Cisco Cisco HyperFlex HX220c M4 Node White Paper

Page 12 of 35

In addition, because machines are streaming disk data dynamically and in real time from a single shared image,

machine image consistency is essentially ensured. At the same time, the configuration, applications, and even the

OS of large pools of machines can be completed changed in the time it takes the machines to reboot.

Using PVS, any vDisk can be configured in standard-image mode. A vDisk in standard-image mode allows many

computers to boot from it simultaneously, greatly reducing the number of images that must be maintained and the

amount of storage space that is required. The vDisk is in read-only format, and target devices cannot change the

image.

Benefits for Citrix XenApp and Other Server Farm Administrators

If you manage a pool of servers that work as a farm, such as Citrix XenApp servers or web servers, maintaining a

uniform patch level on your servers can be difficult and time consuming. With traditional imaging solutions, you

start with a clean golden master image, but as soon as a server is built with the master image, you must patch that

individual server along with all the other individual servers. Rolling out patches to individual servers in your farm is

not only inefficient, but the results can be unreliable. Patches often fail on an individual server, and you may not

know that you have a problem until users start complaining or the server experiences an outage. After that

happens, getting the server resynchronized with the rest of the farm can be challenging, and sometimes a full

reimaging of the machine is required.

With Citrix PVS, patch management for server farms is simple and reliable. You start by managing your golden

image, and you continue to manage that single golden image. All patching is performed in one place and then

streamed to your servers when they boot. Server build consistency is assured because all your servers use a

single shared copy of the disk image. If a server becomes corrupted, simply reboot it, and it is instantly restored to

the known good state of your master image. Upgrades are extremely fast to implement. After you have your

updated image ready for production, you simply assign the new image version to the servers and reboot them. You

can deploy the new image to any number of servers in the time it takes them to reboot. Just as important, rollback

can be performed in the same way, so problems with new images do not need to take your servers or your users

out of commission for an extended period of time.

Benefits for Desktop Administrators

Because Citrix PVS is part of Citrix XenDesktop, desktop administrators can use PVS’s streaming technology to

simplify, consolidate, and reduce the costs of both physical and virtual desktop delivery. Many organizations are
beginning to explore desktop virtualization. Although virtualization addresses many of IT’s needs for consolidation

and simplified management, deploying it also requires deployment of supporting infrastructure. Without PVS,

storage costs can make desktop virtualization too costly for the IT budget. However, with PVS, IT can reduce the

amount of storage space required for VDI by up to 90 percent. And with a single image to manage instead of

hundreds or thousands of desktops, PVS significantly reduces the cost, effort, and complexity of desktop

administration.

Different types of workers across the enterprise need different types of desktops. Some require simplicity and

standardization, and others require high performance and personalization. XenDesktop can meet these

requirements in a single solution using Citrix FlexCast delivery technology. With FlexCast, IT can deliver every type

of virtual desktop, each specifically tailored to meet the performance, security, and flexibility requirements of each

individual user.

Not all desktops applications can be supported by virtual desktops. For these scenarios, IT can still reap the

benefits of consolidation and single-image management. Desktop images are stored and managed centrally in the

data center and streamed to physical desktops on demand. This model works particularly well for standardized