Addressing Microsoft Windows 7 Deployments with VMware Mirage WHITE PAPER

Transcription

1 Addressing Microsoft Windows 7 Deployments with VMware Mirage WHITE PAPER

2 Storage I/O Performance on VMware vsphere 5.1 over 16 Gigabit Fibre Channel Table of Contents Abstract The Problem with Windows 7 Deployments Key Migration Challenges Introducing VMware Mirage How VMware Mirage Works How VMware Mirage Saves You Money Additional VMware Mirage Use Cases Conclusion... 9 More Information TECHNICAL WHITE PAPER / 2

3 Abstract The migration from aging Microsoft Windows XP desktop implementations to a new version of Windows most likely Windows 7 is fast becoming the major desktop-estate problem for most IT departments around the world. For convenience, we ll refer to this as Windows 7 migration in this white paper. The lack of a clear business case for a new operating system (OS) is a common factor in slowing adoption. Few organizations expect the shift to Windows 7 to deliver tangible productivity benefits. As a result, many have delayed their migration project, preferring to deploy their scarce resources elsewhere. The time frame for continuing this approach, however, is rapidly diminishing. The migration to Windows 7 is a project that for all practical purposes must be completed well before April 2014, when Microsoft will stop supporting Windows XP as a standard product. Organizations that have not completed migration by then face the risk of either working outside of support or paying punitive custom support charges to Microsoft. Potentially even more serious than this is the compliance risk associated with continuing to work with an unsupported core OS. The possibility of shareholder litigation and class actions will be high. In this white paper, we explore the challenges of Windows 7 migration, introduce VMware Mirage and discuss how this innovative solution delivers tangible savings to the most labor-intensive parts of your migration project. The Problem with Windows 7 Deployments The challenge any IT department faces with regard to the migration to Windows 7 is that it is invariably a complex and costly project with multiple phases and many moving parts. One phase in particular can be very labor intensive namely, deployment: the process of actually getting a Windows 7 image onto the end user s physical PC. Unless this process can be automated, it will consume many hours of IT labor for each user migrated. And even if you can automate it, it is still likely that some manual intervention will be needed. This manual step in the migration process is a costly and resource-intensive bottleneck that likely will dominate the allocation of budget and staff for many organizations during VMware Mirage can mitigate this by automating Windows 7 image deployment with a zero-touch process that eliminates the labor overhead. With VMware Mirage, there is no need to touch each user s PC and no need to send staff to each office location. The new OS image can be deployed in the background to end users PCs while those users continue working. The migration is then completed through two simple reboots. Key Migration Challenges When planning a Windows migration, the consideration by IT of the following two important factors among many others is critical in ensuring a successful project: Deployment complexity The deployment of a new Windows image to users can be a very complex task. It can involve providing one or more distribution points typically servers throughout the network in order to efficiently stream the new OS image and scripting to many PCs simultaneously. Measures must also be taken to preserve user data before converting user profiles from the old to the new version. This typically is achieved by temporarily copying the data to a common share and then copying back after deployment. This can consume huge amounts of storage and time, because in this type of scenario, it is not normal practice to utilize data deduplication technologies for such a transient task. This complexity is compounded still further when the affected users are remotely located, especially in branch offices with low bandwidth and high-latency links. This has become a core challenge for many IT managers. Typically, dedicated infrastructure that is, the distribution-point servers is needed to support OS image deployment to remote PCs. In many cases, IT technicians must physically visit the site to enable a migration. This expense, and the planning surrounding it, can dominate a Windows 7 migration project, possibly even constraining its success. TECHNICAL WHITE PAPER / 3

