Vdi on myvirtualcloud.net

Disaster! I moved my Citrix Farm to VMware Cloud in 8 minutes

Mon, 06 Apr 2020 16:13:36 +0000

I hope you are all having a great day at home. I recently posted on Twitter that I have executed DR from on-prem to the VMware Cloud on AWS of my entire Citrix Farm, including Active Directory, Delivery Controllers, VPN, and persistent desktops. As it got much attention, I decided to record a video; it's only about 4 minutes. Some things must be seen to be believed!

VDI is Now deemed Critical Infrastructure, but are Organizations Ready for it?

Sun, 29 Mar 2020 19:15:38 +0000

For a long time, EUC specialists and architects have been saying that VDI should be considered an integral part of the critical infrastructure and therefore given the same attention that core applications and databases receive in terms of availability and recoverability.

We executed a Disaster Recovery Plan for our VDI!

Mon, 16 Dec 2019 12:40:04 +0000

I have been working with EUC solutions for a long time and for as long as I can remember, VDI solutions like Horizon and XenDesktop lacked a practical way to deliver DR.

Bye Bye Java Web Start... Hello Docker Container and Direct Download says the VDI Calculator

Sun, 03 Nov 2019 20:02:23 +0000

Since I started tracking the VDI Calculator usage, back in 2013, there have been over 66,000 application launches, and since I released the current VDI Calculator back in 2013 I have been using Java Web Start to facilitate the launch of the application. Java Web Start allows you to download and run Java applications from the web with an easy, one-click activation of applications and it guarantees that you are always running the latest version of the application.

VMware Horizon now has DR to VMware Cloud on AWS

Mon, 28 Oct 2019 12:06:48 +0000

For as long as I can remember, VMware Horizon lacked a practical way to achieve DR, be it on-premise or in the cloud. To achieve DR, administrators had to abstract components of the solution, virtualize applications, manually replicate golden images and make heavy use of non-persistent desktops. Still, even like that, it was very complex to have an effective DR solution that cater for business requirements.

VDI Calculator now as a Docker Container

Thu, 10 Oct 2019 12:48:48 +0000

Over the years I've heard users of my VDI Calculator complain that they either have issues with Java functionality or they do not want to install Java on their computers due to security concerns.

Why Datrium DVX is Best for VDI - by Simon Long and André Leibovici

Mon, 01 Oct 2018 14:38:17 +0000

I have written in the past about how awesome Datrium DVX is for VDI, and how it removes numerous challenges in deploying and scaling solutions in single or multi-datacenter rollouts.

Most HCI vendors are continuously claiming to solve VDI challenges, but they are regularly focused on the day-one rollout – not the problems to operate VDI environment in the long run.

Hands Down the Ultimate VDI Platform - 2018 Review

Mon, 14 May 2018 08:46:21 +0000

Back in 2014 when I left VMware and joined Nutanix, I wrote two articles entitled "Hands Down the Ultimate VDI platform" (here and here) explaining how hyperconvergence and more specifically Nutanix were the perfect platforms for running VDI - and in all honesty that was one of the primary reasons I left VMware EUC CTO Office. I saw the opportunity to help thousands of organizations struggling with VDI deployments....and I was right, hyperconvergence is pretty much the default deployment model for VDI nowadays.

VDI Calculator v7.4 Update

Wed, 20 Dec 2017 14:32:16 +0000

Hello,

This is a minor update to the VDI Calculator, just adding capability and support for Intel Xeon processors with 20 cores. I'm adding that mostly because Datrium now has a Compute Node (CN) that supports Intel Xeon Gold 6148, 20 cores/socket, 2.4GHz (specs). That said this new option provides support for any hardware from any vendor supporting 20 core processors.

Citrix and Datrium Unlock Flash-based Economics for 6,000 AF Desktops at $9 per User

Mon, 13 Nov 2017 07:13:48 +0000

Couple weeks back I had the wonderful opportunity to present Datrium tech and the Open Convergence evolution alongside my colleague Mike McLaughlin and the Citrix Ready team. Along with LoginVSI we crafted and validated a reference architecture for 6,000 XenDesktop virtual desktops running on a single Datrium platform while enjoying benefits of AllFlash performance at a cost of $9 per month per user over a three year ROI (list prices).

