The future of desktop virtualization: Running desktops on the client (gasp!)

The future of desktop virtualization: Running desktops on the client (gasp!)

When most people think of desktop virtualization, they think of virtual desktop infrastructure. In other words, they think about using a thin client to connect to a virtual machine running Windows XP on a remote host.

But on SearchVirtualDesktop.com, we've been writing from Day One that virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) is only one type of desktop virtualization. Other types include Terminal Server, OS streaming, client hypervisors and on-demand desktop creation.

I'd like to focus on these other types of desktop virtualization, specifically those that end up with copies of Windows running on the client device.

Some readers may immediately think, "What? Running a desktop on a client device is not 'desktop virtualization' -- it's just the way it's always been!"

While this might seem true at first, step back and take a minute to think about what exactly desktop virtualization is.

If virtualization is about separating the physical from the logical, then desktop virtualization is really about separating the physical client device from the management of the copy of Windows that it runs.

In other words, if a client does a network boot and runs a copy of Windows from a virtual hard disk (VHD) file sitting on a server, then that desktop's virtualized! An admin can simply update the central VHD file, and -- BAM! -- the user gets the newest image the next time he boots.

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