Starting summer 2008, RUCS will begin a project of moving the guts of the university's lab computing infrastructure off of the desktop and into the datacenter. What we call Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) will replace most of the existing Dell workstations (also known as "thick clients"), in our computer labs and computerized classrooms, with flexible and energy saving Wyse thin clients.

We already make extensive use of virtualization for our server infrastructure and doing so has led to more reliable network services for the campus. Expanding this technology to the desktop is the next logical step for us.

But with any new technology that we adopt at Rockhurst, the big question is...

What does this mean for our students?

Our students will retain the same familiar Windows experience that they have had for years in our computer labs. These technological advancements will still provide the same applications they have come to expect, such as: Microsoft Office, Internet Explorer, SPSS, Mathmatica, etc. USB drives will still work just as they do today and be even better because there is a easily accessible port on the front of the device. In fact, when students sit down in a computer lab chances are if they are not paying attention they will not notice much of a difference.

Except...

• Faster workstations. Our new thin clients start up and are ready to be used in only a few seconds. Compare that to the many minutes it takes for a system to start currently. Logon times are significantly reduced as well. Sit down and turn on a thin client, start working... in under 1 minute. When interacting with the thin client and using applications, the system will be far more responsive when compared to our current workstations. This is because the desktop and applications are running on five powerful Dell PowerEdge 2950 servers, each with eight processing cores and 32GB of memory, instead of at the local workstation. Sessions seamlessly move from server to server for the best allocation of resources.
• Instant desktop recovery. Should a thin client "die" by losing its network or power connection, the student's work will not be lost. They simply move to another thin client, login, and they will INSTANTLY be back to EXACTLY where they were, even if they didn't save their document. (Although we still encourage frequent saves.) Not just document recovery,  full desktop recovery... everything exactly where they left it, even if they go to another building.
• Less downtime. The desktops will be hosted on our servers in the RUCS Conway Datacenter, a secure and redundantly powered facility. Every server in the cluster has redundant hard drives, power and network connections. If we need to take a server offline for maintenance or upgrades, the desktops being processed by that server will automatically be migrated to another server and the user will never even know it happened. Students get to keep on working, while we fix our servers.
• The latest software, with no waiting. Right now when we deploy software to our labs, if there are software updates required for a machine the user has to wait for those to process before logging into the computer. This is not the case with thin clients and VDI. All updates are done in the background, in the datacenter, before a user logs in.
• Clean, functional images. Currently we "reimage" our labs once a year, just before the start of the fall semester. This means once a year we go around and wipe all of the computers and reinstall Windows. Meanwhile, during the year, applications or the operating system on that computer can stop functioning like they should, which is frustrating to users and generates more work for our staff. With VDI, labs are refreshed in the datacenter more frequently, so the computers are functional more often.
• More functional workstations. Right now when a lab machine malfunctions, it can sometimes take a least a week for RUCS to assess the problem, order replacement parts and correct the problem. With VDI and our thin clients, if a workstation stops functioning we can replace and reconfigure the system in as little as 15 minutes. This means labs are consistently fully functional and more systems are available for our users.

What does this mean for Rockhurst?

More green.

According to Wyse, companies who deploy thin clients can see as much as a 90% reduction in the amount of power consumed by their desktops. By reducing the amount of power we are using, RUCS is "going green" and saving the university some green too.

In addition, when compared to a PC, thin clients use less production materials. This means when its time to refresh the hardware there is less waste. Since thin clients have nearly double the life cycle of a normal PC, Rockhurst does not have to buy new systems as often which means more money saved over the next 5-7 years. Thin clients have a far smaller footprint then a conventional PCs and there are no moving parts. This mean they will break less often, take up less space and the lack of whirling fans will mean computer labs will be nearly silent. Their low heat output also means less power is needed to keep computer labs at a comfortable temperature.

We are excited about the future of Rockhurst desktop computing. After this project, we will be looking for new ways to extend this new infrastructure to other areas of Rockhurst including off campus access to VDI, thin clients for faculty and staff that would allow them access to their own personalized desktop from any client on campus as well as putting a thin client laptop in the hands of every student on campus.

Where will thin clients be deployed?

RUCS has selected Wyse V10L thin clients to replace Dell GX260/270 systems in the following areas.

• Conway Hall, Room 004
• Conway Hall, Room 402
• Library Mezzanine Classroom
• Science Center, Room 110
• Science Center, Room 203
• Science Center, Room 205 
• Science Center, Room 325
• Sedgwick Hall, Room 307
• Sedgwick Hall, Room 308 
• Sedgwick Hall, Honors Room
• Van Ackeren Hall, Room 200
• Van Ackeren Hall, Room 310
• Van Ackeren Hall, Room 401
• McGee Residence Hall Computer Lab
• Xavier-Loyola Residence Hall Computer Lab
• Corcoran Residence Hall Computer Lab
• Town House Village Computer Lab
• Massman Basement Rockroom

Please feel free to contact vdi@rockhurst.edu for more information. Your questions and feedback are encouraged.