The Difference Between VDI and Terminal Server

so what is the difference between a virtual desktop and terminal server computing environments the first difference is the need for a local computer with a terminal server you need to have a PC that's located in your office in order to communicate with the cloud server you can use your existing computer but be sure that it's protected from viruses and spyware with VDI there is no need for a local desktop you can replace your computer with an ad our monitor and even be able to use a dual screen configuration another important difference is the ability to customize software that's available to your users with a Terminal Server the same set of software is installed for every user even if some may need to use a more basic license with virtual desktops each computer can have its own set of software some users can use the more advanced version while others can use a standard one in a terminal server environment each users virtual session runs on the same hardware and shares resources with others on the system if one of the users is running a resource intensive process the performance of all others will suffer while the task is running on the other hand each virtual desktop gets its own dedicated set of resources if one of the users is running the same resource intensive tasks only their performance will be affected and no one else's terminal servers run a server class Windows operating system such as Windows Server 2008 some software packages are not designed to run on such an operating system and may not install properly VDI desktops run standard desktop class operating systems such as Windows 7 or XP all software is compatible with this system terminal server is designed for running business software and is not well-suited for multimedia content such as video and audio playing a video may appear choppy and play without sound the virtual desktop technology was designed specifically to replace a local desktop without sacrificing functionality and performance therefore even multimedia content plays smoothly on a VDI system just as it would on a traditional PC similar to video manipulating large graphics on a terminal server may be challenging while VDI performance is fast and smooth locally attached USB devices are not accessible within a virtual session on a terminal server while on a virtual desktop they are to securely access a Terminal Server you are required to run VPN software when you are working remotely this requires using a traditional PC Mac or laptop computer the VDI system has military-grade encryption built in and does not require special VPN software therefore a virtual desktop can be accessed from any internet-connected device including iPads iPhones and androids when working on a terminal server users may need to switch from one screen to another when trying to view multimedia and toggle between their business application in the virtual session and the multimedia content on their local desktop with VDI everything is done from a single screen without having to switch back and forth

Channel: Adar

Views: 222,816

Keywords: Cloud computer, vdi, virttual desktop, terminal server, terminal services, remote desktop services, desktop virtualization, cloud IT, cloud-based IT, adar, Virtual Desktop, PcoIP, Cloud Desktop, Thin Client

Id: fQDAMCzkhHc

Length: 3min 25sec (205 seconds)

Published: Thu Dec 15 2011