Using Kollective with Citrix Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI)

Transcription

1 Using Kollective with Citrix Virtual Desktop Infrastructure VDI)

2 Delivering High Quality Video Citrix is one of the leading suppliers of Virtual Desktop Infrastructure VDI) technology, with major hardware manufacturers such as Dell, Fujitsu, HP, Oracle, Samsung and Wyse supplying Citrix-ready hardware terminals. Kollective delivers a great video experience, regardless of what device viewers are using, including those using thin clients and those accessing a virtualized desktop from a more conventional PC and software client. Kollective s cloud-based Enterprise Video Platform EVP) and powerful Enterprise Content Delivery Network ECDN) enable enterprises to distribute high quality video to every employee without impacting the network. The technology employs a centrally managed peer-assisted delivery model which moves the network load from the WAN to the LAN. Its solution works in conjunction with your existing network infrastructure, so you don t have to spend time and money on costly network upgrades. This document is intended to provide an overview of how Kollective works with facilities built into the Citrix platform to deliver live video and video on demand VOD) to Citrix users. Centralized Citrix & Kollective deployment without HDX Management Server Citrix XenApp Server Internet 2 Central Data Center

3 HDX/Windows Embedded s Traditional thin clients or dumb terminals) running virtualized desktops have a number of disadvantages, particularly in delivering highly interactive applications and those which include multimedia video and audio). Traditionally applications run on the server, with visual and audio) data conveyed over the network to the thin client using the Citrix Independent Computing Architecture ICA) protocol. Multimedia requires very high bandwidth via ICA and there can be significant duplication of data sent via the network over time. Citrix has addressed this issue with their HDX technology, which allows for more fully featured thin clients that have more powerful processors, limited local storage and the ability to attach local peripherals. HDX Ready Windows Embedded thin clients are effectively remotely managed low-power PCs, running a cut-down version of a Windows operating system OS). Local storage allows the OS and a limited number of applications to be installed on the client itself, reducing the dependency on the server and enabling features such as offline usage. To enable HDX thin clients to access Kollective s Enterprise Content Delivery Network ECDN) content, the Kollective client application should be installed as part of the local OS image. The same application is used for thin clients as for standard Windows PCs. The install footprint is light at approximately 15MB in total. In operation the Kollective client will store up to 8MB of log data which automatically rotates). Kollective makes use of the Citrix HDX MediaStream for Flash and Windows Media to ensure that Kollective content is automatically rendered locally on the thin client device, utilizing the locally installed Kollective client software. Peer-assisted behavior on a thin client device is exactly the same as with a normal Windows PC. 3

4 The Kollective Advantage Greater Reach, Engagement, Intelligence 100% reach across the enterprise, even in remote offices. High quality video viewing experience on the desktop or mobile device, Live, or VOD. APIs enable flexible integration of rich content into portals and management systems. Detailed metrics and viewer reports on content consumption and network efficiency. Social engagement around video through consolidated corporate portal. Secure and Scalable Technology Cloud-based software-only solution utilizes your existing network infrastructure no hardware upgrades!) to scale rich-media delivery at a lower cost, without sacrificing quality. SOC 2 certified managed services delivered from our central application and storage servers located in Tier 4 data centers. Peer-assisted model based on patented Kollective Delivery Protocol KDP) enables optimal network efficiency with only 1 copy of a stream delivered to each office. IT can set network policies and control access to authorized users. Centralized Citrix & Kollective deployment with HDX MediaStream Management Server Citrix XenApp Server Internet Central Data Center 4

