BIG-IP LTM VE Enables Enhanced VMware View Deployment

Enterprises all over the world have rapidly been adopting Virtual Desktop Infrastructure or ‘VDI’ technology, which enables them to deliver desktops as a managed service, and to manage a corporate desktop environment in a low cost manner. A number of factors such as user experience, availability and performance, security and the ability to reduce desktop operating expenses are responsible for the success of VDIs.

Under the VDI deployment, user desktops are virtualized and delivered to a number of end point devices located within a network from a central location. As the primary work tool of the user remains located in a data center instead of the local machine, the VDI approach uses excessive network resources offering relatively inferior user experience, as a considerably larger amount of data is consumed in the delivery of a graphical user interface or ‘GUI’ based virtual desktop.

Additionally, network latency is even more prominent when the virtual desktop is delivered over a wide area network or ‘WAN’ to provide the users with access to their desktops and applications from anywhere in the world. More bandwidth has to be allocated towards the additional network traffic, which reduces the cost savings realized by the enterprises with VDI.

VMware has adopted the PC over IP or ‘PCoIP’ communications display protocol that encapsulates video display packets in User Datagram Protocol or ‘UDP’ (News - Alert) instead of Transmission Control Protocol or ‘TCP’ to utilize the network in a more efficient manner. It is difficult for a number of remote access devices to comply with this distinctive protocol in a proper manner, further affecting the user experience.

The BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager or ‘LTM’ Virtual Edition or ‘VE’ by F5, a provider of strategic points of control throughout the IT infrastructure that enables organizations to scale, adapt and align with changing business demands; features fine grained access control of BIG-IP Access (News - Alert) Policy Manager or ‘APM.’ The solution provides an effective enhancement to a VMware View deployment, as enterprises can optimize, secure and deliver a VMware View virtual desktop infrastructure through the BIG-IP APM (News - Alert) for LTM VE.

It offers a comprehensive virtual remote access solution for VMware View 4.5 VDI solutions, and the BIG-IP APM for LTM VE system also runs as a virtual machine in a VMware hypervisor environment, enabling the enterprises to add it to their existing infrastructure conveniently. With growing number of users on virtual desktops, enterprises can make a seamless transition from the BIG-IP virtual edition to a BIG-IP physical appliance.

In September 2010, F5 Networks (News - Alert) announced the availability of its BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager Essentials web-based training course in six languages. This free of cost, web-based training program had been specially designed to provide easy access to online education in the fundamentals of BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager or ‘LTM.’

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