Published on InfoWorld (http://www.infoworld.com)Home > Test Center > Virtualization > VDI shoot-out: Citrix XenDesktop vs. VMware View > VDIshoot-out: Citrix XenDesktop vs. VMware View

VDI shoot-out: Citrix XenDesktop vs.VMware ViewBy Keith SchultzCreated 2011-12-14 04:00AM

More than 20 years ago, the desktop revolution swept across the land, ushering in a newparadigm of computing, taking processing away from a centralized host, and moving it topersonal computers at the edge of the network. With VDI (virtual desktop infrastructure), as thesaying goes, what's old is new again. Using virtualization, IT now has the ability to bring thosedistinct computing platforms back under one roof, while also providing for greater control andflexibility of user access.

This review of VDI solutions features the two heaviest of virtualization heavyweights. As in mycomparison of entry-level VDI solutions [1] (Kaviza VDI-in-a-box [2], NComputing vSpace [3], andPano Logic's Pano Express [4]), my goal was to see what it would take to deploy a complete VDIsolution based on Citrix XenDesktop 5.5 and VMware View 5 for up to 50 users. During myevaluation, I found that conceptualizing the deployment was easy. XenDesktop and View arebased on similar building blocks, so the overall road map for rolling out a deployment is thesame. However, getting a finished installation in place took a little more thought and effort.

[ Also on InfoWorld: Download InfoWorld's Virtual Desktop Infrastructure Deep Dive [5]special report | See which solution came out on top in InfoWorld's "Virtualizationshoot-out: Citrix, Microsoft, Red Hat, and VMware [6]" ]Both XenDesktop and View are highly scalable, highly configurable platforms that areenterprise-grade from the word "go." Both are built to scale out to dozens of hosts andthousands of users. When compared to the Kaviza, NComputing, and Pano Logic solutions,XenDesktop and View take much more effort, knowledge, and time to get up and running. Butfor companies that need to be able to grow and manage a large number of virtual desktopusers, XenDesktop and View are the only way to go. (Side note: Citrix purchased Kaviza in early2011 to provide an entry-level VDI offering.)VDI ups and downsidesThere are a number of advantages to virtualizing the desktop and moving it to a centralizedserver. First, no user data leaves the data center. All processing takes place in a controlledenvironment on highly redundant systems. From a security and fault-tolerance standpoint, thisis a big deal. Unlike traditional desktops where data actually resides -- and can be stolen, as inthe case of a laptop -- no data leaves the data center.

Another advantage is that systems management is centralized. When it comes time to patch anoperating system or update an application, IT only has to do it on the master, or golden, diskimage and all users receive the upgrades -- no more pushing a single update to multiple

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desktops across the enterprise. Perhaps one of the biggest advantages to a VDI deployment isthe ability to make the user's desktop environment available to multiple end-user devices. Thismeans a Windows 7 virtual desktop can be accessed from a Mac or Linux PC, from a thin client,from an iPad or Android tablet, or even (in a pinch) from a smartphone. The user's desktopbecomes completely portable.

There are a number of considerations to take into account when building out a VDIinfrastructure. The host hardware has to be pretty beefy; multiple multicore processors, scads ofRAM, and plentiful disk space are absolute necessities. CPU performance and RAM are easy tocome by, and while disks are cheap, choosing the correct storage system can make a hugedifference on overall VDI performance. Do not scrimp on the storage system. Lots of spindles,the fastest drives you can afford, and fast I/O are paramount. SSD drives are the current speedkings, and if the budget allows, build out your online storage with them. To really scale yourstorage, you'll want to host virtual disks on fast SAN, NAS, or iSCSI hardware. All of the majorvirtualization vendors support these storage technologies.

VDI building blocksCitrix and VMware take very similar approaches to providing a VDI solution. Each vendor has itsown bare metal, or Type 1, hypervisor. Each has its own connection broker to direct incominguser requests to the appropriate virtual disk image. Each provides a browser-basedmanagement tool for creating, updating, and managing the virtual desktop images andassigning the virtual machines to users. Each also provides its own remote display protocol:HDX in the case of Citrix, PCoIP in the case of VMware.

Both XenDesktop and View provide the basic types of virtual desktops: dedicated, pooled, andshared, but only XenDesktop can also "stream" a virtual desktop to the end user. Dedicateddesktops are stateful virtual machines assigned to specific users, allowing them to customizeand preserve their personal settings from session to session. Pooled desktops -- dynamicallycreated from a golden image when users log on, then destroyed when users log off -- aresuitable for call centers or sales centers where users perform the same standard tasks and nopersonal user information is retained.

Shared virtual desktops, also known as session virtualization, are nothing other than RemoteDesktop Services (or Terminal Services) sessions. And lastly, streamed desktops -- where clientsystems boot from server-based desktop images over the LAN -- combine the managementbenefits of VDI with the performance benefits of client-side execution. Again, only Citrix supportsdesktop streaming.

Both XenDesktop and View also support "offline mode" -- a form of desktop virtualization thatdoesn't require a connection to the VDI server farm. Offline mode allows users to download thevirtual desktop to their laptop and run it locally. Whenever the user is connected to the corporatenetwork, any changes IT makes to the master image are pushed out to the local virtual machine.And depending on the personalization policy, any changes users make to their desktop aresynchronized back to the data center. This mode of operation is aimed at users who are notalways in communication via the Internet or corporate LAN.

Uncommon groundXenDesktop and View differ little in overall functionality. Their differences fall mainly in twoareas: hypervisor support and connection protocol. Citrix built XenDesktop to run on any of thethree most popular hypervisors: XenServer, vSphere, and Microsoft Hyper-V. On the other hand,View is tightly integrated with vSphere and doesn't support any other platform.

