have a good overview of the various work place and application delivery scenarios, since this indicates how the various users work with the applications or what their requirements are.

3.3

SECURE ACCESS
Secure Access solutions provide secure access for untrusted devices to corporate IT. The two parts of the symbol stand for secure (the shield) and access (the traffic light). Depending on the chosen solution, secure access can also be fine-grained. The Secure Access solution can be a full-blow (SSL) VPN solution or a Gateway Services which is targeted for Server Hosted Desktops. Solutions that can be used to realize secure access scenarios include Cisco ASA, Citrix Access Gateway, Juniper SSL VPN, Microsoft Unified Access Gateway (UAG) and VMware View Security Server.

3.4

WEB APPLICATION ACCELERATION

Web Application Acceleration appliances accelerate and secure web-architected applications. We are all confronted with these solutions nowadays: internet applications such as Google, MSN and eBay all use them. Web application acceleration solutions are not just useful for large organizations; however, you could also use them for your own web applications. Solutions that facilitate web application acceleration and security include packages such as Citrix Netscaler and F5 BigIP.

3.5

CONNECTION BROKER
The connection broker determines which server-hosted remote desktop will be made available to the client. When using a server-hosted virtual desktop infrastructure for this, it is possible to either designate dedicated desktops or a pool of remote desktops. The desktop broker can automatically create, remove or pause remote desktops. There are a number of connection broker suppliers. Citrix with XenDesktop, Microsoft with Remote Desktop Services, and VMware with View are the best-known total solutions. Depending on the supplier, the connection broker may have additional functions, such as a web interface that can create secure (SSL) connections to remote desktops, Directory Services integration, Full USB support, support for various display protocols and integration with Remote Desktop Services (former Terminal Services). Depending on the rules, it is possible to execute applications centrally on a server-hosted VDI or on a terminal server.

3.6

APPLICATION STREAMING AND VIRTUALIZATION

Through application streaming and virtualization, Microsoft Windows applications can be used without changing the local operating system or installing application software at a particular

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work place. In other words; the application can be executed as if it had been installed locally and can save data and print without the need of any modifications to the local client. Resources such as the CPU, memory, hard disk and network card take care of the execution of these applications. Application Streaming and Virtualization can make applications available to desktops, laptops, server-hosted VDIs and Remote Desktop Services (TS) platforms. The applications are executed on a client platform, without needing to modify the platform. The advantages of Application Virtualization include: installation, upgrade, roll-back, delivery speed and the ease of application support (management). Installation of applications is no longer necessary, eliminating the possibility of conflicts. The result is a dynamic application delivery infrastructure. Application Streaming and Virtualization solutions include: Citrix (XenApp) Application Streaming, Microsoft App-V, Symantec Workspace Virtualization, Spoon and VMware ThinApp.

3.7

OS PROVISIONING
OS Provisioning allows workstations to boot up and run from a central image. A single image can be used simultaneously by multiple workstations. The advantage of this is that complete operating systems, including applications and clients, can be made available quickly and securely. It is possible to make a single image available to multiple VDIs, RDS and physical desktop environments without causing conflicts. As a result, it is possible to upgrade or roll-back an OS quickly, simply, and without significant risks. When virtual desktops use OS streaming, (valuable) storage is saved, and the management of virtual desktops becomes relatively simple. This means that virtual or physical machines using OS Provisioning can become stateless devices. Citrix Provisioning Services, part of the XenDesktop and XenApp family, Doubletake Flex, Wanova Mirage, Wyse Streaming Manager (WSM) and the VMware View Composer are solutions that facilitate OS Provisioning.

3.8

SERVER-HOSTED VIRTUAL DESKTOP (VDI)

VDI, Virtual Desktop infrastructure = Dedicated Virtual Desktop
There are two kinds of VDI: server-hosted and client-side. A Server-Hosted Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) is a dedicated remote desktop solution providing remote access to Windows XP/Vista/Win7 or Linux desktops. The virtual machines are run from within the data center. The virtual infrastructure increases the systems independence, availability and manageability. The implementation of Server-Hosted VDIs means that desktops are no longer bound to a location or end-user appliance. Each user has their own unique, personalized, fully independent work place. Programs run and data is processed and stored on a centralized personal desktop. The information is sent to the client screen via a remote display protocol such as Microsoft RDP, Citrix ICA/HDX, Teradici/VMware PC-over-IP, SPICE or VNC. The protocol used for displaying the correct information depends on the operating system, bandwidth, the type of application, and the technical facilities. As with other desktop delivery solutions, VDI consist of various infrastructure components that facilitate management, load balancing, session control and secure access to virtual work stations. Microsoft, Citrix, Kaviza, Quest, Oracle, Virtual Bridges, RedHat and VMware are all important suppliers within the server-hosted VDI segment.

3.9

SERVER-HOSTED (VIRTUAL) DESKTOP WITH GPU ACCELERATION

The Graphical Processor Unit (GPU) acceleration functionality can be added to the serverhosted VDI solution. It provides each (virtual) machine with enough graphic performance to run multimedia, 2D/3D, NextGen and Unified Communications.

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Display data is presented to the client device via an optimized remote display protocol. To ensure that the end-users experience the best possible performance, the bandwidth, latency, or local (software) components have to meet extra requirements. Citrix HDX 3DPro, Microsoft RemoteFX and Teradici are (upcoming) products/solutions in this space.

3.10

REMOTE DESKTOP SERVICES (RDS)

desktops and applications that are run on a terminal server in a data center, Access to the desktop or application is not tied to a location or end-user machine, and programs are executed centrally on the terminal server. The data appears on the client screen through a remote display protocol such as Microsoft RDP or Citrix ICA/HDX. Remote Desktop Services consists of various infrastructure components for management, load balancing, session control and support. It has the advantage that applications are made available quickly and securely, the TCO is low, and applications can be accessed irrespective of location or work place. Suppliers of Remote Desktop Services include Citrix, Ericom, Microsoft and Quest.

Remote Desktop Services (formerly known as Terminal Services) where every user has his or her unique terminal server session. Terminal Services is a solution for the remote access to

3.11

CLIENT-SIDE DESKTOP VIRTUALIZATION (VDI)

Client-side VDI is a dedicated local desktop where the virtual machines run locally on the client device. The hypervisor ensures that each virtual machine is hardware-independent, and makes it possible to simultaneously use a number of virtual machines at the same workstation. The hypervisor plays an essential part in client-side VDI solutions. There are two kinds of Client-side Desktop Virtualization solutions: the client-hosted (type#2) hypervisor is installed and runs as an application on the operating system (be that Windows, Mac OS X or Linux) of the end device. The bare-metal (type #1) client hypervisor acts as the devices base operating system and must be installed before other operating systems. The main differences between type#1 and type#2 hypervisors are hardware support, performance, manageability and end-user experience. Citrix XenClient and Virtual Computer NxTop are Type #1 or bare-metal Client Virtualization Platform (CVP). Microsoft VirtualPC and MED-V, MokaFive, Parallels Desktop, Sun VirtualBox and VMware ACE/Fusion and VMware View Client with Local Mode are Type #2 or client-side VDI solutions.

3.12

CLIENT MANAGEMENT
Any self-respecting professional IT organization is bound to use a Client Management solution, as it is needed to facilitate things such as OS deployment, patch management application and client deployment, asset management, service desk integration, and remote control. Examples of client management systems are Altiris Deployment Solution, IBM BigFix, LANdesk Client Management , Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM), Novell ZENworks and RES Automation Manager.