5 Strategies for Limited Local Storage on s HDX thin clients have only limited solid state) storage space in comparison to fully-fledged desktop PCs. Typically thin clients have between 0.5GB and 3GB available local storage, making it impractical to enable large content caches as found with Kollective deployments to conventional desktops. Mixed VDI and Desktop PC Environments Where sites deploying Kollective feature a mix of VDI thin clients and desktop PCs, the limited size of the thin client s cache is often not a great issue. Content is cached by the PCs with greater storage capacity and served to VDI thin clients. Since the Kollective client application manages its cache automatically even with a very limited cache size), the client can replace previously played and cached videos on each playback. significant amount of video. Maximum File Size Considerations One practical consideration is the maximum size for any single Kollective content item, as this must not be any larger than the smallest cache size. While this may sound like a significant limitation, in practice a 1 hour video encoded at 560 kbps is approximately 250 MB in size, so even limited caches will allow for a significant amount of video. Caching for VDI Only Environments Some sites will exclusively use VDI, or have the network partitioned in such a way as to separate PCs from the VDI thin clients. Kollective s ECDN supports pre-delivery or pre-positioning) of content, which when combined with flexible client configuration allows our customers to add dedicated caches in such circumstances. The distinction between a Kollective cache and hardware solutions from other vendors is significant. A Kollective cache is a standard Windows PCbased peer like any other, with the distinction that it has a different configuration, defining a much larger content cache, permission to serve a larger number of concurrent peers and has received pre-positioned content. Because there are no specific hardware requirements for the Kollective cache, whatever hardware is convenient including virtual machines) and local to the site can be used. Deployment is also highly cost effective and scalable as Kollective enables you to deploy as many instances of the client software as you wish including for caching purposes), charging per distinct end user consuming content. Supported s and Build Considerations Support for Kollective via a thin client device is dependent upon support for Citrix HDX MediaStream and sufficient local storage to install the Kollective software and its dependencies. Device support can be validated via the Citrix Ready website. Enter your manufacturer and device model and confirm the device feature list contains HDX MediaStream: [Quality desired] Client-Rendered). Your client build should include Internet Explorer and the Remote Access Services package. Should you wish to make use of Windows Media WMV)/ VC-1 video, you will need to include the Windows Media Player package, its codecs and dependencies. 5

6 Zero Footprint Operation for True s True thin client devices have no local storage, loading their operating system over the network. Typically such devices use very low powered CPUs as they are intended to be used by undemanding users. Kollective s client software can operate entirely server-side for zero footprint thin client devices. In this instance, video is cached, decompressed and rendered server side. The image and sound is then conveyed to the remote client device over Citrix ICA using the network connectivity available between server and client. Careful consideration must be given when attempting to deliver video to true thin clients, whether using Kollective or any other solution, since network bandwidth between client and server is a potential bottleneck. Each viewer will consume considerable bandwidth throughout video playback and will continue to consume further bandwidth if replaying a video or playing a video already played by a nearby user. If your intended video usage at a zero footprint site is predicted to be very light, you may have no reason for concern. Likewise, there is little difficulty if you have plentiful bandwidth between server and client e.g. where your VDI infrastructure is decentralized, with servers on site with gigabit switched LAN connecting each client). In a zero footprint environment, server devices will be providing storage for caching and peer serving, therefore there will be little benefit derived from the cache unless the VDI client network is shared with other devices which are running with the Kollective client. Cache settings should be carefully managed to ensure cached content is not needlessly duplicated by multiple virtual desktops. Kollective deployment engineers can advise on a suitable configuration for specific environments. Decentralized Citrix & Kollective deployment with zero client footprint Management Server True Citrix XenApp Server True True Internet Central Data Center 6

7 Learn More Questions? We d love to hear from you! Contact Us. Go to and fill out the short form. One of our experts will reach out to help you find the solution that s best for you. Start Your Free Trial. Go to to sign up for a free trial of Kollective s Enterprise Video Platform. Learn More. Read the latest and engage in the conversation: Company Overview Powered by innovative technology, Kollective pioneered the enterprise video platform and enterprise content delivery network markets, providing superior cloud-based content delivery across the enterprise. Kollective s video solutions enable consumer-grade video engagement with enterprise-grade control over video delivery for the world s largest companies, including American Airlines, Wells Fargo, Nationwide and Nestle, serving nearly 1.5 million users worldwide. Kollective offers organizations the unique ability to globally deliver video on demand or live broadcasts to 100% of their employees, regardless of location, and to the full range of today s business devices, including smart phones and tablets, without congesting networks or compromising video quality. 7

8 KOLLECTIVE Phone Fax Emkay Dr, Suite 150 Bend, Oregon kollective.com