VIRTUALIZATION

Promise of Virtualization

Virtualization technologies isolate or unbind one computing resource from others and can be applied from the data center to the desktop. Rather than locking the various layers together—the operating system (OS) to the hardware, the application to the OS, and the user interface to the local machine—virtualization loosens the direct reliance these parts have on each other. This results in many opportunities to create efficiencies. For instance, the OS can be decoupled from the physical hardware it runs on using hardware virtualization (including server and desktop virtualization). Similarly, presentation virtualization allows you to separate an application's user interface from the physical machine the application runs on. This makes it possible to run an application in one location but have it be controlled in another.

Solving Real-World Issues

Separating these layers enables much greater flexibility in every aspect of your IT infrastructure. Hardware and software can be used in more diverse ways, and the separation makes them both easier to change. Systems become more secure as a result of isolating problem areas. Tasks traditionally handled by the IT staff become more simplified, and it can eliminate previously unsolvable problems that plague IT every day. From accelerating application deployments; to ensuring systems, applications, and data are always available; to taking the hassle out of rebuilding and taking down servers and desktops for testing and development; to reducing risk, slashing costs, and improving agility of your entire environment, virtualization has the power to transform your infrastructure.

Presentation Virtualization with Terminal Services

Presentation virtualization, one of the core virtualization technologies available in Windows Server 2008, makes it possible to run an application in one location but have it be controlled in another. With Terminal Services presentation virtualization, you can install and manage applications on centralized servers in the datacenter; screen images are delivered to the users, and the user’s client machine, in turn, sends keystrokes and mouse movements back to the server.

When using Terminal Services, administrators can present users with the individual applications and data they require to complete their task, or the whole remote desktop. From a user perspective, these applications are integrated seamlessly—looking, feeling, and behaving like local applications.