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3.13

VENDOR MATRIX, WHO DELIVERS WHAT,

In this whitepaper various vendors are mentioned. A vendor overview is provided in this matrix. Vendor Citrix Kaviza Microsoft RedHat Quest Virtual Bridges VMware Teradici HP Citrix Citrix Virtual Computer Virtual Bridges Microsoft VMWare Double Take Citrix Wyse Microsoft Citrix Quest Cisco Citrix Microsoft Juniper Citrix Microsoft Symantec Spoon VMware IBM LANDesk Microsoft Novell RES Product XenDesktop VDI VDI with RemoteFX Enterprise Desktop Virtualization vWorkspace VERDE View PCoverIP Remote Graphics Software XenDesktop HDX3D Pro XenClient NxTop VERDE MED-V ACE/Fusion/Workstation Flex Provisioning Services Streaming Manager (WSM) Windows Server 2008R2 XenApp vWorkspace ASA Access Gateway Unified Access Gateway SA Application Streaming App-V Workspace Virtualization Spoon ThinApp BigFix Client Management Suite System Center Config Manager ZenWorks Automation Manager Solution SH-VDI SH-VDI SH-VDI SH-VDI SH-VDI SH-VDI SH-VDI SH- Physical Desktops SH- Physical Desktops SH- Physical Desktops Client-side Client-side Client-side Client-side Client-side vDesktop vDesktop vDesktop vDesktop vDesktop #1 #1 #1 #2 #2

OS Provisioning OS Provisioning OS Provisioning RDS RDS RDS Secure Secure Secure Secure Access Access Access Access Virtualization Virtualization Virtualization Virtualization Virtualization

Application Application Application Application Application

Client Management Client Management Client Management Client Management RunBook Automation

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4.

DESKTOP VIRTUALIZATION
In the previous chapter an overview of all the Application and Desktop Delivery solutions were explained. In this chapter Desktop Virtualization, server-hosted and client-side, is described.

4.1

INTRODUCTION
Making applications available to the end-user, regardless of the technology being used, is the ultimate strategic objective of an Advanced ICT infrastructure. The Virtual Desktop (vDesktop) is an essential component in the range of Application and Desktop delivery solutions and in essence, provides the following functions: Flexibility: Detach the vDesktop from the endpoint; Several vDesktops next to one another Access: vDesktop works independently of location, endpoint and network; Uniform workstation Security: Server Hosted VDI; data in the computing center Freedom: Every user has their own desktop with administrator access when needed; Management: Hardware-independent image Legacy: It is simple to offer legacy applications on a state-of-the-art platform Sustainability: Power Management, handling the necessary resources in an efficient manner

4.2

TYPES OF DESKTOP VIRTUALIZATION

Desktop Virtualization is the detachment of the desktop, the operating system and the end-user applications from the underlying endpoint or device. This kind of virtualization can be subdivided into two types: With the first type of virtualization, the end-user applications are executed remotely, server hosted, and presented at the endpoint via a Remote Display Protocol. With the second type of Desktop Virtualization solution, the applications are executed at the endpoint, client-side, and presented locally on this workstation. If we study the two virtualization concepts in more detail, five different types of Desktop Virtualization can be identified, these include: Client-side (executed locally) bare-metal (type #1) client hypervisor Client-side (executed locally) client-hosted (type #2) hypervisor Server-hosted (executed remotely) shared desktop (RDS) Server-hosted (executed remotely) personal virtual desktop (VDI) Server-hosted (executed remotely) personal physical desktop (BladePC)

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A graphic overview of the five different desktop virtualization solutions is shown here:

Figure 2; Desktop Virtualization overview

4.3

OVERVIEW OF THE DESKTOP VIRTUALIZATION SOLUTIONS

The five different Desktop Virtualization solutions are outlined in the following paragraphs. 4.3.1 Remote Desktop Services (RDS)

Desktop Virtualization, by means of Server hosted shared remote desktops, is a solution for gaining remote access to desktops and applications that are executed on a Remote Desktop Server (RDS) in the data center. Access to the desktop or application is not connected to a location or end-user equipment and the execution of the programme takes place centrally on the server. The information appears on the client's screen via a remote display protocol such as Microsoft RDP or Citrix ICA/HDX. Every user has his own desktop session but shares the computer platform with other users. Other frequently used terms for this type of desktop virtualization include the following: Terminal Services, Remote Desktop Servers (RDS) and Session or Presentation Virtualization. Suppliers of Server hosted shared remote desktops solutions include, for example, Microsoft, Citrix (XenApp) and Quest (vWorkspace). The Remote Display Protocol of Windows Server 2008R2 is comparable with that of Windows 7. It is, for example, possible to use Windows Media Player, SilverLight, Flash and DirectX with the Microsoft RDP7 protocol and experiences with this have been positive (especially in a LAN environment). 4.3.2 Server Hosted Virtual Desktop (VDI)

Server hosted Personal Remote Virtual Desktops is a solution for gaining remote access to Windows 7 or legacy Windows XP desktops that are executed on a virtual machine in the datacenter. The Virtual Infrastructure ensures availability and manageability. Other frequently used terms for this type of desktop virtualization include the following: Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) or Server Hosted Virtual Desktops (SH-VDI). The use of Server hosted VDI does not require the Windows XP/7 vDesktop to be connected to a location or item of end-user equipment. Each user has their own, unique/personal and completely isolated workstation.

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Program execution, data processing and data storage take place centrally on the personal desktop. The information is displayed on the clients screen via a remote display protocol such as Microsoft RDP, Citrix ICA/HDX or VMware PC-over-IP, to name but a few. Suppliers of overall solutions for Server Hosted Personal Virtual Remote Desktops include, for example, Citrix (XenDesktop) , Microsoft (RDS), Quest (vWorkspace), VirtualBridges (Verde) andVMware (View) 4.3.3 Stateless and stateful Desktops

Stateless and stateful are essential terms, especially in relation to server-hosted remote personal desktops. It is important to understand what these two terms mean. Stateless Desktops: a stateless virtualized desktop is and will always revert to its original state. All machine-related modifications, for example applications that are installed by a user, are removed when the user logs off. User-specific settings that are recorded in the user profile, however, can be stored and re-used. In addition to the above-mentioned benefits of Desktop Virtualization, stateless desktops also offer the following specific properties: The simple roll-out and update of basic images A virtual desktop is guaranteed to be 100% identical The user always has the same (clean) workstation Less effort is required by the management team due to the standardization of images.

Other names for stateless desktops include: pooled, non-persistent or standard desktops. Stateful Desktops: allows the user to have the freedom to install software, and make workspace-related adjustments by saving changes i.e. the state of the workspace, between sessions. Stateful desktops are typically assigned to a specific user. Different terms include assigned, persistent or private desktops. A stateful desktop therefore has the following specific properties: Freedom to install software within the desktop Maintaining all changes to the operating system between reboots

An important aspect regarding stateful desktops is the fact that the roll-out phase, update, upgrade and security of the operating system and the applications is less simple to manage than with the stateless desktops. The impact on (central) storage is also greater than with stateless desktops. De-duplication on the storage array can reduce the storage capacity footprint. Use stateless or stateful!? So, which is better, stateless or stateful?! The answer to this question depends on the functionality that the end-users require and the impact of this functionality on the ICT department.

