Discussion on VDI Implementation

Mark Kroskamkroska@creativememories.com

Who is Creative Memories?

Creative Memories is memory preservation

*traditional scrapbookingalbums, covers, tools, papers, embellishments and accessories

*digital scrapbookingsoftware for PC and Mac, photo and project storage, digital

content

Creative Memories by the numbers• In business since 1989• Bankruptcy in 2008/9• 450 employees• 30,000 consultants worldwide• $120MM annual revenue• 3 locations:

– St. Cloud (Clearwater Road)– St. Cloud (off Opportunity Drive)– Yellow Springs,Ohio

Creative Memories Infrastructure

• 2 St. Cloud locations connected by 2x 1G fiber

• YSP connected by 4.5M MPLS• 2008 R2 AD domain• HP DL380 G6 and G7 VM hosts• 20 VM hosts (12 server / 8 VDI)• Extreme core and access switches• NetApp 3040 and 3020 storage

Infrastructure Environment

• 35 physical servers (non-VM hosts)• 186 VM servers

Servers are 84% virtual – at goal

• 115 desktops (most over 5 yrs old)• 102 laptops (most over 5 yrs old)• 355 VDI desktops

Desktops are 62% virtual – goal is 85%

The Project…• Objectives (required)

– Deliver a consistent reliable desktop (by…)• Reduce the number of installed applications• Reduce / eliminate the need for admin rights• Identify and centralize management of “miscellaneous” desktop configuration

attributes– We are using this project to “get to know” our desktop configuration– Ex: hundreds of differently configured ODBC connections.– These are reduced in number and centrally managed / assigned to users through GP Prefs.

– Reduce the number of images to ONE*• Due to legacy physical hardware we still have 32 and 64 bit images.• All VMs and newer computers originate from the same master 64bit image.

– Note: the 64 bit image does go through an additional customization phase before becoming a Parent VM.

– Keep systems up-to-date• Provided an opportunity to bundle in other upgrades (i.e.: Office 2010)

The Project…

• Objectives (required)– Turn the desktop into a ubiquitous

resource• Secure desktop access from anywhere*

– Get the desktop from home or away, and in phase 2 also offline

• Your desktop in any meeting room• Re-purposed old laptops as mobile view

connection terminals

The Project…

• Objectives: (nice to have)– Thinapp a majority of applications –

updated packaging strategy– Reduce Power Consumption– Reduce Storage Footprint– Reduce time to deliver and time to recover

• The overall time to deploy a desktop to a new user or recover from failed equipment on an existing user is lessened greatly.

The Project…

Objectives: (out of scope)– Offline desktop

• We determined we didn’t want to spend the time and resources ensuring a great Offline desktop experience right away so this will roll out as a new feature after all users are converted.

– Security Server• Did not implement due to the lack of PCoIP support• Took advantage of existing SSL VPN and other tools to

create a Remote Access Solution.– Change Anti-virus

• Switch to FEP• Not using vShield Zones

Deliverables

85% of users are on View and fully upgraded to Windows 7

Mac users, frequent travelers and specific applications on hardware make up the remaining 15%

Does this sound familiar?

Our approach…

• “ONE image”*• View Specific info:

– For Composer we chose Sysprep over Quickprep• Works well with our already in place KMS infrastructure• Don’t need the speed of Quickprep since we won’t be constantly

refreshing or recomposing– Two View Connection Servers load balanced behind an F5 LTM– Thinapp assignment didn’t meet our needs…

• Went with Group Policy Software Installation– Has some quirks, but it works. – User or group based application assignment

– View Parent Image• Many core / commonly used applications are on our parent with

less used applications assigned on a per user basis.

Our approach…

– View composer pools• Chose to create all VMs in a pool in advance, though the on

demand feature does work well.• We have five identical 50 VM pools labeled “Windows 7 A, B, C,

etc...”• A sixth pool with increased resources• Some stand-alone VMs for users with special needs

– View Connection Broker• We DO NOT tunnel the view client connection through the broker

– Remote Access for View• Bundled/Packaged View Client with our SSL VPN for an easy one

click install

Our approach…

• Image Customization:– WAIK is awesome (Windows Automated Installation Kit)

• Extensively to customize the image• Get your image update process worked out

• Group Policy and Group Policy Preferences (all kinds of awesome)– Excellent targeting capability– With AD level 2008+ – Printers

• Adding printers using subnet or other data that is populated from View to the volatile environment

• hkcu\Volatile Environment – ODBCs by user / group– Start Menu and Folder View customization by user / group– Files or Folders assigned by user / group

Our Timeline…

• Planning and preparation phase (3 months – Aug – Oct)– This time used to prepare the master WIM

(Windows Image)– Package applications– Create Group Policies– Setup Environment– Preliminary Testing– More…

Our Timeline…

• Testing / Piloting Phase (2 months – Nov – Dec)– Identified users– Tested migration scenarios– Determined what scenario we wanted to use

for migration– Discovered bugs / problems– Made constant tweaks, adjustments and fixes

to issues found– More…

Our Timeline…

• Rollout Phase (4 months – Jan – Apr)– Combined training and migration into one, as users

attend training they are migrated.– Provided self help resources – Followed up each migration with a survey to assess

and improve the process– Placed View stations throughout the building in

meeting rooms and available at mobile stations.– More…

Lessons Learned

• Adobe Products don’t play nice with folder redirection• Folder Redirecting Appdata burned up the maximum

connections to our file server• VMware Personas was not released with 4.5• Computer / Pool centric assignment of ThinApps• Lack of disk space prompted us to go for a rolling

upgrade rather than move all users at once. • Cannot run high end design, engineering or graphical

apps.• Some App Compatibility problems • Thinapp Compatibility / ThinApp packaging problems

Lessons Learned

• Driver Compatibility with legacy peripherals and some peripheral pass through problems

• View Configuration: Make sure your vcenter / vmcomposer account is the same used for vcenter and AD and has access to your customization templates, can add computers to the correct OU

• Microsoft Licensing (prompting inconvenient work-arounds)– Dealing With Office Activation– Dealing with Windows activation / Sysprep– Design a process to WORK AROUND this problem.

• A four part image management process– Reference– Serviceable– Prepped – (becomes the WIM)– Backup / Last Known Good

Myths about VDI

• “It’s a technology project”• “A pilot program for VDI is optional”• “Licensing gets much simpler with VDI”• “VDI will save time right away”• “VDI will save money right away”• “VDI cannot satisfy a tech savvy user”• “If we do server VMs, desktops have

no learning curve”

What’s Next?

• Calculate actual costs and returns• More hotel and conference room stations• Offline VDI• A better A/V solution (vShield?)• New versions of View

Q & A