Desktop virtualization

Desktop virtualization is software technology that separates the desktop environment and associated application software from
the physical client device that is used to access it.

Desktop virtualization can be used in conjunction with application virtualization and user profile management systems, now
termed "user virtualization", to provide a comprehensive desktop environment management system. In this mode, all the
components of the desktop are virtualized, which allows for a highly flexible and much more secure desktop delivery model. In
addition, this approach supports a more complete desktop disaster recovery strategy as all components are essentially saved in the
data center and backed up through traditional redundant maintenance systems. If a user's device or hardware is lost, the restore is
straightforward and simple, because the components will be present at login from another device. In addition, because no data are
saved to the user's device, if that device is lost, there is much less chance that any critical data can be retrieved and compromised.

Contents
System architectures
Remote desktop virtualization
Presentation virtualization
Application virtualization
User virtualization
Layering
Desktop as a service
Local desktop virtualization
References
Further reading

System architectures
Desktop virtualization implementations are classified based on whether the virtual desktop runs remotely or locally, on whether
the access is required to be constant or is designed to be intermittent, and on whether or not the virtual desktop persists between
sessions. Typically, software products that deliver desktop virtualization solutions can combine local and remote implementations
into a single product to provide the most appropriate support specific to requirements. The degrees of independent functionality
of the client device is necessarily interdependent with the server location and access strategy. And virtualization is not strictly
required for remote control to exist. Virtualization is employed to present independent instances to multiple users and requires a
strategic segmentation of the host server and presentation at some layer of the host's architecture. The enabling layer—usually
application software—is called a hypervisor. (Summarizing from.[1])

Remote desktop virtualization

Remote desktop virtualization implementations operate in a client/server computing environment. Application execution takes
place on a remote operating system which communicates with the local client device over a network using a remote display
protocol through which the user interacts with applications. All applications and data used remain on the remote system with only
display, keyboard, and mouse information communicated with the local client device, which may be a conventional PC/laptop, a
thin client device, a tablet, or even a smartphone. A common implementation of this approach involves hosting multiple desktop
operating system instances on a server hardware platform running a hypervisor. This is derivative of the earlier Multiwin Engine
developed by Citrix under license from Microsoft. Its latest iteration is generally referred to as "Virtual Desktop Infrastructure",
or "VDI". (Note that "VDI" is often used incorrectly to refer to any desktop virtualization implementation.[2]). Forrester Research
identified in its report the Forrester Wave on Server-Hosted Virtual Desktops (VDI), Q3 2015 [3] the seven most significant
software providers: Citrix (XenDesktop), Dell (Quest – EOL), LISTEQ, Microsoft (Hyper-V), Nimboxx (VERDE – now part of
NComputing), Oracle (VirtualBox), and VMware (Horizon View).

Remote desktop virtualization is frequently used in the following scenarios:

in distributed environments with high availability requirements and where desk-side technical support is not
readily available, such as branch office and retail environments.
in environments where high network latency degrades the performance of conventional client/server applications
in environments where remote access and data security requirements create conflicting requirements that can be
addressed by retaining all (application) data within the data center – with only display, keyboard, and mouse
information communicated with the remote client.
It is also used as a means of providing access to Windows applications on non-Windows endpoints (including tablets,
smartphones, and non-Windows-based desktop PCs and laptops).

Remote desktop virtualization can also provide a means of resource sharing, to distribute low-cost desktop computing services in
environments where providing every user with a dedicated desktop PC is either too expensive or otherwise unnecessary.