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4.3.4

Server-Hosted (virtual) Desktop with GPU Acceleration, Blade-PC

An optimum experience has not yet been gained by the end-user with Remote Desktop Services and Server Hosted VDI when using graphic intensive 2D/3D, NextGen and Unified Communications applications. A significant reason for this is the fact that the presence of graphic processor power is lacking in the (current) virtual desktop. The server hosted personal remote physical desktop is the solution and offers users remote access to Windows 7 or legacy Windows XP desktops. These desktops are executed on a physical machine in the data center. Costly blade (professional) workstations, or blade-PCs, are frequently used for the physical machines. The GPU in each blade ensures that every vDesktop is equipped with sufficient graphic processing power in order to be able to execute multimedia, 2D/3D, NextGen and Unified Communications applications. Monitor information is presented on the endpoint device via an optimized remote display protocol. In order to be able to present the information with the enduser gaining the best possible experience with this, additional requirements may be made with regard to bandwidth, latency or locally available (software) components. The expectation is that graphic performance in the physical desktop will become available in the Virtual Machines over time. The Server Hosted Personal Remote Physical Desktops solution is supplied by HP, Citrix and Teradici, to name a few. 4.3.5 Client-side vDesktop

Client-side, or Client-Hosted, desktop virtualization is a solution through which the Virtual Machine(s) is/are executed locally at the end point. The Hypervisor ensures that every virtual machine operates independently of hardware and renders it possible to utilize several Virtual Machines on the workstation at the same time. The hypervisor plays an essential role and can be subdivided into two categories, the bare-metal category and a client-hosted hypervisor. The bare-metal client hypervisor is often referred to as Type #1, as this can be used directly from the hardware resources. The result of this is a near-native performance. The client-hosted hypervisor is installed as an application on the Windows, Mac or Linux operating system, and provides a broader level of hardware support. As this hypervisor is installed on the operating system, this is referred to as Type #2. The performance of the vDesktop is acceptable for the average user, but is definitely not maximal. Citrix XenClient and VirtualComputer NxTop are bare-metal solutions. Microsoft VirtualPC-, XP mode for Windows 7- (build-in feature), MED-V, VMware ACE and Fusion, VMware View Client with Local Mode, Parallels Desktop, Sun VirtualBox are client-side desktop virtualization solutions.

4.4

VDI STRATEGY
The growing reality of the transition to a dynamic datacenter is causing many IT organizations to reevaluate traditional IT operations, support, and management methods. Virtualizing the Desktop is a reasonable piece to support growing numbers of unmanaged desktops, external users, and other use-case scenarios. Its important to have a Vision and Strategy around Application and Desktop Delivery. Designing, building, managing and maintaining the vDesktop infrastructure using the right Technologies, corresponding vendors and products is an important last step. We see a lot organizations primarily focusing on products and vendors and lacking a clear and profound vision and strategy. This approach isnt good or bad, it depends on what the goal of the organization is. When the organization needs a point solution, the various vendors and corresponding products can help to solve this issue and fill-in the demands.

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When the organization is investigating possibilities, advantages, use cases and functionality of the vNext Optimized desktop, a profound vision and strategy should be in place. The following themes should be part of the vDesktop strategy: What are the use-cases? And does the use-case require Virtualization? VD-why, what do I want to achieve?, lowering TCO?, business enabler, overall cost of ownership and cost reducer? What is the Business-case? Whats the user experience using Multimedia, NextGen, Video/Voice, 2D/3D applications? What do users expect from the vDesktop? What endpoints do we support and facilitate and what is the role of these devices in the end-user experience? Secure Access- and Secure networking (http://bit.ly/fGgOHz), how do users, with a variety of endpoints (rich, thin, zero-clients and mobile devices) connect to the vDesktop?! What is the impact of Secure Access and Secure Networking solutions on mobile devices while connecting to the vDesktop? What is the user experience with these solutions? Do we need to manage the endpoints? How is the vDesktop managed? OS deployment, application distribution, patch management etc. etc. Is client management mandatory? Do we need image management? How are Windows applications delivered within the vDesktop? Unattended- or manual Installation, Application Virtualization or the applications are part of the (golden) image? What is the strategy? Is User Installed Applications inside the vDesktop needed? What is the performance and storage impact of Application Virtualization? What is the impact on storage (http://bit.ly/5HTajV) and how does it effect the business-case? Do you need local- or centralized storage? Do we focus on stateless (pooled, shared) and/or stateful (assigned, private) images? What is, for example, the impact on storage, manageability, security, legal and business-case? What is the impact of client management solutions in a stateless VDI scenario? How do we design, build and maintain the (golden) Image(s)? Windows 7 or Windows XP as core vDesktop OS platform? x64 or x86? How does the solution scale? What do we need from a scalability point of view? How do we size the vDesktop and corresponding infrastructure and what are the bestpractices for optimizing the vDesktop? http://www.virtualrealitycheck.net/ What is the performance and bandwidth impact on the network infrastructure; LAN, WAN, wLAN How do we design, build and maintain the users profile and his workspace? Licensing; Operating System, Client Access Licenses and (Business) Applications Do we need to backup (and restore) the vDesktops? Is Anti-Virus needed? Inside the VM or as service module on the Hypervisor? What is the performance impact of AntiVirus? Is the IT organization mature enough to support and maintain the complete technology stack? What is the knowledge and skill-set of the IT-department? Is separation of Operating System - Application - and User Prefferences inside- and outside the vDesktop part of the overall strategy?

Bottom Line: Whats your current Desktop strategy?!

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5.
5.1

VENDORS AND THEIR VDI SOLUTION

INTRODUCTION
To get an overview of the major players in the Server hosted VDI space, a number of products are explained in this chapter (sorted alphabetically by vendor).

5.2

CITRIX XENDESKTOP
INTRODUCTION Citrix has a long history in Server Based Computing with its XenApp product (formally known as MetaFrame Presentation Server). After the acquisition of XenSource, Citrix added two new product lines to its portfolio; Citrix XenServer for server virtualization and Citrix XenDesktop for desktop virtualization. Combined with the company's existing application virtualization product (as a part of XenApp), these two new additions give Citrix an end-to-end virtualization portfolio. ARCHITECTURE The architecture of XenDesktop consists of multiple components. This makes the initial setup of XenDesktop more complex than some other solutions. The tasks of the connection broker or the Delivery Controller are:

Figure 3, XenDesktop architecture

Authenticates users Manages assembling the users desktop environment Brokers connections between the user and his virtual desktop

Other components of the XenDesktop infrastructure are: Virtual Infrastructure (XenServer, Microsoft Hyper-V or VMware vSphere), Licensing server, Datastore, Provisioning server, Web Interface and Access Gateway for secure remote access. XenApp can also be included in the infrastructure for accessing remote or streamed applications. A XenDesktop agent is required in the guest VM or Blade PC. The agent enables direct connections between the endpoint and the users virtual desktop. On the endpoint the Citrix Receiver is required. The Receiver provides simple access from any device, anywhere, to virtual desktops and applications.

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The protocol used for XenDesktop (and XenApp) is the ICA protocol and has some special features. The ICA protocol performs better on limited bandwidth and higher latency than the RDP protocol. Citrix HDX Technologies were introduced in XenDesktop 4. HDX consists of several elements that should improve the user experience, such as VoIP and webcam support, 3D support, enhanced audio and optimization for use over WAN. LICENSING XenDesktop is available in 4 editions: Express VDI Enterprise Platinum

Each license type includes, next to the Desktop Delivery Controller (the broker) the right to use certain components of Citrix: XenApp, XenServer, Provisioning Server, Access Gateway, EdgeSight for desktops, etc. Express is the free version with the least components and allows up to 10 desktops and Platinum is the most advanced. An overview of the 4 different editions and their features can be found here

5.3

KAVIZA
(Not yet included in the version 1.1 of the Feature comparison matrix)
INTRODUCTION Many customers have been priced out of traditional VDI solutions because of the complexity and the high upfront cost of deploying these solutions. Kaviza addresses this market with VDIin-a-box - an all-in-one virtual appliance that provides high-availability without requiring shared storage. Kaviza eliminates complexity by bundling all the VDI functions including load balancing, connection brokering, dynamic desktop provisioning, and high-availability into a single turnkey virtual appliance. Kaviza runs on off-the-shelf commodity hardware with direct attached storage - this eliminates the high infrastructure requirements of traditional VDI. Kaviza's grid scales on-demand and additional servers can be added as desktop needs grow. Kaviza has a strategic license with Citrix to resell HDX with its virtual desktops. Customers can buy Kaviza virtual desktops with HDX for $160 per concurrent user without needing any XenDesktop or XenApp licenses. Kaviza is hypervisor agnostic and currently supports both VMware ESX and Citrix XenServer. Support for Hyper-V is on the roadmap.

