Sun Solution Increased User and IT Productivity, Security and Added Easy Remote Access
In September 2008, medical products maker ResMed decided to replace 160 PCs with Sun Ray 2 Thin Clients, and purchased two SPARC Enterprise T2000 Servers with chip multithreading, and four Sun Fire X4440 Servers to support its new solution. According to ResMed, IT productivity has increased by the equivalent of two additional IT staff, and the company has saved about $267,850. The Sun solution also increased security and substantially reduced energy costs as well as the noise-level.
Microsoft Hyper-V, Remote Desktop Services, Sun Desktop Access Client, Adobe Flash Enhancements, USB Redirection to Windows
Sun Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) Software 3.1 is available both as a perpetual license and as a subscription. The Key New Features for this release are:
Microsoft Hyper-V is now supported as an additional virtualization platform.
Microsoft Remote Desktop Services (formerly Microsoft Terminal Services)
Sun Desktop Access Client
Adobe Flash Enhancements
USB Redirection to Windows
Support for additional virtual desktop operating systems
Features ability to “teleport” a VM from one host to another
With 20 million total downloads and some 40,000 downloads per day, Sun VirtualBox has become a major, general-purpose full virtualizer for x86 hardware. Targeted at server, desktop and embedded use, it is now the only professional-quality virtualization solution that is also Open Source Software. A significant new release, VirtualBox 3.1, improves performance and adds significant new features, including ‘teleportation’ which is the live migration of a VM session from one host to another (e.g. from an Intel-based Mac Desktop to an AMD server then to an Intel-based laptop running Windows 7).
Reduced Power, IT Maintenance and Improved Workplace Environment
With a customer relationship management (CRM) system running on desktop PCs connected to a datacenter, burgeoning U.K. building supplier Screwfix needed an upgrade in speed and efficiency to deal with its expanding customer base. Following a proof of concept, Sun Ray 270 Virtual Display Client terminals were deployed, resulting in a reduction in call help-desk time by 90% and power consumption by 75%. Workplace performance and environment also improved.
Given that the initial release of the Sun Desktop Access Client (SDAC) does not participate in the smart-card-based hotdesking that makes the Sun Ray Desktop Units so popular, it comes as no surprise that workarounds are springing up, including “Hotdesking sessions to and from the Sun Display Access Client” by Jorg Barfurth.
Retiring PCs Accelerates the Pace of Service Delivery
Netherlands business service provider IBN-groep helps people who live at a distance from the labor market to find paid work. IBN-groep recently moved to a virtual desktop solution based on Sun hardware and software that enables employees to access their personalized Windows XP desktop from any Sun Ray thin client or from their home network using Sun Secure Global Desktop Software. Because desktop data is now centralized, the solution is boosting efficiencies and simplifying administration.
Microsoft White Paper Describes Virtualizing Windows on Sun Ray Thin Clients
The Microsoft Enterprise Engineering Center (EEC) reproduces customer environments and conducts product validation. To accommodate the constant demand for the EEC, Microsoft has expanded the facility’s capabilities and increased the size of the data center. Part of this expansion focused on the integration of two core technologies: virtualization technology from Microsoft and Sun Ray thin client technology from Sun. Learn more about virtualizing Microsoft Windows on Sun Ray thin clients in a Microsoft white paper.
Get a rich, virtual Windows, Linux, or Solaris OS desktop on Sun Ray clients with the Sun Ray Software. A new early access version has just been released, Version 5.0, providing Adobe Flash enhancements and the ability to display applications on Windows Server 2008 in 32 bit color. The download comes with Sun Ray Soft Client Early Access 1, which offers connectivity to Sun Ray desktop sessions from a Windows laptop or desktop computer.
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In September 2008, medical products maker ResMed decided to replace 160 PCs with Sun Ray 2 Thin Clients, and purchased two SPARC Enterprise T2000 Servers with chip multithreading, and four Sun Fire X4440 Servers to support its new solution. According to ResMed, IT productivity has increased by the equivalent of two additional IT staff, and the company has saved about $267,850. The Sun solution also increased security and substantially reduced energy costs as well as the noise-level.
