mary sakaluk iggy filice hamilton public library
TRANSCRIPT
Virtual Desktop Project
Mary SakalukIggy Filice
Hamilton Public Library
Hamilton has a population of approx 530,000 23 branches spread out over 530 square miles of
urban and rural space 350 public computers Over 850,000 public
computer sessions a year 350 staff PC’s, laptops iPads Home connection thru
Cisco AnyConnect
Background Info - Hamilton
Everything old...
Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) ...
Refers to the process of running a user desktop inside a virtual machine that lives on a server in the datacenter. It enables fully personalized desktops for each user with all the security and simplicity of centralized management.
What is VDI?
Network◦ Fast, reliable network (20mb minimum)
CPU◦ Adequate resources for number of end points◦ Graphical performance
Storage Performance◦ High performance disk (IOPS)◦ Can support simultaneous booting
End points◦ Thin? Zero? Laptops? Chromebooks? PC? Tablets?
Requirements for VDI
Management efficiency – single image, easier updates
Simplify end point troubleshooting Increase life cycle refresh of end points Reduce desktop support calls and costs Increases workforce mobility – ubiquitous
access for end user, facilitates BYOD Improved security – files in data center
Benefits of VDI
But it’s not about cost savings
Full virtual desk tops, working flawlessly, easy to set up, excellent performance, end user experience nirvana, no maintenance headaches, no refresh of end points needed
Our Dream
The Reality
It’s what’s under the mountain that you have to worry about...
Application Compatibility Flash and media Vendor support for only one browser Ensuring adequate infrastructure capacity
(storage + processing + network) Infrastructure & licensing costs Peripheral devices Change in support model High dependence on network
Challenges
January – February◦ evaluation to determine environmental feasibility
of VDI◦ Determine use cases
March – July ◦ PoC with VMWare on a Nutanix box
August – November ◦ PoC with Citrix
December◦ decision made on final solution
Our Journey down the VDI Path
And after all that... we chose
Datacenter◦ Server with 2x8 core CPU, 256GB ram, 1TB storage◦ Good for about 75 desktops (depends on use case)◦ Teradici Apex Offload card◦ Will need a second host for HA and redundancy
End Points◦ Evaluated performance on zero and thin clients◦ HP T310 and T620, existing thin clients
Pilot locations◦ 2-4 VDI desktops per site◦ Varying speeds – 10MB, 20 MB,50MB, 100MB links
At this point – here is where we are at
At this point – here is where we are at
Three phase approach – Strategy – Pilot – Implement
Plan back to front storage – servers – network – end points
Savings will be intangible – this isn’t a cost savings project
Gain buy in – executive support Pay attention to licensing costs
Lessons Learned
Balance user experience, complexity of infrastructure and total cost per desktop
Consider more than one Proof of Concept Media, media, media – VDI originally
intended for Corporate use Focus on one use case at a time Having standardized desktops in place
already will make VDI implementation easier Options for pools – floating, dedicated,
persistent
Lessons Learned
Monitor Storage, CPU and Network◦ Beware of and manage boot storms◦ Storage can be a significant bottleneck
Roll out in small chunks, evaluate, tweak Training – IT and other staff Create a backup plan for when network
goes down Limit VDI impact on rest of infrastructure Public and Staff feedback Unidesk – layering technology
Future Considerations
Thanks and Questions
Mary SakalukManager, Digital TechnologyT: 905-546-3200 x3999 M: 905-979-3409 E: [email protected]
Iggy FiliceNetwork Application AnalystT: 905-546-3200 x 3243M: 905-973-4832E: [email protected]
Contact Information