Click to return to the full article, "A guide to Microsoft's dizzying array of desktop virtualization options."
| Technology | What it does | Licensing and purchasing info | Etc. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Windows Virtual PC | For individual desktops that need to run multiple Windows environments on the same box. | Free for the downloading. The beta version for Windows 7 is available here. The previous version, Microsoft Virtual PC 2007, is safe for older versions of Windows and is available here. | The beta version for Windows 7 requires virtual-enabled CPUs, either AMD-V or Intel-VT CPU feature. "XP Mode" is XP running in a Virtual PC environment. It is included as a feature of Windows 7 Professional, Enterprise and Ultimate editions. |
| Microsoft Application Virtualization (App-V) |
Sandboxes Windows applications from one another so that many can be loaded on the same image without application conflicts. Applications are not installed on the user machines, but are downloaded as network services as needed. | App-V is only available as part of the six extra applications offered in the Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack. MDOP costs about $10 per year. But MDOP it is only available to companies that purchase Microsoft's Software Assurance maintenance contracts. In turn, Software Assurance (SA) is only available to volume license users, which begins with licenses for five or more seats. If you do have SA, App-V can be a major benefit to you. Microsoft recommends it as the first step to deploy desktop virtualization.
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This technology includes the remnants of Softricity ... To date, 16.5 million MDOP licenses have been sold, Microsoft says. Details can be found via Microsoft's Application Virtualization Datasheet. |
Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization (MED-V)
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Provides central management of simple deployments of virtual Windows desktops running Windows Virtual PC. MED-V allows users to run two OSes on one device, adding virtual image delivery, policy-based provisioning and centralized management. Includes management features such as integration with Active Directory. |
Med-V is another of the applications only available as part of MDOP. (See above App-V, above.) MED-V does not yet support Windows 7, but Microsoft promises Windows 7 support within 90 days of general availability. |
Can allow a user to migrate to Windows 7, even when some apps aren't compatible with it. |
| Remote Desktop Services (previously Terminal Services) | With Windows Server 2008, Microsoft renamed the "Terminal Services" feature "Remote Desktop Services." This feature allows a user to remotely access applications, data, even the entire desktop, over a network connection as long as the remote computer supports the Windows terminal services protocol. Citrix licenses this protocol from Microsoft. | Available as a core feature of Windows Server 2008. When using Citrix, keep in mind that users need to buy TS/RDS-CALs for use with Citrix XenApp and Citrix XenApp Fundamentals. Citrix sells two different versions of XenApp Fundamentals, one with the TS/RDS CAL included and one without. |
Remote Desktop Services has been given a major overhaul with WS2008 but many new features require Windows 7 as the client. |
Windows Enterprise Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI)
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Microsoft's full desktop virtualization shabang. Allows client desktop workloads (operating system, application, user data) to be hosted and executed elsewhere, such as servers in the data center. Users can access their desktops from any authorized device (including thin clients), as long as they are able to connect to the Internet. |
This option is, by all accounts, expensive compared to traditional desktops. Requires Hyper-V Server 2008, Windows Server 2008, System Center Virtual Machine Manager. Microsoft also requires a special Windows client license, Windows Virtual Enterprise Centralized Desktop (VECD), which offers no cost advantage over PC-based Windows licenses, users say. Also uses App-V, which requires SA and MDOP. | Another drawback with VDI is that it doesn't support mobility (50% of people with laptops can't use it). It can be more complex and more expensive than a typical desktop. Customers are using it most for pilots and of these, many are in financial services with sophisticated in-house IT. A majority of the deployments are pilots of 100-400 seats. |