29
sheridancollege.ca Desktop Virtualization Overview for IT User Experience Governance Committee James Duncan Information Technology [email protected]
sheridancollege.ca
Desktop VirtualizationOverview for IT User Experience Governance Committee
James DuncanInformation [email protected]
sheridancollege.ca
Agenda• Overview of VDI• Current Use Cases• Strengths of VDI• Weaknesses of VDI• Current Limitations• Futures• Demonstration
sheridancollege.ca
What is VDI?
IT USER EXPERIENCE - VDI
VDI = “Virtual Desktop Infrastructure”
• Separation of desktop Operating System (Windows or Linux) from client hardware
• The desktop OS runs in a datacenter rather than on the client’s device
• OS is now accessible from a variety of devices inside or outside the College
• Windows and Mac OS X• iPad / iPhone / Android• Hardware clients (e.g. Zero Clients)
sheridancollege.ca
VMware Horizon View
IT USER EXPERIENCE - VDI
• Two pieces of software are used to implement VDI:• VMware Horizon View – the core desktop
virtualization product• VMware vSphere – the ‘hypervisor’ that allows us to
run multiple virtual machines on servers• We are currently at version Horizon View version 5.3• Version 7 has very recently been released (more on this
later)
http://www.vmware.com/products/horizon-view
sheridancollege.ca
• Desktops run as ‘virtual machines’ on servers in one of the College’s datacenters. Many ‘VMs’ run on each server; clients are sharing the resources of this hardware using a hypervisor.
• All information is stored inside these virtual machines, including the Operating System (Windows), applications, and user data.
• The desktop is accessed over the network from a variety of ‘end points’ – applications on Windows, OS X, iPhone/iPad, or Android, or hardware clients – using an efficient protocol called ‘PC over IP’ or PCoIP for short.
• This protocol carries mouse, keyboard, and any local devices (e.g. USB) from the end point to the VM in the datacenter, and returns the desktop display from the VM back to the end point.
• The result is an experience that is very much like a traditional desktop, but with some key differences…
How does it work (the 5 min ver)
IT USER EXPERIENCE - VDI
sheridancollege.ca
SHERIDAN’S DESKTOP VIRTUALIZATION INFRASTRUCTURE
• Utilizes datacenters in both HMC and Trafalgar campuses for scale and site redundancy
• Multiple servers in each datacenter to provide additional scale and redundancy
• Load Balancers provide automatic failover and load distribution
• Dedicated storage arrays for VDI
sheridancollege.ca
Current Use Cases• Academic Lab and Learning Commons desktops• Staff Desktops• Mobile Computing• Distance Education• “Other”
sheridancollege.ca
• Replacement of traditional desktops with Zero Clients (hardware terminals with no local CPU, GPU or disk storage)
• The user experience is largely the same as before; students log in to use a Windows desktop with a display, keyboard and mouse
• Primarily used by non-mobile students• Hardware costs (Zero Client + Infrastructure + Licensing) is
slightly less expensive than previous desktops used; additional savings when factoring in ease of management
• Funded by existing lease streams – separated into capital hardware costs (Zero Client) and lease infrastructure costs (Storage + Servers)
• Over 800 Zero Clients deployed
• Trafalgar, HMC, and Davis Learning Commons and some selected labs
Dell Wyse P25 Zero Clients
Academic Lab and Learning Commons Machines
• ITUSEREXPERIENCE - VDI
sheridancollege.ca
Staff Desktops
IT USER EXPERIENCE - VDI
• As with Academic Lab / Learning Commons machines, these replace traditional desktops in staff / faculty areas
• Can be used in a 1:1 user/device model, or can be highly effective in hoteling scenarios, where staff or faculty use any available device but need a consistent computing experience
• Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) similar to academic computing; additional savings possible if VDI enables hoteling rather than dedicated machines
• Funded by existing lease streams or departmental cost transfers
sheridancollege.ca
Mobile Computing
IT USER EXPERIENCE - VDI
• Migration from College-provided hardware (Rent and Lease to Own) to “bring your own device” (BYOD) created support issues for IT and user experience issues for some students & faculty when trying to use applications in a highly heterogeneous computing environment
• VDI can provide a standardized desktop environment for students and faculties again where software is most problematic
• Students access the desktop using a Horizon View client from their laptops (Windows or OS X)
• Associated cost is per-VM only (no Zero Client required)
sheridancollege.ca
Distance Education
IT USER EXPERIENCE - VDI
• Similar challenge as Mobile Computing (supporting College software in a ‘bring your own device’ paradigm), except students are not on campus
• Provides remote access to a standardized computing environment• Some software is difficult to support remotely, or the vendor may
not allow for it to be installed on computers not owned by the College
• As with mobile computing, cost is for VMs only
sheridancollege.ca
Other use cases
IT USER EXPERIENCE - VDI
• Provide Windows desktops in an otherwise OS X lab environment (e.g. where most software required by program runs in OS X but some runs only in Windows)
• Software upgrade pilots / trials (e.g. Windows + Office)• Providing access to legacy software versions (e.g. Office 2010)• Others?
