About the Virtual Desktop Service

This article applys to the following Citrix/Virtual Desktop clients:

Virtual Desktop Overview

The Virtual Desktop service is powered by Citrix Metaframe Presentation Server. Citrix MetaFrame Presentation Server is a technology that can allow remote users of virtually any computing platform to connect to Windows applications that are actually installed and running on a remote server.

A client is installed on the user computer that, in effect, remote-controls the application. It sends video, keystrokes and mouse movements back and forth between the client and server to accomplish this. Users of Windows Remote Desktop (Terminal Services) will find many similarities. In fact, Citrix technology is built on top of Terminal Services but offers more advanced features and better performance. Ideally, a Virtual Desktop application should appear to be running on a user's local desktop just as any other installed application would.

Features

No installation necessary: Virtual Desktop users can run most of the applications that are available in the ITC labs around campus but from any computer, on-campus or off-campus, with a decent internet connection. The programs are installed on the Virtual Desktop servers so no software needs to be obtained and installed on the client computer - except for a small Citrix web client.
Access to popular applications from any computer with an internet connection: Most applications are available from on-campus as well as off-campus. This means students who are home for the holidays, for example, can still access applications they need from any computer that has an internet connection.
Web Interface: The Virtual Desktop Web Interface provides an easy, centralized portal to connect to all Virtual Desktop applications.
Mac users can run Windows applications: Mac users can run Windows applications from their Mac OS X desktop without having to run Parallels or other PC emulation software.
Mapped Printers and Drives: Depending on which Citrix client you are using, your local drives and printers are seamlessly made accessible within the Virtual Desktop session.
Security: Virtual Desktop sessions use 40 bit encryption for the actual session and the Virtual Desktop Web Interface uses 128 bit (SSL) encryption for passing user credentials to the Virtual Desktop servers.
Performance: Virtual Desktop sessions use the more advanced Citrix ICA compression algorithm which offers a significant performance gain over Terminal Services/Remote Desktop.
Published Applications: Unlike Remote Desktop, Virtual Desktop sessions present you with only the desired application that you may minimize and resize as you wish on your own desktop. With Remote Desktop, you must connect to an entire remote Windows desktop.
Better performance from high-load applications: Certain statistical analysis applications which exert very high processing loads can perform much better on a Virtual Desktop server because they employ server-class hardware.

More Information

For instructions installing and using the appropriate Citrix client, see the main Virtual Desktop Documentation page.

Return to Virtual Desktop Support Center

Last Updated: 04/24/2008