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While both products support Microsoft RDP (Remote Desktop Protocol), each has its ownproprietary remote access protocol. Citrix's HDX (High Definition Experience) protocol isTCP-based and includes a slew of network-aware tuning features that helps to improve theremote user experience regardless of the connection quality. VMware's PCoIP (PC over IP) is aUDP-based protocol that is also designed to provide an excellent user experience with lessprotocol overhead. Both HDX and PCoIP are tremendous technologies in their own right.Arguments can be made for why one is better than the other; suffice it to say that both HDX andPCoIP do a great job of providing high-quality video, audio, and complex graphics -- includingWindows 7 Aero -- to the end-user's device.

Through Citrix's proprietary HDX protocol, XenDesktop delivers exceptional performanceregardless of connection speed. During my testing with HDX, I connected into my virtualdesktops both locally and from outside the network walls. With HDX, I didn't notice anyappreciable lag in video or audio to my client. Even when viewing video on YouTube from aremote client, playback and audio quality were excellent.

Likewise, I connected to my View virtual desktops from laptops and desktops on the LAN andremotely over the Internet. Display response and audio quality were excellent with no noticeabledegradation, even over untamed Internet links. Just as with Citrix HDX, YouTube playback viaPCoIP was flawless. Regardless of the underlying technologies (see sidebar, "VDI shoot-out:HDX vs. PCoIP [7]") both HDX and PCoIP provided a great end-user experience. There is alwaysa difference between "being there" and being remote, but my experience with HDX and PCoIPwas close enough to native to satisfy any user.

There are only slight differences in the number and types of endpoint devices that Citrix andVMware support. Both provide agents for Windows, Linux, iOS, and Android. Only Citrixsupports Mac OS X, Solaris, HP-UX, DOS, and Symbian, and only Citrix provides a Java-basedclient. Both XenDesktop and View work with most popular thin clients and so-called zero clients.

XenDesktop and View are so similar in structure, deployment, capabilities, and scalability thatchoosing a clear winner was difficult. XenDesktop gets the nod for broader hypervisor and clientsupport, a more flexible desktop delivery system (FlexCast), and the more extensive feature setbuilt into HDX. This isn't to say that View is an inferior product. View is best suited for IT shopsalready invested in vSphere and other VMware technologies. For those shops running Citrix orMicrosoft hypervisors, XenDesktop will slide right in and work fine with whatever IT already hasin place. Regardless of the situation, both XenDesktop and View define what VDI is supposed tobe. For full details, read the individual reviews:

VDI shoot-out: Citrix XenDesktop 5.5 [8]VDI shoot-out: VMware View 5 [9]

Editor's note: This article was revised December 20, 2011 to correct an error. We had stated thatVMware View supports desktop streaming, but it does not.

Citrix XenDesktop and VMware View at a glance Citrix XenDesktop 5.5 VMware View 5

Server platform

Windows Server 2008 forcore XenDesktop services;Active Directory; CitrixXenServer, VMwarevSphere, or Microsoft

Windows Server 2008 forcore View services; ActiveDirectory; VMware vSpherehypervisor

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Hyper-V hypervisor

Client support

Windows, Linux, Mac OS X,iOS, Android, WindowsMobile, Solaris, HP-UX,OS/2, DOS, Symbian, thinclients, Web browser, Java

Windows, Linux, iOS,Android, thin clients

Connectionprotocol HDX, RDP PCoIP, RDP

Editions and pricing

XenDesktop VDI Edition, $95per user or device;Enterprise Edition, $225 peruser or device; PlatinumEdition, $350 per user ordevice

View Enterprise, $150 perconcurrent connection; ViewPremier, $250 perconcurrent connection

This article, "VDI shoot-out: Citrix XenDesktop vs. VMware View [10]," was originally published atInfoWorld.com [11]. Follow the latest developments in virtualization [12] at InfoWorld.com. For thelatest business technology news, follow InfoWorld.com on Twitter [13].

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Source URL (retrieved on 2014-04-21 11:33PM): http://www.infoworld.com/d/virtualization/vdi-shoot-out-citrix-xendesktop-vs-vmware-view-181691

Links:[1] http://www.infoworld.com/d/virtualization/infoworld-review-desktop-virtualization-made-easy-518[2] http://www.infoworld.com/d/virtualization/vdi-review-kaviza-vdi-in-box-841[3] http://www.infoworld.com/d/virtualization/vdi-review-ncomputing-vspace-and-l-series-virtual-desktops-880[4] http://www.infoworld.com/d/virtualization/vdi-review-pano-express-889[5] http://www.infoworld.com/d/virtualization/download-the-vdi-deep-dive-report-481?source=ifwelg_fssr[6] http://www.infoworld.com/d/virtualization/virtualization-shoot-out-citrix-microsoft-red-hat-and-vmware-666?source=fssr[7] http://www.infoworld.com/t/virtualization/vdi-shoot-out-hdx-vs-pcoip-181662[8] http://www.infoworld.com/d/virtualization/vdi-shoot-out-citrix-xendesktop-55-181650[9] http://www.infoworld.com/d/virtualization/vdi-shoot-out-vmware-view-5-181674[10] http://www.infoworld.com/d/virtualization/vdi-shoot-out-citrix-xendesktop-vs-vmware-view-181691?source=footer[11] http://www.infoworld.com/?source=footer[12] http://www.infoworld.com/d/virtualization?source=footer[13] http://twitter.com/infoworld

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