sheridancollege.ca
Strengths of VDI• Flexibility• Mobility• Security• Management• Efficiency• Redundancy
sheridancollege.ca
Flexibility
IT USER EXPERIENCE - VDI
• Increased agility in delivering applications to end users (instant update of desktops, streaming applications directly to desktops instead of installing them)
• Makes it easier to move to new versions of Operating Systems and software, and to run different OS and software versions side by side
• Remove compatibility and minimum requirements issues, allowing us to run client hardware for longer periods of time
• Applications and desktops are provisioned to users, not to a desktop in a physical location
sheridancollege.ca
Mobility
IT USER EXPERIENCE - VDI
• Any time, anywhere, any device access• Can be accessed from inside or outside the College• Can be accessed from a variety of devices, including
• Windows and OS X desktops• iOS (iPhone/iPad) and Android phones and tablets• Dedicated hardware (Zero Clients)
• User is not tied to a device; they can disconnect their session from one location or device, and resume it from another location or device entirely
sheridancollege.ca
Security
IT USER EXPERIENCE – VDI
• Information is consolidated in Sheridan’s datacenters, and does not roam around with the user’s device(s)
• Devices can be lost or stolen with no loss of staff or student work, personally identifiable information, or intellectual property
sheridancollege.ca
Management
IT USER EXPERIENCE – VDI
• Centralized infrastructure makes mass management of desktops easier
• Consistent desktop environment is easier for IT to support• Zero Clients have no serviceable parts, no CPU or hard drive, and
have a much longer lifespan than traditional desktops – IT spends less time servicing hardware
sheridancollege.ca
Efficiency
IT USER EXPERIENCE – VDI
• Zero Clients are:• More inexpensive than traditional desktops• Easier to maintain than traditional desktops• Have a longer lifespan than traditional desktops• Require less power than traditional desktops
sheridancollege.ca
Redundancy
IT USER EXPERIENCE - VDI
• Desktop infrastructure is load balanced across multiple datacenters, and multiple servers in each datacenter
• Should one server fail, the VM can be run from another server• Should one datacenter burn to the ground, VMs can be run from
the other datacenter• If a client device fails, they can access the same desktop and
session from any other device
sheridancollege.ca
Weaknesses of VDI• Weaknesses and threats• Limitations of our current environment
sheridancollege.ca
Weaknesses and Threats
IT USER EXPERIENCE - VDI
• Virtualizing heavier applications requires specific infrastructure hardware and can tip cost vs. traditional desktops significantly
• Can be issues with supporting some specialized peripheral hardware
• Constant network connectivity required – no offline use• Can only virtualize Windows and Linux desktops (due to Apple
licensing restrictions)• Complexity of VDI infrastructure (see previous diagram)• Cost modelling is more complicated as well (capital costs of client
hardware + licensing + leasing of infrastructure)
sheridancollege.ca
The overall capacity of the infrastructure is nearly fully utilized:
• Information Technology released an RFP in September, 2015 to select hardware for an expansion of the infrastructure
• The RFP results were evaluated but further progress is currently on hold due to budget constraints
• The already existing infrastructure is coming off of lease at the end of 2016 and will also need to be replaced
Next Steps:
1. Document any continued need for VDI in areas around the College
2. Complete Total Cost of Ownership comparison of virtual vs. physical desktops based on updated costs and infrastructure to allow for comparison
3. Identify investment opportunities to fund expansion (fees, physical desktop lease streams, cost transfers, etc.)
Infrastructure Capacity
ITUSEREXPERIENCE - VDI
sheridancollege.ca
Platform Support
IT USER EXPERIENCE - VDI
• Need to upgrade infrastructure to support newer Operating Systems
• For instance, Windows 10 support requires an upgrade to Horizon View version 6; Linux support requires an upgrade to version 7
• Infrastructure is not currently designed to support applications that required dedicated hardware GPUs (e.g. graphics heavy applications), though this is possible in the future
sheridancollege.ca
VDI Futures
sheridancollege.ca
In 2016, Information Technology is planning to upgrade the application(VMware Horizon View) to the latest version (v7):
• Support for new desktop Operating Systems (notably Windows 10 and Linux)• HTML5 access (no longer require dedicated application on some platforms)• App Volumes (separation of applications and operating system, allowing greater
flexibility and portability of the environment)• Increased simplicity and manageability of the environment• Smarter access controls (who user is, where they are connecting from, what device
they are using) on a per-pool basis
Note: Some of these features (incl. ones that follow) would require a license upgrade
New Features and Capabilities
IT USER EXPERIENCE - VDI
sheridancollege.ca
Application Pools
DESKTOP VIRTUALIZATION
• Can provide access to an application without the need to provision an entire virtual desktop to the user.
• Most useful for Mobile Computing and Distance Education programs.
• Would reduce infrastructure requirements and TCO overall.
sheridancollege.ca
• A Sheridan ‘app store’• Access to Virtual Desktops, Remote
Applications, ThinApps, packaged applications, and internal/external SaaS apps w/ Single Sign-On.
Workspace
DESKTOP VIRTUALIZATION
sheridancollege.ca
Demonstration
sheridancollege.ca
Q&A