4 User impact A key benchmark for evaluating the success of a migration is the productivity of end users. The deployment process must work flawlessly, with as little impact as possible on the end-user population. Traditional solutions often necessitate many reboots and extended data copy cycles, requiring users to be unproductive for sustained periods of time. In addition, if the worst possible scenario were to occur that is, the migration process failed for some reason there must be a simple automated process to get the user back to their previous, productive state while IT fixes the problem. Achieving this level of service without sending technicians to remote locations can be very challenging. Introducing VMware Mirage VMware Mirage is a desktop image management solution that combines the centralization and manageability of a virtual desktop infrastructure with the flexibility and user experience of physical desktop implementations such as desktop and notebook PCs. The VMware Mirage architecture centralizes standard desktop images in the datacenter for management and security, distributing and blending any changes in the master base image into the local instance of Windows on the PC. It optimizes the data transfer and storage involved, making the solution ideal for environments with remote or mobile users. How VMware Mirage Works VMware Mirage takes a unique approach to desktop image management: It defines what makes up a Windows environment on a PC device. It splits the Windows OS image into a number of logical layers, each of which can be managed independently of one another, from back in the datacenter. Figure 1 shows this logical layering of the desktop image. Desktop Layers User Data & Profile Applications Machine Identity Driver Library Base Image Figure 1. Desktop Image Logical Layering These layers together form a managed centralized virtual desktop (CVD), stored in the datacenter or cloud. CVDs are hardware agnostic and can be migrated easily from one PC physical or virtual to another, enabling a wide range of use cases. A small client maintains the local instance of Windows on the PC as an exact clone of the CVD. It does this by making incremental changes as required, so users can work offline; use processor-intensive applications; and enjoy predictable, native PC performance, regardless of network connectivity. TECHNICAL WHITE PAPER / 4

5 Addressing Microsoft Windows 7 Starting at the bottom of Figure 1, the Base Image contains the OS and core applications that will be installed on every PC, whether physical or virtual. These applications typically include VPN, antivirus, office tools and clients. The base image itself is hardware agnostic, so it can be applied to any VMware Mirage managed PC. Moving up the stack, the Driver Library enables VMware Mirage to deliver the right drivers where not already present or where broken to specific types and models of PC hardware, based on IT-defined rules and policies. If the correct drivers already are present in the image, VMware Mirage will use them; if not, or if they are corrupted in some way, it will supply drivers as specified by IT in a drive profile. These two logical layers form the basis of every Windows instance in a VMware Mirage managed environment and are managed and controlled by IT. The layers in orange are the result of personalization by the end user, beyond the core configuration defined by the organization. They include the identity of the user s PC on the network; any applications outside of the base image, whether installed by the user or provisioned through a software delivery tool; and user profile data and other files saved by the user. VMware Mirage intelligently backs them all up and safely stores the backups in the datacenter or cloud. This centralization process takes place in the background and is both continuous and automatic. The concept of central image management is key to VMware Mirage. Separating user personalization from the base OS in this way enables VMware Mirage to deliver layers individually, so all layers can be centrally managed without compromising the efficiency of delivery over the network. The use of layers also enables IT to focus its support effort in a more targeted way. If a user has a problem with their PC, instead of debugging or applying a one-off fix to the system itself, VMware Mirage enables the help desk to simply roll back the affected layer to the last known working state, without disturbing user data created since then. This ability often can significantly reduce the time the help desk must spend on getting users up and working again. Datacenter Mobile/ VPN Mirage server cluster NAS volumes Mirage console Internet Load balancer Branch office WAN Local office Figure 2. Typical VMware Mirage Deployment TECH N I C AL WH ITE PAPE R / 5