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Figure 4, Kaviza solutions overview

ARCHITECTURE As shown above, Kaviza uses a distributed grid architecture that consists of one or more servers each running a hypervisor and the Kaviza kMGR virtual appliance. The kMGR appliances on each server communicate and work together to: Run the desktops; Ensure there are redundant copies of key data so theres no single point of failure; Dynamically and automatically incorporate new servers; Detect and dynamically recover from server failures; Simplify management by allowing the administrator to manage the solution as if it were one logical server.

5.4

MICROSOFT VIRTUAL DESKTOP INFRASTRUCTURE

INTRODUCTION With the technology originally called Terminal Services, a user is connected with a session on a Windows Server which allows for providing a full desktop session or individual programs(called RemoteApp) on the users client device. A single Windows Server can host many sessions simultaneously, allowing multiple users sharing the same system resources. With the launch of Windows Server 2008 R2 in October 2009, the name Terminal Services was replaced by Remote Desktop Services(RDS). Windows Server 2008 R2 also introduced a new role, namely "Remote Desktop Virtualization Host". By adding this role to Microsofts hardware virtualization platform, called Hyper-V, Remote Desktop Services now also allows for providing users with a dedicated virtual desktop running a Windows Client operating system. With SP1 for Windows Server 2008 R2, Microsoft added RemoteFX to Remote Desktop Services. The RemoteFX technology allows for a better user experience when using Remote Desktop Services. RemoteFX allows USB redirection, high-definition video and using 3D applications over Microsofts Remote Desktop Protocol. RemoteFX works for virtual desktops as well as session based desktops.

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ARCHITECTURE Microsoft utilizes its own Remote Desktop Protocol(RDP) to provide the remote desktop or remote application to the user. For the best experience and functionality a client device should run Windows 7 with RDP7. The Microsoft Virtual Desktop Infrastructure consists of the following Windows Server 2008 R2 roles: Remote Desktop Gateway(RDG) This is an optional role to provide secure access to the Microsoft Virtual Desktop Infrastructure from internet-based clients. Remote Desktop Web Access(RDWA) This role provides access to the desktops and/or remote applications available for a specific user. After the user browses to the Web Access URL and authenticates, Web Access provides a webpage displaying the shortcuts to the resources available to this user. If the client device is running Windows 7 and is on the corporate LAN the shortcuts can be also integrated in the users Start Menu. Remote Desktop Connection Broker (RDCB) The Connection Broker tells Web Access which resources are available to the user. The RDCB role is the broker which connects the client to the correct resource selected by the user in Web Access. Remote Desktop Session Host(RDSH) Formerly known as a Terminal Server, RDSH provides server hosted desktops or remote applications to the client. When in Redirect Mode the Session Host redirects the client session to a virtual desktop hosted on a Remote Desktop Virtualiation Host. Remote Desktop Virtualization Host(RDVH) A Virtualization Host is a Microsoft Hyper-V host with the Virtualization Host agent service installed. The Virtualization Host agent service manages the starting of the virtual machines when a user wants to connect. The RDVH uses a Session Host in Redirect Mode to connect a virtual desktop to a client.

Figure 5, Microsoft VDI architecture

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LICENSING Microsoft also offers VDI suites. The standard VDI Suite includes the basic infrastructure and management components required for a VDI deployment, and the VDI Premium Suite includes additional desktop and application deployment options. Both Volume Licenses are available as device based subscriptions on top of Software Assurance, thereby complementing the VDA license. The Microsoft VDI Standard Suite includes licenses to the following technologies: Hypervisor platform (Hyper-V Server 2008 R2) An integrated management suite for VDI (System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008 R2, System Center Operations Manager 2007 R2, and System Center Configuration Manager 2007 R2) Microsoft Application Virtualization through the Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack (MDOP) Connection brokering capability through Windows Server 2008 R2 Remote Desktop Services.

The Microsoft VDI Premium Suite includes all the features of the Microsoft VDI Standard Suite, and adds: Complete Remote Desktop Services capability, including the option to deploy session based desktops in addition to VDI desktops. Microsoft Application Virtualization for Remote Desktop Services Feature RDS SCVMM SCOM SCCM MDOP (included AppV / MED-V App-V for RDS RDS brokering for published apps (RemoteApp VDI standard

VDI Premium

5.5

QUEST VWORKSPACE
INTRODUCTION Quest vWorkspace is the result of an acquisition in 2007 by Quest of a company called Provision Networks. Founded in 2004, Provision Networks aimed to reduce the adoption barriers of virtual desktop deployment and application delivery, through cutting-edge technologies that address the end-to-end requirements of global deployments. Quest vWorkspace delivers virtual applications and desktops from multiple hypervisors, Remote Desktop Services and blade PCs through a single user access point and management center. A key component of the vWorkspace offering is Quest EOP (Experience Optimized Protocol), a set of technologies that embrace and extend the Microsoft RDP protocol to provide a near local user experience over both LAN and WAN.

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ARCHITECTURE The connection broker is called the vWorkspace Connection Broker. Other components are a vWorkspace configuration database, vWorkspace web interface and vWorkspace SSL gateway server. The protocol that is used to connect to the desktop is the regular RDP protocol. For a better (graphics) performance over WAN the EOP protocol (Experience Optimized Protocol) can be used.

Figure 6; Quest vWorkspace solutions overview

LICENSING Quest vWorkspace is available in 2 types of licenses: The Desktop Services Edition and Enterprise Edition. Both are available as concurrent and device based licenses.

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5.6

ORACLE VIRTUAL DESKTOP INFRASTRUCTURE

(Not yet included in the version 1.1 of the Feature comparison matrix)
INTRODUCTION Oracle (previous SUN) offers a VDI solution that is made up of four main components: virtualization platform, session management (VDI Core), desktop access clients and storage. The central component is the SUN VDI core (broker). This component is responsible for the session management. IT architects can mix and match the different components to fit the needs of the customer. For example, when a customer wants to use Sun Ray thin clients but not the Sun VDI core as a broker, the customer can user VMware View as a broker with the Sun Ray software to use the Appliance Link Protocol (ALP), which is used by Sun Ray ultra-thin clients. ARCHITECTURE The architecture of Oracle VDI is described below.

Figure 7, SUN's VDI stack

The basis for a VDI architecture is the virtualization platform. In addition to creating and storing virtual machines, the virtualization platform offers the core functionality needed for virtual desktop management such as starting, stopping, and snapshotting virtual machines. Sun VDI 3.1 supports the Sun VirtualBox, VMware vCenter, Microsoft Hyper-V, and Microsoft Remote Desktop Services virtualization platforms. SESSION MANAGEMENT The central component of the Sun VDI is the Sun VDI Core. The VDI Core provides all the functionality needed to build and manage large scale virtual machine deployments. In addition to its management capabilities, the VDI Core is also responsible for the brokering of virtual desktops on behalf of desktop access clients.

