VMware Mirage Desktop Deployment and Case Studies

About Me Credentials Ex IT Manager turned freelance consultant 10 years delivering consultancy and professional services Deploying VMware & Citrix solutions since 2005 First Mirage Project 2013 Contact:

Agenda What is VMware Mirage Why use it? Technical Requirements Case Study Review Horizon 6 New Features

Desktop Image Deployment Often started with Ghost Drivers, Drivers, Drivers Multiple images ? How useful is the base image in 12 months Patches and Software updates WDT/MDT/SCCM = lots of rules and filters

Challenges  Managing PCs on LAN and WAN is difficult  Deploying Windows and apps is cumbersome and time consuming  Migrating user’s to new devices or upgrading OS requires lots of IT time and user downtime  No easy way to fix malfunctioning PC without troubleshooting or user data loss Benefits  Centralised management and control of Windows PCs- virtual or physical  Deploy Windows and apps to single users or groups with a few clicks  Simple desktop recovery  Fix system layer of malfunctioning PC without affecting user layers

Mirage Features Common Base image for everyone OS, Updates, Common Apps + Components Firewall, Anti-Virus Driver and Application layers Centralised Backup (Snapshot easily rollback) OS Migration WAN Friendly Optional self service file restore

Process Capture Reference Machine (Base Layer) Capture Applications Import Drivers Create Collections Deploy / Migrate

Solution Overview

Layering User Data & Profile Some Applications Other Applications Operating System Drivers End-User Controlled IT Managed  Layers can be updated separately but are merged together at the endpoint  Logically layers each end user’s PC.  Does not actually shift contents around on PC.  Empowers IT to perform granular operations on some or all PC layers (without affecting other layers when not appropriate).  User-Installed apps are installed manually by end users and are synchronized and preserved for use during migrations or desktop recovery. Mirage Images

Tech Requirements 2 x Mirage Servers (around 800 CVDs each) SQL (Express upto 5000 devices) Just under 1 IOP per CVD Allow for 20Gb per CVD *NOTE: Clients not dependent on backend to work unlike VDI

Case Study – PoS Retail Upgrade to Windows Restaurant Terminals 50 Dell Laptops 150 HP Desktops Install, Base Image, Apps (3 weeks) Bespoke installer No central network

Case Study – Fleet Vehicles 3000 Laptops Highly distributed environment Complex network connectivity patterns Branch Reflector Deployed

Lessons Not all drivers are simple Deployment options will vary Learn Windows 7 migration utility Account for disk encryption Many variables = requires pilot/testing phase

Google – Vmware Hands on Lab

THANK YOU Q&A