6 The VMware Mirage architecture includes the VMware Mirage Server in the datacenter to centralize desktop management and protection; a small client on the PC to connect into the VMware Mirage Server and create the logical layering of the local image; and advanced optimization technology to speed bidirectional synchronization over the WAN. The VMware Mirage Client on the PC first scans the local copy of Windows to identify and logically segregate the device image into the layers discussed earlier. After the endpoint has been scanned, VMware Mirage transfers an entire copy of the PC image back to the datacenter, skipping files synchronized previously, providing a complete backup. This might seem to suggest that VMware Mirage consumes significant network bandwidth and storage, but typically this is not the case. VMware Mirage introduces two innovations in this area: deduplication both in storage and over the network: Storage deduplication Rather than storing multiple copies of a file for each managed PC, VMware Mirage stores the file only once. For larger files, it also implements block-level deduplication such that if a file is changed, it will sync and store only the block-level differences. Network deduplication VMware Mirage is intelligent in what it transfers back to the datacenter and will upload a given file from any PC only once. Additionally, it applies WAN optimization techniques to data transfer, using a network cache at both ends to eliminate sending previously cached data blocks. For example, if an organization had 1,000 similar Windows XP PCs, the first PC would centralize and upload all files in its image back to the datacenter. When the remaining 999 devices started uploading, VMware Mirage would detect that a copy of Windows XP had already been centralized and would therefore upload only the differences. If the same version of a file existed on multiple devices, such as a shared document or presentation, VMware Mirage would upload this only once. Any changes made by a user are isolated and only changes at a block level are sent back to the datacenter. Additionally, all transfers are compressed, so VMware Mirage is exceptionally efficient over wide area networks (WANs) when creating the centralized virtual copy of each PC image. After a centralized virtual copy has been created in the datacenter for each PC, IT can define and deploy a standardized base image back to those devices to enforce the required corporate standard. This can be a set configuration for the same OS or a different OS altogether, such as with a Windows 7 migration. These changes are intelligently merged with the target PC image in the background while the user continues to work, causing minimal disruption to their working day. VMware Mirage logically layers Windows, so IT can replace the base image without affecting any user personalization on the PC. Even if IT does not provide users with the ability to install their own applications, users will undoubtedly personalize their PCs by updating files, applications and OS settings on their own. VMware Mirage gives IT the flexibility to control those layers it deems necessary but still enables end users to customize their PCs within boundaries consistent with organizational policy. How VMware Mirage Saves You Money So with all this in mind, how significant are the savings that VMware Mirage can deliver to an organization during a Windows 7 migration? As previously discussed, VMware Mirage addresses many use cases, such as automated Windows image deployment, backup, lost and stolen PCs, and central image management, all of which have a positive impact on a business by keeping users productive. TECHNICAL WHITE PAPER / 6

7 VMware Mirage also delivers other benefits. Investment in dedicated server or management hardware at remote sites can be avoided due to its Branch Reflector technology. And because VMware Mirage does not need or use traditional PXE-like solutions, there are no costs associated with ensuring a) that devices are enabled for PXE, which would ordinarily require manual intervention to enable in the PC BIOS b) that the network is configured correctly for PXE, by enabling such functionality as DHCP helpers and other routing configurations To simplify things in this analysis, we will ignore everything other than labor cost savings in the deployment phase of a Windows migration. These savings alone are very compelling. Figure 3 is a screenshot of a simple VMware ROI tool available online based on Gartner assumptions regarding Windows 7 deployment costs. In this example, a customer migrating 5,000 devices to Windows 7 using VMware Mirage to manage and deploy the new image can save up to $1.2M on labor costs alone, as compared to not using VMware Mirage. Again, this does not take into account any of the other cost savings and benefits that VMware Mirage can deliver to your business. Migration Parameters Number of Desktop PCs 2,500 Number of Laptops Desktop PC Deployment Style Laptop Deployment Style Desktop PC Management Profiles Laptop Management Profiles 2,500 Migrate Existing Hardware Migrate Existing Hardware Unmanaged Unmanaged Cost Parameters IT Technician - Average Salary Working Weeks/Year Working Hours/Week Loading Factor $75, Calculations Without Mirage With Mirage Time to Migrate Desktop PCs (Hours) 10, Time to Migrate Laptops (Hours) 10, Total Labor Costs $1,281,250 $109,375 Potential Labor Cost Savings $1,171, % Figure 3. Labor Cost Savings with VMware Mirage TECHNICAL WHITE PAPER / 7