Future of EUC to Open-Convergence – DABCC Podcast

Sat, 24 Jun 2017 08:28:20 +0000

A couple of weeks ago I had the pleasure to join my friend Douglas Brown's DABCC podcast and talk about the Future of EUC, DAAS, Open-Convergence, and Datrium. I think you will enjoy it!

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VDI Calculator 7.2 Now Available w/ Support for Workspot

Mon, 05 Jun 2017 20:23:01 +0000

Today I am releasing version 7.2 of the VDI Calculator, and the key feature is the addition of support for Workspot.

Workspot is a multi-tenant cloud-first solution, where the operational components of management, brokering, load balancing and more are all included in the cloud service. Their solution can be deployed on Microsoft Azure or using traditional datacenter constructs, such as SAN, or HCI platforms such as Nutanix, VSAN, and Datrium.

VDI Calculator 7.1 Available w/ Support for Intel SkyLake, Datrium and more

Tue, 23 May 2017 07:57:35 +0000

Today I am releasing version 7.1 of the VDI Calculator.

This release adds support next-generation Xeon server processor family. The new chips are based on the company's Skylake processor architecture and are manufactured in the company's 14-nanometer+ technology. The calculator now supports processors with up to 24 cores.

Citrix XenDesktop deployment? Here is everything you need to know about Nutanix vs. Other SDS

Tue, 24 May 2016 15:06:16 +0000

I have recently posted the article VMware Horizon View deployment? Here is everything you need to know about Nutanix vs. Other SDS. This time around I am consolidating all the numerous reasons for using Nutanix over other SDS solutions for Citrix XenDesktop and XenApp deployments.

VMware Horizon View deployment? Here is everything you need to know about Nutanix vs. Other SDS

Sun, 08 May 2016 17:58:02 +0000

It has been a long time since I posted on Nutanix as a platform for VDI. And given that many new features have been added to the platform, I decided that was time to refresh and consolidate previous articles into a single unified post.

Architecting EUC Solutions by Brian Suhr

Tue, 03 May 2016 16:30:17 +0000

Hi there, I hope you are having a great week.

This time around I'm here to promote a colleague's book in the End User Computing space -- no need to mention that EUC has a cozy space in my heart.

VDI Calculator v7 Now Available w/ major changes

Wed, 06 Apr 2016 17:23:16 +0000

CHECK OUT THE NEW WEB VDI CALCULATOR HERE

Today I am releasing a new version on my VDI calculator, V7. This is a major release that include major improvements to the way VDI infrastructures are calculated, while also simplifying the process for people new to VDI sizing. I put a lot of effort into this release and had to make some big code changes to accommodate the desired outcomes. Let's go to What's New!

New 'Acropolis File Services' with Native Support for VMware Horizon UEM and Citrix Profile Manager

Mon, 14 Mar 2016 08:15:46 +0000

Nutanix has been primarily used to host virtual machines in the format of VMDKs and vdisks, but now it is also possible to natively store unstructured files such as user-generated content such as Office documents, and Windows user profiles and settings.

The Definitive Guide to End-User Computing and Virtual Desktop Infrastructure Solutions

Sun, 06 Mar 2016 18:41:09 +0000

Back in 2011, in the world of SAN, I wrote an article called “VDI USER EXPERIENCE and USER ACCEPTANCE”. The article iterated through my experiences with many failed VDI deployments due to poor technical designs; mostly driven by storage performance complications.

Nutanix 4.6 Features Overview – Part 2 (Beyond Marketing)

Sun, 21 Feb 2016 08:02:10 +0000

This is the second part of the series. The first part can be found here and contains the overview for the following new features:

Native File Services
Performance Improvements
Volume Groups in PRISM
Self Service Restore (SSR)
1-Click Upgrades of Foundation, BIOS, BMC
Metro Availability Non-Disruptive vMotion and Site Migrations
Cross Hypervisor Disaster Recovery
Project Dial: In-Place Hypervisor Conversion
OpenStack Integration
Citrix Power Management Plugin
AHV Guest Customization
AHV VLAN Trunking
Prism Actionable Capacity Forecasting
Prism Customizable Dashboards
Prism Entity Explorer

VDI Calculator v6.5 is Now Available Raising Questions on VDI Market

Sun, 10 Jan 2016 16:10:36 +0000

Wow! What a phenomenal journey this VDI calculator has been through. It all started as an Excel spreadsheet in 2010 and later on evolving into a Flash based app and later into a Java based app. Since June 2013 when I implemented access counters using GoogleAnalytics this calculator has been used over 52,000 times by different sources, with United Stated and UK leading the pack.

