HP Virtual Desktop Infrastructurewith VMwareBring the benefits of industry-standard servers to your desktop environment.

Are you meeting yourdesktop managementchallenges?If you’re part of an IT organization that serves hundredsor thousands of employees, the desktop environmentcreates huge challenges. For starters, there’s the cost ofownership. While most desktop devices are inexpensiveto buy, they are costly to own. Gartner estimates that anend-user desktop might cost you up to $5,386 per userper year to own and operate.1

What’s driving up the costs? For one, you have the labor-intensive management and technical support. Too often,valuable system administrators end up spending time onroutine tasks like password resets. Management time isalso lost to the inefficiencies associated with vulnerabilityand patch management for a mix of PC images. Whenyou have products from multiple PC vendors, multiplemodels from the same vendor and a variety of differentaccess devices, you face expensive support and a rangeof refresh cycles.

Then there are the formidable security and data protec -tion issues. It’s hard to protect hundreds or thousandsof client devices and the sensitive information on them.From data backup to virus containment, device theft tohacking attempts, the end user is the focus of much oftoday’s data loss. Leaving end users as administratorsis a risky proposition. In some cases, end users can installunlicensed software creating both audit and security risks.

Finally, you have significant power and cooling coststhat come with each PC. Given issues like these, at timesyou might have thought, “There must be a better way to

run a desktop environment.” Now there is. It’s called HPVirtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) with VMware.

HP VDI provides a centralized approach to managingyour desktop environment and protecting the informationwithin it. It brings the far-reaching benefits of industry-standard servers and shared storage to your desktopenvironment, while delivering a full virtual PC experience.

Move ahead with HP Virtual DesktopInfrastructure.HP Virtual Desktop Infrastructure with VMware allowsyour organization to consolidate many physical desktopsonto a single server or a cluster of servers with sharedstorage. You can then centrally host and manage yourdesktop environment from within your data center oranother robust and reliable location with advancedsecurity features.

With your desktop virtualization solution in place, youcan increase resource utilization and enhance thesecurity, availability and protection of the data younow hold on client systems. HP VDI with VMware alsohelps you increase the manageability, efficiency andreliability of your desktop environment. These are justsome of the benefits you can realize when you bringserver-class hardware, VMware virtualization softwareand shared storage to your desktop environment.

Many organizations, from midsize companies to largeenterprises, have put VMware virtualization to work toincrease resource utilization, consolidate systems andenhance business agility. Drawing on these successes,organizations are now turning to desktop virtualizationto enable the same types of efficiencies gained withserver virtualization.

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What goes into HP VDI? Here arethe key solution components.HP simplifies desktop virtualization by bringing togetherall the components you need for an end-to-end desktopvirtualization solution. The HP VDI solution is composedof several hardware and software building blocks—including servers, storage, VMware virtualizationsoftware, management tools and access devices—along with professional services to design, integrate,deploy and support your solution.

Specific solution components include:

HP ProLiant and BladeSystem serversThe high-availability design of HP ProLiant and HPBladeSystem servers means virtual desktops use theserver’s hot-plug redundant power supplies and fans,with access to either Smart Array RAID 5 local storageor a storage area network (SAN). These industry-standard servers offer a variety of memory DIMM andinput/output (I/O) slot expansion options.

HP StorageWorks storageHP StorageWorks SAN solutions deliver flexible, open,standards-based storage infrastructure to enhance theefficiency and manageability of your desktop virtual -ization solution. HP StorageWorks network-attachedstorage (NAS) solutions, in turn, deliver low per-user costfor highly available, reliable, end-user data storage.

Core software• Virtualization: VMware’s Virtual Infrastructure software

is at the center of HP VDI. VMware ESX, installed onthe server, hosts the virtual machines that support eachvirtual PC. Virtual machines run your PC desktopoperating system and applications seamlessly. YourSAN hosts your system and application files.

• Connection broker: HP Session Allocation Manager—this connection broker tool manages the assignmentof end-user connections to desktop sessions running invirtual machines and provides an auto-configurationprocess of new virtual machines as they are created.Session Allocation Manager supports follow-meroaming and persistence of user connections to bothstatic and dynamically allocated computing resources.The HP VDI solution also works well with third-partyconnection broker software such as VMware’s VirtualDesktop Manager, Provision Networks and CitrixDesktop Server.

