A question to the corporate techies

[timwilky]

How do manage your users that must have linux desktops to enable them access to the microsoft world as well. ie sharepoint, ms office etc.

2 systems? VM windows?, dual boot?

At present we give ours limited apps using Citrix but I think its days are numbered. What is the rest of the world doing

[flymo]

We have a few options;

Managed Windows clients for most users, mix of desktop and laptops.

Virtual clients used for many development purposes, VMs run all sorts (Windows, Linux etc)

We often use separate dedicated test client hardware for running alternate OSs too but personally I've managed for the past couple of years by beefing up my laptop and running VMs for everything. I have a complete virtual AD directory environment and a few virtual test clients all running in VMWare workstation. No more messy hardware clogging up my desk, and its portable.

Possible future option could be to use VDI hosting virtual clients on dedicated data center hardware but the infrastructure can be prohibitively expense to get started, although cheaper to manage afterwards.

[timwilky]

I use VMs to resolve most of my issues. We have a corporate policy. One user one system. However, we have a small number of power users who need raw CPU under linux to model things like stress over turbine blades etc. in an Linux only solution who then need a widows only system to model airflow over the same blade.

I am seriously looking at providing two high end PCs as the only solution for these. However managed apps is our current way of delivering office apps to these power users. But I think we would like to move to something cleaner but I don't know what that is.

[andrewsmith]

You can (or used to be able to) get office for Linux, its normally bundled with Office for Mac.

I'd personally look at VM with a dual boot option (Run windows off a partition) as it means either one can run.

Flymo wouldn't a Citrix server not do the same, or is the architecture totally different?, as I know that is a power and server hungry beast

[flymo]

Originally Posted by andrewsmith

You can (or used to be able to) get office for Linux, its normally bundled with Office for Mac.

I'd personally look at VM with a dual boot option (Run windows off a partition) as it means either one can run.

Flymo wouldn't a Citrix server not do the same, or is the architecture totally different?, as I know that is a power and server hungry beast

Really depends on the precise requirements.

TW - Do you need to carry out the modelling/analysis on both Windows and Linux apps seperately? or only on a Linux app? That wasnt clear.

Also, do you need to share information between the apps from both OSs?

[SoulKiss]

I used to run a Linux (Ubuntu) box with VMWare running within Linux (VMWare Player) with Windows in the VM.

Now I use two machines and Synergy.

[timwilky]

unfortunately I need to have power hungry apps that run in both environments, We spent several thousand on a very high end pc for one set of apps to find the user how requires windows only apps as well that are just as power hungry and can take days to run.

A vm is not the solution for this particular user, sadly only a second system will do.

However we do have about 50 users who are also extremely heavy users of linux apps that we have provided limited ms apps by Citrix. We are looking to roll out newer MS apps for office/mail and at the same time the architecture guys want rid of the Citrix. I am guessing the only solution for them is a vm running windows.

SK, give me more details of synergy

[flymo]

Originally Posted by timwilky

...However we do have about 50 users who are also extremely heavy users of linux apps that we have provided limited ms apps by Citrix. We are looking to roll out newer MS apps for office/mail and at the same time the architecture guys want rid of the Citrix. I am guessing the only solution for them is a vm running windows.

I wouldnt dsicount the Citrix approach without considering the consequences. Deploying, updating and managing those apps across 50 linux machines will have costs and complexity associated that need taking into account. You may find that the Citrix approach is cheaper in the long run.

have you considered WINE?
not the drink (for the non techies)

All of the office programs work inside it but not 100% sure about other programs that you may be using.
Check it out, http://www.winehq.org/

[Bibio]

duel boot with separate drives for each OS to me seems a much better solution if the machines are already high end, or if its just MS office docs that they need to open then how about openoffice...

twin machines would be the perfect solution using a KVM as it would allow the user to work with both at the same time.