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Complexity of Desktop Virtualization (1)

      Desktop virtualization requires the establishment of cooperation among several technologies that are necessary for it to function. The variety of the technologies is very large. It reflects what has been accumulated over three decades of building client-server architectures without regard to interoperability, security or support costs.
    Desktop virtualization, which is only a step towards enterprise cloud computing, must consider the integration of hypervisors, hardware systems, client devices and operating systems as follows:

    Hypervisors
    Virtualization requires the interposition of a hypervisor, also called the virtual machine monitor (VMM), between hardware (usually a microprocessor) and the operating system.  Virtualization then permits multiple operating systems, termed guests, to run concurrently on a host computer. There are two types of hypervisors:
    Type 1 (or native, bare metal). It runs directly on the host's hardware. It controls the hardware and monitors guest operating systems. The guest operating system runs above the hypervisor. Type 1 hypervisors include the Microsoft Hyper V; Intel's Intel VT-x; AMD's AMD-V; Citrix XenServer; and VMware ESX.
    Type 2 (or hosted). It runs within a conventional operating system. The hypervisor layer is a second software level with the guest operating systems running at the third level above the hardware. Type 2 hypervisors include Sun VirtualBox, VMware Server and Microsoft Virtual PC.
    When setting up desktop virtualization, the hardware and software interfaces must recognize which of the multiple hypervisor options it will have to interface with.

   Servers
    There are a total of 2,814 listed versions of systems that desktop virtualization may have to interface with. This includes Bull (51 systems); DELL (124); Fujitsu (78); HP (144); IBM (114); NEC (87); Oracle America, Inc (formerly Sun Microsystems, Inc) (67). If desktop virtualization connects to legacy hardware, it may have to recognize what changes were made in the interfaces.

    Client Devices
    There are a total of 1,811 listed versions of desktop clients that virtual computers located on servers may have to interface with. This includes DELL (183 systems); HP (208); (IBM (195); Intel (220; and Sun Microsystems Inc (85).

    Operating Systems
    There are a total of 1,210 listed versions of operating systems that the hypervisors may have to interface with. This includes Apple (64); FreeBSD (43); Microsoft (280); Novell (177); Red Hat (334); and Sun Microsystems Inc (37).

    Summary
    Desktop virtualization, especially when it calls for migration from legacy environments, is complex. It may call for the construction of bridges between hardware, clients and operating systems until such time when a consistent architecture, based on open standards, can simplify how an enterprise functions.
    Meanwhile, enterprises are saddled with thousands of possible combinations that have been introduced by the diversity in legacy contracts. Whoever supports the estimated ten million clients in the Federal Government should have every incentive to cut back on the complexity that slows down the migration to a more secure and lower cost desktop virtualization environment.
  To quote Ray Ozzie: "Complexity kills!"
      
          (1) All tables obtained from http://www.vmware.com/resources/compatibility/search.php?deviceCategory=vdm

Savings from Desktop Virtualization

There are several economic models for projecting the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) of computing. The leading firm that created such models is Alinean. This firm, where I was one of the founders and on the original member of its Board of Directors, has delivered several versions of TCO calculators to firms such as HP, Dell. Microsoft, IBM and Citrix. The most comprehensive model for calculating the costs of desktop virtualization is shown below and is available from VMware (http://roitco.vmware.com/vmw/).


The following describes some of the assumptions used in the calculations of the TCO for the placement of one million virtual desktops in DoD. It should be used as a basis for projecting the savings that are potentially available from the estimated seven million DoD desktops, laptops or smart-phones that are already in place for military, civilian, contractor, reserves, national guard and retired personnel.
By signing up to the VMware or Citrix calculators from Alinean any reader of this blog can enter into them their own assumptions and compute a range of potential saving opportunities.

The TCO calculator is based on an entry of initial requirements:











Virtualization will have the following configuration:


The greatest savings will be realized form administrative labor for a total of five-year labor savings of 19,339s FTEs. However, downtime, deployment and help desk will also add up.


For the TCO conversion to one million virtual desktops we get the following table:



Summary:
Desktop virtualization generates substantial savings over a five-year period. Costs are reduced from $8.5 billion to $3.3 billion, or $5.2 billion with a payback in 1.2 years and a ROI (Return-on-Investment) of 430%.

Desktop virtualization cannot proceed without server virtualization at the data center. That will deliver additional savings of $3.2 billion, with a break-even payback of 1.5 years.