For IT administrators, this means a more centralized, efficient client environment that is easier to maintain and able to respond
more quickly to the changing needs of the user and business.[4][5]

Presentation virtualization
Remote Desktop Services (formerly called "Terminal Services") is a server-based computing/presentation virtualization
component of Microsoft Windows that allows a user to access applications and data on a remote computer over a network using a
remote-display protocol called RDP. Another example of presentation virtualization is Citrix XenApp. A VDI service provides
individual desktop operating system instances (e.g., Windows XP, 7, 8.1, 10, etc.) for each user, whereas Remote Desktop
Services sessions run in a single shared-server operating system (e.g., Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2012, etc.).
Both session collections and virtual machines support full desktop based sessions and RemoteApp deployment.[6][7]

The use of a single shared-server operating system instead of individual desktop operating system instances consumes
significantly fewer resources than the same number of VDI sessions. At the same time, VDI licensing is both more expensive and
less flexible than equivalent Remote Desktop Services licenses. Together, these factors can combine to make Remote Desktop
Services-based remote desktop virtualization more attractive than VDI.

VDI implementations allow for delivering personalized workspace back to a user, which retains all the user's customizations.
There are several methods to accomplish this.

Application virtualization
Application virtualization improves delivery and compatibility of applications by encapsulating them from the underlying
operating system on which they are executed. A fully virtualized application is not installed on hardware in the traditional sense.
Instead, a hypervisor layer intercepts the application, which at runtime acts as if it is interfacing with the original operating
system and all the resources managed by it when in reality it is not.

User virtualization
User virtualization separates all of the software aspects that define a user’s personality on a device from the operating system and
applications to be managed independently and applied to a desktop as needed without the need for scripting, group policies, or
use of roaming profiles. The term "user virtualization" sounds misleading; this technology is not limited to virtual desktops. User
virtualization can be used regardless of platform – physical, virtual, cloud, etc. The major desktop virtualization platform
vendors, Citrix, Microsoft and VMware, all offer a form of basic user virtualization in their platforms.

Layering
Desktop layering is a method of desktop virtualization that divides a disk image into logical parts to be managed individually. For
example, if all members of a user group use the same OS, then the core OS only needs to be backed up once for the entire
environment who share this layer. Layering can be applied to local physical disk images, client-based virtual machines, or host-
based desktops. Windows operating systems are not designed for layering, therefore each vendor must engineer their own
proprietary solution.

Desktop as a service
Remote desktop virtualization can also be provided via cloud computing similar to that provided using a software as a service
model. This approach is usually referred to as Cloud Hosted Virtual Desktops. Cloud Hosted Virtual Desktops are divided into
two technologies: (1) Managed VDI, which is based on VDI technology provided as an outsourced managed service, and (2)
Desktop-as-a-Service (DaaS), which provides a higher level of automation and real multi-tenancy, reducing the cost of the
technology. The DaaS provider typically takes full responsibility for hosting and maintaining the computer, storage, and access
infrastructure, as well as applications and application software licenses needed to provide the desktop service in return for a fixed
monthly fee. For example, VMware's Horizon DaaS, based on VMware's acquisition of Desktone, is a monthly fixed rate DaaS
service,[8] as is Amazon's WorkSpaces on Amazon EC2.[9] Another example is Help Desk virtualization service, provided by the
ProProfs[10].

Cloud-hosted virtual desktops can be implemented using both VDI and Remote Desktop Services-based systems and can be
provided through the public cloud, private cloud infrastructure, and hybrid cloud platforms. Private cloud implementations are
commonly referred to as "Managed VDI". Public Cloud offerings tend to be based on Desktop-as-a-Service technology.

The U.S. Company Desktone, which was acquired by VMware in October 2013,[11] has the trademarks on the expressions
"desktops as a service" and "DaaS" from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.[12]

Local desktop virtualization

Local desktop virtualization implementations run the desktop environment on the client device using hardware virtualization or
emulation. For hardware virtualization, depending on the implementation both Type I and Type II hypervisors may be used.[13]

Local desktop virtualization is well suited for environments where continuous network connectivity cannot be assumed and
where application resource requirements can be better met by using local system resources. However, local desktop virtualization
implementations do not always allow applications developed for one system architecture to run on another. For example, it is
possible to use local desktop virtualization to run Windows 7 on top of OS X on an Intel-based Apple Mac, using a hypervisor
such as VirtualBox, Parallels Desktop for Mac, or VMware Fusion, as both use the same x86 architecture, and it was possible to
run Windows on a PowerPC-based Mac using Virtual PC.

