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What's the best Desktop Virtualization model?

My customer has 20 old laptop machines (P4 vintage, 512-MB to 1-GB of RAM), all running Windows XP which is about to lose MS support. He has purchased 2 new IBM servers, 32 GB of RAM, 8-core processor, lots of Hard disk space.

Can you please help me design a desktop virtualization solution ...

I assume Windows Server 2012 on the servers, setting the two servers up for redundancy.

I'm guessing Linux on all the laptops. Which version of Linux makes the most sense for a small business - Ubuntu?

Is there a case to be made for leaving Windows XP on the laptops but set them up so that they immediately run the remote desktop software to connect to the server? Would this address the issue of security on these old XP machines?

Obviously, I'm new at this. Maybe somebody can point me to a tutorial. Thanks.

Dwight Baer

ASKER

How much training will be required for the users if their workstation is Linux but immediately boots into a Windows desktop environment? (Hopefully none or very little). We need to be able to print locally ... hear audio locally ... what else might require the user to know a bit about Linux?

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Andrew Hancock (VMware vExpert PRO / EE Fellow/British Beekeeper)

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rindi

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Dwight Baer

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Andrew Hancock (VMware vExpert PRO / EE Fellow/British Beekeeper)

Remember connecting to ANY RDS 2012 solution is going to require the purchase of 20 x RDS CALs, ontop of the Windows 2012 Server License.

Also take into account, your requirements gathering, if users need to use, local printers, USB printers, USB devices (iphones, cameras), handheld scanners, scanners, and USB flash drives for documents.

You can certainly re-use your Windows Laptops, but you may want to keep Windows as a platform, and use RDP, Windows is the Best Thin Client OS, which exists, in terms of RDP compatibility!

Windows XP, can be dumbed down and locked, so it just becomes a Windows XP dumb terminal running RDP.

Dwight Baer

ASKER

Thanks Andrew. Let's say it's a given that users need to use local printers, USB printers, USB devices (iphones, cameras), handheld scanners, scanners, and USB flash drives for documents ... What does that imply about the choice of OS for the workstation? I hear you saying that you recommend Windows for the workstations, rather than Linux, to simplify all these issues. I don't mind opening a new question.

Andrew Hancock (VMware vExpert PRO / EE Fellow/British Beekeeper)

You would have to rule out Linux, and Windows XP, because RemoteFX, which is required for USB redirection, is only supported on Windows 7 and Windows 8.

I've answered in your other question, to keep this On-Topic here! We can continue discussing there!

Dwight Baer

ASKER

Thank you very much. I may open a follow-up question later, actually I expect before I have this design proposal finished I'll have lots more questions!