ISS Technology Update, Volume 6 Number 8 - Newsletter

ISS Technology Update Volume 6, Number 8

Question #3__________________________________________________________________________________________

Q. Can I run streaming media in VDI?

That depends on the protocol used between the end user and VM. Microsoft’s remote desktop protocol (MS RDP) is currently

the de facto standard. It does present limitations on graphics-intensive applications, including streaming media. Virtual

Network Computing (VNC) is prone to similar limitations. While Citrix Independent Computing Architecture (ICA) is making

strides in this direction, HP Remote Graphics Software (RGS) is perhaps the best alternative for environments that require

streaming and local media in combination with occasional use of graphics-intensive applications.

Question #4__________________________________________________________________________________________

Q. How many users will I be able to accommodate per server?

A. This is a question heard in various forms in all virtualization environments. The answer is always, “It depends.” However,

there are some general guidelines that will help in making a reasonable estimate. In the case of field implementations, the

range of users per core is generally broad, but the majority of implementations fall between five and eight users per

processing core. There are factors that will affect this count, including but not limited to:

• Amount of memory used. This should be 4GB per processing core whenever possible. Lower amounts per core will

result in fewer users per core.

• Type and number of applications being hosted within the user VM. The greater the number of applications, the fewer

the number of users per core.

• Frequency with which end users will access the environment. Call center workers who spend 90% of their shift entering

information into a VM cause a much heavier load than general productivity users, who may spend less than 50% of

their time on their productivity machine.

• Whether or not failover mechanisms, such as VMware HA, are utilized in the environment. These types of recovery

mechanisms generally require that the IT staff leave extra resources available at the server level and always result in

fewer users per core.

Question #5_________________________________________________________________________________________

Q. How does VDI impact my current data center applications?

Under most circumstances, the answer is “VDI improves data center applications.” Citrix, Microsoft Soft Grid, SAP

applications, custom-developed applications, Exchange/Outlook, and many other applications plug into a VDI environment

just as they would a physical desktop environment. The difference is that the applications communicate with the desktop

VMs over the reliable data center network rather than being shipped across a variety of network connections.

Question #6__________________________________________________________________________________________

Q. What types of applications work with VDI?

Almost any application will work in a VDI environment, provided that the available resources and connection protocol can

support the particular needs of the application.

Question #7__________________________________________________________________________________________

Q. What is the difference between a “hosted” (Citrix) desktop and a “dedicated” (VMware) desktop?

A. T

he main differences between hosted and dedicated desktop solutions are shown in the comparison table below (Table 3-1).

For more detailed VDI solution information, go to the HP Web site at