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DESKTOP ACCESS Three distinct mechanisms are supported for access to virtual desktops. Sun Ray DTU or Sun Desktop Access Client - Users can access their virtual desktops through a Sun Ray Desktop Unit (DTU) or through Sun Desktop Access Client software by authenticating themselves with a user name and password, or a token card can be inserted in a Sun Ray DTU instead of providing a user name. Successful authentication initiates a custom Sun Ray Software Kiosk Session. The custom Kiosk Session uses the Sun VDI Core to request access to a virtual desktop on behalf of the user. Once a virtual desktop has been assigned to the user, a Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) connection to the desktop is established for the session using the Sun Ray Windows Connector. Secure Web Access with SGD - In this case, the browser is used to initiate a Sun Secure Global Desktop Software (SGD) session. SGD, in turn, uses the VDI Core's RDP redirection capability to establish a connection to an assigned virtual desktop. RDP Client Access - (RDP redirection must be supported on the client side to use this mechanism). As with the previous case, the VDI Core's redirection capability is used to establish a connection to an assigned virtual desktop.

5.7

VIRTUAL BRIDGES, VERDE

Founded in 2006, Virtual Bridges is based in Texas, USA. In 2009 Virtual Bridges launched VERDE, an end-to-end desktop management solution that combines online and offline VDI and remote branch solutions. VERDE = Virtual Enterprise Remote Desktop Environment and is an end-to-end virtual desktop infrastructure and management solution that combines VDI, offline VDI and VDI remote branch solutions to remove the management burden, complexity and cost traditionally associated with desktop virtualization solutions. VERDE offers unified management and reporting through a single console and is adaptable for todays dynamic environment. Ideal for companies of all sizes, VERDE can scale up to ten thousand clustered servers or scale down to a single-server configuration. The VERDE suite includes: VERDE Core, VERDE Console, VERDE VDI, VERDE LEAF, VERDE

Cloud Branch;

VERDE Core includes: Servers and Clusters Gold Master Images AD/Directory Services Shared Storage Desktops hosted and managed in datacenter Clients: PCs, Mac, Thin Clients & PDAs, Windows and Linux VERDE Display protocol, RDP, NX, SPICE

VERDE VDI includes

VERDE Console is a web-based monitoring console which offers real-time visibility to all virtual desktop sessions running on VERDE cluster servers. Administrators have flexibility to view virtual desktop sessions grouped by user or server or based on type of Gold Image. In addition, the console provides real-time server utilization metrics VERDE Leaf, Live Environment Access Format, provides both connected (access to remote virtual desktop sessions) and offline (virtual desktop session is locally cached and executed on the client machine) access. LEAF is a self-contained local desktop virtualization platform that is fully secure, so there is no need to worry about external endpoint security solutions. LEAF also includes integrated VOIP (Skype) applications.

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VERDE Cloud Branch eliminates WAN latency to deliver a native-PC experience even over choppy and unreliable networks. VERDE Cloud Branch reduces network bandwidth in many scenarios while providing business continuity even if the network is down. Our Cloud Branch server connects directly to the VERDE Cluster and Gold Master Image repository, providing a consistent, high-quality experience.

5.8

VMWARE VIEW
INTRODUCTION VMware was founded in 1998 and in the early years focused on providing a platform to run Windows or Linux-based machine virtually. In 1999 this resulted in VMware Workstation. After the launch of ESX in 2001, VMware has made a name in server virtualization and quickly became the market leader in this segment. In early 2008 VMware entered the VDI-market with the launch of VMware VDM 2.0. VMware VDM gave users a central hosted desktop. The name of VDM evolved in a new product suite: VMware View. In 2009 VMware partnered with Teradici for their display protocol specifically developed for server hosted (virtual) desktop and BladePCs, PC-over-IP. This partnership allowed VMware to make a change to the remote display capacity that resulted in a major enhancement to the user experience. PC-over-IP technology is delivered in both hardware and software implementations and VMware View 4.x is based on the software version. PC-over-IP resolved the challenges of provisioning, managing and securing enterprise desktops. In 2010 VMware introduced Local Mode for offline desktop support. Local Mode allows end users to: Checkout a desktop from the datacenter to run on the client device regardless of network connectivity. Enjoy a full fidelity desktop experience with 3D DirectX9c support, Aero glass effects on Win7, support for devices like web-cams and VoIP. Immediately get access to a replica desktop if the client device (e.g. laptop) fails or is lost. Get a real choice of client devices. April 2011 Page 22/38

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ARCHITECTURE VMware Views architecture is show below. Apart from the VMware Virtual infrastructure you only need the View Manager to be up and running. To use the linked-clones technology, the VMware View composer is installed on the VMware vCenter server. With this feature it is possible to use one (snapshot of) a golden image to deploy virtual desktop VMs and save diskspace because the VMs uses the same golden image and an additional delta-file for changes. The protocols used with VMware View 4.x are RDP and PCoIP. Under certain conditions the protocols SUN ALP and HP RGS can also be used.

Figure 8, VMware VDI solution

LICENSING VMware View comes in 2 flavors: View Enterprise and View Premier. The View Premier license includes View Composer (Linked-clones, single disk image provisioning) and ThinApp (application virtualization). You can also decide to purchase VMware View with licenses for vSphere and vCenter, but you are only allowed to run desktop VMs with those licenses. A summary of the basic packages can be found here A full overview of the different packages can be found here.

5.9

ROADMAP
This document is just a starting point in the VDI Smackdown space.

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Our aim is to add other server-hosted desktop virtualization solutions, such as Virtual Bridges VERDE and RedHat RHEV to the feature compare matrix when time is right. Extending the scope to client-side, type #1 bare metal, desktop virtualization solutions such as Citrix XenClient, VirtualComputer NxTop and Virtual Bridges LEAF is part of the roadmap as well, so stay tuned!

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6.

VDI FEATURES COMPARISON

Its important to understand the comparing features are the last step in the decision tree. Vision, Strategy and Technology are the former steps. Each desktop virtualization product has its own functionality and feature-set. This chapter describes the features in a very detailed way. We did our best to be truthful and accurate in investigating and writing-down the different features. When you see improvements please let us know. This matrix is developed with the following virtualization products and versions:

6.1

PRODUCT VERSION
Product Citrix XenDesktop Microsoft VDI/RDS Quest vWorkspace VMware View Legenda: = Applicable; X = Not applicable; ~= It depends; # = Under investigation RDP =Only supported with RDP; RF =Only supported with RemoteFX PCoIP = Software implementation of PCoverIP; Version 5.0 2008 R2 SP1 (RFX) 7.2 4.6 Release date December 2010 February 2011 December 2010 February 2011

