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RDS vs VM for Home computers

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by 01189998819991197253

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So I am going to be building a home server for network storage, Plex media server, small-time rendering services for video editing, etc.

Since I am building a server for these other purposes, I would also like to test out either virtualizing all home PC’s for my home (we have about 10 PC’s currently) or using Windows RDS.

The purpose of this is to be able to lower overall costs of purchasing new laptops with decent performance and buy much cheaper laptops with lower performance and essentially offload all processing to the server.

Either way, Remote access outside of the home will not be an issue. I am willing to run Linux based server or Windows based server.

Which would be the smartest option to achieve my goal of keeping all processing on the server to replace every computer in my home?

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by bruno_johnson

Formerly known as Terminal Services, multiple users share the same OS and applications running in the server, known as the “RD Session Host.” Shared sessions are the way Terminal Services handle thin clients. The user’s machine functions like an input/output (I/O) terminal to the central server. Software installation, configuration, and updating are easier to control when the end user’s desktops run in a centralized datacenter, rather than in each end user’s PC. In addition, users can access their desktops from any computer running Remote Desktop Services (RDS).

Benefits of RDS:

Single point of maintenance.
Install once, use many.
Reduced license expense.
Solid Security.
Lower Costs.

VMware View provides remote-desktop capabilities to users using VMware’s virtualization technology. A client desktop operating-system – typically Microsoft Windows 7 or Windows 10 – runs within a virtual environment on a server. The VMware View product has a number of components that are required to provide the virtual desktops, including:

View Connection Server: It is a software service that acts as a broker for client connections.
View Agent: It is a software service that is installed on all guest virtual machines in order to allow them to be managed by View.
View Client: It is a software application that communicates with View Connection Server to allow users to connect to their desktops.
View Client with Local Mode: It is a version of View Client that is extended to support the local desktop feature, which allows users to download virtual machines and use them on their local systems.
View Administrator: It is a Web application that allows View administrators to configure View Connection Server, deploy and manage desktops, control user authentication, initiate and examine system events, and carry out analytical activities.
vCenter Server: It is a server that acts as a central administrator and provides the central point for configuring, provisioning, and managing virtual machines in the datacenter.
View Composer: It is a software service that is installed on a vCenter server to allow View to rapidly deploy multiple linked-clone desktops from a single centralized base image.
View Transfer Server: It is a software service that manages and streamlines data transfers between the datacenter and View desktops.

Hope this helps.
Bruno J.

by jamescutt103

VDI is different from RDS in the following ways:
In an RDS environment, multiple users can access a single environment, which could be customized on a per-user basis but resources are not dedicated to a particular user. Whereas, In a VDI environment each user either accesses their own centrally hosted physical PC or VM or they can access a shared VM.
Also, In a VDI environment physical CPU, Memory, and Disk capacity can be allocated to the particular user which stops one user’s actions from affecting other users.

I hope this information is useful!
Regards,
James Cutt

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