September 08, 2008

Microsoft adds to desktop virtualisation options

Including new licensing terms

By John Fontana, Network World

Microsoft this week has moved to shore up its virtualised desktop credentials, after adding new features to its application virtualisation platform and introducing new licensing terms around various methods of desktop deployment.

Redmond has been pushing what it calls the "Optimised Desktop", which addresses centralised management and deployment of both physical and virtual resources.

The company said development on the newly named App-V 4.5 has been completed and that it will be included in the Microsoft Desktop Optimisation Pack (MDOP) 2008 R2 that is set for release in a few weeks.

App-V (formerly Softgrid) lets users package applications up into "containers," store them on a server where they can be centrally managed, and then stream those containers to desktops, devices or shared PCs.

MDOP, which is only available to users with Software Assurance contracts, is designed specifically to help IT administrators manage collections of Windows desktops, including Vista SP1.

MDOP includes App-V; Enterprise Desktop Virtualisation for managing and deploying virtual PCs; Asset Inventory Service, an inventory scanning tool; System Center Desktop Error Monitoring; Advanced Group Policy Management for change management via group policy objects; and the Diagnostics and Recovery Toolset, which helps in recovering a crashed PC.

MDOP is comprised of software from Microsoft's purchases of Softricity, Kidaro, AssetMetrix, Winternals Software and DesktopStandard.

With App-V 4.5, which is the first version developed under the company's Trustworthy Computing and Secure by Default guidelines, Microsoft has introduced integration with System Center management tools to help IT administer large deployments of virtual applications, including delivery over the Internet.

Microsoft is introducing the System Center Operations Manager 2007 Management Pack for App-V 4.5 servers and combining that with System Center Configuration Manager 2007 R2 and the App-V Group Policy Administrative template.

The combination lets IT administrators tap Configuration Manager to deploy virtual applications.

App-V 4.5 also introduces Dynamic Suite Composition (DSC), which lets virtualised applications share middleware resources such as a database.

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