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6.2

FEATURE COMPARISON MATRIX

VMware View Quest vWorkspace Microsoft VDI Citrix XenDesktop
X X
RDP

Category User Experience Connect Client Drives at logon Connect Client Printers at logon Connect Client COM ports at logon Microphone support Speaker support VoIP; Bi-directional audio LAN (11kbps each way) VoIP; Bi-directional audio WAN; (11kbps each way) latency reduction and bandwidth compression USB device support; USB hub Full USB USB device support; USB 2.0 isochronous USB Camera (Mass Storage Device) USB device access restrictions granular (type/serial) Clipboard re-direction; text Clipboard re-direction; files-folders Twain (scanner) device support Client-to-server Folder redirection Client time zone redirection Regional settings redirection Webcam support (LAN) Webcam support (WAN); bandwidth compression and latency reduction Audio codec - System sounds (22Kbps) Audio codec - Optimized for Speech (34kbps) Audio codec - HQ audio (192Kbps) Adobe Flash support; server-side rendered Adobe Flash support; client-side rendering Adobe Flash support; client-side failover to server-side when network latency exceeds thresholt Server-side content/Adobe flash fetching Client-side content/Adobe flash fetching Microsoft Silverlight; server-side rendered Microsoft Silverlight; client-side rendering Multimedia (A/V) redirection; server-side rendering Multimedia (A/V) redirection; client-side rendering 2D/3D Progressive Display Internet Explorer Redirection (Server -> Client) Dynamic (extra) Color Compression Network latency masking / reduction Connect network printers with vDesktop policies ClearType fonts support Aero support (Win7) 3D OpenGL support 3D DirectX support GPU compression for Remote Desktop protocol GPU Virtualization, share GPU with multiple vDesktops

Remarks

~
X
RFX RFX RFX

~
X X X X X X
RFX

X X
PCoIP PCoIP PCoIP

~ Win7 or 2008 R2

X
RFX

X X X X X X X X X X X

X X X X X X
PCoIP

Client XP, Vista and Win7 with OCS 2007 only

X X X
PCoIP

X
PCoIP RDP PCoIP RDP

with Wyse TCX additions

X X
PCoIP

~
X
RFX RFX

#
X X X X X
~ (Blade) PC with HDX3DPro ~ (Blade) PC with HDX3DPro ~ (Blade) PC with HDX3DPro HDX3DPro = XD4 only Hyper-V R2 SP1 only

~ ~ ~
X X

X
RFX

X
RFX

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VMware View Quest vWorkspace Microsoft VDI Citrix XenDesktop

X X X
RFX

Category Multimonitor support using GPU compression 16-bit color support 24-bit color support 32-bit color support Multi-monitor support - Spanning Multi-monitor support - Pivoting Multi-monitor support 2 Multi-monitor support 4 Multi-monitor support >4 Full-HD support (1920x1200) per monitor Maximum resolution 4096 x 2048 2560*1600 1920*1200 1680*1050 <1400*900 Language bar docking Auto-resize user desktop Dynamically adjust client printer configuration Dynamically adjust network printer configuration Dynamically adjusts client monitor configuration Printing bandwidth optimization; image compression Printing bandwidth optimization; image compression and redundant image removal Session reconnection from new and current clients Unified Communications (MS OCS 2007) vendor support and bestpractices A/V in LAN scenarios Unified Communications (MS OCS 2007) vendor support and bestpractices A/V in WAN scenarios; latency reduction and bandwidth compression Unified Communication (Microsoft OCS 2007) A/V rendered on end-point Toolbar; connect/disconnect client devices Toolbar; determine client-side file access Fast session connect and reconnect; session pre-launch User Installed Applications integrated in vDesktop Optimized for bandwidth restricted environments (<256 Kbps) and - high latency connections (>150 ms) Single Sign-on from Windows endpoint to vDesktop Seamless application publishing Reverse seamless, Windows- and Web application publishing Welcome screen, customizable On-demand web installer for Windows endpoint client software On-demand web installer for Mac OSX endpoint client software Supported Remote Display Protocols Microsoft RDP 6.1 Microsoft RDP 7.0 Microsoft RDP 7.1 (RemoteFX)

Remarks

RDP RDP

~
X X X X X X

X X X

X
RDP PCoIP PCoIP

~ Win7 or 2008 R2 ~ Win7 or 2008 R2

X
RDP

PCoIP

~ Win7 or 2008 R2

X X X X X X

X X

Keep in mind: Microsoft support policy is key (limited support!) Keep in mind: Microsoft support policy is key (limited support!)

~
X X

X X X X X X X X X X

X X X X X X X

X X X X

~
X X X

Latency is limiting

~
X

~ VM Hosted Apps only

X X

RemoteFX integration

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VMware View Quest vWorkspace Microsoft VDI Citrix XenDesktop

Category Citrix ICA/HDX VMware / Teradici PCoIP HP RGS VNC SUN ALP RAdmin NX Quest EOP xRDP Management User Profile Management Bandwidth/resource management: printing Bandwidth/resource management: client drives Bandwidth/resource management: USB Bandwidth/resource management: Audio Bandwidth/resource management: Video Bandwidth/resource management: Adobe Flash Universal print driver; client connected printers Universal print driver; server side / network printers Universal printer driver: EMF support Manage client drive redirection Manage client USB redirection Remote session control; session shadowing Bandwidth Protocol Management Adobe Flash Quality; configure through policy Support low bandwidth/high latency WAN connections Supports WAN acceleration devices Additional instrumentation (end-to-end monitoring) for vDesktop PowerShell SDK Scripting (none PowerShell) support and command-line interface Microsoft Group Policy-based management for agent/client settings Security and Networking Integrates (SSO) with Citrix Access Gateway Enterprise Integrates (SSO) with Cisco ASA Integrates (SSO) with Juniper SSL-VPN Integrates (SSO) with Microsoft IAG/UAG Integrates (SSO) with F5 FirePass Integrates with Microsoft Sentilion SSO solution Two-factor authentication - RSA Secure ID Two-factor authentication - SMS passcode support Two-factor authentication - Full Radius / IAS support Tunneling (SSL) through Security Server Client device location awareness Version 1.22 April 2011

Remarks

X X X X X X X X

X X X X X X X X X

X X X X X X

X X X X X X

X X X

X X X X X X X

~
X X

~
X

~
X X

X X X X X X X

X X X X X X X X

not included in suite

~
X

~ Windows Remote Assistant

Limit bandwidth per session/ channel WAN = 50kbps/150ms Not available or not in suite yet

~
X

~
RDP

X X

# X

X X X # X X X

X X

X X X # X X X

SSO = Single Sign On

No SSL

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VMware View Quest vWorkspace Microsoft VDI Citrix XenDesktop

X X
RDP

Category Smartcard pass-through support Smartcard logon support for Windows endpoints Smartcard logon support for Linux endpoints Local credentials pass-through Remoting Protocol network traffic shaping Remoting Protocol network QoS Dynamic prioritization of Remote Display Protocol traffic by (3rd party) WAN accelerators Client traffic is secured Management traffic is secured Auditing and security logging of admin actions Security Hardening Guidelines 2048-Bit SSL Certificate Support (WebAccess/SecureGateway) VDI Desktop Assignment Integrated with AD Multi-AD support Multi-AD support; same forest and 2-way trust Based on AD group Based on AD user Based on AD OU Based on Device Name Based on Device Address Restrict access based on time/location/device Restrict functionality based on time/location/device OpenLDAP support Novell eDirectory official support Novell Domain Services for Windows official support Desktop Provisioning Support offline vDesktops, type #1 bare metal Support offline vDesktops, type #2 client-hosted Support offline vDesktops; integrated in VDI management solution Imaging delivery through LAN Imaging delivery through SAN Provisioning Services using local storage Quick Deploy Disposable disks; standard images in Pooled Desktops Stateful; assigned/private images Integrates with Microsoft Hyper-V differencing disks Stateless; pooled/standard images Stateless; pooled/standard images centrally managed vDisk write cache can be stored on CIFS share vDisk write cache can be stored in memory Automatic creation of desktops Manual creation of desktops Provision desktops across hypervisor multiple resource pools Provision Desktops across multiple data stores

