Here are some of the most frequently asked questions about HP Virtual Desktop Infrastructure.
| Q1. |
What is the difference between a "hosted" (Citrix) desktop and a "dedicated" (VMware) desktop? |
| A1. |
Hosted Desktop
The Citrix architecture shares the base server OS among many users, imposing minimal overhead on the system and providing a high degree of sharing of system resources. However, hosted desktops allows the user limited ability to personalize or control their desktop experience, for example they may be able to set their desktop wallpaper and organize desktop icons, but they typically cannot install an application or change application associations. There is no OS ‘partitioning’ among the users, so one user can impact other user’s ability to secure system resources. Hosted desktops can be a highly cost effective architecture for groups of users that don’t require personalization.
Hosted desktops are published using Terminal Server technology from a server in the datacenter, providing the user a desktop across the network which each user accesses from their client device. Citrix Presentation Server published desktop is optimal for office workers in call centers, banks or retail where the work is somewhat consistent among all the users, requiring the same set of applications, and where personalization is not required. This is an ‘instant on’ experience for the user, and provides a low cost, secure, and centralized desktop for the IT organization to manage.
Virtual Desktop
Server virtualization, such as VMware VDI or VI3, allows each end user to connect to their own virtual desktop. A virtual desktop isolates and protects the individual user from other users on the server. And because the virtual machine can be dedicated, it allows users to customize their environment to maintain their personalized physical desktop experience. This would include, for example, the user’s ability to install applications or customize application configurations. VMware’s sophisticated memory management capabilities means read-only desktop OS memory pages can be accessed by multiple users, and server memory can therefore be oversubscribed.
The dedicated desktop is more typically deployed for the ‘knowledge worker’ who uses common office productivity applications such as word processing, spreadsheets, and presentations, but each user's job might be slightly different. Like the shared desktop, the dedicated desktop means the support organization benefits from centrally managing desktops and the IT organization is assured that data is stored securely behind the firewall.
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| Q2. |
What are the benefits of using HP Thin Clients? |
| A2. |
HP Thin clients use streamlined components to reduce hardware and software duplication across the network. The extended lifecycle of HP Thin Clients and lower power usage contribute to improving overall total cost of ownership. The HP Thin Client performance is the same as a standard desktop in most areas, and user response times are often faster in an HP VDI environment because applications are taking advantage of extremely powerful HP ProLiant or BladeSystem servers in the data center.
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| Q3. |
Can any client OS be used in an HP VDI environment? |
| A3. |
Yes, HP Thin Clients support a range of client OS’s, such as Windows XP and Linux. VMware VDI technology supports the same range of client OS’s in the virtual machines.
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| Q4. |
Can users log into their virtual desktop running on VMware using the corporate VPN? |
| A4. |
Yes, users can utilize VPN technology when users are logging in from remote sites.
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