The Microsoft Enterprise Engineering Center (EEC) reproduces customer environments and conducts product validation. To accommodate the constant demand for the EEC, Microsoft has expanded the facility's capabilities and increased the size of the data center. Part of this expansion focused on the integration of two core technologies: virtualization technology from Microsoft and Sun Ray thin client technology from Sun.

Wanting a testing environment that displayed agility and responsiveness to customer requirements were just a couple of the reasons Microsoft's EEC chose Sun Ray thin clients to combine with its virtualization technology. Other key features of Sun's thin client devices that appealed to the testing facility:

Simplified Administrative Workload, Strong Protection

Since both Sun Ray thin clients and virtualization centralize data on back-end servers, they help to simplify the administrative workload and increase server utilization while protecting valuable data and application assets.

Stateless Means Mobility, Protection, No Maintenance

Sun Ray thin client devices themselves have no local disk storage and are totally stateless, which brings distinct advantages in the EEC: Sun Ray thin clients require no maintenance, promote user mobility, and help to protect both Microsoft and customer intellectual property. Users can move to any Sun Ray thin client in the EEC and resume their exact desktop state, which encourages collaboration while safely enabling access to data and applications on centralized, protected servers.

Program Managers can Create Versus Maintain

Since no desktop maintenance is needed, program managers can focus their time and energy towards the provisioning process, quickly creating and customizing new virtual machines.

Presents Familiar Windows Desktop Experience

Best of all, with off-the-shelf software from Sun, Sun Ray thin clients present a familiar Windows desktop experience to EEC users.

Promotes Environmental Sustainability

Low-power Sun servers support the virtualization and Sun Ray software, which, when combined with low power consumption of the Sun Ray thin clients themselves, reduces the overall energy footprint. Since both companies seek to reduce data center energy consumption, they are focused on the common goal of a cost-effective and eco-friendly solution.

MICROSOFT WHITE PAPER

Microsoft has produced a white paper describing the combination of virtualization and Sun Ray thin client technology, and how the two companies are working closely together to make the EEC initiative a success. Specific topics covered in the 18-page PDF:

The Microsoft Enterprise Engineering Center (EEC)

• Redesigning the EEC Testing Infrastructure
• Meeting the Challenges of the EEC Redesign
• Combining the Power of Virtualization and Sun Ray Thin Client Technology
• The "New" User Experience

Solution Architecture

• High-Level Overview
• Deployed Solution
• Virtualization Platforms
• Virtualization Operating System and Virtualization Engine: Windows Server 2008, Hyper-V Technology
• Virtual Machines
• Display Management: Sun Ray Server Software, Sun Ray Connector for Windows
• Sun Ray Thin Clients
• EEC Deployment Plan

More Information

Virtualizing Windows on Sun Ray Thin Clients at the Microsoft Enterprise Engineering Center - Microsoft white paper

Sun Ray Software 4

Early Access Version of Sun Ray Software 5 and Sun Ray Soft Client 1.0

Microsoft EEC [...read more...]

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