Dec
08
2009

Is VDI bringing you simplified management, tight integration and less management consoles??

A lot of our customers are asking me about the management differences between the VDI solutions from Citrix (XenDesktop 4.0) and VMware (View 4.0). Because I realize that there are a lot of “it depends” choices to be made I decided to compare the two solutions in a basic VDI setup. In a basic VDI environment you need a couple components.

I decided to compare the VMware View Premier edition with the Citrix XenDesktop Platinum edition. I know that the Citrix XenDektop Platinum edition brings a lot more products of Citrix within the bundle but because I am only comparing the basic components and no costs our nice to have features, that is not a problem.

So in a basic VDI environment you need:

1. Virtualization platform and management:

Both solution require an virtualization platform. Citrix packages XenServer with their solution, VMware packages View with vSphere. It must be said that Citrix also works fine with the virtualization platform from VMware (vSphere) and Microsoft (Hyper-V). Both solutions also deliver their own hypervisor management solution which is included in both bundles. VMware vCenter and Citrix XenCenter. (Installed on separate servers and managed with separate management consoles)

2. Storage efficiency and management:
XenDesktop: Provisioning Server (installed on separate server and managed with separate management console)
View: Linked Clones (installed on the vCenter server and managed with View Manager)

3. License Server and management:
XenDesktop: installed on a separate server and managed with a separate management console.
View: installed on the View Management Server and managed with View Management Server.

4. Database and management:
View and XenDesktop (Installed on a separate servers and managed with a separate management console provided by the database vendor.)

5. User Workspace and management:
Both solutions have basic possibilities for managing the user workspace. Both product benefits from additional products like RES Powerfuse or Appsense. Installed on database server and managed with a separate management console provided by the user workspace vendor.

6. Application Virtualization and management:
Citrix: XenApp environment needs a minimum of two XenApp servers for redundancy. (Installed on separate servers and managed with a separate management console)
VMware: ThinApp requires a high available file share and “user data disk”. (Applications are dropped on a file server and managed with user workspace vendors console)

7. Connection Broker and management:
XenDesktop: Desktop Delivery Controller (Installed on separate server and managed with a separate management console)
View: View Connection Manager (Installed on separate server and managed with the VMware View Manager)

8. Endpoint device management:
XenDesktop: Desktop Receiver (MSI installed through group policy and plug-ins managed by separate a Linux virtual machine based on XenServer)
View: View Client (MSI installed through group policy no further management)

9. Secure Access Gateway management: arranges access to “the outside”
XenDesktop: Secure gateway (software) separate sever OR Access Gateway (hardware) separate appliance. (Installed on a separate server and managed with a separate management console)
View: Security Server (software) (Installed on separate server and managed with the VMware View Manager)

Summary:

Item XenDesktop 4.0 VMware View 4.0
  separate server separate console separate server separate console
Virtualisation platform and management yes yes yes yes
Storage efficiency and management yes yes no no
License Server and management yes yes no no
Database and management yes yes yes yes
User Workspace and management yes yes yes yes
Application Virtualization and management yes yes no no
Connection Broker and management yes yes yes yes
Endpoint device management yes yes no no
Secure access management yes yes yes no
Total 9 times YES 9 times YES 5 times YES 4 times YES

So the question stands: ‘Is VDI bringing you simplified management, tight integration and less management consoles??‘

All I would say to that is: ‘Well…it depends!!’

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  4. VMware View & Citrix XenApp, the similarities & differences.
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Written by Arjan van 't Hoff in: Citrix, VMware, VMware View/VDI, XenServer | Tags: , , , ,
Arjan is a solution consultant within the Centric IT Solutions organization. He has a focus on all things that has to do with virtualization such as server, application, storage and network virtualization.
  • jc
    Hi,

    since my comment disappear i copy it again

    here is my opinion

    Regarding Citrix it really depend….

    For management the Citrix xenserver console you can install directly on your pc client on don’t need have a separate server

    License Server Database and connection broker you can have all in on the same machine if you want (and i guess also the Secure gateway)

    User Workspace Citrix have a real product Citrix user profile Vmares doesn’t have that

    but is better you see here on this link

    http://www.citrix.com/English/ps2/products/subfeature.asp?contentID=1685000

    regarding features you are right citrix have much more features like voip webcam and delivery more option way then vmware plus the user experience is more rich over Citrix Xendesktop then Vmware with less bandiwith consume

    Additional information also regarding Citrix access gateway you can virtualized so you don't need even to buy the hardware(one less cost), that works on Vmware and also on Xenserver.

    Cheers
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