Management tools The HP VDI solution provides the tools you need tomore easily deploy and manage both virtual andphysical resources. The solution leverages:

• HP Systems Insight Manager—HP SIM is the foundationfor unified infrastructure management within yourdata center. This server management tool with provencost savings results, comes free with HP ProLiant andHP BladeSystem servers, and provides a centralizedmanagement console that simplifies and consolidatesinfrastructure management. According to a recentwhite paper by IDC based on the results from in-depthsurveys of 12 companies, the use of HP SIM softwarehas resulted in average total savings of $35,533 per100 users over three years on a normalized basis. Thepayback period averaged a short four months, andthe ROI averaged 468 percent.2

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Business-driven benefitsHP VDI with VMware can help yourorganization move beyond traditionalapproaches to the desktop environ-ment. With HP VDI, you can:

• Bring the benefits of high avail -ability to the desktop environment

• Enable efficient desktop config -uration and management throughcentralized resources, therebyspeeding up deployment andreducing labor

• Strengthen security by managingapplications and data centrallywhile maintaining user isolation

• Gain more value from existinginfrastructure investments byleveraging industry-standardhardware, management toolsand virtualization capabilities

• Improve power and cooling coststhrough the use of HP server-based power management toolsand HP thin clients

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• HP ProLiant Essentials Rapid Deployment Pack (RDP)—RDP is one of the ProLiant Essentials plug-ins thatworks with HP SIM. Using a simple drag-and-dropgraphic interface, Rapid Deployment Pack allows youto deploy, configure and license VMware ESX hostsin minutes.

• VMware VirtualCenter—VirtualCenter lets you rapidlyprovision virtual machines and monitor performance ofphysical servers and virtual machines. It also intelli -gently optimizes resources, enables high availability toall applications in virtual machines and makes your ITenvironment more responsive with virtualization-baseddistributed services such as VMware DRS, VMwareHigh Availability (HA) and VMware VMotion.

• HP Configuration Management (CM) Patch Managersoftware—This software eliminates known softwarevulnerabilities by automating the patch managementprocess—including acquisition, impact analysis, pilottesting, discovery, assessment, deployment, mainte -nance and compliance assurance—verifying thatdevices are always configured correctly. Used in a VDIenvironment, HP CM Patch Manager maintains theoperating system (OS) and applications within virtualmachines. Using this policy-based software, IT man -agers can accelerate the correct configuration of theirsoftware infrastructure and optimize the security andstability of managed systems.

HP Thin ClientsHP Thin Clients are ideal for use in a virtual desktopenvironment. These small-form-factor, stateless deviceshelp you cut power consumption, reduce support costsand increase security while potentially extending thereplacement cycle for end-user computing devices. CPUs,memory and hard disks are housed on servers andstorage resources in your data center—not on thedesktop. This makes it much more difficult for end usersto lose or remove confidential data or to introduce newsoftware into the system.

HP Pre-Configuration ServicesTo accelerate deployment, we can make your HP ProLiantand Blade System servers “virtualization ready” usingHP Factory Express image installation. Factory Expressservices range from installation of the system image toconfiguration and integration of a complex solution.

HP Factory Express services can include guest OSdesktop licenses, whether they were purchased fromHP or from an approved software vendor. With thelarge number of desktop images that can be run onan HP server, Factory Express image installation canbe a significant time saver.

How do you build a desktop virtual -ization solution? Follow these steps.Here is a brief summary of how the individual VDIcomponents come together to form a complete HPVirtual Desktop Infrastructure with VMware solution.

HP VDI starts with an assessment of your VDI end-userrequirements and existing infrastructure. Once known,you can configure your HP ProLiant and BladeSystemservers to provide a range of memory and I/O config -urations to suit your architectural and load requirements.

1. If you have a multi-server VDI environment, we highlyrecommend that you connect the servers to an HPSAN. The use of a SAN allows the virtual desktopsto be stored and backed up centrally, with accessfrom any server attached to the SAN. Disasterrecovery and live migration capabilities also requirea SAN infrastructure.

2. VMware virtualization software is installed on theservers to provide a many-to-one desktop-to-serverratio. The virtual desktops are hosted on storagedevices or the servers themselves. The virtual desk -tops run standard desktop operating systems, suchas Microsoft®.

3. Many organizations choose to incorporate a con -nection broker as part of their VDI solution. Theconnection broker helps connect the desktop userto the appropriate virtual machine. It initiates andtracks connections between end users and resourcesbased on policies that you set. In addition, it offersenhanced functionality, such as load balancing anduser verification against Active Directory.

A remote protocol is used to allow the client devices inthe desktop environment and the servers in the datacenter to interface over the network. Protocol optionsinclude Microsoft Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP),Citrix ICA and HP Remote Graphics Software (RGS).HP RGS uses the data compression capabilities of aremote client software component to enhance the perf -ormance of virtual desktops, and is desirable whenusing intense graphics applications on the network.

4. Consult your HP representative to determine the bestsolution for your needs.

5. Various client devices can be used in local and remoteoffices to complete the solution. HP Thin Clients areideal access devices for your virtual desktop environ-ment. You can also configure re-provisioned desktops,notebook computers and even handhelds devices toaccess virtual desktops.

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HP VDI with VMware architecture.The HP VDI architecture brings together a connection broker, thin clients, servers, shared storage, virtualization software and management software.

HP unified infrastructuremanagement

Desktop

Thin client

Laptop

PDA

HP storage

BladeSystem andProLiant servers

Connectionmanager

Virtualizationwith

Windows XPguests

LAN, WAN, VPN

Here are some of the best practicesfor desktop virtualization. So what does it take to gain a high-performance virtualdesktop infrastructure? Here is a look at some of the bestpractices and technologies for desktop virtualization. Inour experience, these are all important points to considerwhen building a virtual desktop environment.