References
1. Rouse, Margaret; Madden, Jack. "Desktop virtualization" (http://searchvirtualdesktop.techtarget.com/definition/de
sktop-virtualization). TechTarget. Retrieved January 3, 2013.
2. Keith Schultz (16 March 2012). "Review: VDI without the server connection" (http://www.infoworld.com/d/virtualiz
ation/review-vdi-without-the-server-connection-188808). InfoWorld. Retrieved 3 January 2013. "One subset of
VDI, dubbed client-hosted or offline mode"
3. "The Forrester Wave™: Server-Hosted Virtual Desktops (VDI), Q3 2015" (https://www.forrester.com/report/The+F
orrester+Wave+ServerHosted+Virtual+Desktops+VDI+Q3+2015/-/E-RES119997). www.forrester.com. Retrieved
2016-07-12.
4. Baburajan, Rajani, "The Rising Cloud Storage Market Opportunity Strengthens Vendors," infoTECH, August 24,
2011. It.tmcnet.com. 2011-08-24. (http://it.tmcnet.com/channels/cloud-storage/articles/211183-rising-cloud-storag
e-market-opportunity-strengthens-vendors.htm)
5. Oestreich, Ken, "Converged Infrastructure," CTO Forum, November 15, 2010. Thectoforum.com. (http://www.thec
toforum.com/content/converged-infrastructure-0) Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20120113094920/http://w
ww.thectoforum.com/content/converged-infrastructure-0) January 13, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
6. "Configuring the RD Session Host Server to Host RemoteApp Programs" (https://technet.microsoft.com/en-gb/libr
ary/cc753788.aspx).
7. "Configuring Virtual Desktops for RemoteApp and Desktop Connection" (https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/libra
ry/ee216749.aspx).
8. "Deliver Cloud-Hosted Virtual Desktops and Applications with Horizon Cloud" (http://www.vmware.com/products/
daas). VMWare.
9. "Amazon WorkSpaces – Virtual Desktops in the Cloud" (http://aws.amazon.com/workspaces). Amazon Web
Services, Inc.
10. “The Next Web” (https://thenextweb.com/insider/2013/04/26/online-assessment-and-training-platform-propofs-pa
sses-1-million-registered-content-makers/)
11. "News Releases" (https://www.vmware.com/company/news/releases/vmw-euc-daas-10-15-13). VMWare.
12. "TESS – Error" (http://tmsearch.uspto.gov/bin/showfield?f=doc&state=4810:gt9gja.2.8). tmsearch.uspto.gov.
13. "Desktop virtualization cheat sheet" (https://web.archive.org/web/20100227085125/http://www.networkworld.com/
news/2009/112409-vdi-desktop-virtualization-cheat-sheet.html). Networkworld.com. Archived from the original (ht
tp://www.networkworld.com/news/2009/112409-vdi-desktop-virtualization-cheat-sheet.html) on 2010-02-27.
Retrieved 2010-03-17.

Further reading
Paul Venezia (April 13, 2011) Virtualization shoot-out: Citrix, Microsoft, Red Hat, and VMware. The leading server
virtualization contenders tackle InfoWorld's ultimate virtualization challenge (http://www.infoworld.com/d/virtualizat
ion/virtualization-shoot-out-citrix-microsoft-red-hat-and-vmware-666), InfoWorld
Keith Schultz (December 14, 2011) VDI shoot-out: Citrix XenDesktop vs. VMware View. Citrix XenDesktop 5.5
and VMware View 5 vie for the most flexible, scalable, and complete virtual desktop infrastructure (http://www.inf
oworld.com/d/virtualization/vdi-shoot-out-citrix-xendesktop-vs-vmware-view-181691), InfoWorld
Keith Schultz (December 14, 2011) VDI shoot-out: HDX vs. PCoIP. The differences between the Citrix and
VMware remote desktop protocols are more than skin deep (http://www.infoworld.com/t/virtualization/vdi-shoot-ou
t-hdx-vs-pcoip-181662), InfoWorld

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