A summary of today’s virtualization technologies and the distinguishing aspects of the different types of virtualization and cloud computing, followed by an overview of an interesting new online virtual personal computer service for thin client and smart phone – including the iPhone – users called AlwaysOnPC.
Screen shot of AlwaysOnPC desktop running on iPhone
One of the hottest topics in computing and communications is virtualization, but what exactly does it mean and how does it impact users of computing and communications resources?
Generally speaking virtualization refers to the abstraction of computing resources (see Wikipedia for more). There are lots of different forms and formats of virtualization affecting platforms, computers, infrastructure, applications and services. Anyone familiar with the internal workings of computing devices and networks is already familiar with the most commonly used forms of virtualization – including virtual memory in PCs and servers, and virtual private networks used to deploy secure access to private network and computing resources over public infrastructure.
The proliferation of virtualization technologies, products and services has lead to an overwhelming array of options to both developers and IT administrators.
This article will focus on a specific area of virtualization affecting both individual and corporate users of computing systems and applications, referred to variously as hosted virtual desktops (HVD), web desktops, web OS and online or “cloud” computers. These are various strategies for delivering user computing and application resources as online services rather than locally implemented instances. In all cases these are “virtual” solutions from a user perspective, meaning they exist in physical form in the network on servers but are allocated to, and shared among, a number of users on an assigned at access basis.
Virtualization results in efficiencies unachievable in the local physical realm by minimizing the number of actual copies of a physical resource that are installed and made available to users on a time shared basis. This efficiency is statistical in nature, meaning that all users cannot access and run any given available resource simultaneously. In an situation where one hundred percent of a user body require simultaneous access to the resource, virtualization does not make sense in terms of either performance or cost. Therefore, virtualized resources are often deployed in cases where periodic, auxiliary or overflow capacity/functionality is required.
One common implementation of virtualization technology is the shared application environments that can be implemented with technologies provided by designers like Citrix, whereby commonly used applications such as office or accounting applications are installed on the host organization’s centralized servers rather than on each user’s individual PC, and are run in service provisioned mode making them available to each user’s desktop but not actually running them “on” the user’s desktop. The advantages of such implementations include the possibility of deploying so called thin clients on the user’s desktop – less computing power and memory are required, therefore hardware cost is lower – along with ease of ongoing management and upgrade/maintenance. The disadvantages often include lower performance, due to applications running on remote servers that may get congested as the numbers of simultaneous users expands, and windowing the resulting screen views to the user’s desktop or laptop system rather than executing the application in full locally, as well as hard limits to the number of concurrent users affecting licensing costs and availability.
These virtualization technologies, along with so called remote desktop solutions where users can remotely access their own home or office computers using a specialized client running on both the accessed and the accessing computer, make use of a technology called Virtual Network Computing (VNC) . VNC software permits a remote user to access, login and operate a computer remotely as though they were sitting right at the remote machine. VNCs use X-windows technology to present the remote desktop to the local machine in a window managed by the program itself, that also manages all communications between the two, and provides remote PC interface and operation functions to the user on the local machine.
Another interesting variation of virtualization appearing in recent years for computer users, and very recently for users of selected smart phone devices, is personal cloud computing. Personal cloud computing takes several different forms, the three leading types of which will be covered in this article – including hosted virtual desktop, web OS/desktop and online PC, such as the most interesting new service from Xform Computing called AlwaysOnPC for smart phone users, specifically the iPhone.
Desktop virtualization (or Virtual Desktop Infrastructure) is a server-centric computing model that borrows from the traditional thin-client/server model and is designed to give system administrators and end-users the best of both worlds: the ability to host and centrally manage desktop virtual machines in the data center while giving end users the near equivalent of a fully localized PC desktop experience.
So called web OS or web desktop services function similarly to the data center model, but do so for individual and corporate users in “the cloud” as opposed to within a corporate data center. A key distinction in the case of “webtops” is that all functionality available to the user, as well as the user interface, is presented via a web browser program. This type of implementation has the advantage of being flexible for the user – with any standard web browser (this of course represents some issues in its own right given all the variance in browser design, implementation and rendering engine componentry) they can access the online service from any broadband Internet enabled computer. The disadvantages are principally focused on performance issues. Advanced interactive functionality can be implemented in browser based applications using AJAX, asynchronous javascript with XML. One familiar web application suite many readers will be familiar with is Google Apps. Google Apps can be accessed an run from a standard web browser, with no custom software or non-standard (e.g. Flash) plugins required on the user’s computer. These are proprietary implementations of the actual programs in the case of Google Docs, so compatibility with typical programs and data files users deploy on their desktop, such as MS Office programs, is not guaranteed or typically provided.