8 Additional VMware Mirage Use Cases We have discussed the role of VMware Mirage as the deployment and image management tool within a Windows 7 migration and have demonstrated the significant savings that are possible. VMware Mirage also can address the following use cases: Hardware refresh When a user receives a new PC, VMware Mirage enables their centrally stored image to be applied to the new device, with their applications and personalization maintained. In effect, they get an exact copy of the device they were running before, without having to go through the tiresome and time-consuming exercise of manually applying the correct device drivers. Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) In Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) schemes, the value that VMware Mirage can add depends on the scenario. If users are given a set budget and a list of supported hardware from which they can choose their own Windows PC, VMware Mirage enables the standard operating environment to be assigned to the device, regardless of who chose it or which model it is. The VMware Mirage driver library complements the base layer deployment by delivering or replacing missing or broken drivers according to the PC platform chosen. To function, VMware Mirage requires only an instance of Windows with the VMware Mirage Client deployed and a VMware Mirage Driver Library managed by IT. In this case, the device is funded by IT, so IT can control the parts of the image that concern it and, if appropriate, allow the user to personalize in addition to that. If the user is funding their own system, they typically will not want IT to make changes to the core OS because it is their own license. In this case, VMware Mirage can be used to manage a separate, corporate instance of Windows running as a local virtual machine on top of a Type 2 hypervisor such as VMware Fusion in the case of an Apple Mac running OS X or VMware Workstation in the case of a PC. This is a great solution for user-funded PCs, because it leaves the primary installed Windows image on the system untouched. It also is a perfect fit for users who have chosen Mac systems and need offline access to Windows applications. Backup and disaster recovery If a user loses their PC or it ceases to function for some reason, their centralized desktop can quickly be transferred to a replacement system, with minimal impact to the end user. VMware Mirage creates and stores regular snapshots of every PC, storing all differences centrally. This can be very useful when a user calls the help desk with an application that is working one day but not the next. Instead of IT s having to spend time and effort diagnosing the issue, VMware Mirage can quickly restore the PC back to a previous working state while maintaining any personalization the user has made since then. Remote branch office management The management of PCs at remote branch offices typically requires dedicated infrastructure in the branch and, in some cases, additional tools for effective support. Where links have issues regarding low bandwidth and high latency, making image changes without disrupting user activity can be nearly impossible without dispatching technicians to the remote location. VMware Mirage changes this equation: Its storage and network efficiencies significantly reduce the complexity and cost of supporting branch office users and can largely eliminate the need to dispatch staff to each office. TECHNICAL WHITE PAPER / 8

9 Conclusion VMware Mirage enables IT to automate Windows 7 deployment through central management of the Windows image. In doing so, it can generate significant labor cost savings in comparison with conventional solutions in this area. The VMware Mirage approach also provides the benefits of centralized disaster recovery and repair as well as the ability to easily refresh users hardware when required, while maintaining all user personalization between the old and new systems. Users get the benefit of knowing that their PC is always backed up and ready to be restored or deployed to a new system. They also can feel assured that the local compute power of their PC is being used to its full potential. VMware Mirage is a unique solution that offers IT departments greatly increased manageability for physical PC devices while providing flexibility and peace of mind to end users. More Information VMware Mirage Web Site Download Free Trial of VMware Mirage Customer Case Study TECHNICAL WHITE PAPER / 9

10 VMware, Inc Hillview Avenue Palo Alto CA USA Tel Fax Copyright 2012 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. This product is protected by U.S. and international copyright and intellectual property laws. VMware products are covered by one or more patents listed at VMware is a registered trademark or trademark of VMware, Inc. in the United States and/or other jurisdictions. All other marks and names mentioned herein may be trademarks of their respective companies. Item No: VMW-WP-WIN7-DEPLOY-MIRAGE-A4-101 Docsource: OIC-12VM026.00