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Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization for Desktops
Benefits of desktop ViRtualization
the advent of virtualization technology on x86 platforms has allowed a radically new, cost-effective model
of desktop delivery. it allows it to centrally manage, maintain, and enforce policies on desktops in a much
more effective and holistic manner than traditional desktops (individual pcs running an operating system
(os) and applications) and legacy sBc/terminal services solutions (shared os and applications). this enables
better compliance and also leads to a significant reduction in the total cost of ownership. In addition, virtual
desktops can enable powerful new functionality for end users.
This paper discusses in depth the benefits of the virtual desktop model and highlights Red Hat solutions.
It also covers some of the significant differences between Red Hat solutions and existing virtual desktop
solutions.
Benefits foR it depaRtments
From an IT perspective, virtual desktops allow many benefits relative to traditional desktop delivery models
(physical desktops and terminal services).
AdvAntAGeS RelAtive to tRAditionAl oR PhySicAl deSktoPS
security and compliance: Data resides within physically secured datacenter, rather than on less-secure
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client devices.
Rapid provisioning: Desktops can be centrally provisioned, maintained, and de-provisioned as required.
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centralized storage and back-up: Entire desktop images can be centrally backed up using the enterprise’s
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storage infrastructure.
Significantly reduced desk-side visits: Because a user’s PC is now a virtual machine or a file, it can be
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backed up and restored very easily. the ability to snapshot a virtual desktop and “instantly re-image” it
significantly reduces the cost of support.
High availability: In traditional desktop models, if a user’s hard disk crashes it leads to a significant
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amount of downtime. in the case of virtual desktops, hard disk failures cause no downtime and no support
overhead for it.
canonical hardware for desktops instead of multiple classes of machines: Virtualization enables
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a canonical view of everything from the hardware to the os and applications. Hence, it organizations
do not have to spend an inordinate amount of time testing and regression testing applications and
operating systems on multiple classes of hardware with different drivers. This greatly simplifies desktop
image management.