Remarks

RDP

RDP RDP RDP

VMware ThinClient Linux Partners

X X

X X X X X

X X X X X X X X X

X X X X

~ ~
X X X X X

~ kiosk mode ~ kiosk mode

(Novell not included in QA) (Novell not included in QA)

Offline support as core offering in VDI Stateless VDI only as BestPractice

X X

X X X X X X X X X X X X X

X X X X X X X X X

X X X X X

~
X X

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VMware View Quest vWorkspace Microsoft VDI Citrix XenDesktop

Category Single disk image build-in Single disk image 3rd party Physical desktops / Blade PCs Guest (VM) Operating System support Microsoft Windows 7 32-bit Microsoft Windows 7 64-bit Microsoft Windows 7 SP1 Microsoft Windows Vista 32-bit Microsoft Windows Vista 64-bit Microsoft Windows XP Professional 32-bit MS Windows 95 / 98 MAC OS X Linux CentOS Client (endpoint) Operating System support Microsoft Windows 7 Professional Microsoft Windows Vista Professional Microsoft Windows XP Professional Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional Microsoft Windows Server 2003R2 Microsoft Windows Server 2008 Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 Windows 9x Windows XPe Windows CE Windows Embedded Standard 7 MAC OS X Any OS running Java* Unix flavors Linux flavors IBM OS/2 EPOC / Symbian Wyse Thin OS (WTOS) Wyse Xenith zero client Wyse P20 zero client Apple iPhone/iPod IOS v4.x Apple iPad IOS v4.x Google Android v2.x RIM BlackBerry Windows Phone 7 HTML5 browser

Remarks

X X X

X X X X

X X X

X X X

~
X X X X X X X X X X X X

X X X X X

Basic functionality

X X X X X X

X X X X X
RDP

~ RDC Client v7 not available ~ RDC Client v7 not available

RDC Client v7 not available *) limited functionality RDC Client v7 not available

~
X X X X X X X X X X X X X

X X
RDP

X X
RDP

~ ~
X X X X

~ 3rd party client; Wyse Pocket Cloud ~ 3rd party client; Wyse Pocket Cloud

Internet Browser support for web based access to vDesktop Internet Explorer 6.x Internet Explorer 7.x Internet Explorer 8.x X Internet Explorer 9.x

X X X X

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VMware View Quest vWorkspace Microsoft VDI Citrix XenDesktop

Category Mozilla FireFox 2.x Mozilla FireFox 3.x Opera v9 Safari v4 Safari v5 Google Chrome Java client Supported Protocols for all VDI related components TCP/IP v4 TCP/IP v6 Virtual Infrastructure (Hypervisor) support Citrix XenServer 5.x Citrix XenServer 5.6 FP1 VMware VI 3.5 VMware vSphere 4.0/4.1 Microsoft Hyper-V Microsoft Hyper-V R2 SP1 Virtual Iron Parallels Virtuozzo 5.6 Oracle VM Integration with 3rd party storage Provisioning features Integration with server virtualization storage-provisioning features vDesktop Cluster is limited to <amount>of hosts

Remarks

X X X X X X X

X X X X X X X

~
X X X # # --

X X X X X X X # # --

X X X X # # --

X X X X X X X # # 8 X X X X X

PVS support only

8, Linked Clones only

Virtual Infrastructure Integrated (snapshot, create, delete ) Management X X Citrix XenCenter Microsoft SCVMM 2008 ~ X VMware Virtual Center X X X Virtual Iron X X Parallels Virtuozzo 5.6 X X X Oracle VM Service / Connection Broker Integrated Load balancing Centralized management console Web-based management interface Microsoft Management Console Interface Delegation of control Delegation of control, granular delegated administration roles Console supports multiple concurrent administrators Single management console supports 5K vDesktops VM pool management VM power management Virtual machine power policy User session management
X X X X X # X

~
X X

X X X X

Power Policy when VM are not in use

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VMware View Quest vWorkspace Microsoft VDI Citrix XenDesktop

X X

Category User session disconnect policy; Do nothing/logoff/shutdown Allow users to reset their desktop Multiple active sessions per user Server instance support 1.000 concurrent connections Server instance support 2.000 concurrent connections Server instance support 5.000 concurrent connections Server instance support 10.000 concurrent connections Server instance support 20.000 concurrent connections Total supported vDesktops per farm/pod 10.000 CCU Total supported vDesktops per farm/pod 10.000 - 25.000 CCU Total supported vDesktops per farm/pod 25.000 CCU Provides a Web-based connection interface Provides a Windows based connection interface Provides an Apple Mac OS X supported connection interface Single interface for accessing VDI, RDS/TS Single interface for accessing VDI, RDS/TS and PC Web interface is customizable through GUI Terminal Server 2003 integration with VDI Remote Desktop Services Host 2008 integration with VDI solution; A Single end-user interface for accessing VDI Remote Desktop Services Host 2008 R2 integration with VDI Citrix XenApp 5/6 integration with VDI solution vDesktop Agent High Availability Integration with 3rd party Systems management solutions Integration with 3rd party PC-lifeCycle management solutions Includes client endpoint search capabilities Support for (wildcard) searching across management console Scales performance horizontally via complementary application delivery platform Customizable Management Console ; change/add/move columns, change view layout FIPS 140-2 compliance Connection Broker / Service OS support Microsoft Windows Server 2000 Microsoft Windows Server 2003 R2 Microsoft Windows Server 2003 R2-64-bit Microsoft Windows Server 2008 Microsoft Windows Server 2008 64-bit Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 64-bit Virtual (Linux) appliance Datastore / database OS support Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Express Edition Microsoft SQL Server 2008/SP1 Express Edition Microsoft SQL Server 2008R2 Express Edition Microsoft SQL Server 2005

Remarks

~
X X X # # # X X X X X # X X #

X X X X X X X # #

X X X X X X X X X X X # X X X #

Integration = A Single end-user interface for accessing VDI and RDS

~
#

HA time limited; dedicated vDesktop

~
X #

X X X X

X X X X X X

X X

X X X X X

X X

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VMware View Quest vWorkspace Microsoft VDI Citrix XenDesktop

Category Microsoft SQL Server 2008R2 Microsoft SQL Server 2008/SP2 Microsoft Access Oracle Enterprise 10.2 Support and Community Certification program for 3rd-party VDI software vendors Certification program for thin-client vendors; Ready Public and active community forum Official training classes available Official certification program, VUE or Prometric VDI technology stack is proven, the solution is being used for 1+ year in enterprise production environments. 10K+ endpoint, various deployment scenarios 10+ of public available enterprise (10K CCU) references in EU using VDI technology stack 10+ of public available enterprise (10K CCU) references in US using VDI technology stack Enterprise Reference Architecture, public available Licenses No external license server required First year support and maintenance included in license 24 x 7 support included in license Concurrent user/desktop licenses Per device licenses Per named user licenses Grace period Offline mode Free for personal usage (FFPU) VDI Assessment software included in license

Remarks

X X

X X

X X

~
X X

X X

X X

~
X X X

~
X X
Note to vendors: please hand-over a list with public references Note to vendors: please hand-over a list with public references

X X X

X X X X

X X X X X X

X X X

X X X

1st year included

~
X X X X

~ (Local VDI = concurrent)

10 users Express Edition

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7.

