Establishing a Viable Virtualized Environment In Today’s Workplace Can Be a Daunting Task
Oftentimes, the requirements of such an environment are filled with technical jargon that can make the process seem much more complicated than it actually is. Sure, a good VDI requires a competent IT staff, but often these environments are built upon simple concepts that IT departments are already well acquainted with. Understanding the basic components of VDI is a good first step towards virtualization.
Server – How Many? What Type?
The first component of a virtual environment is a server. Depending on the size of your deployment, multiple servers could be required. There are also options for how these servers store data: while a rack server is great for enterprise-sized deployments, it might not be necessary for a smaller deployment to a single classroom, for example. Knowing which servers to get depends largely on the size of the deployment and the scalability of the VDI solution being implemented.
Hypervisor – What are the Needs of Your Environment?
The next component of a successful VDI is a hypervisor. There are many kinds of hypervisors that differ depending on what sort of environment you’re setting up, but they all perform the same basic function. The hypervisor allows the servers to run multiple virtual machines. Common hypervisors are Hyper-V for RDP connections, XenServer for Citrix ICA, and ESXi for VMware.
A virtual machine is essentially a self-contained instance of an operating system running on a server and being managed by a hypervisor. These virtual machines are what make VDI possible. One server can host many virtual machines, and these virtual machines provide the end users with complete desktop experiences that are independent of each other.
Terminal – Which option is right?
The next stop in VDI is the terminal. A terminal is what connects the server and virtual machine to the user’s desktop and connects to the monitor, mouse, and keyboard. There are many different options when it comes to terminals, and many different terminals can be used within the same VDI. This gives IT departments the freedom to choose the terminal that best suits the needs of their users.
Management Platform – Provides the Greatest Benefits of VDI, Which One to Choose?
The last stop for successful VDI is a management platform. In large deployments, maintaining a virtualized environment without good management software can be daunting. It can require many IT employees scrambling around trying to keep up with any issues that the users may encounter, and really loses out on one of the greatest benefits of VDI. Good management software will allow the system administrator to trouble shoot, update, and monitor all the terminals in their system from a single location. This method of maintaining a virtualized environment streamlines the maintenance process.
There are many options that can be used in each of the components mentioned above. Determining which setup to go with is a process that must account for what your IT goals are and what the needs are of your end users. However, understanding the basic components to a successful VDI deployment is the first step to saving time, money, energy, and effort.
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