New KVM-VDI Open Source Project

Fri, 01 Jan 2016 13:35:39 +0000

The team at Vilnius University in Lithuania contacted me about an open-source project they have been working on. The university developed a KVM based VDI solution for their computer classes.

The project uses qemu-kvm virtualization and provides VM based sessions with native soft clients via SPICE or RDP protocols. The broker is also able to provide access to virtual desktops created via a VMware Horizon VDI pool on vSphere.

Free VDI options for KVM hypervisor

Fri, 01 Jan 2016 13:30:56 +0000

Most VDI deployments in enterprises run with VMware Horizon View, or Citrix XenDesktop, or with smaller or up and coming market players such as Parallels, Ericom, and Workspot.

However, I see an increasing request for a KVM supported VDI solution. Customers want to run VDI on KVM, eliminating hypervisor license costs, therefore reducing the total cost per desktop. Furthermore, it’s also possible to remove Microsoft licenses if Linux is used. Cost per desktop has been one of the factors playing against VDI adoption and leading to many ROI discussions.

Transforming Healthcare IT - Why Nutanix for Healthcare?

Mon, 30 Nov 2015 07:20:46 +0000

My role at Nutanix gives me plenty of opportunities to learn interesting new areas of technology. One of these new areas is the Healthcare space in which I have the opportunity to work with a pool of very talented sales, alliances and system engineering leaders.

What are the VDI options for Nutanix Acropolis Hypervisor?

Fri, 16 Oct 2015 14:17:19 +0000

The majority of Nutanix customers running VDI on Nutanix today are using vSphere as hypervisor. However, there is an increasing demand for Nutanix Acropolis supported VDI solutions. Customers want to run VDI on Acropolis, eliminating hypervisor license costs, therefore reducing the total cost per desktop. Cost per desktop has been one of the factors in VDI adoption leading to many ROI discussions; furthermore, vSphere is overkill for some VDI deployments.

VMware Horizon View on Acropolis Hypervisor

Mon, 24 Aug 2015 22:21:54 +0000

One of the submissions for the Nutanix Coding Challenge is quite interesting from a VDI point of view. The team at EZDC Automation used the self-service engine from vCloud Automation Center (vRA) to automate the creation and customization of desktops using the Acropolis API's and making them available in VMware Horizon View for use. In this case Horizon View is handling the connection brokering to unmanaged desktops, but both persistent and floating use-cases can be successfully deployed.

What's Next for VDI and Application Publishing?

Wed, 20 May 2015 16:36:07 +0000

At Citrix Synergy earlier this month I was interviewed by LoginVSI (thanks for the opportunity!) where I talk about the state of VDI and Application Publishing industry, and where I believe the industry will be moving to... it's about application data!

Tech Reasons why Nutanix leads the VDI industry

Mon, 27 Apr 2015 10:05:44 +0000

It has been a long time ago since I explored Nutanix technology with VDI lens. Features have been added to the platform since my last article on the subject, but Nutanix is still unquestionably my infrastructure of choice for VDI; not because I work for Nutanix, but because there are very good reasons for that.

VDI Calculator v6.2 is Now Available w/ Haswell support

Sun, 05 Apr 2015 21:18:39 +0000

Today I am announcing the general availability of the new VDI Calculator v6.2. This version introduces support for the Xeon E5-2600 V3 family of processors, based on Haswell microarchitecture, and Configure To Order (CTO) configurations for the Nutanix NX and Dell XC series.

How to Recover Linked Clone Desktops in a DR Site

Sun, 08 Mar 2015 19:11:36 +0000

Disaster Recovery for Horizon View has always been a hot topic. To this date VMware still doesn't provide an official methodology to protect virtual desktops. Equally, VMware Site Recovery Manager does not support Linked Clone desktops created by Horizon View Composer. Conversely, Full Clone desktops can be protected using native storage replication or vSphere host-based replication.