Desktop Virtualization in Higher Education Increasing Flexibility on the Modern Campus. May 23, 2012 Ryan Henyard Information & Technology Services

Transcription

1 Desktop Virtualization in Higher Education Increasing Flexibility on the Modern Campus May 23, 2012 Ryan Henyard Information & Technology Services

2 Overview Introduction Desktop U-M The Flexible Desktop Use Cases & Discoveries

3 U-M Decentralized IT on campus Academic units have their own IT staff Information & Technology Services Central IT provider Maintains shared infrastructure (e.g. Active Directory) Provides services to campus units

4 Provide a campus service to: - Access applications and/or customized desktops remotely - Increased security - Manage desktops more efficiently - Potentially save on energy, equipment, and physical space - Develop distributed administration model which allows admins to manage their own desktop images and settings. Why VDI?

5 and other incentives Reducing redundancy Momentum on campus towards VDI; various units already considering/piloting VDI technologies Centrally provided service would save University money Saving effort by providing shared infrastructure

6 Choosing VMWare Previous expertise on campus with their products Existing VMWare ESX infrastructure Relatively compact server architecture required Wide compatibility with thin client devices Active Directory integrated access management

7 Choosing VMWare Significant disk savings using Linked Clone technology Connection software available for Windows, OSX and Linux Important new features available in View 4.5 (delegated administration, viable persistence)

8 Project Summary Asked in September 2009 to create VDI service for campus by June 2010; entering our second year of full production Included vendor selection, technical design, pilot & complete product development (docs, websites, provisioning, etc.)

9 Part of a number of intersecting efforts App-V VDI Server Virtualization (VaaS) Flexible Desktop Model Virtual Sites Shared Desktop Image Enterprise & Cloud Storage

10 Campus Adoption 15+ campus units with ~35 pools in production VMs Vast majority of customers using non-persistent linked clones

11 Example Use Cases

12 Virtual Desktop Hosting Unit-managed environment Allows campus units to make their custom images available through VDI Units can use existing resources (images, deployment systems, group policy, network shares, etc.) Units control availability and access to pools of VMs Desktop Virtualization Enterprise Storage Remote Access

13 Rates 1 Base Virtual Machine Includes 1 CPU, 2GB RAM, 40GB Disk Additional 1GB storage space Additional 1GB RAM Additional 1 CPU $21.35/month ($ annually) $0.28/month ($3.36 annually) $3.11/month ($37.32 annually) $3.11/month ($37.32 annually) VDI machines are fully costed includes staff time, hardware, power, etc. The biggest impetus for moving to VDI is not that virtual machines are cheaper than physical hardware; the savings come from easier management, provisioning, user continuity & remote access.

14 ICPSR Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research Deploys 7 different pools of non-persistent desktops to allow secure access to sensitive datasets Limits access to desktops based on IP, some pools with 2FA Provides strictly licensed applications on VMs to reduce potential costs Uses roaming profiles & network shares to store user data machines Desktop Virtualization 2-factor Auth Application Virtualization Remote Access User Data Redirection

15 ITS-managed environment Virtual Sites Provides remote access to common and course-related software Gives Mac users a way to use Windows-only software Available to all students, faculty & full-time staff Virtual Classroom Remote Access Desktop Virtualization Shared Desktop Image Application Virtualization Sites Software List

16 ITS Desktop Support Provides remote access to common loadset for all ITS staff Uses roaming profiles & CIFS Storage to store user data Aids in transition to Windows Machines Enterprise Storage Desktop Virtualization Shared Desktop Image User Data Redirection

17 LSA ISS Instructional Services Support College of Literature, Science & Arts Used older laptops to create a mobile set of lab machines for classrooms Created a pseudo-thin client environment through group policy to only allow connecting to VDI 50+ machines Virtual Classroom User Data Redirection Desktop Virtualization Thin Client

18 WES Admin Consoles Windows Enterprise Services ITS Four pools of VDI desktops, each serving different applications / audiences: Active Directory tools and utilities vcenter access for Server & Desktop Virtualization admins Specialty active-x web app access for Mac users Consolidated functions spread across a variety of terminal servers Desktop Virtualization 2-factor Auth Remote Access

19 School of Social Work 70 Dell Latitude E5520 laptops with SSD hard drives and extended batteries Homegrown software thin-client, configured with automatic logins and pool connections Connects to a Virtual Classroom pool of customized Virtual Sites machines Virtual Classroom Desktop Virtualization Shared Desktop Image Thin Client Application Virtualization

20 Traditional Desktop User Data & Application Settings Applications Operating System Flexible Virtual Desktop Separate User Data Application Virtualization / Remote Presentation Desktop Virtualization PC Hardware Any capable hardware

21 Hardware Windows / Mac PC ios & Android Tablets Thin Clients User-owned devices Operating System Can be tweaked for different purposes or settings Easily managed virtually via snapshots Applications Automated MSI & App-V package creation Remote app presentation via Ericom AccessNow & Targeted VDI pools User Data Roaming Profiles & Folder Redirection (eventually UE-V) CIFS-based storage for departments and teams Cloud storage via Box / Drive

22 Discoveries & Takeaways

23 Benefits of Flex Many of these components (along with their competitors) are platform agnostic, so they can work equally well with physical desktop labs or virtual machines Users are able to access their desktops, applications, and data from a variety of endpoints

24 Benefits of Flex By using a combination of these components, we can provide machines that are adaptable to the task at hand Separating out each of these layers makes migrations of the individual components less painful Windows migrations can be primarily about the OS and hardware compatibility Application Virtualization sandboxing gives a better chance for successful legacy app deployments When all else fails, remote app presentation often succeeds

25 Connection Devices Users want a solution that works on a wide variety of devices Our pilots have connected via traditional desktops, laptops, Macs, netbooks, thin clients, ipads and iphones USB Redirection grants the possibility of using location-specific peripherals in conjunction with remote desktops

26 Storage One of the biggest components that determines performance for end users Desktop Virtualization requires more robust storage than Server Optimize your architecture for IOPS & not raw capacity Use assessment tools, not generic bestpractice numbers to tune configurations

27 Unexpected Constraints Many components rely on stability in infrastructure. A network outage can take down more than just . Monitoring components from different vendors can be difficult Need a plan in place to manage rollout of clients to end users

28 Think of the Possibilities The strongest cases for using these virtualization technologies is expanded usability Saving money is highly unlikely if you re comparing costs to traditional infrastructure Savings come into play when comparing simplified and centralized management, combined with added value

29 Projects U-M Remote App Presentation via Ericom AccessNow HTML5 based client works on most modern devices. Capable of working with either Terminal Servers or VMWare View MiWorkspace Managed Desktop Managed via SCCM 2012 Eventually will include centralized application packaging via AdminStudio

30 Questions?

31 Contact Project Website: More questions? Laudes atque carmina, Nec hodie nec cras, Sed omnia per tempora, Dum locum habeas, Tibi sint dulcissima, O Universitas; At hostes Pol, perniciter Eant eis korakas. O Gloria, Victoria, O decus omnium, O salve Universitas Michiganensium.

32 VDI App-V Enterprise Storage Remote Access User Data Redirection 2-factor Auth Thin Client Virtual Classroom Enterprise Storage Desktop Virtualization Shared Desktop Image Application Virtualization