Sizing considerationsA good place to start is with five to eight users percore. The actual count will depend on many factors,including the amount of installed memory, userworkloads, the storage architecture and more.

Storage and backupAvoid I/O bottlenecks by dividing storage traffic acrossmultiple controllers. To enhance security, review data anduser device lockdown policies to allow users to view databut not remove or copy data to external storage devices.

Use low-cost NAS solutions to store user data while main -taining availability and reliability for VMs on a sharedSAN from HP. Back up file shares with user data, butleave the VMs alone. This optimizes the use of storagespace while prioritizing data for backup.

Networking and protocolsRemember that network sizing depends on the remoteprotocol used, printing activities and user device redi -rection. In making network sizing decisions, keep in mindthat low network latency is critical—low latency meansbetter performance for end users. Network latency shouldbe 150 milliseconds or less.

With the HP VDI solution, you have multiple choicesfor your connection protocol. These protocols governcommunications between the thin clients in the virtual

desktop environment and the servers on the back end.The protocol you choose may have an effect on thenetwork bandwidth required for your VDI solution.

MemoryMemory is a key consideration in choosing your virtuali -zation platform. Look to achieve a large memory footprintby using less expensive DIMMs across a large numberof DIMM slots within the server. In addition, you cansafely over-commit memory using VMware virtualizationtechnology and HP ProLiant servers. You won’t need asmuch memory per virtual desktop, because the VMwarememory management capabilities provide greatermemory efficiency than physical desktops.

OperationsPlan for changes in your help-desk training competencies.Technicians may no longer need to be dispatched tothe end-user site, but your help-desk staff may requireadditional troubleshooting knowledge.

Management toolsThe use of a connection broker in a VDI architecture helpswith load balancing and virtual desktop administration.In addition, the connection broker provides a centralmanagement tool for the system administrator to accessvirtual machine status and resource pool statistics.

Design and planningWe recommend that you work with an HP reseller or HPprofessional to develop a proof of concept for your VDIenvironment. This step gives you the chance to see yoursolution in action in a test setting and to optimize thearchitecture for your particular user requirements priorto adding large numbers of users.

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HP Services can help you bring itall together.HP Services can help you transition smoothly to a virtualdesktop infrastructure—without interrupting your usualprogram and business activity or over-extending yourin-house IT support staff. Our vast portfolio of servicesallows you to use HP expertise as needed, tailoring it toyour specific requirements.

Consider using HP Services to assist you with themajor phases of implementing your HP Virtual DesktopInfrastructure. Our professionals can help you with ITservice and desktop management, process and solutiondesign, deployment either through Factory Express oronsite custom solution delivery, migration and ongoingintegrated support.

HP Services can deliver:

• Access to highly qualified experts who can cover allfacets of your client, software, server, network andstorage infrastructure support needs, with a deepknowledge of multi-vendor hardware and softwareenvironments—not just HP technologies.

• HP Care Packs for a range of installation and startupand support services, available either at fixed pricesor via a customized statement of work.

• Comprehensive solution design, migration, optimiza -tion and support services tailored to your virtualizedenvironment needs.

• HP Education Services provide for your educationneeds—embracing the requirements of end users,system administrators and support personnel. Ouronline and instructor-led courses build both coreand advanced skill sets and can help you improvesystem performance and availability.

• In addition, HP Financial Services provides innovativefinancing and financial asset management programsto help you cost-effectively acquire, manage and ulti -mately retire your HP solutions, including HP VirtualDesktop Infrastructure.

Ready to learn more?To take a more in-depth look at HP Virtual DesktopInfrastructure and learn what it can do for your organ -ization, visit www.hp.com/go/vdi. Among otherresources, this site offers a downloadable white paperthat provides insights into the configuration and sizingof your virtual desktop environment.

To find out more about desktop virtualization assistancefrom the HP Services organization, visitwww.hp.com/go/service.

To learn how HP Financial Services can help yourorganization move forward with your desktop virtual -ization initiative, visitwww.hp.com/go/hpfinancialservices.

Or to discuss your desktop needs and goals, and how HPcan help you meet them, contact your HP representative.

1 “TCO Comparison of PCs With Server-Based Computing,” June 15, 2006,Gartner Research.

2 “Gaining Business Value and ROI with HP Systems Insight Manager,” IDCwhite paper, May 2007.

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To learn more, visit www.hp.com/go/vmware

© 2007 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. The information contained herein is subject to changewithout notice. The only warranties for HP products and services are set forth in the express warrantystatements accompanying such products and services. Nothing herein should be construed as constituting anadditional warranty. HP shall not be liable for technical or editorial errors or omissions contained herein.Microsoft and Windows are U.S. registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.

4AA1-6676ENW, November 2007