Virtualize your cake and distribute it too: An alternative ASP model.
The economic benefits of server-centric or terminal computing -- such as reduced energy consumption, less maintenance and lower management costs -- are compelling. However, as with any technology, server-centric computing has disadvantages that must be considered. In this tip, I'll discuss some of those disadvantages and how to address those challenges with products like VMware's Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) and Moka5's LivePC.
1. Your infrastructure costs will likely be more up front: Everything from the network paths to the servers to the storage should be redundant. When a server must be available for clients, and that server becomes unavailable, it's a big issue because it provides computing power, as well as access to applications and files.
2. Regular maintenance and patch management becomes a much more disciplined practice because clients are relying on the server's availability. If an application patch breaks the application on a desktop, only one desktop is affected. If an application patch breaks the application on a terminal server, then all of the clients that connect to that server are affected.
3. Some applications will not run in a terminal server environment, such as Citrix, because it's a one-operating-system-to-many-devices relationship. These applications were designed to run on a single desktop with a single user logged on, and do not function properly when shared in a terminal session.
Virtualize your cake and eat it too
Part 1: An alternative ASP model
Part 2: VMware's Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI)
Part 3: Moka5's LivePC
Part 4: Helping SMBs benefit from virtualization
About the author: Harley Stagner has been an IT professional for almost eight years. He has a wide range of knowledge in many areas of the IT field, including network design and administration, scripting and troubleshooting. Of particular interest to Harley is virtualization technology. He was the technical editor for Chris Wolf and Erick M. Halter's book Virtualization: From Desktop to the Enterprise and currently writes his own blog at www.harleystagner.com. Ask Harley your server virtualization questions today.