The last strategy, one that implements essentially a hybrid strategy, with a local VNC application optimized for the device employed on the client which accesses network based services, but in this case the network accessed service is not merely a single application, application suite or online virtual desktop attempting to simulate some aspect of a user’s local PC experience. Rather it is a complete online personal computer, that can be configured and operates from a user’s perspective much the same way their local PC does. Users can set the virtual machine up with a look and feel similar to their home or office PCs, including a fully customizable desktop configuration, and are presented with a complete online virtual PC complete with applications and utilities that they can run on any broadband internet enabled device, even a smart phone – much like they would with a VNC accessing their home or office PC from a different, remotely located machine, except in this case the entire PC is online in the cloud.
Screen shot of AlwaysOnPC desktop running on iPhone
One very good example is the latest online PC service from Xform Computing called AlwaysOnPC. With AlwaysOnPC users are presented with a securely accessed, fully configurable and customizable online virtual PC that includes a variety of standard applications for personal and professional productivity, communications and games, as well as online storage that acts like the hard drive on a local computer system and permits users to upload files to their online PC, and then access and run those from any Internet connected device, including an iPhone with the AlwaysOnPC VNC client installed.
The result is maximum flexibility and ubiquitous access, from any Internet connected device running the Java based VNC client, which users can download from the provider’s web site for any Linux, Mac or Windows PC as well as purchase from leading smart phone application stores, like Apple’s iTunes App Store for specialized mobile devices.
AlwaysOnPC provides a rich set of built-in applications that can be run from any Internet connected computer as well as the user’s iPhone – according to the company, other smart phone devices as well as subscription based services for PC only users will be available starting in the fourth quarter of 2009. The built-in application set includes OpenOffice, the world’s leading MS Office compatible professional productivity suite with word processing, spreadsheet, presentation and project management programs. Also provided are Evolution, an Outlook class messaging client, Firefox for web browsing, graphics and photo management programs and quite a bit more including system admin utilities – admittedly for power users since AlwaysOnPC does all the normal system admin for its users automatically – IM, games and more. Each user’s account comes complete with 2GB of secure online file storage which allows users to upload files from home or office PCs to run on AlwaysOnPC, even on their iPhone.
Screen shot of Firefox web browser running on AlwaysOnPC for iPhone
For more information on this exciting new service check out the company’s web site. You can watch interesting How To videos on the company’s You Tube channel.
Please let us know your impressions of these and any other interesting virtual PC services you may come across.
AlwaysOnPCnew
August 31, 2009
AlwaysOnPC is one of the latest leading edge experiments that implements a completely online computer service that users can access via their home or office computers as well as thin client netbook and even selected smart phone devices starting with Apple’s iPhone and iPhone 3G.
At doctorb reviews we recommend our readers check out this newest type of online service – a complete PC you can run from any Internet connected computer and even from certain smart phones like Apple’s latest iPhones and soon to be Blackberry and Android OS based products.
Introduced in early August AlwaysOnPC turns an iPhone into a powerful personal computer loaded with applications, utilities and games. Just like your home of office PC except online and available anytime, anywhere from any Internet connected computer.
AlwaysOnPC provides users with 2GB secure files storage for each account, where they can upload and store files they want to be able to access from anywhere – even a friend or colleague’s computer or Internet kiosk.
It includes secure and completely confidential Firefox web browsing, Evolution messaging and OpenOffice – fully compatible with Microsoft Outlook and Office, along with a ton of games and other programs for manipulating images, photos, dictionary, to do list, notetaker.
A complete PC you can carry in your pocket, that runs the Linux operating system and gives each user a completely customizable desktop loaded with open source apps and secure storage.
doctorB reviews is told the company plans to add subscription based pricing soon, so if you jump on their pre-release you can get an unlimited use license for the one time low fee of $29.99.
According to the company’s web site, Blackberry and Android based smart phones will be available in the fourth quarter.
If you have used or are evaluating this product please leave any comments you would like to share or suggestions for the company regarding its product and service plans.