CHANGE LOG
Date February 2011; Document version 1.2 Updated 2.1 'About PQR' Updated 2.2 'Team Members' Updated chapter 3; (vendor names/solutions) Updated chapter 4; (vendor names/solutions) Updated chapter 4.4 Strategy; Adding various themes Updated 5.4 Microsoft VDI Added chapter 5.6 - Virtual Bridges Verde Updated chapter 5.10 - Roadmap Updated chapter 6.1 New features added o Client endpoint OS support (RIM, Android, WP7, HTML5) o Internet Explorer Browser support o Dynamic Color Compression o Virtual Infrastructure (Hypervisor) support; XenServer 5.6 FP1 o Printing image compression and redundant image removal o SDK and PowerShell cmdlets to Management o Multimonitor support using GPU compression o Seamless application publishing o Reverse seamless application publishing o Welcome screen, customizable o Provisioning Services using local storage Quick Deploy o vDesktop Agent High Availability o Adobe Flash support; client-side failover to server-side when network latency exceeds threshold o FIPS 140-2 compliance o 24 x 7 support included in license o Microsoft Group Policy-based management o On-demand web installer for Windows endpoint client software o On-demand web installer for Mac OSX endpoint client software o Support offline vDesktops, type #1 bare-metal o Support offline vDesktops, type #2 client-hosted o USB device access restrictions granular (type/serial) o RemoteFX support changed (also other vendors) o Disposable disks o Stateless; pooled/standard images centrally managed o Windows 7 SP1 Guest (VM) Operating System support o GPU Virtualization, share GPU with multiple vDesktops o Security Hardening Guidelines o Enterprise Reference Architecture, public available o Remote Display Protocol support for Guest xRDP (linux) o Integrates with Microsoft Hyper-V differencing disks o Internet Explorer Redirection (Server -> Client) o 2048-Bit SSL Certificate Support (WebAccess/SecureGateway) o Integrates with Microsoft Sentilion SSO solution o Guest (VM) Operating System support; Linux CentOS o VDI Assessment software included in license o Total supported vDesktops per farm/pod 5.000 CCU o Total supported vDesktops per farm/pod 10.000 25.000 CCU o Total supported vDesktops per farm 25.000 CCU o Server instance support 10.000 concurrent connections

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Server instance support 20.000 concurrent connections Changed Dynamic prioritization of remote Protocol traffic by (3rd party) WAN accelerators o Integrates (SSO) with F5 FirePass Changed features in Citrix XenDesktop5 o Changed Webcam support (LAN) o Changed Webcam support (WAN); bandwidth compression and latency reduction o Removed Access, Oracle, SQL 2005 support o Changed GPU Compression comments o Changed Aero, 3D OpenGL and 3D DirectX support o Changed Connection Broker / Service OS support o Changed Datastore/database OS support o Changed Management, Remote session control; session shadowing o Changed Connection Broker / Service, Web-based management interface o Changed 'No single point of failure by design without additions' o Changed: Single management console supports 5K vDesktops Updated Features VMware View 4.5/4.6 o Changed RBAC and Delegated Administration o Integrated application virtualization management o Improved scalability to 10,000 desktops per management domain o Improved reporting and auditing features o Localization of the View clients and documentation in French, German, Japanese, and Simplified Chinese languages o Changed Official Certification program, VUE or Prometric Changed Network latency masking / reduction o Changed USB device support; USB hub Full USB o Changed USB device support; USB 2.0 isochronous o Changed USB Camera (Mass Storage Device) o Changed No single point of failure by design without additions o Added Windows 7 and Windows 7 x64 Guest support o Added Windows 7 Client (endpoint) Operating System support o Added Per named user licenses (local VDI mode, concurrent user) o Support offline vDesktops; integrated in VDI management solution o Removed Microsoft Windows Vista 64-bit guest OS support o Changed Integration with Systems management solutions (SCOM) o Changed Datastore / database OS support, Oracle for event logging o Change Adobe Flash support; client-side rendering; Wyse TCX doesnt support client side rendering. o Changed Internet Browser support for web based access to vDesktop o Changed Virtual Infrastructure (Hypervisor) support, VI 3.5 o Changed Remote Desktop Services Host 2008/2008R2 integration o Changed Connection Broker / Service OS support o Changed Single management console supports 5K vDesktops Quest vWorkspace v7.2 o Changed Datastore / database OS support, Oracle o Changed: Webcam support (WAN); latency reduction and bandwidth compression and latency reduction o changed: Universal print driver; server side / network printers o Changed: Auditing and security logging of admin actions o Changed: Guest (VM) Operating System support/ Linux o Changed: Apple iPad support o Changed: Single management console supports 5K vDesktops o Printing bandwidth optimization; image compression o o

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Added 3D OpenGL support; RFX only Added 3D DirectX support; RFX only Added GPU Virtualization, share GPU with multiple vDesktops; RFX only Added Microsoft Windows 7 SP1; Guest (VM) Operating System support (30days after release feb 2011) o Changed: Certification program for thin-client vendors; Ready o Changed: Single management console supports 5K vDesktops o Changed Printing bandwidth optimization; image compression and redundant image removal o Changed Printing bandwidth optimization; image compression Microsoft VDI/RemoteFX o Changed USB device support; USB hub Full USB; RFX only o Changed USB device support; USB 2.0 isochronous; RFX only o Changed USB Camera (Mass Storage Device); RFX only o Changed Twain (scanner) device support; RFX only o Changed Webcam support (LAN); RFX only o Changed Aero support (Win7); RFX only o Changed 3D OpenGL support; RFX only o Changed 3D DirectX support; RFX only o Added GPU Virtualization, share GPU with multiple vDesktops; RFX only o Changed Multi-monitor support 4; RFX only o Changed Maximum resolution 4096 x 2048; RDP Only o Changed 2560*1600; RDP only o Changed Microsoft RDP 7.1 o Added Microsoft Windows 7 SP1; Guest (VM) Operating System support (30days after release feb 2011) o o o o Date February 2011; Document version 1.21 Removed some typographical errors Updated chapter 2.1 About PQR Updated VMware View vendors information chapter 5.6 New features added: o Novell Domain Services for Windows support Citrix XenDesktop o Changed 2048-Bit SSL Certificate Support (WebAccess/SecureGateway) o Changed VDI Desktop Assignment Based on AD OU o Changed Concurrent user/desktop licenses Microsoft RemoteFX o Changed: User experience with 3D OpenGL support (RFX) Quest vWorkspace o Changed: User experience with 3D OpenGL support (RFX) o Changed: Web interface is customizable through GUI VMware View 4.5/4.6 o Changed Service / Connection Broker; Integrated Load balancing o Changed On-demand web installer for Windows endpoint client software o Changed On-demand web installer for Mac OSX endpoint client software o Changed Smartcard pass-through support o Changed VDI Desktop Assignment Based on Device Name and Based on Device Address o Changed Datastore / database OS support Oracle Enterprise 10.2 Changed Total supported vDesktops per farm 25.000 CCU

Date April 2011; Document version 1.22

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Updated chapter 3.7; Changed Novell DsFW official support startement VMware View 4.5/4.6 o Changed IPv6 support o Changed Novell DsFW official support startement o Changed Tunneling (SSL) through Security Server

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8.

CONCLUSION
Which Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) Solution is THE best?!; Without a better understanding of the requirements in general its impossible to give an accurate and profound answer in THE question. In essence it depends on various areas as mentioned in paragraph 4.4 VDI Strategy. Its important to have a Vision and Strategy around Application and Desktop Delivery. Designing, building, managing and maintaining the vDesktop infrastructure using the right Technologies, corresponding vendors and products is an important step. This whitepaper is a useful resource in this journey! Keep in mind: VDI fits for every customer but not for every desktop

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as

PQR B.V. Rijnzathe 7 3454 PV De Meern The Netherlands Tel: +31 (0)30 6629729 Fax: +31 (0)30 6665905 E-mail: info@pqr.nl www.PQR.com

as