To Virtualize Applications or
Not to Virtualize: That is the Question!
Presented by:
Bryan Ray, IT Applications Supervisor DLA Piper US LLP
Justin Martin, Systems Engineer Symantec
Introduction to application
virtualization
Justin Martin, Systems Engineer, Symantec
What is “virtualization?”
“…the process of presenting a logical grouping of computing resources so that they can be accessed in computing resources so that they can be accessed in ways that give benefits over the original configuration.”
Evolution of the market space
OS/System Application Processor Disk Applicat io nApplication virtualization –
Turning chaos into order
Appli Appli c Appli c App D Traditional Environment Applicat io Applicat io n Ap Ap p SVS Environment n A Operating System cat ion A c at ion B c at ion C App E Operating System o n B n C pp D p E
SVS Filter & Streaming Driver
“ex chaos ordo”Smart stability. More efficient IT spend
What exactly does this do for me?
The PC “Cable Box” philosophyMy personal information world The massive corporate migration and refresh The consistently corrupting app Th b i iti l The business critical app The expensive app The “I need it now for a day” app
Software management for flexible
computing
Software management issues
quantified
20 6%
7,325
Incidents handled monthly by the average help desk:
75%
Companies citing “upgrades, conversions, installations” as top reason for an increase in help desk calls:
Source: Help Desk Institute Practices & Salary Survey 2006
$12.33
Average fully-burdened cost for self-service incident:
$24.08
Average fully-burdened cost for phone incident:
15.1%
Organizations that provide self-healing tools for end user self-service:
20.6%
Help desk requests to address “proprietary application” issues:
User authentication Minimum bits required for UI Local execution
How streaming works
How streaming works
Stream new functionality as needed
On-line use Æ<100% Off-line use Æ100%
How streaming works
Intelligent streaming Optimal performance Central management
True global scalability and WAN
optimization
Tier 1 (Root) Tier 2 Tier 3 Clients
Use case – Dynamic IT environment
Constant change and the need to frequently reconfigure PC’s quickly
Customers wants maximum speed and reliability of software delivery, with minimum cost
Example A Multi user PC’s/roaming users Health care Example A – Multi-user PC s/roaming users – Health care
provider with PC’s that are shared by multiple workers, from triage nurses and financial counselors to phlebotomists and surgeons, some of which also have “home” machines
Example B – Frequent new apps and updates – Financial
traders use a large number of apps, frequently add apps (sometimes for one-time use); many of the apps are updated daily
Use case – Legacy app retention
Examples:Highly customized applications
In-house developed (“home grown”) applications Expensive vertical-specific applications Vendor out of business
Legacy applications are expensive to replace Old code usually runs on new hardware/OS, but…
often conflicts with newer applications and OS components
or dependencies that the app has (old Access, Excel, etc.) cause conflicts requires elevated privileges to run (App Control!)
With SVS:
Upgrade to new hardware, OS and applications w/o conflicts Extend lifetime of legacy applications
Key philosophical points
Embrace and extend native Windows architecture
SVS uses the MS-provided filter driver framework, which works with NTFS and/or FAT underneath
SVS streaming support MSI directly, the standard MS packaging format Windows API’s, services, COM/DCOM, user profiles, permissions and group policies all function normallyy
Open architecture and open standards
SVS can be managed via a CLI, WMI or a C API that is freely available The Virtual Software Archive (.vsa) format is a standard ZIP file Streaming uses HTTP, making it Internet and MSP/SaaS-ready
General-purpose design
virtualization and/or streaming of any software, including apps, data and (ultimately) patches
Normal end user experience
does not alter the end user experience or the performance or behavior of applications
Containment that’s clear
Symantec Competing Products
Where have I seen this before?
First use of virtualization: Windows NT (INIfilemappings) Windows 3.1 support Windows Vista - Legacy app compatibilityg y y Virus scanning software (file redirection)Benefits
Applications no longer installed in traditional method. No reboots, user downtime or special credentials required
Application conflicts no longer an issue Application conflicts no longer an issue
Application isolation allows for more stringent OS security. Currently used at the DOD
Desktop images simplified Fast app delivery and deployment Significantly less build and QA time
What can it do
Instant deployment / Instant removal OS protection
Silo incompatible applications (2 versions of the same app)
No requirement for admin to install or run Application reset
Allow apps to run that have incompatible requirements
What it can’t do
Software must be repackaged 16 bit apps
OS Service Packs, OS Patches OS Service Packs, OS Patches Hardware dependent software (Drivers) Complex integrations
Security software: Virus protection, Firewalls, VPN.
Real life examples
DepoPrep and FlashOpenOffice and ODF conversion CaseSoft Suite versions 5 and 7 CaseSoft Suite versions 5 and 7 GetIPDL
So… Why don’t I have this already?
Backend infrastructure required Repackaging skills requiredCurrent environment not virtualized and you have Current environment not virtualized and you have no plans to reinvent the wheel
I’m all set… Now I need to pick my apps
Core Apps vs. Specialty AppsSimplify your images
Software used by 80% of user population.y p p
Repackaging requirement… Is this an EXE? Install requirement… Reboot? Admin install? Time? Integration… Relies on another program or integrates into a program
