Virtualization.com

News and insights from the vibrant world of virtualization and cloud computing

VDI

VMware Debuts Open Source Virtual Desktop Client

by Leave a Comment

VMware today announced the first open source client for virtual desktop infrastructure, VMware View Open Client.

VMware View enables IT organizations to safely host user desktops in the datacenter, while letting users access their personalized desktop environments from almost any device, at any time – all at a lower cost of ownership than traditional desktop environments. Now, VMware is providing VMware View Open Client for partners, enabling them to use VMware View source code to optimize their products to deliver rich, personalized virtual desktops to users. In addition, partners will be able to use the source code to help accelerate the development and delivery of solutions for enterprises to provision and manage thousands of virtual desktops simply, securely and at substantially lower operating costs.

This announcement is another important step in VMware’s vClient Initiative to deliver universal clients – desktops that follow users to any end point while providing a rich personalized experienced that is secure, cost-effective and easy for IT to manage.

VMware View Open Client is available under the GNU Lesser General Public License version 2.1 (LGPL v 2.1) and is accessible from  http://code.google.com/p/vmware-view-open-client/. Some of the features included in this release support secure tunneling using SSL, two factor authentication with RSA SecurID, Novell SUSE Linux Enterprise Thin Client Add-On RPM package and a full command line interface. Support for the source code distribution is available through the VMware View Open Client community at: http://code.google.com/p/vmware-view-open-client/.

AppSense Releases Environment Manager 8.0 For Personalizing Virtual And Physical Microsoft Platforms

by 1 Comment

AppSense, provider of user environment management solutions for large-scale environments, today announced that its newly released Environment Manager 8.0 leverages Microsoft server technologies, providing a scalable and efficient way to personalize both virtual and physical desktops across the enterprise.

The only enterprise solution that enables standardized virtual desktop environments to be fully – and automatically – personalized, AppSense Environment Manager 8.0 accelerates virtual desktop adoption by rapidly configuring desktops and applications with a user’s personal and policy settings without administrator intervention.

By decoupling both policy and personalization data from the desktop, managing them independently and applying them on-demand, AppSense’s user environment management solution lets IT use a combination of desktop and application delivery methods—such as desktop virtualization, presentation virtualization, streamed applications and local and provisioned desktops—and easily and transparently migrate large groups of users from physical to virtual desktops.

Avnet Technology Solutions Introduces Virtual Desktop Infrastructure Solution, Based on VMware Technology

by Leave a Comment

Avnet Technology Solutions, an operating group of Avnet, today announced a comprehensive solution to assist partners in targeting the emerging virtual desktop market in the US and Canada. Avnet Technology Solutions’ new solution combines VMware Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) software with the services and enablement resources needed to develop market expertise and effectively implement virtual desktop environments. Partners can use virtual desktop solutions to help their customers improve manageability, increase control and enhance the security of their enterprise desktops. The centralization of desktop management through virtualization also helps companies more effectively leverage their IT resources.

Avnet’s new solution is based on VMware VDI, which includes VMware Virtual Desktop Manager and provides simplified management and secure provisioning of virtual desktops and manages user access to the virtual desktops from a wide range of devices such as Windows, Linux and Mac computers, and thin clients. By deploying the VMware platform, partners can extend business continuity and disaster recovery capabilities to their customers’ desktops and streamline desktop management to reduce operating costs, increase control and deliver complete desktop environments with greater application compatibility.

Parallels Readying Attack on VMware Fusion With Desktop 4

by Leave a Comment

AppleInsider has taken a close look at a few features of the upcoming Parallels Desktop 4, which will be Parallels’ answer to the latest release of VMware Fusion 2.0.

“Those aware of the changes say the new release will be Parallels’ first to make good on promise made in early January that it would enable virtualization of Mac OS X Server on Macs already running the operating system, making use of a change in licensing terms with Leopard’s release late last year that permits more than one copy to run at the same time.

Such features have been frequently requested by IT administrators, who on Linux and Windows have already been able to segregate individual apps away from the main operating system in the event of a crash or a security breach.”

Ars Technica adds:

“Desktop 4’s performance will also be beefed up by adding DirectX 9 and OpenGL 2 support, an improved virtualization engine, and support for multiple cores and more RAM.

A makeover for the new version of Parallels Desktop is also in the cards, including a redesigned and simplified interface and more Terminal-based controls. In addition, the team is working on improving the ACPI interface (used for shutdowns and sleeping), and should be adding virtual machine resizing and 64-bit support. Based on those features, the software shouldn’t have a hard time catching up to Fusion, but I hope the team has something else waiting in the wings.”

Parallels

2X Releases ThinClientServer Version 6

by Leave a Comment

2X, developer of virtual and thin client computing software, today announced the release of 2X ThinClientServer version 6. The latest version includes a new user-friendly web-based management console and important features enhancing the performance and functionality of its popular thin client OS and management system.

With the increasing popularity for VDI (Virtual Desktop Infrastructure) the demand for manageable and affordable thin client solutions explodes. The benefit of virtualization to most companies is that mobile users can take thin-clients; laptops or USB drives/sticks and recreate the corporate computing environment in a secure and controlled setting. This takes a lot of the expense out of managing hundreds or thousands of fat client desktops.
2X ThinClientServer deploys a small footprint Linux-based OS to popular thin client devices (HP, Neoware, Wyse, BOSAaNOVA, SAMSUNG and more) and to old or new PCs and laptops. Thin clients always boot the latest version of the OS from the ThinClientServer or locally. Hardware & connection settings (including resolution, logging and more) can be retrieved from the server when the client logs on, making thin clients easy to manage.
Pricing starts at $595 for managing up to 25 thin clients; $1195 for 50 thin clients and $3695 for 250 thin clients.

Provision Networks Introduces Quest Experience Optimization Pack (EOP)

by Leave a Comment

Provision Networks, a division of Quest, today unveiled its Experience Optimization Pack (EOP). Quest EOP is an extension suite for Microsoft’s Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) aimed to eliminate the adoption barriers of hosted desktop virtualization in all use case scenarios over both local area and wide area networks.

Hosted desktop technologies such as VDI, Blade PCs or even presentation virtualization rely on RDP to provide access and connectivity. RDP, however, does not deliver a PC-like, or even a near PC-like, experience. Quest’s EOP embraces and extends RDP and delivers the optimal user experience for LAN and WAN connectivity. Quest EOP:

  • Delivers support for bi-directional audio, enabling organizations to deploy dictation, collaboration and certain VOIP applications.
  • Accelerates the delivery of multimedia content such as recorded webcasts and web-based training from remote virtualized desktops and applications.
  • Dramatically improves the remoting of graphics including browser and flash acceleration.
  • Eliminates the effects of network latency which can cause havoc even for simple applications such as word processing.

Quest’s EOP is available immediately as an optional add-on to the Provision Networks Virtual Access Suite v5.10, the enterprise multi-platform desktop virtualization solution.