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The blogs shown here are written by the poster. If you would like to add a blog article on Virtual Desktop Management feel free to email it it to me at rob@zylowski.com and I will post it. HTML preferred. Please reference any other sites you have posted the same blog.

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Persistent-versus-Non-persitent-VDI

By Rob Zylowski

Posted 1/26/2012 9:59:00 AM

One of the most important architectural considerations you will need to make in VDI is whether to use a persistent, non-persistent or mixed model for your desktops.  If using a persistent model, a user will be assigned a desktop and they will always use that desktop.  The work they do on "their" desktop is saved on "their" desktop.  This approach pretty much matches the physical desktop world. 

A non-persistent desktop is more like a typing pool.  The user connects to the connection broker and they select a "pool" of desktops.  They are then allocated one of the desktops from the pool which they use during that session.  If they log off, when they return they get a different desktop from the pool.
 
Each of these architectures have benefits and drawbacks depending on the requirements of a particular use case.  It is likely that you will want to use both architectures in your environment unless you are only implementing for one or two use cases. In this blog I discuss the models, where you would want to use each type and the major ways to support the models.  In the discussion we explore how View Composer, Citrix PVS and Unidesk work.




The Need for Desktop Management in VDI Deployments

By Rob Zylowski

Posted 1/17/2012 8:55:00 AM

There are many reasons different organizations may choose to deploy VDI or for that matter any host based desktop computing infrastructure.  For you it may be that security is critical and you want your desktops in the datacenter.  You may have a need for very high availability and both VDI and Server based computing can supply that.  Maybe you need better remote access fidelity and you think VDI is your best option for that.  There are many reasons out there to support a move to these technologies but if you are going to make the move in any type of holistic way where you expect to move significant portions of your user base over to VDI, then to make it affordable, you must build in world class management because the only way to recoup the costs of VDI and make it actually provide a positive ROI is for you to significantly lower the operational costs of providing desktop and application services. 

This blog discusses why you need to design desktop management into your VDI solution and what skills you should build into your skillset to be able to perform the management.